Taking into account tips, restaurant servers today still receive a much more generous salary than their colleagues in the kitchen, even if the latter have seen their remuneration increase in recent years.
An employee responsible for table service pockets an average hourly wage of $38.63 (including tips) compared to $21.91 for those behind the stove, according to data collected in October by the Association Restauration Québec (ARQ) . This average difference of $17 per hour therefore encourages the ARQ to continue to campaign with the government to modify the law to allow owners to intervene in the sharing of tips to obtain a better balance between the room eating and cooking.
Under the Labor Standards Act, it is the front-of-house employees who decide whether or not they want to share their pot with their colleagues who prepare the dishes. Bosses cannot interfere in the process.
While restaurant wages have increased by 25.7% in four years, tips have also seen an increase. “The average hourly tip earned by service employees also skyrocketed by 40.3%, going from $17.43/hour to $24.46/hour,” we can read in the press release released Thursday by the ARQ. Increases in the price of dishes on the menu and the tip percentages suggested by payment terminals – which can go up to 25% – explain this increase in particular.
According to the ARQ, the situation “causes a certain frustration in the kitchen due to the fact that catering is a team effort and that customers leave tips based on the general appreciation of the restaurant’s service, including the quality of the food and, of course, service.”
Discussions have already taken place between the ARQ and the Minister of Labor, Jean Boulet, regarding a possible change in the law. “In the fall of 2021, I formed a working group with the mandate to propose possible solutions to the issue of sharing tips,” said the minister in an official statement sent by his office at the beginning of the month. of September. The work highlighted various issues with regard to the distribution of tips and the tip-sharing agreement which could be clarified or improved given that they present difficulties of application. »