Another big-deal restaurateur will eliminate tipping next year
Flickr | Quinn Dombrowski
(FOX News) - Eleven Madison Park, the three Michelin-starred restaurant lauded for its seasonal tasting menus, will eliminate tipping in its Manhattan dining room in 2016.
The restaurant will raise the price of its tasting menu from $225 to $295 per person—an increase of 31 percent, reports Eater. Beverage pairings will go up by $15, from $155 to $170, while overall wine prices will rise by roughly seven to ten percent, depending on the vintage. After the optional wine pairing, a table for two will likely cost over $1,000.
Owners Daniel Humm and Will Guidara are following in the steps of another Manhattan restaurateur Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, which includes Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard. Meyer has been mentoring Humm and Guidara, as well as chef and "Top Chef" host Tom Colicchio to eliminate tipping to help overcome the wage disparity between front-of-the-house workers like waiters and those in the back of the house, like dishwashers who tend to make less money.
"From a purist perspective, what I believe is right is ultimately moving away from tips," Guidara told Eater. "That said, I don't think we're fully there yet, everywhere."