Equity in our community

Centro Restaurant Group is committed to providing fair and equitable pay across all employees. Centro Restaurant Group specifically works to close the disparity in take-home pay between Front of the House (FOH) and Back of the House (BOH) employees. A wage that is supported by a customer paid 10% flat fee.

Minnesota’s tipping laws are dated.

For fast-casual restaurants like Centro, the gratuity laws haven’t kept up with the times. This creates a lot of legal gray area around who receives the tips. To ensure our entire team is compensated fairly, we’ve implemented a 10% Flat Fee.

It’s not a service fee.

Our 10% Flat Fee directly increases the wages of our Back of House (BOH) employees who legally cannot participate in receiving tips. We fully believe that our hardworking team in the kitchen deserves to be compensated similarly to our Front of House (FOH) employees and we strive to make wages between the FOH and BOH more equitable.

Why not increase prices?

We want to be transparent. We want to engage in conversation. Our 10% Flat Fee allows us the opportunity to educate our community on inequities within the restaurant industry. We hope this dialogue will bring systemic changes to the industry we love.

The tip line.

Yeah, we kept it. Tipping is never expected but always welcomed. Guests (and specifically, Minnesotans), want this option. It’s there for an exceptional experience but it’s never a must.

Not only is it a priority to ensure our team members make a liveable and equitable wage, we really care about developing our staff professionally, rewarding our team, and providing a fun and healthy atmosphere. Here’s a snapshot of some of the benefits available at Centro.

Team Benefits

• Equitable wages for Front of House and Back of House employees
• Paid parental leave
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits for management
• IRA enrollment options for all employees in which Centro will match up to 3% of employee contributions
• Community service pay opportunities
• Discounts offered on restaurant goods
• Opportunities for gift card rewards to local businesses
• Learning and Development programs available to all employees
• Recurring staff celebrations and outings

From the beginning, Centro Restaurant Group has been focused on creating a community through a fun and safe space (and great tacos, of course). As we grow, we want to push our involvement out of our four walls and into the community. We view our relationship with our community as symbiotic - when we nurture our family, our family grows and becomes stronger and thus, helps us better serve our community.

At Centro Restaurant Group we have gratitude for our customers and community for making Centro a place to gather and make memories. We want to give back to the community that has given us so much. Therefore, Centro Restaurant Group is committed to philanthropy that supports our local communities. We welcome collaborations with local nonprofits and strive to be active in our community through advocating, creating awareness, and philanthropic efforts. Centro Restaurant Group also recognizes the importance of donating time and services to our community. Therefore, Centro Restaurant Group offers up to 5 hours of paid community service per month for every employee.

In the year 2021 Centro Restaurant group gave over $7,000.00 in monetary, goods, and food donations to over 10 MN non-profit organizations. Additionally, Centro Restaurant Group commits to supporting local non-profit organizations that aid in equity and social justice.

Past/Current Organizations:

• The Aliveness Project (Dining Out for Life)
• People Serving People
• Violence Free Minnesota
• RECLAIM
• NFL Association
• The Bridge for Youth
• The Art Shanty Project
• Youth Theater Group
• Underdog Rescue
• Perspectives, Inc.