Announcement of minimum wage increases has Leelanau Country establishments looking over their finances with concern for the future of their businesses and the people they employ.
Knot Just a Bar owner David Waskiewicz said it is not uncommon for a server to make $25-30 an hour after tips with a professional server bringing home a yearly W-2 of $50,000. With the announcement of a minimum wage increase over the next five years possibly lowering tips, Waskiewicz said that will be a thing of the past and will be destructive for the restaurant industry in Leelanau and Michigan.
“(The minimum wage increase) becomes something where restaurant owners will have to schedule less people ... We cannot do this without raising menu prices,” he said. “Going out to eat becomes way less affordable and people aren’t going to do it.”
