BC Liquor Server Wage Eliminated

Much to the chagrin of the hospitality industry in BC, the Government of BC will be eliminating the liquor server wage by 2021. The Fair Wages Commission clearly doesn’t understand that liquor servers earn a lot of money and typically earn more than their managers.

Liquor Servers will see incremental increases on June 1 of each year, beginning in June 2018, until the general minimum wage is reached, of at least $15.20 per hour, in 2021.

Following is the schedule of increases:

June 1, 2018 – $11.40/hr, an increase of $1.30
June 1, 2019 – $12.70/hr, an increase of $1.30
June 1, 2020 – $13.95/hr, an increase of $1.25
June 1, 2021 – $15.20/hr, an increase of $1.25
Along with other payroll increases being implemented in BC, the hospitality industry will be challenged with many increasing costs, which will need to be passed along to their guests. You may see many more restaurants turning to a model where they advise guests that tips are included in their menu prices.