Emmer waits tables at Ol' Mexico, now favors no tax on tips

Some hospitality workers have piled on criticism of Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer for saying he'd favor allowing servers to make less than the minimum wage, a so-called "tip credit." Emmer's campaign said workers who rely on tips for a living issued a call: Don't criticize our wages until you've done our job. So on Saturday night, Emmer worked about three hours at the Ol' Mexico Restaurante and Cantina in Roseville, the site of a his town hall-style meeting Wednesday with servers. Emmer spent the night delivering food and clearing tables. Afterward, he had two ideas: restaurants should not have to pay taxes on meals given to workers and that servers should not have to pay taxes on their tips. "If restaurant owners want a 'tip credit,' great," he said. "But then let's not tax tips and let's not require employers to collect taxes off the meals they serve to their hard working employees." Last week, Emmer rankled servers when he said he favored a "tip credit," in which restaurants and other hospitality industries can pay a wage below the standard minimum wage to workers who make tips. Emmer echoed the hospitality industry's claim that the "tip credit" allows them to lower menu prices and hire more people. Servers say it's simply a wage cut, leaving their salaries more at the whim of unpredictable tips. As criticism mounted, Emmer's camp said he absolutely does not favor a wage cut. He then called for a town hall meeting and worked the Saturday night shift. The campaign didn't invite the media to attend so Emmer could have an "authentic experience," said campaign spokesman Chris Van Guilder. But the campaign shot its own video, which it unveiled Monday. View the campaign's edited take below. "He had fun with it," Van Guilder said. "He walked a mile in their shoes." After his shift, Emmer said on the video that it was hard work and that servers get "exactly what they put into it."