SMALL BUSINESS RESTAURANTS SUCCEED WITH ONE FAIR WAGE
- May 24, 2024
- 1 min read
Small business restaurants in Illinois are struggling to find staff in what is currently
the most acute staffing crisis in the industry’s history. Just over 200 small busi-
ness restaurants in Illinois have raised wages for tipped workers in order to recruit
staff, and many of these restaurants have joined forces with workers calling for Illinois
lawmakers to pass legislation to end the subminimum wage for tipped workers at the state
and county level.1 This brief compares the experience of small business restaurants and
minority and women-owned restaurant business enterprises (MWBE’s) in Illinois, a sub-
minimum wage state, and states that require all restaurants to pay One Fair Wage – a
full minimum wage with tips on top.
This really shows how sensitive small restaurant businesses are to changes in wage structures and rising costs. I used to help out in a small place, and even small shifts in expenses could throw everything off balance. Slow weeks or unexpected bills happened more often than people think. In those moments, having access to something with a simple loan process actually helped cover gaps without immediately cutting staff hours or reducing quality. It’s not a perfect solution, but it did make things a bit more manageable short term.
After finishing the Block Blast round, I took a moment before tapping play again. The previous board was still fresh in my mind.