GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (AP) — Restaurants nationwide have added a surcharge to every bill that goes directly to the kitchen staff.
The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel reports the idea is to balance kitchen salaries with that of wait staff without raising menu prices to compensate.
The Palisade Cafe in Palisade and Grand Junction's 626 on Road added a 2 percent surcharge in November.
Both Palisade Cafe co-owner John Sabal and 626 on Rood owner Theo Otte say the surcharge is directly related to the minimum wage increase that will continue in Colorado until 2020.
On Jan. 1, Colorado's minimum wage rose to $10.20 an hour from $9.30, while tipped workers now make $7.18 an hour, up from $6.28. By 2020, the state's minimum wage will climb to $12 an hour and $8.98 for tipped employees.
