Co-owner Cristian Mora serves costumers Nov. 25 at Girard, a no-tip restaurant in Philadelphia. The restaurant in Philadelphia offers French-inspired cuisine and food for thought: Customers are told they don't have to tip. That's because servers at Girard Brasserie and Bruncherie earn about $13 an hour. They also get sick time, vacation days and health insurance.

PHILADELPHIA — Customers to Girard Brasserie and Bruncherie might be in for a surprise when they read the note attached to their bills: “Tipping is not necessary.”

That’s food for thought in an industry where servers depend on gratuities for the bulk of their pay. Yet staff at the French-inspired restaurant earn about $13 an hour, and they get sick time, vacation days and health insurance.

The economics aren’t easy, said Girard co-owner Brian Oliveira. Ideally, though, the provisions make for more loyal and content employees, who then create a better experience for customers, he said.

“We had to make less money as owners and sacrifice some of that, but in the end, it created a better environment and everyone’s happier,” said Oliveira.

The unusual model highlights a debate about pay and conditions in an industry that employs 10 percent of the U.S. workforce, according to the National Restaurant Association. The group doesn’t track the number of no-tip models among the nation’s nearly 1 million eateries, but examples have popped up over the past year in Pittsburgh, New York and Los Angeles.

The federal hourly minimum wage for non-tipped workers, such as dishwashers and cooks, is $7.25; the minimum for tipped workers like waiters and bartenders is $2.13. Paid time off and medical benefits are almost unheard of in the high-turnover business.

Congress hasn’t raised the tipped wage in nearly 25 years. The restaurant association, which has fought increased minimums, argues requiring higher wages will force owners to lay off servers, cut workers’ hours or raise prices.

Some cities and states, acting to address growing income inequality, have raised the tipping wage on their own. Among the highest: $10.74 an hour in San Francisco, $9.47 an hour in Washington state and $9.25 an hour in Oregon.

The state minimum for tipped employees in Pennsylvania is $2.83 hourly. After taking tips into account, that translates into a median wage of $8.25 an hour, or just more than $17,000 per year for a full-time employee, according to Restaurant Opportunities Centers United.

But tips offer the potential to earn a lot more than even a higher hourly wage might allow, said Geoff Bowman, a longtime bartender.

Currently in between bar gigs, he earns $2.83 plus tips as a server at Dottie’s Dinette, just a few blocks from Girard in the city’s Fishtown section. Bowman acknowledged the lack of time off and health insurance have been “speed bumps and challenges” in a career he otherwise enjoys.

At Girard, the menu and checks explain that “dishes are priced accordingly” to provide staff with higher wages and benefits. A fixed price, three-course dinner ranges from $31 to $42.

Kelly Cinquegrana visited Girard shortly after its debut in late November, in part to support the idea of a better working environment. The cost of the meal was reasonable and she gave the food and service a glowing review on Yelp.

“I think it’s pretty important to want to treat waitstaff well,” Cinquegrana said.