EAT AT JOE'S.....THERE IS NO TIPPING ALLOWED!

     In the past, I've written blogs about cheap celebrity tippers and I've written about tippers looking to pay-it-forward by tipping a lot. I've seen the debates on my Facebook page about how tipping is not necessary and is just gratuitous, though some argued that it was necessary from the wait staff perspective because many waiters lived off of those tips. I realized there really was no right or wrong answer here. It all depends on the person who does the tipping. Either you have a heart or you don't The thing I normally get confused with is tipping when I pick up an order. There is a tip line on the receipt. Are they looking for a tip? Am I a douche for not tipping them? I usually leave that blank when I pick up my order. 

    That being said; Joe's Crab Shack has become the first restaurant chain to test out this new no-tipping policy. This will stop all debates and questions as to when to tip. How does the Texas-based seafood chain plan on making up for the lost tips? They think the answer is simple...Increase employee wages. According to the new policy, which was established under Ignite Restaurant Group, Crab Shack servers will start at a flat rate of $14 an hour instead of the standard $2.13 plus tips, and menu prices will increase 12 to 15 percent. 

     The gratuity-free model has already been tested at 18 restaurants in the chain since August, not including branches in the New York area. Ray Blanchette, CEO of Ignite Restaurants said in an email to the Daily News, "With this test, our team members are paid at a higher, fixed hourly rate, and credit card receipts no longer include a tip line. We are confident that this change will provide increased financial stability for our employees. A small price increase was taken to account for the added labor cost, but the policy is designed to benefit both guests and employees."

     The casual seafood chain, known for its colossal buckets of crab, is following in the footsteps of New York restaurateur, Danny Meyer from The Shake Shack, who implemented this same policy in his restaurant, The Modern. He hiked menu prices 20 to 25 percent and increased pay to servers, chefs and dish washers. So, far none of the New York City spots have put this policy into play yet and a Crab Shack rep says the company hasn't set a timeline for when they will roll it out, but no-tipping is on its way at Joe's Crab Shack.