Dear John,

The D.C. restaurant lobby is back again, meddling in local politics and promoting its agenda to prioritize profit over paying employees a living wage.

Restaurant owners have found an ally in Chairman Phil Mendelson, who recently introduced harmful amendments to a restaurant bill that would undermine Initiative 82—a ballot measure passed by 74 percent of D.C. by voters in November 2022 to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers. These new amendments would expressly allow D.C. restaurants to use deceptive “service fees,” which could cause a sharp decrease in tips for workers across the District!

Giving tipped workers the right to a fair wage has not been an easy fight. In 2018, D.C. residents voted to increase the minimum wage for tipped workers (Initiative 77), but the law never went into effect because the D.C. Council repealed the will of the voters under pressure from the restaurant lobby. However, we persisted and in 2022, Initiative 82 passed with overwhelming support.

But once again, instead of respecting D.C. voters, Chairman Mendelson is bowing down to the restaurant lobby by trying to weaken Initiative 82 and creating incentives for restaurants to use deceptive service charges that undermine workers’ tips and confuse consumers. Unlike tips, service charges are the property of restaurants and often go straight into the restaurant's pocket. That can mean lower pay for workers rather than the higher wages they were promised under Initiative 82.

Tipped workers in D.C. need the wage increases they were promised, and the Council needs to protect consumers from junk fees.

Restaurants can thrive without resorting to misleading service charges. It's time for restaurants to be transparent about their pricing. The people of D.C. spoke up—now it's up to the D.C. Council to prioritize people over profits. Demand fair prices and fair wages in D.C.!

In solidarity,

Diana Ramírez
She/Her/Ella
Senior Manager, Policy and Coalitions
National Women's Law Center