Toronto restaurant no longer allows customers to tip staff

A Toronto restaurant has scrapped the established tip-based model for employees, and it’s not the first significant act of goodwill from a North York business that has gone above and beyond to provide for its team and the surrounding community.

In mid-February, WoodHouse BBQ announced that it would no longer be accepting tips, telling customers via social media that it would instead pay out bonuses to employees in an effort to offer its team more consistency in pay.

“We are implementing profit sharing across the company. Our staff will receive bonus from now on instead of tips.”

The restaurant urges customers that, in lieu of tips, “If you want to support us, please share. Give us 5-star Google reviews. Come more often.”

In an interview with CTV News published on Wednesday, WoodHouse BBQ’s Hong Dai explained that staff are already earning slightly more in this post-tipping environment and that prices have remained the same for customers.

Dai told CTV that this feat is accomplished by redirecting a share of the restaurant’s net profit quarterly, and also through slashing the restaurant’s marketing budget — a seemingly prescient move as press coverage is now coming free.

Dropping the tipping model isn’t the only progressive stance taken by the restaurant. WoodHouse BBQ has also generated attention for its participation in a North York food program, becoming one of the latest local eateries to offer pre-paid meals for the growing share of the population unsure of where their next meal will come from.

Hong Dai also owns Another Land, a nearby indie coffee shop that has switched to a no-tipping model.