Chicago Fine Dining Restaurants Try Out Server-Free Ordering

Restaurants are rethinking their service models in anticipation of the tipped worker minimum wage boost. One such model is Thattu and John’s Food and Wine, where patrons order high-end food through QR codes or at the bar. This system allows guests to order food and settle their bills through a QR code, while dinner staffers deliver dishes, bus tables, and explain ingredients. Lunch patrons fetch their own water and silverware.

Servers can make $23-$24 per hour under this system, with no tip line on the digital bill. However, patrons are free to leave cash. The model has not seen any staff attrition in the year they’ve been open, and 99% of customers don’t have an issue with the QR code. Additional tips are not expected, and there’s no tip line on the digital bill.

John’s Food and Wine offers sophisticated seasonal fare from chefs who worked together at Gramercy Tavern in New York. Patrons order from a menu board at the bar before being seated, and servers, chefs, and a sommelier answer questions, deliver food, and bus tables. Dinner entrees range from $33 branzino to $57 NY strip steak, and a 20% service fee is added to the bill. Diners can order additional items and pay with a QR code at their table.

Co-owner and chef Adam McFarland says he can pay about $31 per hour for kitchen staff and $36 for servers. He also doesn’t expect customers to tip. NoodleBird, a casual Asian eatery that reopened after Fat Rice closed during the pandemic, uses a traditional tipping model for now. The model boosts pay through less need for staff, but it remains a challenge for some restaurants.

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