Overview
- Several restaurants in U.S. World Cup host cities have started or signaled plans to add mandatory service charges on checks to guarantee pay for servers.
- T's Brunch Bar in Atlanta will raise its automatic gratuity from 18 percent to 20 percent as an example of the change some businesses are making.
- State and local restaurant associations have advised or discussed automatic charges for the six-week tournament to shield staff from unpaid shifts by visitors unfamiliar with tipping.
- Some owners oppose mandatory fees and prefer visible signage or education to encourage voluntary tipping and avoid upsetting local customers.
- The shift highlights a broader issue that U.S. servers often rely on tips because base pay can be below minimum wage and may prompt longer-term experiments with pay models after the tournament.