Restaurant king Danny Meyer rolled out his no-tips policy at The Modern in Midtown on Thursday — but that didn’t stop diners from rewarding their waiters and waitresses for their good service.
“We left a [$20] tip,” said Monique Hohmann, who was dining at the eatery inside the Museum of Modern Art with her husband, Stephen.
“We forced her,” she recalled. “We left it and ran. [The server] was very polite and did not want to accept it, but we felt she had made such beautiful wine choices and she needed to be rewarded for her extra effort.”
Her husband added, “It’s an intriguing idea, but you always want to reward someone if they do an extra good job.”
Meyer’s “hospitality included” program also didn’t sit too well with a diner who identified himself only as Shawn, who was visiting from California.
Meyer, 57, plans to implement the no-tip policy at his 12 other restaurants by the end of 2016. In order to make up for the lost tips, he had to raise both menu prices and wages for his servers.
A copy of The Modern’s new menu shows that while the prices of dinner items have noticeably increased, nearly half of the 17 choices from their old Bar Room menu are actually cheaper.
Their white-truffle risotto is now $40, a theoretical $10 price reduction that is in reality closer to a $20 decrease since patrons don’t have to tip anymore.
Three-course dinners now cost $122, which is technically up $24 — but the no-tip policy means in actuality the meal is about $7 more.
Four courses cost $152, up 9 percent or about $12, and tasting costs $182, which is up 11 percent or around $11.
And people will have to shell out even more for lunch, with three-course meals now going for $112 and $120, which is up $13 and $18, respectively.
The Modern’s largest price hike was the butter-lettuce salad with avocado, Parmesan and kale, which rose from $16 to $22, a 16 percent increase.
Meyer notes on his new menu that these figures are ultimately “what guests would’ve paid under the old system after tax and 20 percent gratuity.”
Some eaters were more than happy to learn they didn’t have to cough up even more dough when the bill arrived.
“I loved it,” said Megan Dineen. “It was easier and more convenient because you don’t have to figure out who owes what.”
“It’s fine with me,” added Yvonne Twu, who was visiting from Michigan with her husband, Baomin.
“I think it’s easier for out-of-town people like us,” she explained. “We don’t have to figure out the tip.”
Mary Britton, from Silicon Valley in California, said: “It’s a relief. We tip everywhere, and I’m never sure if I’m tipping enough. And if my husband tips, I think he’s tipping too much. Now, we don’t have to worry about it.”