NYC Restaurant Workers' Tips Have Declined Due to COVID-19—The City's Surcharge Is Only Making Things Worse, Report Says
A report found that 59 percent of workers said their tips had dropped at least 50 percent since the start of the pandemic. By Mike Pomranz February 26, 2021 COVID-19 has wreaked financial havoc on the entire restaurant industry, exacerbated in many places by a rollercoaster of openings and closings . But a new report looking at New York found that returning to work has come with a frustrating side effect for many workers in the state: Tips are often down from where they were pre-pandemic, and in New York City, a surcharge intended to help struggling restaurants has actually made things worse for many employees' wallets. The report comes courtesy of One Fair Wage —a non-profit with the stated goal "to end all subminimum wages"—so their stance on how tips should be tied to wages is clear. Regardless, their findings present a troubling portrait of how the coronavirus may be affecting restaurant workers' tips in other subtle ways beyond obvious factors like reduc