This Logan Square Restaurant Just Got Rid Of Tipping

By Anthony Todd in Food on Oct 19, 2015 2:22PM

Remember last week, when the mini-fervor hit about Danny Meyer getting rid of tipping at all of his restaurants? We talked to some of Chicago's most prominent restaurant folks about whether they thought it was a good move, and responses were mixed. But we didn't talk to Nathan Sears at The Radler, and it turns out we should have.

The Radler, that Logan Square German spot, has dumped tipping and moved to a flat 18 percent service charge, Eater Chicago reports. In fact, they changed over before Meyer announced his new policy and started all the fervor.

Co-owner Adam Hebert told Eater that the waitstaff is making a little less money now—from an average of 22.7 percent tips then compared to the current 18 percent charge—but the change hasn't affected service much so far.

Today, Fooditor published an in-depth interview with the Radler's Nathan Sears and Adam Hebert. The whole thing is worth reading, but particular their descriptions of why they decided to make this bold move. Reasons include:

- Eliminating the disparity between front and back of the house. Hebert noted that typically, cooks are barely "making enough to survive in the city of Chicago," and they want to change that.

- Changing the style of service. "We’re putting little flags on the table and introducing more of a Cologne-style service," Hebert said. "So, you kind of call for your service when you need it, instead of the server coming back constantly."

- Re-adjusting roles in the kitchen. If everyone is paid a fixed rate, there isn't so much disparity between, say, servers and bussers. This helps customers by incentivizing all of the restaurants staff to help out every customer. And it also helps staff "learn and grow. Which is the coolest thing," Hebert said.