3% Kitchen Fee
Effective March 1, 2021, Juniper Brewing Company will begin to incorporate a 3% Kitchen Administration Fee to help balance the industry-wide discrepancy between Front of House (FOH) and Back of House wages.
We thank you for the opportunity to allow us to explain our goals, transparently and honestly. We believe in taking care of and sharing in our local community — and the first stop is within our own borders.
ABOUT THE 3% ADMIN FEE
We are a small locally owned and owner-operated business. All owners and management have vast experience in the industry for over a decade in both FOH and BOH positions.
At Juniper we believe in being a living, breathing part of the community in which we live and work, and that we are all connected as citizens and friends in this awesome journey. This is why we are passionate about adopting a business model that allows for a more even distribution of wages and an increase in quality of life for our employees. We ask that you help support us with this new approach.
WHAT IS A SERVICE CHARGE/FEE?
Simply, a service fee is an additional charge added to the pre-taxed bill that directly supplements the wages of non-tipped employees. The fee applies only to those items directly prepared by the kitchen, not coffee drinks, bakery items, beer/wine, etc. By Ohio law, kitchen staff may not be included in the tip pool. The labor laws only allow employees who regularly receive tips to be part of the tip pool.
Statistics show that tipped employees make 2.2 to 2.6 times more than non-tipped employees. It is our goal to bridge this gap and join the pioneers of our industry paving the way for a more balanced workplace.
Many restaurants throughout the country have adopted similar service fees to promote better quality of life for their staff and the growth of the industry.
WHY NOT JUST RAISE PRICES?
Some guests will ask the question “How is this our problem? You should just raise your prices.” And they are essentially correct. Price increase is a common way for restaurants to cover increases in costs. However, these increases affect top line revenue but very little of this increase trickles down to expenses. In reality, price increases actually create a bigger disproportion between front and back wages. The 3% fee is essentially “raising prices”; it is just doing so in a way that enforces a more rounded and direct solution to this wage gap issue.
We discussed many options (such as moving away from local farmers + vendors to purchase product from cheaper wholesalers or changing our menu to offer more prepared goods), but we love what we do and how we do it.
IS THIS PART OF THE TIP?
This does not supplement the gratuity for the front of the house and we encourage you to still tip as you see fit. Again, this 3% fee applies only to food produced in the kitchen and will appear as a line item on your bill (See back for actual example). The earnings from this fee will directly benefit our kitchen staff ONLY. Our servers, bartenders, hosts, and bussers (once on board) will continue to receive tip compensation and appreciate your continued generosity.
After much deliberation, we believe that the 3% administrative fee is the best solution to take better care of the hard-working members of our restaurant team and we hope you feel this way too! We thank you for your loyalty, your understanding, and your desire to help pioneer a better wage structure and working conditions for the aspiring chefs of Juniper and beyond…
WHAT A 3% KITCHEN ADMINISTRATION FEE ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE ON A REAL CHECK
