Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Emmer is touring the state looking to gain support as well as gather input from citizens.  One idea Emmer has proposed: a tip credit for restaurants wait staff.

It's already in place for 43 other states across the county.  It's a law that permits states to drop the wages of tipped employees like waiters and waitresses to only $2.13 an hour... but here in Minnesota...."we get paid 7.35 and hour" plus tips, says one server.  It's a salary that Tav on the Ave Owner Chris Person says doesn't even compare to the rest of his staff.  Person says, "probably the highest paid employees in the establishment at this time when you add the tips in and the wage that they are making."

While Servers like Maria Hix wouldn't like a decrease in wages..."I think it would be hard," she said.  It's something she could adjust to since she says she tends to make around $25- $30 an hour... tips included.  Tav on the Ave Server Maria Hix says, "really good money, especially here, I make more sometimes than my sister who has a full time job and things like that."

For restaurants like Tav on the Ave a tip credit would benefit them because they get so many tips, but for places like Pho Saigon a tip credit would not benefit them at all.  Server Brandy Schweigert says she is lucky if she gets more than a five percent tip.  Schweigert says, "They're okay... not what I would expect most of the time."

It's for this reason that Emmer believes tying the tips and base pay together would level out the field and ensure people get paid.  But restaurant owners say tips aren't always a guarantee.

Pho Saigon owner Trong Ho says, "some are good and some are bad but the average is just you know... and its an Asian restaurant so its not really a high end or sit down..."

It's unclear if the change to 2-13 an hour would be mandatory... but for Schweigert... it's just something she would have deal with. Schweigert says, "take it as it is, but I would still do the work that I do, work as hard as I do, so nothing else would change."

- Sara Miles, News 12