New York bill would change tipping rules for counter service

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — Assemblymember Angelo Santabarbara introduced legislation that would let counter service restaurants implement tip pooling for their hourly employees. That's a system that prorates or redistributes all tips from a common, shared pot.

In the American service industry, tipping traditionally supplements wages of customer-facing employees. It's under scrutiny because new payment technologies and restaurant models have blurred those traditional lines. Is it more fair for tips to go directly to the person providing service or for a pooled system that shares tips among all employees who contribute to the customer's experience, including those behind the scenes?

The bill, A9008, would define a counter service restaurant as any food service business where customers order