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The Food Chain

Factual: Food & Drink

Examining what it takes to put food on your plate

The Food Chain examines the business, science and cultural significance of food, and what it takes to put food on your plate.

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The Food Chain: Should the US abandon tipping?

Magazines & Reviews

Should the US abandon tipping?

25/03/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - The Food Chain, Should the US abandon tipping?

As coronavirus batters restaurants, is now the time to shake up their unique wage system?

President Biden has pledged to scrap the 'tipped wage' in the US - a salary system where diners effectively subsidise waiters' wages.

It's a move that's divided restaurant staff across the country. Tamasin Ford hears from those who want a higher minimum wage and an end to a system they argue makes servers vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. On the other hand, some staff are outraged because, they say, the changes could wipe out their chance to make double or even triple their hourly wage in tips.

With the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the hospitality industry, restaurant owners too are wondering whether now is the time for a shake-up, and also how customers might react.

If you would like to get in touch with the show please email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk

(Picture: A waitress writes notes on a pad. Credit: Getty Images/BBC)
 
Contributors:

Saru Jayaraman, president of One Fair Wage USA;
Dr Michael Lynn, professor of services marketing at Cornell University, New York;
Xian Zhang, co-owner of Cafe China and Birds of a Feather, New York;
Joshua Chaisson, president of the Restaurant Workers of America and a waiter in Portland, Maine

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