June 26, 2018

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State
NYS Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Dear Governor Cuomo:

We, the undersigned restaurant owners and partners in RAISE (Restaurants Advancing Industry
Standards in Employment), write to express our full support for raising the wages of tipped
workers to be in line with New York’s regular minimum wage. We thank you for calling for
hearings on this matter and urge you to move quickly to implement this regulation following
the hearings.

We believe that paying workers one fair wage – by raising the subminimum wage currently in
place for tipped workers to the regular minimum wage – is good for workers and good for
business. Workers can expect better wages and equal or better tips, and we can expect a more
professionalized, more sustainable, and less sexually harassed workforce.

As the owners of restaurants and restaurant chains, we recognize that the complete dining
experience – from the quality of the food to the promptness and friendliness of the service – is
what ensures that our guests return. To create that positive experience, we rely on all of our
staff: the servers, hosts, runners, bussers, expediters, cooks, dishwashers, and more.

Tips can act as an incentive or bonus for exceptional service but should not be a substitute for
the living base wage that all workers need. To deny any of our workers the same minimum
wage that workers in other professions rightly receive creates an unfair, two-tiered system
between sectors, increasing pressure on customers to compensate for missing wages. This two-
tiered wage system makes it difficult for us to recruit and retain the truly exceptional staff that
we depend on to create a great dining experience in our restaurants. Paying our workers well
reduces training and turnover costs and ensures better service and productivity. As you know,
seven states, including California, don’t have this two-tiered wage system yet have thriving
restaurant industries.
States that already pay tipped workers the regular minimum wage have higher restaurant sales
per full-service restaurant employee (weighted by population) as well as higher predicted
industry growth compared to states with a lower minimum wage for tipped workers. Compared
to New York, states with one minimum wage have 13 percent higher restaurant sales by
population. In 2017, one-wage states had a projected 5.1 percent increase in restaurant sales
compared to 3.6 percent in New York. One-wage states also have full-service restaurant
employment and establishment growth rates that outpace New York’s. From 2011-2016, the
number of full-service restaurants in one-wage states grew by 9.4 percent, nearly double the
growth rate of New York, which saw a 4.9 percent establishment increase.

While we are thankful for your leadership on the critical issue of raising wages to lift workers
out of poverty, we were dismayed that the recent minimum wage law not only carved out
tipped employees but increased the gap between the regular minimum wage and the tipped
minimum wage from 17 percent to 33 percent.

We ask you to right this wrong by eliminating the subminimum wage for all of New York’s
tipped workers, because everyone deserves one fair wage for their work.

Sincerely,

Matthew Abbick, General Manager, Atera, NYC

Shelley Armistead, Co-owner, Gjelina Restaurant Group, NYC/CA
Beth Canas, Owner, Acuario Restaurant, Port Chester, NY
Amanda Cohen, Owner, Dirt Candy, NYC
Nadege Fleurimond, Chef/Owner, Fleurimond Catering Co., NYC
James Freeman, CEO, Blue Bottle Coffee (several locations in NYC, LA, and SF Bay)
Michelle Gordon, Chef/Owner, Cowgirl Hall of Fame, NYC
Evan Hanczor, Owner, Egg, Brooklyn
Brian Keyser, Owner, Casellula, NYC
Oliver Kremer, CEO, Dos Toros Restaurant Group, NYC (several locations in NYC)
Elisa Lyew, Chef/Owner, Elisa Love Bites, NYC
James Mallios Managing Partner, Amali Restaurant Group, NYC
The Bar Room, NYC
Bar Six, NYC
Calissa, Montauk
Il Cantinori, NYC
Periyali Restaurant, NYC
 Sopra, NYC
Rosanne Martino, General Manager, Colors, NYC
Danny Meyer, CEO, Union Square Hospitality Group, NYC
Blue Smoke, NYC
Cafes at Moma, The Museum of Modern Art, NYC
Caffe Marchio, NYC
Daily Provisions, NYC
Gramercy Tavern, NYC
Jazz Standard, NYC
Maialino, Gramercy Park Hotel, NYC
Marta, NYC
Martina, NYC
The Modern, NYC
North End Grill, NYC
Porchlight, NYC
Studio Cafe, NYC
Tacocina, Brooklyn
Union Square Cafe, NYC
Vini e Fritti, NYC
Erik Oberholtzer, Founder/CFO, Tender Greens, NY/CA
Restaurant of James Beard House, NYC
Janeen Sarlin, Chef/Owner, Cooking with Class, NYC
Barbara Sibley, Chef/Owner, La Palapa, NYC
Missy Adriazola, Director Employee Relations, B&B Hospitality Group, NYC
Andrew Tarlow, Owner, Diner NYC Restaurant Group, Brooklyn
Achilles Heel, Brooklyn
Diner, Brooklyn
The Ides Bar, Brooklyn
Marlow & Daughters, Brooklyn
Marlow & Sons, Brooklyn
Reynard, Brooklyn
Roman’s, Brooklyn
Anita Trehan, Chef/Owner, Chaiwali, NYC
Steve Wong, Owner, Oxalis, NYC

Cc: New York State Department of Labor