Garrett Allain, 37, a server at Big Jones for nearly three years, said he is earning about the same with his higher hourly rate as he was making with tips before the pandemic. On some busy nights he might make $50 an hour in tips, but there would be slow nights when he’d make barely anything at all, so “it balances out,” he said.
Restaurant tipping — criticized as unfair and archaic — may be obsolete after the pandemic. Some Chicago restaurants are trying to end the practice.
