No-tip restaurants in NYC: How a Japanese ramen spot is doing

NEW YORK CITY - Leaving a tip at the end of a meal is a routine part of going out to eat in New York City, but there are some restaurants that are bucking the trend and implementing a no-tip policy.

"For me, when we were checking out I thought we were going to have to tip, but we didn't. It was a nice feeling," a woman said.

Ichiran in Midtown opened in 2018 and they have a no-tipping policy.

"When we first started opening and people were coming to us, they were leaving tips for us, but we had to chase them to give them back the money," PR assistant manager at Ichiran restaurant Annie Chen said.

"They were very, very surprised, and they appreciated a no-tipping restaurant." Annie Chen, PR assistant manager at Ichiran restaurant 

The Japanese restaurant serves authentic Japanese ramen. They want your whole dining experience to be culturally authentic.

"We wanted to have our customers here in New York experience dining ramen in authentically Japanese style, which means the whole experience, including because in Japan they don't tip here in Japan either, so we did that for our service."

Chen said because there are no tips, their employees' wages are far more than what a typical waiter makes in NYC.

"We give them a standard pay all around, both in front of the house and back of the house, and we train them both. So everyone has the same skills and that is working their way up towards general manager if they want to, but everyone starts at a standard pay here," Chen said.

"As long as it's beneficial to the employee, you know, as if their salary is included. But yeah, it's super beneficial for us knowing not to tip, but taking into consideration that the restaurant also considers their employees. Hopefully, it works out both ways," the woman added.

According to Chen, it does work out both ways. She said no tips and a higher wage for their staff is beneficial in the sense that they stay longer on the job.