Local restaurateurs discuss no-tipping policy trend
The no-tipping policy that’s becoming a national trend in the restaurant industry may have hit a new peak last week when acclaimed New York City chef Danny Meyer said he would eliminate tipping for the 1,800 employees who work for his Union Square Hospitality Group.
Locally, restaurant owners have weighed in on whether it would make business sense to switch their wage models for employees from one dependent on customers’ tips to a new model including the price of service on restaurant checks.
Chef Geoff Tracy, who operates five area restaurants, said in a lengthy Facebook post, that he initially thought the new model was a “terrible” idea. He wrote that his servers earn an average of $27 an hour, which he says is higher than most jobs that require similar experience. However, he notes that some staff, such as cooks, hosts and even managers, may make less money than they should based on the work they do. Tracy writes that including a 20 percent service fee on all checks could result in other staff being paid more, but servers would likely have to take a pay cut.
Plus, adding an even higher fee of 30 percent to restaurant checks likely would increase average check prices and could lead to fewer customers choosing to eat at his restaurants, he wrote. So while he admires Meyer for attempting to increase the size of the economic “pie” that restaurants receive in order to increase the pay of cooks and other non-tipped staff, he believes the cost of doing so could result in a loss of business.
Roberto Pietrobono, co-owner of the Olazzo and Gringos & Mariachis restaurants, also said in in an interview Tuesday that a no-tipping policy would be more expensive for customers.
“You would have to raise your prices,” Pietrobono said, “and there’s no incentive to give you better service. These servers are making a lot of money and a lot of it has to do with giving great service.”
Pietrobono also pointed out that while Meyer made a splash with his announcement, two San Francisco restaurants that had been experimenting with a tipless model for about a year ended the policy last week to return to the tipping model.
Washington Post food writer enjoys experience at Bethesda’s Villain & Saint
The bar at Villain & Saint in Bethesda. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
Chef Robert Wiedmaier’s latest restaurant, the Wisconsin Avenue rock venue Villain & Saint, found a new fan in Washington Post food writer Tim Carman. Carman reviewed the restaurant in a piece published Wednesday afternoon online. He particularly enjoyed the hamburger: “Villain & Saint has a terrific one: a nearly half-pound Black Angus patty, charred and juicy, tucked into a grilled brioche bun with a sweet tomato jam and bitter arugula, the balance impeccable.” He docked the restaurant for its vegetarian options, which he described as having minor problems, including soft zucchini pancakes lacking cripsness. As for the décor that features lava lamps and photos of deceased rockers, Carman dubbed it “a graying boomer paradise.”
A Taste of Downtown Crown takes place Saturday
This weekend, Downtown Crown will celebrate its growing restaurant scene for the second year in a row. On Saturday the burgeoning development in Gaithersburg will host A Taste of Downtown Crown. Similar to the annual Taste of Bethesda event (which was cancelled this year due to rain), the event allows attendees to purchase tickets to buy small food samples offered by participating restaurants. This year’s participating restaurants include Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Ted’s Montana Grill, Ted’s Bulletin, La Madeleine, Mezeh Mediterranean Grill, Asia Nine, &pizza, Coastal Flats, Paladar, and Chopt. Old Town Pour House will also be hosting a beer garden at the event. Tickets are $5 for two tastes and $15 for seven tastes and one beer. The proceeds will be donated to the Manna Food Center. The event will run from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Photo: Coastal Flats at Downtown Crown. Credit: Andrew Metcalf
Grapeseed hosting whole animal dinners on Friday nights
Grapeseed owner and chef Jeff Heineman will be preparing whole animals for special dinners on Friday nights at his Bethesda restaurant over the next few weeks. Heineman launched the special menus last week with one featuring duck, which included duck canapé, liver crostini, neck stuffed with sausage, roast breasts and braised leg ravioli topped with foie gras. This week he’ll be preparing a whole pig. The menu is offered from 6 to 9 p.m. and costs $40 per person. On Oct. 30, the chef is planning to serve lamb, followed by goat Nov. 6 and then a type of seafood Nov. 13.
Menu courtesy of Grapessed
