Toronto Just Got A 'Non-Tipping' Restaurant With Asian-Fusion Food & Boozy Drinks

Tipping culture has been a hot topic lately, but you won't have to wonder about how much of a tip to leave at this new Toronto restaurant.

Then & Now officially opened its doors in Parkdale on February 14, 2023. The "non-tipping establishment" has a "mission of providing a livable wage to all employees."

This means that the machine won't prompt you to leave a tip when you go to pay for your meal. The only thing added to the cost of your meal is tax.

Owner Eric Wang told Narcity that staff are paid salary as opposed to an hourly wage and that "everyone's making a very decent amount of money."

Wang also spoke to the "toxic environment" around tipping that led him to do away with this model.

"Experienced servers will judge guests coming in based on how much they tip, and unfortunately if you do not have a Western-passing accent (e.i. Europeans, Asians, Brown, Black), due to culture differences, they would assume the tips would be minimum to none. This creates a discriminatory bias against mainly visible minorities/tourists, and guests would receive sub-par to minimal attention and care," he shared.

He also pointed out that tips can create a "'servant and master' environment to some guests" and that "servers/bartenders make the most, even [more] than the head chefs and managers because they get tips."

"I'm not saying my way is the better way, and by all means please do still tip and support any restaurants with good food and drinks," he said.

"But this is the way that gives me less headache and providing a salary to all full-time staff is a way for me to give back to equally passionate individuals who loves hospitality as much as I do."

While there is no tipping option on the machine, guests who insist on leaving a tip can leave cash or have the manager change the settings on the machine to allow tipping.

As for the food, the venue serves up an array of drool-worthy Asian-fusion and boozy drinks. The ricotta dumplings, salmon carpaccio, steak tartare, octopus, and steak frites are among the best-selling dishes.

This isn't the only place to adopt a non-tipping method of service. Toronto's Bampot Bohemian House of Tea and Board Games is also offering a living wage to employees and customers aren't obligated to tip.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.