based on the restaurant's ongoing
success.
They had anticipated an outcry,
but in the end it was almost a non-
issue. "Some customers were con-
fused, but we made information
sheets, explaining the changes," says
Corbin, who also waits tables at the
restaurant. "It took a little getting
used to—but now it's no big deal."
Bruce McAdams says that if more
restaurants were to move to a no-tip
model, the very approach to service
would change dramatically. "Our
North American approach is the 'Hi,
I'm Bruce, I'm your waiter, I'm a good-
looking college student and I'm trying
to pay off my student loans, I'll tell you
about the daily features, I'm going to
touch a shoulder and I'll crouch at
your table'—that's how service has
evolved in North America. It's very
personality-centred," he explains.
"There isn't tipping in Italy, and the
service is good, but different. The
waiters don't come over and intro-
duce themselves—they're there to get
what you need when you need it."
McAdams notes that it's often
those that come from outside the
restaurant industr y—Jay Porter
from the Linkery, for instance, was
a software engineer from Silicon
Valley—who look at the current model
and immediately see its flaws. David
Jones's background as a spiritual
adviser seems to play a guiding role
in his own decision to follow this
new model. "It's very denigrating to
a human being to believe the only
reason they're going to provide good
service is there might be a financial
reward," he says. "That's just not treat-
ing a human being as a human being
should be treated. I have a five-year-
old and a 14-year-old. It just wouldn't
be OK to know there are other parents
out there that are working for me, and
they're trying their hardest, and they
don't get to see their kids because
they're working long hours trying to
earn a living."
Jones believes it isn't a matter of if
but when more restaurants will shift
to his model of tip-free service. "It's
coming," he says. "All that's happen-
ing is we're going from the horse to
the car."
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bcbusiness.ca
september 2014 BCBusiness 59
