WASHINGTON (7News) — After D.C. voters opted on Election Day to boost pay for tipped workers, restaurant owners are having reservations.

Under current law, the minimum wage for tipped workers is $5.05 per hour, with employers paying the difference if the servers' tips don't get them to the $15.20 minimum wage for non-tipped workers. That payment of the difference by employers is known as the tip credit.

On Tuesday, voters approved Initiative 82, which will gradually increase the tipped worker minimum wage by $2 per hour each year until 2027, when the new tipped minimum wage will also be $15.20 like it is for their non-tipped counterparts.

Sophie Miyoshi has worked on and off in restaurants for most of her life, and is now a lead organizer Restaurant Opportunities Center of D.C. She said this will change the landscape for restaurant workers in the District.

"It's a huge win for restaurant workers in D.C. We're super excited and super proud and relieved," Miyoshi said.

The nation's capital joins Alaska, California, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington in having tipped and non-tipped employees have the same minimum wage.

Miyoshi said it will be a relief for so many workers to not be at the mercy of customers in order to make a living wage.

“It’s never a good feeling to be so reliant on customers,” Miyoshi said. "Being a woman in the industry, there was a lot of sexual harassment I had to endure and face. I didn't feel comfortable speaking up about it or...

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