Why do servers and food runners in the front of the house make so much more money than the cooks? Why do they get to keep all the tips? 

When Katy was working in fine dining kitchens, the cooks were asking these questions a lot. It just did not seem fair that servers were making as much as 3x more than cooks because of the tips they were bringing in. And it sent her down a long path. Turns out, these are the wrong questions to be asking. 

In the first episode of the two-part series on tipping, Katy talks with the owners at Le Pigeon, a fine-dining French restaurant in Portland, Oregon, about an experiment they did in 2016 where they eliminated tipping altogether. In talking with them and her friend Lee, a former dishwasher at Le Pigeon, and Katy uncovers the racist history of the tipping system, the ways it perpetuates sexual harassment culture in the industry, and the much bigger and more complicated issues behind trying to get rid of tipping.   

We are so grateful for our first ever season sponsors: Pared! They find vetted hospitality professionals to fill your shifts. Copper & Heat listeners get 30% off their first gig. Use the code COPPER when booking. 

An upcoming episode is about staging and we want to hear some of your stories! Send them (and any other thoughts you may have) to hello@copperandheat.com. We can’t wait to hear from you. 

More info:

• Le Pigeon to Eliminate Tipping in June - Eater PDX
• Le Pigeon and Little Bird Bistro Bring Back Tipping - Eater PDX
• The Glass Floor: Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry

 - ROC United Report