"A long-running, family-owned, full-service 350-seat restaurant in Walnut Creek that has, after the federal FLSA change, moved quickly to include kitchen staff in its tip pool; servers continue to tip out the same percentage but the back of house now shares in those tips, a transition the owner describes as seamless. Management emphasizes treating the kitchen as the "heart of the chain of service," seeks a middle-ground allocation so the back of house benefits without unduly penalizing front-of-house earnings, and sees tip-sharing as a tool to reduce pay inequality and help address kitchen labor shortages." - Andrea Strong