Why 22%?

Short answer 

We add a 22% service charge to all bills to pay a higher hourly wage to our hourly team.  The 22% allows us to create equality and stability in our industry.  Our  goal is to ensure fair, equitable wages and benefits for our hourly team members.  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 employees in the dining room and kitchen, who help create your dining experience.
Enjoy and thank you.

Long Answer

We believe the traditional restaurant compensation model is broken. It fails 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 employees, our community, and the industry as a whole; one that ensures people in our industry receive fair and equitable wages and benefits in a transparent way.

There is currently a deep pay disparity between those working behind the scenes, in kitchens and dish rooms, and our front-of-house service staff (sales team), 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 that’s 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 has shown suffers from bias, sexism and discrimination. 

At our restaurants we charge a 22% service charge so we can use the average gratuity left (22%) by guests to pay people our entire hourly team a higher hourly rate. We believe good wages and an open dialogue leads 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 gratuity left is distributed among all hourly members in the dining room and kitchen, who 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.  And continue to share our findings.

Thank you for supporting us

Hollis Wells Silverman

La Collina | The Wells | The Duck & The Peach