No more tips

A British Columbia restaurant says it will not be accepting tips from customers when it opens next month – a possible Canadian first. Patrons of the Smoke ‘N Water restaurant in Parksville won’t even be given a tip line on their debit or credit slips. If cash tips are received, they will be donated to charity.

Owner David Jones says that 'tipping...  is a broken business model'. In the majority of North American restaurants, servers often make very low wages with the understanding that they’ll make up for it in tips. At Smoke ‘N Water, staff will receive a 'decent living wage' with access to benefits. Front-of-house will make $10.50 an hour, while back-of-house will make $11 an hour. Jones intends to increase the pay grade of his employees through a profit-sharing plan. By giving a portion of the restaurant’s gross receipts back to its workers, staff will be making closer to $15 an hour across the board.