Mayor Brandon Johnson last month blocked a City Council decision to pause scheduled increases in the city's tipped minimum wage.

Why it matters: The veto keeps wage hikes moving forward, with ripple effects for workers' paychecks, restaurant costs and menu prices.

The big picture: For decades, the service industry has operated under a two-tiered system in which tipped workers get paid a lower "subminimum" base wage before tips.

• In 2023, the City Council voted to gradually raise the subminimum wage (currently $12.62) until it reaches parity with the regular minimum wage ($16.60) by 2028.

What they're saying: Ald. Sam Nugent (39th) says 30 Council members voted to slow the wage increase because of "the devastating impacts it's having on both our neighborhood restaurants and workers."

The other side: Johnson said he vetoed the measure to protect workers and to fight attempts to undermine them.

Driving the news: Supporters of the City Council's subminimum-wage pause have nine days to find four more alders to join them and override Johnson's veto at the City Council's April 15 meeting.

Will bringing the wages to parity create a net gain for servers? That depends on whom you ask and where they work.

• The Illinois Restaurant Association says its surveys show 87% of servers like the current system, noting that employers already must make up the difference if servers' tips plus wages don't equal $16.60 an hour.
• Bronzeville Winery owner Eric Williams told the Sun-Times he's had to cut his servers from 10 to six in the wake of the hikes. IRA CEO Sam Toia says to expect more restaurants to do the same.
• Plus, this year, Illinois workers can declare up to $25,000 in tips tax-free on their federal filings.

Zoom out: Subminimum wages fluctuate drastically across the country, with hourly rates as high as $17.13 in Washington state and $16.90 in California but just $2.13 in Indiana and eight other states.

What's next

As Chicago's tipping future hangs in the balance this month, we want to know how you all feel about the issue.

Why it matters: We hope the data helps servers, restaurant owners, diners and politicians make better decisions.

Please take our survey and we'll serve up fresh results soon.

NBC 5's new studio at NBC Tower marks the end of Chicago's daytime TV production era, but bets big on the future of local news.

The big picture: The nearly 70,000-square-foot space now houses NBC 5 and Telemundo Chicago newsrooms in the same studio that once produced shows hosted by Jerry Springer, Jenny Jones, Steve Harvey and Judge Greg Mathis.

What they're saying: "This floor was sitting here empty," NBCU Local Chicago President and CEO Kevin Cross tells Axios. "So we saw an opportunity to not only bring our newsroom together, but to grow in a different way."

Between the lines: Chicago didn't lose daytime TV with this move — it already left.

• Production shifted to the coasts after the end of "Judge Mathis" in 2022, closing a chapter dominated by Oprah Winfrey and Springer.

Zoom out: The new space includes multiple studios, robotic cameras and augmented and virtual reality — a major upgrade from traditional newsroom setups.

Case in point: "Coming from where I did, it's like going from a warehouse to the penthouse," investigative reporter Chuck Goudie, who left ABC 7 for NBC last year, tells Axios.

• "If we can draw people in with the visual aspect of an investigative story, more people will watch. And that's the name of the game."

Zoom in: Cross says the new space will serve Chicago viewers better, designed not just for broadcast but also for streaming, podcasts and social media.

• "It's not just about the 10pm newscast anymore. We have to meet the audience where they are," he says. "We have 20 locations inside this space where we can go live instantly."

The bottom line: Chicago helped define daytime TV. Now, NBC is betting its new studios can help define local news.

Go deeper

🙏 Pope Leo XIV delivered his first Easter Sunday address in Rome, emphasizing Jesus' message of peace amid the escalating war with Iran. (Axios)

🧑‍⚖️ Gov. JB Pritzker's Illinois Accountability Commission is calling for select current and former Trump administration officials, including Stephen Miller, Greg Bovino and Kristi Noem, to testify over "Operation Midway Blitz." (ABC 7)

💰 Mayor Brandon Johnson's Springfield agenda may be in trouble, as state lawmakers are signaling they want to squash his attempts to change the corporate head tax and other key initiatives. (Tribune)

⚾️ The White Sox announced last Friday that they are retiring Ozzie Guillén's number (No. 13) at a ceremony in August. (MLB)

💧The new Winnemac Park ballfield in Ravenswood, which has been under construction since 2024 to fix drainage issues, had its grand opening postponed this weekend due to…drainage issues. (40th Ward)

🏀 The Illini may have lost on Saturday, but star Keaton Wagler and UConn's Braylon Mullins became the first opposing freshmen to score 15+ points in a Final Four matchup since Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing did it in 1982. (CBS)

👋 Hi, it's Monica.

Over the years, I've scarfed my share of fries topped with chili, cheese, giardiniera, feta, mapo tofu, truffles and more.

• But I'd never seen the combo Noon O Kabab showers over its Persian fries ($9.50).

The bite: Thin cut, crispy potato wedges topped with pickles, raw onion, Persian salad, crumbled feta and spices.

The verdict: I like the idea less than the actual dish, which left me smelling like a wild (Chicago) onion at a social event right after my scarfage.