What is the Kitchen Team Service Charge?

The Kitchen Team Service Charge is a charge of 5% that we put on all food purchases only. We do not put the charge on retail purchases or beverage purchases (alcoholic or non-alcoholic.) The charge is NOT a gratuity, but a mandatory fee we collect and give to the kitchen staff that prepared your meals in the form of a bonus on their paychecks. All of the dollars generated (except for sales tax) by this charge go directly to the kitchen staff – Grandma’s keeps zero dollars. We instituted this charge as a means to give our kitchen team a “fraction of the action” in an effort to reward them for extraordinary efforts as well as retain the best staff in the area.

Why not just raise prices?

Raising prices increases other costs to our guests. Most folks tip on a percentage of food and beverage total, so some will feel obligated to tip more on a price increase. You may certainly choose to tip your server whatever you wish, but traditionally tips are not calculated on taxes or service charges.

Also, by instituting this service charge and stating publicly that we will be distributing 100% of the dollars collected to our kitchen team, we are obligated by state statute to do just that. We want to make this commitment to our staff. If we simply raised prices, the commitment is not there and those additional dollars from the price increase can be used for any expense.

Doesn’t the Kitchen Staff receive part of the voluntary tip I leave?

Minnesota law does not allow a business to require a tipped employee to share their tip with a non-tipped coworker. It is the property of the employee who directly took your order and/or delivered your meal.

What if my meal was not up to my expectations?

If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your dining experience, we encourage you to ask to speak with a manager and we will do what we can to satisfy you. As always, we depend upon your input in    order to keep quality, service, and value for every guest.

We thank you for your understanding and encourage you to reach out to the Manager on Duty or email us [email protected] if you have further questions or comments.