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Restaurants and coffee shops across America are benefiting from the Working Families Tax Cut enacted by House and Senate Republicans and President Trump.

In their own words, Americans note the tax cut provided them with across-the-board protection from tax rate increases, immediate and permanent expensing of new equipment, No Tax on Tips and a 20% small business tax deduction.

Examples include:

[Pictured below: Carey Bringle of Peg Leg Porker bbq restaurant]

Peg Leg Porker bbq restaurant (Nashville, Tennessee) — New jobs, business expansion and equipment purchases:

“The section 179 deduction is huge at 100%. It allows business owners like me to say, alright, before the end of the year I’m going to buy a new truck, a new catering van, I’m going to buy to a new smoker, I’m going to invest more in my business, which can create more jobs, which drives revenue for other industries. Just nationwide as a whole it’s great for American made products. It’s just great for business all around. That ability to write it off in the year that you buy it and negate a lot of taxes because of that is huge. 

If I can go buy a $200,000 piece of equipment, well now I’m buying something from another business who is going to benefit. It’s going to help me expand my business operations, which is going to help me benefit. It’s probably going to create some more jobs, not only from my business but for the other business I buy it from. And now my tax burden is reduced to the federal government. Because instead of giving that money to Uncle Sam, to spend on God knows what, now I’m giving it to another business. 

I’m able to take the deduction and invest it into myself and my business that I know is going to create jobs. Other than being great tax policy, it’s a feel-good policy for a business owner to feel better about the money that you’re earning. Business owners want to invest, they want to create more. If you’re a natural entrepreneur, you want to keep going. When the federal government deincentivizes you to keep going because the more you grow the more you get taxed, that’s when business grinds to a halt. So deductions like this are paramount to businesses thriving in their communities.” — Carey Bringle, owner of Peg Leg Porker, testimonial to Americans for Tax Reform.

Kevin Boyle, bartender (New York, New York): No Tax on Tips is a big help:

Kevin Boyle earns a base wage of $11.35 an hour as a bartender at Bedsta in New York City. Like most servers, he makes more on tips. On his 2025 tax return, Boyle was not satisfied with his tax refund amount at all.

This year, however, his finances look much better for one reason: no tax on tips.

“My tax return was so much better this year,” he said. “It was actually a substantial amount to the point where, oh, I could go on a vacation, or I could put it into my savings, or if something bad happened, then I have some cash put aside.” 

Workers have had to pay federal income taxes on tips since 1982. But last year, President Trump approved a rule, known as “no tax on tips,” that exempts up to $25,000 in tips from federal income taxes. Adopted as part of Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, the policy tapped into a sense that tipped service workers had had a rough go since the pandemic began in 2020. 

This policy, which targeted relief for the working class, has been enormously popular among tipped workers like Boyle, and also among business owners. 

Boyle also said, No Tax on Tips are helpful to keep more income to pay for their own benefits, such as 401k retirement plans, that tipped workers often don’t have access to. — May 20, 2026 news report

Patrick Wrona, restaurant server (Las Vegas, Nevada) — No Tax on Tips is helping hospitality workers in the state of Nevada:

“We are working class people. We have mortgages and families. There are everyday bills and college educations to save for.

And it’s not just good for tipped workers, its good for the entire hospitality and travel industry. When service professionals have more take-home pay based on tips from their customers, we all spend it locally, often at the very restaurants and venues we help bring to life.

That tip money isn’t trivial. It’s a lifeline to our families and our community as a whole. After over 20 years in this business I can say with confidence: this new policy is a win-win. For workers, for businesses, and for the clientele and communities that we serve.” — Patrick Wrona testimony to a House Ways and Means Committee field hearing in Nevada [Link]

The Syndicate restaurant and Brewfontaine restuarant (Bellefontaine, Ohio) — investment in staff, equipment and operations; expanded patio area:

“The Big Beautiful Bill has helped us keep more of our resources within our four walls, which means we invest in our staff, upgrade equipment and continue improving the overall guest experience.” — April 2, 2026, Adam Rammel, owner of Brewfontaine and The Syndicate, testimonial to Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council published [video]

Thanks A Latte Coffee (Holly Springs and Angier, North Carolina) — Tax savings from the 20% deduction and the full, immediate expensing helped with the building of a new store and the purchase of new equipment:

“This year I’m doing something big. I’m building a brand new store, and because of this bill, I’ll be able to write off every penny I spend on new equipment this year. It all counts. That means I can invest now without being buried in debt later.

He (President Trump) also made the 20% tax reduction for small business income permanent. That’s real savings, not for Wall Street, but for people like me.

That’s what common sense policy looks like. This isn’t theory, this is real relief.

We don’t want handouts, we just want a fair shot. And with this bill we have finally got it.” — Testimonial from Vicki Harry of Thanks A Latte, as documented by Americans for Prosperity.

Rob Barker, restaurant manager (Nags Head, North Carolina) — Tipped workers keeping more of what they earn thanks to No Tax on Tips:

“The first thing that pops in my mind is the average mom who is a waitress who now is going to have a little bit more money in her pocket.” “I started thinking about the fact that the average tipped employee, especially in our viewing community, probably makes $35,000 to $75,000 a year, and that is the group of people that needs to spend their money to keep going. So, every dollar that stays in someone’s pocket in that tax bracket is actually a dollar that they need to spend somewhere for their family, somewhere for their kids.” — WTKR CBS News 3 report [Link]

Kyle Citrano, restaurant owner (McLennan County, Texas) — helpful impact of No Tax on Tips:

“You’re talking $2,500 to $3,000 in their pocket a year. That’s real life changing money on servers.” — KXXV ABC 25 local news report [Link]

Sergio’s Restaurants (South Florida) — The 100% immediate expensing provision, permanent 20% small business deduction, and No Tax on Tips helped the family-owned Cuban restaurant chain move forward with two new locations, approximately 100 new hires, and investments in new restaurant equipment:

“For Sergio’s Restaurants, my family small business, that means moving ahead with plans to open two new restaurant locations and hire approximately 100 new team members over the next year.”

Gazitua explained that 100% immediate expensing allows the restaurants to immediately deduct investments in equipment such as ovens and refrigerators, while the permanent 20% small business deduction gives the company greater certainty to expand and create jobs. He also highlighted No Tax on Tips as particularly important for restaurant servers and bartenders. — August 15, 2025, Carlos Gazitua, CEO of Sergio’s Restaurants, op-ed published by Fox Business and Job Creators Network

Coal River Coffee Company (St. Albans, West Virginia) — The 20% deduction has helped the company hire new employees, improve the property and enhance employee benefits:

“The 20 percent small business tax deduction has truly assisted our business in a multitude of ways. We don’t just keep the money and put it in our pockets. But rather we use it to pour back into our community and into our customers and also our employees. Because of it, we’ve been able to create a retirement program for our employees. We’ve been able to raise their wages, and we’ve also been able to do enhancements on our property to enhance the customer experience. But one of the coolest things that we’ve been able to do is buy older, dilapidated buildings on our street and revitalize them so other small business owners could chase their dreams just like we have.” – Michael Ervin, Co-founder, Coal River Coffee Company

Bill Mathis, Caribou Coffee Franchisee (St. Petersburg and Clearwater Florida) — The tax savings from 100% immediate expensing helped his business replace flooring at an existing Caribou Coffee location, support local contractors, and expand with a new location in Clearwater, with another planned for 2027:

The most direct new small business tax cut is 100% immediate expensing of capital improvements. This provision allows entrepreneurs to write off the entire costs of upgrades and expansion in the year they were made. This bonus depreciation allowed my business to replace the flooring at one of our locations with a new, easier-to-clean variant. The old floor worked fine, but my staff prefer this one due to its lighter maintenance, improving the work environment.

This investment may sound small, but when you multiply it across the economy, with other small businesses taking similar actions, you start to understand the benefits of pro-growth tax reform. That’s especially true when you use local contractors — as we did — keeping money in communities to improve local living standards.

Thanks to the tax cuts and the strong small-business economy they’ve created, we’re opening another Caribou Coffee location in Clearwater in a couple of months. And we are looking ahead to another location in 2027. That means more jobs, more opportunities for employees to grow, and more investment in the communities we serve. — May 1, 2026, Bill Mathis, Caribou Coffee Franchisee, in RealClearPolicy op-ed

Jessica Taylor, restaurant server (Blaine, Minnesota) — No Tax on Tips helps pay family hockey expenses:

“It also helps support my daughter’s hockey. Hockey is a year-round sport here in Minnesota and between traveling to tournaments and buying new equipment for my always-growing daughter, being able to keep all of my tips will make it a lot easier for me to afford these extra things that we might not be able to do otherwise.” — personal testimonial [Link]

HeBrews 11:1 (Hope, Arkansas) — No Tax on Tips helped the local coffee shop grow from one employee to eight employees and expand to a second location on a college campus:

“I ran that business with just myself and one employee. Then here comes no tax on tips. I was able to hire seven more employees just by what you did. Not only that, I was open to—able to open a second location on our college campus. Things are just going off simply because having ‘now faith.’ But as a small-business owner, I understand how critical support is. I understand that you have to have the right people that make the right policies for us as small-business owners. So no tax on tips has been an extreme blessing for me and my business—not just mine, but I know so many people across the country.” — February 18, 2026, Arnetta Bradford, owner of HeBrews 11:1, remarks at the White House Black History Month reception

Alaskan Brewing Company (Juneau, Alaska) — The 20% deduction and immediate and full expensing helped the local brewer purchase equipment and increase innovation at their facilities:

As documented by the National Association of Manufacturers: H.R. 1’s [Working Families Tax Cut/One Big Beautiful Bill Act] provisions — such as immediate R&D expensing, full expensing for capital equipment purchases, restored EBITDA interest deductibility and a permanent 20% pass-through deduction — give Alaskan Brewing the financial footing to keep pushing the envelope on sustainable manufacturing and innovation from one of America’s most remote production facilities. 

“Certainty matters. If we know the rules won’t change midstream, we can take more calculated risks.” — Geoff Larson, Co-Founder of Alaskan Brewing Company, as published in the National Association of Manufacturers’ 2026 Manufacturing Tax Wins Across America report

1920 Tavern (Roswell, Georgia) — The tax savings from the 20% deduction, along with the permanent and immediate expensing provisions, helped this local restaurant purchase new equipment and floors, hire a local wood worker to make tables, and helped to raise employee pay and create new jobs:

My message is very simple. Republican tax cuts are helping reinvigorate the American dream for small businesses like mine. The Working Families Tax Cut expands and makes permanent key small business tax breaks that were set to expire at the end of last year. The law enshrines a 20% small business tax cut that is used by 26 million other business owners like myself, and it restores one hundred percent immediate expenses expensing allowing us to invest more in our equipment and my staff who I consider my family.

These tax cuts have been a game changer for all small businesses. For example, I was able to take the money saved and purchase new floors for my restaurant. I also was able to get new tabletops and use a local wood crafter allowing him to give work to his workers. They also allow us to hire more staff and also allow me to give my longtime employees a much needed raise.

These choices ripple through our community. Higher wages mean better service which brings out more customers who support more jobs and thus creates a stronger neighborhood economy. It’s a virtuous cycle and a perfect example of how good tax policy fuels American prosperity. Tax cuts have always helped my suppliers, my bakers, my butcher, my gelato maker. It keeps their costs low, allowing me to keep steady prices for my customers. That means a lot given the broader cost of living pressure many people face, and through the no tax on tips provision, the tax cut has helped my employees keep more of what they earn. — April 14, 2026 remarks at Americans for Tax Reform annual tax press conference in the U.S. Capitol

Peggy Weir, restaurant server (Sellersburg, Indiana) — No Tax on Tips helps with household bills:

“More money in our pocket every day when you go home. You earn it, you get to keep it. For a lot of us, it’s help paying down debt, helps saving, being on time on your bills. Just everyday things that some people don’t think about.” [Link]

Westover Taco (Arlington, Virginia) — The Working Families Tax Cuts resulted in tax savings for the small restaurant and larger refunds for its employees, leaving the business with more resources to determine how best to reinvest:

“We also were able to do some really cool things in the restaurant this year. Our restaurant refunds were better than usual … I closed for one day yesterday and remodeled my restaurant … things that were broken, that I needed to get fixed are not fixed, things that we needed to replace or get replaced, and it makes my restaurant not only more profitable because people are going to come in, they’re going to love it, they’re going to see it. But it also makes it safer for my staff. things that needed to be repaired. 
And so I really appreciate giving us the opportunity to do that. So all I can say is thank you so much. Not only for the opportunity to be here, but for all the money that you put back in our pocket.” — April 15, 2026, Sarah White, Managing Partner of Westover Taco, remarks at House Republican Conference Working Families Tax Cuts roundtable

Phil’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) — The No Tax on Tips provision of the Working Families Tax Cuts allows the restaurant’s tipped employees, including its bartenders and servers, to keep more of their earnings to support themselves and their families:

“My employees will be able to keep more of their money to care for their families. This is great for them, for this business, and for our entire community.” — January 16, 2026, Anthony Piazza, owner of Phil’s Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant, testimonial during Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Thune’s visit highlighting No Tax on Tips