Why some US restaurants are banning tips

Some US restaurants are banning tips in favor of higher, set prices to ensure fair wages for all staff. At La Cigale in San Francisco, wine waiter Caroline Kraetzer earns $40 an hour, while at Nightshade Noodle Bar in Lynn, Massachusetts, chef and owner Rachel Miller increased prices to pay kitchen staff higher wages. Miller found it "deeply unsettling" that higher tips went to white male staff and lower tips to others, so she aimed to make the restaurant experience fairer.

However, some customers find the higher menu prices off-putting. Despite this, Miller and Kraetzer believe that paying staff properly and eliminating tipping is worth the trade-off. The challenge lies in convincing customers that the higher prices are worth it, as tipping can be seen as discriminatory. While not every restaurant that switches to a tipless model finds success, those that do, like Nightshade Noodle Bar, have seen positive results with staff retention and guest satisfaction.