On April 1st 2025 we removed tipping and fees to create wage equity and sustainability.

Read more here!

In 2024 our beloved CPA and I dug deep into the numbers, found holes in the tipping system, and chose better for our team!

The US and Oregon tax law makes it illegal to tip, even with pooled wages, staff that does not directly serve a customer. Which means, that all of the gratuity you shared on a 20 person team was really only able to go to 9 of those employees.

Although I, Britt, paid my back of house staff $22-30/hr the busier we got the more inequitable the disparity was. The front of house staff received the benefits of the business but my back of house staff continued the hard work at the same rate.

Tipping has created an imbalance in our pay structure that favors only certain members of our team. Legally those tips can not be shared with all team members and up until more recent years back of house staff and support staff, like bussers, were not able to receive tips. Owners can not and should not ever benefit from tipping or service fees. 

This also creates inconsistency in pay for our employees. In January and February we historically see a 30% decrease in sales and their wages are very negatively affected. By creating a service fee we can promise regular hourly wages that are not affected by the ebb and flow of the seasons. 

After more than 20 years in the industry I, Britt, am taking a very confident move away from this model and hope to be a leader in the community for the better of the service industry.

Some reasons below:

• Sustainable and consistent wages for all staff
• Equitable pay for all of our front of house and back of house staff
• More benefits for employees - better health, wellness, and retirement benefits

Who does this benefit? All staff, salaried and hourly, including support staff

Who does this not benefit? Britt. I am committed to transparency, generosity, and sustainability for industry wages. I will not and have never benefited from tips. My salary will remain the same.

How can we increase pay and not have tips? Together with my CPA and Bookkeeper we worked tirelessly over the numbers to create margins that reflect increased sustainable wages WITH commodity increase in mind.
You will see a higher menu price for some items, but not all. Some of the increased prices is reflective of the predicted commodity increase on coffee tariffs which raised coffee prices by 15% across the board in July 2025. Instead of spiking prices in July 2025, I calculated this increase in 2024 and created a sustainable budget to prepare for this.

If this is of interest to you or if you simply want to know more I am very proud of my gross margin percentage calculations for every item that is on our menu and am happy to share that information with you! You can find me at both our Milwaukie and Portland locations.

Thank you for always supporting us as we grow and learn how to be better leaders in the industry!

With love and care, Britt