Shortly before opening, Casa Bonita’s new owners Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to eliminate tipping and instead pay workers a flat wage of $30 per hour.
Now I could be wrong, but getting a an hourly wage as a restaurant worker is FAR better than relying on tips. I feel like either workers in this situation are too obsessed with tips or there’s huge context missing.
Tips split with BOH absolutely would not average out over $30/hour for FOH in my opinion but I am only familiar with my state's restaurant economy, not Colorado's. Everybody having the same (better than average in this case) wage just makes it all the more easier to collectively bargain for a better one. At the very least, the restaurant industry needs "experiments" like this. I do think it's a net positive for workers in the long game on the condition that this level of openness to change continues. Foundational changes like this set the precedent that you can make foundational changes like this.