Ottawa restaurateur nixes tips to pay staff higher wages
An Ottawa restaurateur who doesn’t ask patrons to tip says paying a living wage to employees normalizes the idea that restaurant work is more than a gig, it's a career.
Speaking to Newstalk 580 CFRA’s “CFRA Live with Andrew Pinsent”, Devinder Chaudhary said he opened his fine-dining restaurant Aiana just as the COVID-19 pandemic started shutting restaurants down.
“Our timing was perfect, to say the least,” he said.
It was his first venture into the restaurant industry, he explained.
“Perhaps that gave us the opportunity to think slightly out of the box, to come in with a fresh perspective,” he explained. “My son, who is the executive chef of Aiana, he had been in the industry a lot and I got to observe this tipping model structure, which seemed to me very, very unreasonable and unfair.”
Since it opened its doors, Aiana has paid its employees a salary, with no gratuity.
According to its website, Aiana is a “living wage employer” in line with the Ontario Living Wage Network.
“It is not a fixed rate of pay, and rather, a wage that is reassessed each year to correspond with external factors,” the website says.
According to the Ontario Living Wage Network, a living wage in Ottawa is at least $18.60/hour, as of last November.
Some restaurants opt for a “service charge” line item to replace the gratuity, but Chaudhary says that’s not the case at Aiana.
“We just say, ‘This is our price,’” he said. “As a matter of fact, when the cheques are presented, we don’t have a line for additional gratuity.”
Chaudhary said servers explain to patrons that the price is the “final price” when seated, and that there’s no need to leave a tip afterwards.
“For some of the guests, it’s a bit confusing, but that confusion lasts for about 15 seconds and it’s all very well received,” he said.
He explained that he believes workers in the restaurant industry deserve to be treated as the career professionals they are.
“A salaried position normalizes and mainstreams our restaurant workers,” he said. “I strongly believe that it acknowledges that a restaurant job is not just a gig, it’s a career choice. I have observed my team members’ service to the guests and our back-of-the-house cook wonderful culinary delights. They are definitely professional. Take me to the back of the house and the best perhaps I could do is fry an egg. Put me in the front and I’d be shaking taking a plate to the table.”
He said his model is not a trend in Ottawa yet, but he believes he can demonstrate that it is viable.
“Anyone who is working for 40 hours should not be obligated to find another job for 10 to 20 hours just to make ends meet,” he said. “We are a rich and prosperous nation. Our workers should have a decent standard of living. That, for us, was extremely critical.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.