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Raffaello Bruni has worked in the restaurant industry for the last three years, climbing his way up from bussing tables to food runner and aspiring server. There’s been one thing in common in all three restaurants where he’s worked: he makes the most money through individual customer tips. 

“If that incentive is gone, you’re going to get worse service, because what’s the point in me putting in the extra effort if there’s going to be no difference in what I get at the end of the week?” Bruni said. 

Key 2024 election dates

Nov. 5 general election

The general election is Nov. 5, with a new set of deadlines.
Oct. 19 to Nov. 1: Early voting from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Main Public Library, 613 Pleasant St.
Nov. 5: General election. Polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

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Boston servers have a $6.75 hourly minimum wage. A Grande Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, a Target toilet paper pack and a two-pack of toothbrushes from Amazon cost more than that. But if a tipped employee doesn’t make at least $15 an hour — the statewide minimum wage — between their hourly wage and tips, the employer must make up the difference. 

This $8.25 gap in wages used to be wider. Under the “Grand Bargain” passed by the Legislature and signed by former Gov. Charlie Baker in 2018, the hourly tipped minimum wage gradually increased to $6.75 from $3.75. 

If Question 5 passes on Nov. 5, the tipped minimum wage will gradually rise to $15 an hour by 2029, when the separate minimum will be eliminated. Until then, employers will still be obligated to pay servers enough money to reach that $15 an hour mark, if they don’t earn that through tips.

Grace McGovern, state lead for One Fair Wage Massachusetts, which sponsored the question, said it is designed to ensure that servers can be assured of a steady income, particularly as inflation has taken a bigger bite out of the earning power.

Chris Keohan, spokesperson for the Committee to Protect Tips, said that employers can currently only use pools for tipped employees and people who directly help them. Question 5 would expand tip pooling so servers’ tips would be shared with all restaurant staff.

Keohan said a February online survey of Massachusetts servers and bartenders, commissioned by the Massachusetts Restaurant Association and distributed by restaurant owners, found that 91% of tipped employees were opposed to a potential tip pooling change. 

“They [servers and bartenders] liked working for tips,” Keohan said. “It creates the opportunity to overperform in your industry.”

That sentiment is not just found among servers and bartenders. Some restaurant owners around Boston have been encouraging their consumers and passers-by with a “Vote no on Question 5” statement on checks and with signs hanging outside their restaurants.

The efforts appear to have had an impact, as polls show decreasing popularity among the public. A May UMass poll showed a 69%-16% split in favor of the question, while a September CommonWealth Beacon/WBUR poll by the MassINC Polling Group showed that margin had shrunk to 43%-40% in favor.

Keohan also said customers won’t know who their tips are actually going to if pooling is implemented, which could result in customers tipping less and restaurants making less money overall. 

Carla Gomes, the owner of Antico Forno and Terramia in the North End, agreed that consumers may tip less if Question 5 passes, because their exact server isn’t the one taking home that whole tip. 

She also said she fears her payroll would increase at both restaurants by $18,000 per week to a weekly total of about $68,000 — a price tag she’s unsure she can afford. 

“I wouldn’t be able to afford that and I’d probably be put out of business,” Gomes said. She opened Antico Forno and Terramia 28 and 31 years ago, respectively. 

Gomes said her employees take home about $2,000 a week for 40 hours of work now, but they will start leaving the restaurant with $800 a week for the same amount of hours worked if Question 5 passes. She said she would have to increase her prices, which are already higher post-pandemic due to inflation and vendors raising their prices.

“I sell pizza and pasta. Can I start charging $50 for a pizza and a bowl of pasta?” Gomes said. “It’s bad enough inflation over these last four years has really destroyed the economy for businesses.”

But McGovern said inflation and the COVID-19 pandemic raised the cost of living for everyone, including servers, who are not even making the state minimum wage.

“Housing costs, food costs, absolutely everything has skyrocketed, and we haven’t seen the cost of labor skyrocket,” McGovern said. “They [servers and bartenders] should be able to have a comparable wage increase, as well.” 

She said prices don’t have to increase because of Question 5, and noted more than 100 Massachusetts restaurants support the One Fair Wage campaign and pay their servers at least $15 per hour (plus tips on top). She said the national campaign started about 10 years ago, as a legislative effort, with two tipped restaurant workers.

On the other hand, McGovern said, large restaurant chains — such as Olive Garden and Applebee’s — are encouraging people to vote “no” and are a big part of donations on the opposing side. 

Many small businesses are also opposed and are part of the Committee to Protect Tips, which is working with the Massachusetts Restaurant Association.

Jessica Muradian, the director of government affairs at the MRA, said that more than 91% of Massachusetts restaurants are independently owned. She said passage of Question 5 will hurt them by driving consumer prices up and servers going home with less money each week.

“Servers and bartenders don’t want this,” Muradian said. “The folks that are allowed to participate in tip pooling [are] going to expand exponentially.”

Question 5’s tip pooling provision does not specify who could share the tips. Muradian said the pool could include a bookkeeper or a restaurant’s cleaning crew. 

Keohan said Washington, D.C.’s similar law, which went into effect last year, has since resulted in a number of layoffs, about 4,000 servers leaving the restaurant industry, and the imposition of service fees for consumers. 

Service charges — also known as service fees and kitchen fees — are the few extra dollars added to the bottom of a consumer’s check to cover any ambiguous restaurant costs. President Joe Biden said he wants to get rid of these, saying they’re among the “junk fees” that are costing Americans about $20 billion every year.

If Question 5 passes, these fees could be added at many Boston restaurants, and result in consumers tipping less. 

Gomes said she believes the One Fair Wage Campaign’s main goal is to unionize the restaurant industry and ultimately get other industries, like hair salons, to also unionize.

“It’s not fair to us [restaurant owners]; it’s not fair to the consumer.” 

McGovern said employees will feel more dignified and respected if they are earning the state’s minimum wage, and be more reliable workers who care more about their job. 

“In terms of costing more, yeah, the dollar value for labor per hour is going to be more,” she said, “but that’s such a worthwhile investment when these front-house workers are the main selling point of your entire restaurant.”

Bruni, the server at Momosan in Hub Hall, said he and all the bartenders at his job don’t want to pool their tips, because it may result in servers who aren’t putting in equal effort taking home the same amount of money as them.

“It’s only fair that the bartender who is professional and good at his job gets $700; meanwhile, the guy who doesn’t really care gets $300,” Bruni said: “Every single person I talked to was against it.”

New Bedford Light staff contributed to this report.