The Sky Is Not Falling; The Floor Is Rising

This report marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of Initiative 82 (I-82) in Washington, DC. I-82 proposed raising the minimum wage for tipped workers from a subminimum wage of just $5.35 per hour to the full minimum wage plus tips over 5 years, and for it to continue to rise, along with the full minimum wage, with inflation.

After just two small wage increases in 2023, the National Restaurant Association has been telling workers in other states that the restaurant industry is failing, jobs are being lost, and workers’ tips have decreased in the District. This report includes the voices of workers, employers, and consumers on their experiences one year after the passage of I-82, and includes the only government data on restaurant employment impacts currently available in the short period since implementation of the wage increase began.