Comal, Former No-Tipping Leader in the Bay Area, Brings Back Tips
In a striking reversal, the restaurant group is switching to tip pooling as it expands its fast casual offerings
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Comal Mexican restaurants in Berkeley and Oakland are bringing back traditional tips, or at least tip pooling, owner John Paluska confirmed for Eater SF. Comal has been acclaimed as one of the leading voices for the no-tipping movement in the Bay Area over the past seven years. The standalone restaurant first eliminated tips in 2014, when it introduced a service charge because it wanted to pay workers fair wages across front- and back-of-house. But now, having grown to a group of three restaurants with a couple of fast-casual counters, and preparing to reopen with a very different business model, Paluska says the no-tipping model was no longer viable.