Restaurant Adds a Gratuity Line for Kitchen Staff

[DaveO]

While this forum has engaged in many threads about tipping with an infinite number of perspectives and ideas, here is how one restaurant in LA is handling the challenge of increasing the income of BOH staff:  They've added a line for tipping the BOH staff to each check:  

This topic has been debated endlessly.  Frankly I find this to be a creative suggestion.  How will it work?  Time will tell.

The blog piece by Mark Furstenberg addresses the difficulties with tipping in general and additionally describe the hardships that small businesses face:  They have limited resources to pay staff.  Alternatively they would have to be super busy and consistent in that regard to see the types of revenues that could handsomely reward staff.  I bet Rose's staff does great.

The majority of restaurants are not so good or lucky.  There is a consistent struggle.

While some suggest one simply raises prices by some amount and abolish tipping, there is significant risk in that strategy.  If your typical $20 dish suddenly is priced at $25,(and NO TIPs ALLOWED) and the dish was competitively priced with the competition, you risk losing business.  Therein is the risk.  Its enormous.