Restaurateur wanted to eliminate tips and pay servers 'much higher wage,' but they opposed it

Restaurateur Tom Colicchio, a judge on the "Top Chef" television series, told Just the News that he supports raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour for tipped workers like servers, adding that he personally would be fine with getting "rid of tips altogether."

Colicchio is the founder of Crafted Hospitality, which operates high-end restaurants in New York City, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

"All for it, 100%," Colicchio said in Washington. "The current federal minimum wage, I think, it's at $7.50 an hour. You can't feed your family on that, and so companies that are paying that minimum wage, they are just contributing to the hunger crisis.

"And so you want to cut the money that goes to, actually, hungry people? Let's have fewer hungry people. How do we do that? Let's raise minimum wage."

Colicchio was in Washington to join Democratic lawmakers in advocating for passage of a bill that would convene a White House conference on food, hunger and nutrition.

President Biden's plan to raise the national federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour includes tipped workers. The federal minimum wage for tipped workers like restaurant servers is $2.13 per hour.

The "Top Chef" judge said the waiters at his restaurants are currently making less than $15, not including the tips that they receive.

"I have high-end restaurants, so with tips they're doing quite well. But if the $15 minimum wage were across the board, I'm happy with that," he said. "In fact, I'm working with groups to end the tipped minimum wage, as long as there's an even playing field and all restaurants do it, great."

Colicchio was asked if covering tipped workers with the $15 minimum wage would discourage customers from leaving tips.

"I don't think it'll discourage people from leaving a gratuity," he said. "For me, I would prefer to get rid of tips altogether and pay the servers a much higher wage. I tried to do that at my restaurants, waiters weren't all for that."

Colicchio was asked if he believes requiring restaurant owners to pay all employees at least $15 per hour would lead to the closure of more restaurants, particularly in rural areas.

"We are an economy that is based on people spending money," he said. "If you put more money in the pockets of people who aren't going to save money, they’re going to spend money because they have to. No, I think it'll actually, you know, create a huge economic tailwind if people have money to spend."