Brooklyn coffee shops tout benefits of ditching the tip
The owner of Cleo's Yarn and Coffee Shop in Bushwick says since opening three months ago, they've seen no drop in sales, and are proud to keep their options tip free.
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A trend is taking over the coffee scene in Brooklyn - many are ditching the tipping model.
The owner of Cleo's Yarn and Coffee Shop in Bushwick says since opening three months ago, they've seen no drop in sales, and are proud to keep their options tip free.
"Its on us to pay our workers a working wage, not the customers, and the tipping model allows places to underpay, and the whole point of a businesses is to add value to the community and take care of their workers with a living wage," said owner Cleo Malone.
The owners of Passionfruit Coffee in Bed-Stuy say they want to give their workers a share in the benefits of the business going well.
Owner Taylor Siok says they have seen no downside to having a price with the tip built in and were able to hire more workers.
"The hours are more consistent, the pay is the same week to week, and we find it gets rid of the awkwardness of the tipping and we can just focus on being hospitable," he said.
Siok adds that they recently added PTO for workers and want them to feel invested in the success of their model.
At Til Death Coffee in Bushwick, customers say they feel good knowing where the extra dollars on a coffee are going.
"It makes me feel like the business actually cares about their workers, and their lives, and the onus is not on me the customer to keep their workers afloat," said customer Eden Greenwood.
Businesses say they see no reason to go back to the tipping model, and say they are encouraged to see more businesses making the switch.
