The US tipping culture has, no pun intended, tipped over. At restaurants you’re expected to tip 20-25% – and watch out for those pre-printed amounts, which often include taxes or other fees! Self-service kiosks have been seen with tip cups next to the self-checkout registers. It’s fucking everywhere.
[And don’t get me started on Minnesota’s Hospitality or Employee Wellness surcharge!]
My wife and I met our niece for breakfast at Zazie in San Francisco. How refreshing! A living wage?!? Revenue sharing?!? Paid leave?!? Health insurance?!? Employer-match 401(K)?!? All the things I expect at a job, and here it was in all its glory!
To top it off, the food was tasty, the service excellent, and the prices reasonable, especially for San Francisco. An overall lovely way to start our day.
I’ve heard often the challenges of running a restaurant and am sure it’s difficult to consider a different cost model, but Zazie’s is definitely a successful example. I always wished more restaurants took Zazie’s approach, because I’m tired of menu prices being no more than a rough approximation of your final bill!
