In anticipation of Seattle’s historic minimum wage increase, many restaurants have struggled to figure out how to cover higher labor costs. Restaurant owners agree that menu prices will have to increase at least slightly, but beyond that, most seem unsure of what to do. Add surcharges and service fees? Eliminate tipping? Most business owners have adopted a “wait-and-see” approach, looking to what their colleagues do in the coming weeks and months before implementing any significant changes of their own.
But at least one Seattle restaurant is taking action. Starting April 1—when the minimum wage for Seattle workers will increase from $9.47 to either $10 or $11—Ivar’s, the iconic local restaurant chain famous for clam chowder and fish ’n’ chips, will raise the wages of all employees at Ivar’s Salmon House to $15 an hour. They will also remove the tip line from checks, effectively eliminating tipping.
