#sunset grill

It’s not just Tim Hortons, apparently. Employees at the popular breakfast chain Sunset Grill say they’re being penalized by their employer for Ontario’s new minimum wage increases. According to Sunset Grill servers, the company’s new tip pooling policy might cancel out that increase altogether.

The policy, which previously charged wait staff four percent of the diner’s bill (before tax), was updated as of January 1 to charge them five percent, according to an internal memo obtained by VICE Money.

“With this increase, it’s like a double-whammy for us,” said one server, who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s like we don’t even get a wage increase at all.”

[...]

The employees interviewed by VICE Money emphasized their $2 hourly minimum wage increase ($12.10 per hour, up from $10.10 per hour for servers), is, for the most part, going right back to the increased tipping pool.

“I probably average $150 total (in tips), per day,” said one server. “But if I was giving back $50 to the pool, I’m taking home $100. Now I’m giving back $65 or $70 per day, but my tips haven’t gone up.”

Given a full-time schedule of 35 hours, the new minimum wage means a pay increase of $70 per week. But an additional clawback averaging $60-70 for that same time period means the wage increase only exists on paper.

“We are not opposed to tipping out,” the server said. “But they are taking roughly $1,500 a week [in total] from us and what we know for sure is they are tipping out $700-$800. So even before the unforeseeable, [where] was our money going?”

The first song this morning was “Sunset Grill”, but Don Henley.

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