No question, being a waiter is hard—especially on Valentine's Day! But you know what is even harder? Being a waiter with two x chromosomes. According to a new study, Tipped Over The Edge — Gender Inequity in the Restaurant Industry, not only do female restaurant employees face "systemic discrimination" they also get paid less, have fewer sick days and can expect to see five times more harassment than the general female workforce. Not helping things? The fact that "the federal minimum wage for servers and other tipped workers" has been frozen at $2.13 per hour for the past 20 years. more ›

Is that friendly server who just recited the evening's specials an ex-con? Quite possibly, and maybe even more frequently so if the New York State Restaurant Association has anything to do with it. The trade association is rallying behind a newly proposed bill sponsored in the State legislature by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry of Queens. more ›