Wayne Morris

Review of Ivar's Salmon House on Lake Un...

Well, I just had my first run-in with the down-sid...

Well, I just had my first run-in with the down-side to the $15/hour minimum wage that is all the rage now. We ate at Ivar's Salmon Bar in Seattle last night and while the food was AWESOME, the service was, well, AWFUL!!!
When we arrived, there was a notice that they had recently raised all of their employees' wages to the $15 minimum, so there was no expectation for their patrons to leave a tip. We found this interesting at first, and liberating in the end, because, I suppose due to the guaranteed salary and revenue-sharing program, our waitress was uninterested in doing any more than the bare minimum to draw her pay and get on to her next customer!
Even with the notice, I enjoy good service and always tip well when it is received. Needless to say, in this case, I would not have tipped any more than the bare minimum and then complained to the manager. However, looking around, I noticed several of the other wait staff merely going through the paces and not enhancing their customers' dining experience, so I saved the apparently pointless conversation with the Manager and left as soon as we could.
I only hope that this situation will rectify itself over time, but until then I will not be dining at Ivar's Salmon Bar again any time soon and hope that this lethargy does not similarly affect the other once-fine eating establishments in Seattle.