Fair Tips at Pizza Express

Dear Pizza Express Customers,

If we were to ask you what % of the tip you gave for great service went to the waiter who served you, what would you deem fair? 80%, 70%, two-thirds? Try 40%...

On 17th May, the day restaurants reopened after lockdown, Pizza Express imposed a new tipping policy which has seen waiters income drop by more than £2000 per year.

This deduction is being used to boost the income of kitchen workers by depriving minimum wage waiting staff of a sizable chunk of their income. Of course, we believe that kitchen workers deserve a share of tips but this must be fair and representative of the workforce in both sections.

Waiters work hard for their tips and in an increasingly cashless society, they are losing hundreds of pounds per month. Many of us are already losing between £200 -£500 per month.

Our industry is going through an unprecedented recruitment crisis because, after Brexit and a global pandemic, it remains the lowest paid and most contractually insecure sector in the UK economy. That does not mean that hard-earned tips should be used to attract talent to our kitchens. Chefs should be paid more by their employer.

A coalition of waiters, trade unions and members of the public are calling on the company to reverse this ill-thought out and harmful policy, which is hurting waiters at a time when many have already suffered financially because of COVID-19.

Please sign this petition and share with your friends, colleagues and family and please follow @FairPayPE on Twitter.