Spokane restaurant charging minimum wage fee

A receipt from Waddell's in North Spokane has raised some questions among customers.

The receipt included what the restaurant calls a 'minimum wage fee' in its bill.

KHQ went to Waddell's to find out what the new fee is all about.

Matt Rounsley, owner of the Waddell's says with impending rulings on "tip pooling," it could be illegal for the servers to split tips with the kitchen staff.

So he wanted to find a solution to the problem.

"We decided to go there so we can pass along higher wages for our back of the house who we cherish and love hard working guys and gals,” Rounsley said.

Rounsley wanted to be transparent about the change and not just hike his food prices, so he decided putting a minimum wage fee on the bill would be the best way to be up front with his customers.

KHQ reached out to the South Hill Waddell's to see if customers will see a minimum wage fee on their bills, and the manager said no.

The two locations are owned and operated by different owners.  


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content