Two Providence restaurants implement “no tipping” policy

February 11, 2016 5:38 pm

By Ana Bottary

@anabottary

Max and Alethia Mariotta opened their restaurant Rosmarin at Hotel Providence a little over two weeks ago. Their fresh start came with a fresh idea of making it a no-tipping establishment along with their other restaurant Vinya.

"Everybody, the dishwasher, the prep, the chef, the busser, the server, share this success and everyone should be having a living wage," says Max Mariotta.

Restaurant workers will make around 12-15 dollars an hour without tips, compared to the state minimum of $3.39 with tips. Mariotta says instead of a tip, they are charging the customer 22 percent fee on their meal.

"This is what most restaurants/hotels put on the bill when you have a party of four or more or six or more. It’s usually between 18-22 percent," he adds.

Other restaurants in Providence disagree with eliminating tips and feel it could also eliminate motivation.

"TIPS, ‘To Insure Prompt Service,’ that’s what tips means to insure prompt service, and I think it has worked over the generations and I think it would be a big mistake to take it away,” says Ruth Ferazzano , owner of Murphy’s Providence.

Ferazzano has been owner of Murphy’s providence for 20 years. She feels the reputation restaurants have has a lot to do with not just the food, but the service.

"It would take the control out of the customer; they do tip according to how they see things. All that would happen is they would see it reflected in their bill and they would have no control, and there wouldn’t be any motivation for the staff to really work to get people to come back because what’s the difference?" she says.

Back over at Rosmarin, we spoke with a bartender, Alyssa Quattrucci and asked her opinion on not receiving tips.

"I think so far it has balanced out, so on the slower nights we are making the same amount of money as we would on a busy night. We also have the opportunity to have health benefits and things like that, that you wouldn’t usually get at a tipping establishment,"says Quattrucci.