California restaurant's service fee sparks anger, threats as it highlights tipping's racist past

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Geoff Davis doesn’t want his employees to have to rely on tips.The acclaimed chef who worked in restaurants and cocktail bars across the Bay Area and wine country before opening the Oakland soul food eatery Burdell, points out on customers’ receipts that tipping culture in the United States has a racist history — rooted in underpaid service jobs relegated to formerly enslaved Black workers.Instead of tips, his restaurant adds a 20% service fee to the bill.

It takes the guesswork and luck out of the equation, Davis said, and helps to stabilize wages across dining rooms and kitchens — where servers often receive tips but cooks and dishwashers do not — and helps offset the cost of healthcare benefits offered to full-time employees.The service charge is not an out-of-the-ordinary practice, and is common among some upscale restaurants.

And yet, Davis’ restaurant has been the target in recent days of online hate, a surge of vitriol prompted by a now-deleted Reddit post featuring the service charge policy printed at the bottom of Burdell receipts.“Tipping in the US has an ugly past, allowing the continuation of underpaid labor.We don’t like that history.

Included on your check is a 20% Service Charge which we use to pay hourly staff a consistent and livable wage, not dependent on archaic tipping customs or chance.No need to add anything else.

Thank you! Burdell <3,” it reads.Burdell, which was named the best U.S.

restaurant by Food & Wine magazine in 2025, was immediately flooded with nasty reviews on platforms such as Yelp, as well as angry, hateful and, at times, threatening emails, phone calls and direct messages on social media.“I’m just blown away by why we are getting held to a different standard,” Davis said.

“We aren’t doing anything crazy.We didn’t invent service charges.”Davis said when he put the service charge policy in place seve...