top of page
Wix OFW logo Banner.jpg
Untitled.jpg
August 31, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic caused massive upheaval in the US restaurant industry.

After generations of restaurant owners paying tipped workers a subminimum wage — a legacy of slavery that is still $2.13 an hour at the federal level — restaurant workers are refusing to work for anything less than a full, livable wage with tips on top. Their refusal has resulted in thousands of restaurants raising their wages nationwide.

In total, in just a 2 week period, we have documented over 1,600 restaurants that have raised wages to pay the full minimum wage with tips on top, with an average wage of about $13.50 — across 41 states in which the vast majority of restaurants were paying a subminimum wage of $5 or less earlier this year.

This brief provides only an initial snapshot of the diversity and breadth of wage increases in restaurants happening across the country.

Raising Wages to Reopen

bottom of page