How I'm Making a Living Wage as a Line Cook | Bon Appétit
"Located in Denver, this restaurant has adopted measures to better compensate kitchen staff, including a 1.5% living-wage fee added to checks since its August 2019 opening that is distributed to back-of-house based on hours worked, and a policy of giving takeout tips to cooks while dine-in tips go to servers. Supportive kitchen leadership—notably executive chef Brent Turnipseede—has created a non-cutthroat work environment that helps attract employees. Recent minimum-wage increases have set non-tipped pay at $14.77/hour and tipped at $11.75/hour as of January 1, and the combined effect of the fee and takeout tips boosted the diarist’s income by roughly $7,000–$8,000 last year. Business has ramped up recently (the busiest period since the diarist started), the restaurant is actively hiring, and management plans to expand seating and reopen the bar as distancing rules ease, while continuing to look for ways to close the remaining front- vs. back-of-house wage gap—potentially via a flat service charge distributed more equitably." - ByPeter Steckler, as told to Allyson Reedy
