Owners Reconsider Deducting Fees From Tips

When I heard about the Blue Plate Restaurant Company deciding that charging thier wait staff for credit card transaction fees, I thought to myself "What the F*#k?"

A little back story, Minnesota voted to increase the minimum wage from $6.15 to $9.50, incrementally, over the next two years. So, Blue Plate decided that the best way to offset this cost increase was to punish their staff.

It has always perplexed me when a company's default reaction to a cost increase is to make their internal people take the hit. Rising costs are part of doing business. Costs are going to go up. And while I understand the business owners not wanting smaller margins, why on Earth would it make sense for them to injure the people you count on operate your business.

While I'm happy that Blue Plate decided to reverse their decision, it never should have happened in the first place. Employing people is not only a responsibility, it's a privelege. Business owners default should be to protect their staff. There are so many ways for a business to offset rising costs. 

I certainly hope that Blue Plate, and other companies, have learned a valuable lesson.

To read more about this article, visit the Consumerist for the original article.

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Rob Walker is Head Mutant at Mutant Capitalist. You can contact Rob here. You can also socialize with him on Twitter and Facebook.

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