Some restaurant workers and restaurant owners are at odds over a bill being discussed this legislative session.
If passed into law, Senate Bill 221 would increase the wages of tipped workers, to meet minimum wage.
The current minimum wage is $15.69 an hour. But right now, restaurant servers have an hourly wage of $6.38 and $8.23 for bartenders.
“Connecticut tipped workers have not seen an increase in their sub-minimum wage since 2017,” State Senator Julie Kushner said.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Among those opposing the bill is the Connecticut Restaurant Association, explaining that the increased payroll would represent a large expense for restaurants.
“There is a $9.31 gap, per hour, per shift, per server. Where’s that money coming from?” Restaurant Association President Scott Dolch asked.
The Charles is one of Wethersfield’s most popular restaurants. Sophisticated and upscale, but according to the owner, the service there could change if Senate Bill 221 passes.
Local
“Ultimately, it hurts the hospitality. It hurts the guest,” owner Bryce Hardy said.
If passed, the bill would eventually bring tipped workers' hourly rate to full minimum wage by 2027. Bryce Hardy said the increased expense would lead to more expensive menu items and possibly layoffs.
“There would absolutely be a cut back on staff,” Hardy said, adding that they would also need to change the customer experience. “We would take technology and put it on tables for people to order. And we would have food runners.”
But Betty Marcon disagrees. She used to operate a restaurant group in California where sub-minimum wage is not part of the business model.
“We paid our workers, the prevailing full minimum wage and we thrived,” she said.
Supporting the bill are people like Darlin Dias, who used to work in a restaurant. She said with tips, she made about $12 an hour and estimates she took home about $280 a week.
Dias said the experience was difficult and forced her to eventually move back in with her mother. Now, she is asking lawmakers to consider people like her.
“You can’t live with that,” Dias said. “You can’t supplement your basic things. You can’t supplement your baby stuff. You can’t do anything with $280 a week.”
Dolch, however, said that a large percentage of restaurant workers bring home more than minimum wage. He said a recent survey they conducted shows that with tips, most workers make well above minimum wage.
“It was averaging $33 an hour for a server and $38 for a bartender,” Dolch said.
