Take a look at this receipt from my last meal at Brasa. Yes, get the roasted pork and egg bowl next time. But focus on the lightly-faded bottom half:

Isn’t that just so…simple? Pleasant? Heroic even?
The simplest rebuttal to pointing out restaurants in Japan, for instance, do not expect tips is that it’s okay for US culture to be different. To some, a no-tip norm is not necessarily better and US culture does not have to change because fuck you, someone is paying me says the caring server making minimum wage.
And we feel for that server! Let’s go confront your boss together. In the meantime, it is important to highlight this example of an apparently successful departure from a longstanding norm. But what exactly is success here?
Among Brasa’s costs added upfront to menu prices, security for food service workers appears to be the top priority. A livable wage well above the federal minimum and employment benefits seem so reasonable, but are very uncommon for US restaurant staff in reality.
Equally important is the customer experience, and the adjusted menu prices seem to positively impact both the Brasa dining and social experience. Along with an investment in high quality ingredients, the extra money Brasa diners pay upfront buys you peace of mind. The price you see is the price you pay, a rare show of integrity that eases the minds of customers too used to being ambushed after a nice meal with guilt-tripping stipulations at the bottom of a receipt.
Tipping began to seriously rub Americans the wrong way during the COVID-19 pandemic due to the unspoken yet heightened sense of obligation to do so despite a lack of effort from food industry employers to care of their workers. When a screen prompts you to generously tip at a gas station, coffee shop, a takeout order pickup, or even a self-checkout lane with the small-fonted “No Tip” option shamefully presented at the bottom, it ruins the good faith and customer discretion that makes tipping feel good.
Brasa’s stance on accepting but not expecting tips is a smile and pointed nod compared to the silent stick-up routine employed by other restaurants who add surcharges after the fact and still demand a tip.
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Thank you, Brasa, for great food, great service, transparency, and owning responsibility for the compensation of your staff. Here’s to hoping you inspire your competitors.