In the restaurant industry, there has long been a wage discrepancy between front-of-house (FOH) and back-of-house (BOH) staff. While FOH staff, such as servers and bartenders, receive tips as part of their compensation, BOH staff, including line cooks and dishwashers, do not. This disparity in wages can create resentment and turnover among BOH staff, which can ultimately affect the quality of food and service. To address this issue and promote more equitable compensation for all staff, our restaurant has implemented a 4% Kitchen Administration Fee. This fee will be used to increase the wages of our kitchen staff, which will help us attract and retain talented individuals who are passionate about cooking and creating delicious food. Ultimately, we believe that this investment in our kitchen staff will pay off in the form of better quality food and a more positive work environment for everyone involved.

The most common question we receive about this fee is "Why not just raise your prices and pay your chefs more?" While raising prices is an option to address wage disparities, we believe that implementing a Kitchen Administration Fee is a more transparent way of addressing the issue. By adding a fee specifically designated for the kitchen staff, customers can see exactly where their money is going and can feel good about supporting fair compensation for all employees. Additionally, by raising prices, we would inherently be giving our FOH staff a raise and doing little to solve the real issue of wage disparity.

It's important to note that the Kitchen Administration Fee is not simply a way for us to pass on labor costs to our customers. It is a deliberate effort to address wage disparities and create a more sustainable, equitable compensation model. We see this as the least amount of cost we can pass on to customers while having the largest impact on the quality of life for our team. We would have to raise prices much more than 4% to have the same impact as charging a fee that is distributed 100% to our BOH team. We hope that our customers will support this initiative and recognize the value of fair compensation for all employees. Ultimately, we believe that this investment in our kitchen staff will pay off in the form of better quality food and a more positive work environment for everyone involved.

To read more on this issue and things that are being done to address it please see the following links.

Boston Globe - Restaurants try surcharge to boost kitchen wages.

NPR - Restaurants Cook Up A New Way To Pay Kitchen Staff More

Today - What's a 'kitchen appreciation fee' and why am I paying it?