Popular Pittsburgh restaurant Bar Marco will pay its servers $35,000 a year and give them benefits, and customers will not tip.
The plan offers stability to servers, who make $2.83 per hour in Pennsylvania and must depend on tips,
says local magazine Next Pittsburgh. Bar Marco co-owner Bobby Fry told the magazine that customers will not see a service charge added or a suddenly increase in prices.
“We’ve been watching the data all year. I put together what we have to do to pay the front and back equally and pay them well and give them a share of the upsides,” Fry told Next Pittsburgh. "Every restaurant does it a little bit differently. Some restaurants charge a 20 percent service fee — I don’t think that will work well for us. Our plan hinges on hitting revenues — mainly the expansion of the wine room where gratuity and tax have been included since it launched.”
A study by the Economic Policy Institute found that 16.7 percent of restaurant workers live below the poverty line.
Bar Marco announced the change on Twitter Jan. 2.
Jokingly, the restaurant later tweeted:
The salary applies to employees in all aspects of the restaurant, Next Pittsburgh said, and they will work 40-44 hour workweeks, get 10 vacation days, healthcare, and 500 shares in the restaurant. They also, Fry told Next Pittsburgh, participate in bi-monthly finance meetings to be a part of growing the restaurant.
The restaurant’s announcement got a lot of attention online.
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