At La Cigale, a tiny chef-run spot tucked into San Francisco’s Glen Park, the tip line has quietly vanished. In its place is a single price for dinner: $140 per person, a number the team says covers the food, service and taxes in one go. Instead of watching their take-home pay rise and fall with every table, staff now work under a model that chef-owner Joseph Magidow describes as a push for predictable pay and less pressure during service.
Menu Is All-Inclusive
La Cigale’s website lists dinner at $140 per person, “including all taxes and service,” with a menu that changes daily. The restaurant highlights a beverage list built around French wines, and sommeliers handle pairings tableside for guests. The site also directs would-be diners to a waitlist for the small counter, since seats are limited.
Staff Pay And Stability
The restaurant has removed the tip line from checks and instead pays servers an hourly wage of about $40, plus paid vacation, giving staff steadier income regardless of nightly ups and downs, according to CBS News. Server and sommelier Claire Bivins told the outlet that the model "creates a little bit of a sense of security for everyone." A customer quoted in the same report said she liked the idea of fair wages, even though she personally believes in tipping. Magidow compared surprise charges on restaurant bills to a "Spirit Airlines bill," arguing that diners should see the full cost up front.
Counter Theater And Neighborhood
The San Francisco Chronicle described La Cigale as a 15-seat chef’s counter where Magidow cooks over a wood-burning hearth, calling the experience almost theatrical. The paper noted the restaurant’s focus on southern French dishes and the $140 prix-fixe structure. Reviewers say some plates are still being refined, but the intimate counter format has already carved out a distinctive new presence in Glen Park.
Where This Fits In
Across the country, restaurant operators have been experimenting with service-included pricing as diners push back on ever-expanding tipping prompts. A Bankrate survey found that 41 percent of Americans say tipping has gotten out of control, and many respondents said businesses should pay employees rather than lean so heavily on tips, according to Bankrate. That frustration helps explain why more restaurants are testing models that guarantee predictable wages for staff.
Magidow says the change at La Cigale has not hurt the bottom line and that "everyone is leaving happy," which he sees as a sign the approach is working. As CBS News reported, he has framed the decision to ditch tips as a break from what he calls a "system rooted in America's painful past." Whether other Bay Area restaurants follow his lead will depend on how well they can balance staff security with what customers are willing to accept when the check arrives.
