Beginning January 1, NoPo kitchen will implement a 20% service fee in lieu of a gratuity/tipping line on your receipt. 

Why the Change?

We’ve talked with our staff and have all agreed to move to this model for 2024 because it provides:

  • Consistent and Fair Compensation: The service fee model ensures stable and equitable income for our employees throughout the year. It especially addresses the fluctuation in earnings due to seasonality or shift times, making sure our team enjoys a reliable income regardless of peak or off-peak seasons, and peak or off-peak shifts.

  • Simplified Transactions: This model simplifies taking payments for our staff (no back and forth with a tip receipt) and it provides transparency for you by removing the guesswork associated with tipping.  Our service fee is applied to food and beverage 

  • Focus on Quality Service: By guaranteeing our staff are adequately compensated, we enhance their job satisfaction, motivation, and longevity, which directly translates to the quality of service you experience.

Why Not Just Raise Prices?

Ah, the classic question.  Ideally, we would do just that, however, the tipping model has been around for so long that diners have gotten used to what they feel food should cost.  Simply raising prices would only work if everyone in our industry did the same.  By keeping our base pricing the same and adding the service fee our customers can more easily compare restaurant to restaurant, pizza to pizza, cheeseburger to cheeseburger, etc.

Details of the New Model:

  • A 20% service fee will be added to your bill, before taxes.  No additional gratuity is expected.

  • This fee is dedicated to providing consistent, fair wages for our staff..

We understand this is a change and are more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Your continued support is immensely valued, and we're excited to serve you under this new model.

Thank you for being a part of our journey towards a more equitable and transparent service experience.

Warm regards,

The NoPo Kitchen Team