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One Of NYC's Most Expensive Restaurants Has Eliminated Tipping
By
Nell Casey
Published Dec 1, 2015
Modified Dec 1, 2015
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By
Nell Casey
Published Dec 1, 2015
Modified Dec 1, 2015
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Eleven Madison Park, a three Michelin-starred restaurant and one of New York City's most expensive, has announced a decision to eliminate tipping in the new year. Proprietors Daniel Humm and Will Guidara revealed to Eater that they'll be raising the price of their 12-15 course tasting menu from $225 to $295, plus additional costs for the wine pairings plus, of course, tax. As the website points out, the new price model would push a meal for two over $1,000 in 2016.
While Danny Meyer's pioneering no tipping policy—which eschewed the "administrative fee" model—raised prices on dishes for the trial run at The Modern between 21-25%, Humm and Guidara are bumping up the tasting menu by 31%. Under the new model, back of house kitchen staff will see an extra $1 per hour to their pay checks, line cooks and pastry cooks $2 and servers a vague "higher hourly wage that's on par with what they previously earned under a traditional tipping system" that Guidara assures Eater will be enough to keep his staff from seeking greener pastures.
The new move still doesn't elevate Eleven Madison Park to NYC's most expensive restaurant—that distinction belongs to Masa—but it points towards a trend that sees raising food costs to help better support all staff members working at a restaurant, not just the servers who often benefit from a generous tipper. And it's not just something we're seeing in the city's haute dining restaurants: Franny's, a buzzy Park Slope pizzeria, announced plans to raise prices on their menu items, in addition to adding a "3% Affordable Care Act surcharge" to all checks.
This all speaks to a changing landscape for restaurant owners who are faced with rising labor costs, rising food costs and the everyday hidden costs to make it difficult to keep the lights on. Everyone better prepare for sticker shock across the board.
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danny meyer
eleven madison park
the modern
tipping
Nell Casey
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