CHICAGO — Mayor Brandon Johnson is crediting Chicago’s new tipped minimum wage law with helping spark growth in the city’s restaurant sector — despite fierce opposition from some industry leaders who warned the policy would do the opposite.
Speaking at a roundtable hosted by advocacy group One Fair Wage on Monday, Johnson said the city is already seeing more restaurants opening, improved wages for service workers, and positive momentum tied to the ordinance, which phases out the lower wage paid to tipped employees.
“This is not about blame,” Johnson said during the discussion. “It’s about opportunity. And if the city of Chicago is going to realize its greatest potential, it has to come through investment in working people.”
Tipped Wage Phase-Out Begins This Summer
Chicago’s ordinance, passed last fall, gradually eliminates the subminimum tipped wage, bringing tipped workers’ pay in line with the standard minimum wage over a five-year period…