Food & Wine

The Secret Restaurateur: At a time of rising prices, should customers still be expected to tip?

In the US, federal legislation provides for a tipped wage, and I can’t help wondering if that would work here

“Some way has to be found to stop this relentless upward pressure of costs on small businesses.” Picture: Getty

Again this month, for what feels like the umpteenth time, my pen wanders to the issue of pay and tips. With business owners facing endless rising costs, and customers facing endless inflation, there’s simply no avoiding these issues.

In the budget a couple of weeks ago, the government announced a 12 per cent increase in the minimum wage, up €1.40 to €12.70, pushing the overall minimum earnings of workers up to about €26,000 a year. ...