McDonald’s called on restaurants to pay their wait staff a minimum wage — rather than relying on tips to make up the difference in salary.

The fast-food giant, which has seen its market share shrink in the face of stiff competition from full-service eateries that rely on tipped waiters, quit the powerful National Restaurant Association earlier this week.

“Right now, there’s an uneven playing field,” CEO Chris Kempczinski told CNBC , adding that “all classes of workers should be paid at or above the federal minimum wage.” 4

At the center of the dispute is the tipped minimum wage — just $2.13 an hour under federal law — which allows full-service restaurants like Chili’s and IHOP to rely on gratuities to fill the gap to $7.25.

That advantage has helped them push cheap burger de

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