Revenue sharing is taking off in restaurants in cities like Boston and San Francisco. The model varies from place to place, but the idea is simple: funnel a percentage of sales to kitchen workers.
It's customer and staff complaints that did away with the model to start, but that's also what's bringing the tradition back to restaurants that've been experimenting with the policy to even out pay.
Imported from Europe, the custom of leaving gratuities began spreading in the U.S. post-Civil War. It was loathed as a master-serf custom thatdegraded America's democratic, anti-aristocratic ethic.
