Why 20%
We add a 20% service charge in lieu of gratuity to all bills to create equity and stability in our industry.
If you would like to know more, please keep reading....
A Short Answer
A 20% service charge is added to your bill to create equity and stability in our industry. The entire service charge added to your bill is for our hourly team members and 100% is used for their compensation. Should you wish to acknowledge the team for an exceptional experience, we have included an optional gratuity line. Any gratuity left is distributed among all hourly team members in the dining room and kitchen, who also create your dining experience.
Enjoy and thank you for joining us.
A Longer Answer
We believe the traditional restaurant compensation model needs to be fixed. It needs to provide the kind of stability and equality of pay that restaurant team members deserve. We feel compelled to offer a different business model to our team, our community, and the industry as a whole, ensuring people in our industry receive fair and equitable wages and benefits transparently.
There is a profound pay disparity between those working behind the scenes, in kitchens and dish rooms, and our front-of-house service staff, despite both teams being essential to the guest experience and the business. This is largely a product of the common restaurant structure in the U.S.—a broken system built on a low-overhead model consisting of minimum-wage kitchen employees and well-below-minimum-wage service staff. These employees are subject to the customary American tipping system that data shows suffers from bias, sexism, and discrimination.
At our restaurants, we charge a 20% service charge, so we can pay our employees a higher and more consistent hourly wage. We believe good wages and an open dialogue lead to a stronger, happier team and, ultimately, a better experience for you as a guest.
Should you wish to acknowledge the team for an exceptional experience, we have included an optional gratuity line. Any additional gratuity is distributed among all hourly members in the dining room and kitchen who collectively help create your dining experience. Our managers never receive any portion of the tips left for the hourly team.
We will continue to seek new and innovative ways of operating restaurants that create a better life for employees and a better community for our neighbors and guests.
Thank you for supporting us as we strive to change hospitality through integrity and grace.
- Hollis Wells Silverman
The Duck & The Peach | La Collina | Méli Wine & Mezze | The Wells
Eastern Point Collective