Mid Atlantic
The high season in this Region starts in the summer when the ebb and flow of tourists from Europe is in full swing. The stunning beautiful Fall season on the East Coast also lures a heavier traffic of business and the urban areas offer year round steady work. The high cost of living in this region of the country is paired with some of the highest wages for servers. Landing a lucrative server position however,can be difficult. Expect a lot of competition and a photo to be required when you submit your resume. You should also be armed with a paperback herb/food dictionary and solid wine knowledge. Some employers not only require that you should be skilled, knowledgeable and experienced, but that you are also someone who looks like a ‘model” type. Some of these standards are being tested. New York is also the home quarters of ROC. a very powerful nonprofit advocacy agency for restaurant workers that was able to help workers collect $19,500 in settlement fees involving the Three Guys Restaurant, a diner in Manhattan where Mexican workers said they were told they were too fat, dark and ugly to be waiters.
In fact, since the center opened up shortly after 9/11 to help the surviving employees of Windows on the World, it has sparked a Renaissance of awareness among restaurant workers throughout the region. A record number of lawsuits rocked Manhattan’s restaurant establishment the last few years and has even prompted the State to rewrite its entire Hospitality wage order. New York State’s labor commissioner, M. Patricia Smith, called the violations widespread and serious. ” Its clearly a big problem,” she said. “it’s reached a tipping point in the industry. When it becomes the standard practice to cut corners, then everybody starts doing it. ROC has also expanded to other cites throughout the nation.
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York
PENNSYLVANIA
Wait Population 98,280
Wage:
State Minimum wage $7.25
State Server sub minimum wage $2.83
Median Wage: $7.82 hr/ 16,300 annually
Serving Alcohol;
Must be 18 to serve
Re-Corking: Patrons are allowed to take wine home when purchased with a meal
Serving Hours: M-S: 7am-2am Sundays: 11:am-2am with permit
Tobacco Control:
Designated smoking areas required or allowed. Restaurants with seating for 75 or more shall provide smoking and non-smoking areas reasonably calculated to address the needs of thier clientlele. The size of the smoking area may be increased or decreased by the proprietor or person in charge, according to need. Restaurants with fewer than 75 seats shall either provide a non-smoking section or post a notice at each entrance stating that there is no smoking policy. (1988) For a complete listing of municipalities in the state with 100% smoke free laws for restaurants, visit www.no-smoke.org. Philadelphia is the only municipality that has a smoke free out door dining law.
Links:
Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board
717-783-9454
Pennsylvania Dept of Labor
717-787-5279
www.dil.state.pa.us
Wage & Hour
(Federal)
Philiadelphia District Office
215-597-4960
Pittsburgh District Office
412-395-4996
Wilkes Barre District Office
570-826-6316
NEW JERSEY
Wait population 54,840
Wage:
State minimum wage $7.25
State server sub minimum wage $2.15 *In New Jersey, in specific situations where the employer can prove to the satisfaction of the labor department that the tips actually received exceed the creditable amount, a higher tip credit may be taken.
Median wage: $10.44 hr/21,700 annually
Serving Alcohol:
18 to serve
Re-Corking; Patrons are allowed to remove partially consumed wine from the premise as long as it is re-corked and placed in the trunk of the car.
Serving Hours: Determined by city ordinance.
Tobacco Control:
The New Jersey Smoke-Free Air Act went into effect on April 15, 2006. The Law bans smoking in restaurants and bars, but smoking is allowed on casino floors and cigar bars or lounges.
Links:
New Jersey Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
609-984-2830
New Jersey Dept of Labor
609-292-2323
www.state.nj.us/labor
Wage and Hour
(Federal)
973-645-2279
NEW YORK
Wait Population 129,690
Wage:
State minimum wage $7.25
State Server Sub minimum wage $2.35
Serving Alcohol:
18 to serve
Re-Corking: State Law does allow patrons to take home one bottle of wine only purchased with full meal.
Serving Hours: M-S: 8am-4am Sun: prohibited 4:am to Noon.
Tobacco Control:
New York’s Clean Indoor Air Act created 100% smokefree workplaces, restaurants, and bars as of July 24, 2003 which include the states’s 1,691 municipalities. Cigar bars, and restaurants and bar when being used exclusively for for functions for the primary purpose of promoting and sampling tobacco products are exempt from the law. Nassau County and Westchester County have laws that prohibit smoking in out door dining areas.
Links:
New York Dept of Labor
518-457-2741
www.labor.state.ny.us
New York Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control
518-474-0810
Wage and Hour
(Federal)
New York City District Office
212-264-8185
www.dol.gov./esa/whd/state/tip
Restaurant Opportunties Center www.rocunited.org
212-343-1771 -A very powerful advocacy group for all restaurant workers in New York.