As a restaurant owner, I love sharing the rich flavors of my Cuban heritage with customers every day. Whether that’s making the world’s largest croqueta or serving the “hippest sip” of coffee in Miami, my small business works hard to compete in the fast-paced restaurant industry, where long hours and tight budgets are the norm.
Thanks to the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, independent restaurants like mine are ready to grow – helping employees, customers, and the community. For Sergio’s Restaurants, my family-owned business, this means plans to open two new locations and hire about 100 new team members over the next year.
How? The new federal law restores 100% immediate expensing for capital equipment, which lets us fully deduct the cost of appliances like ovens and refrigerators the year we buy them. This encourages small businesses to invest in expansion now instead of waiting.
President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House after arriving on Marine One on July 29, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via / Getty Images)
The law also makes the 20% small business deduction permanent and keeps lower tax rates for pass-through businesses, which are taxed as the owner’s personal income.
The changes give restaurants like ours long-term tax certainty, allowing us to grow confidently, create jobs, and give existing staff opportunities for career development.
But the most exciting part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act for restaurants is the “no tax on tips” provision.
Under this rule, tipped workers can deduct up to $25,000 in tips from their taxable income. In Florida, the average restaurant server earns about $37,000 a year, more than 60% of which comes from tips. That means this policy could save servers and bartenders around $2,000 in federal taxes each year.
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This is not just good for employees – it’s a big win for employers too. These savings act like a raise for workers without raising labor costs for restaurants and bars. At a time when the service industry is struggling to hire and keep staff, this tax break helps make our sector more competitive.
With Sergio’s planned expansion, remember that about 720,000 other restaurants and bars across the U.S. are also factoring these new tax rules into their growth plans. It’s easy to see how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act can boost the food and beverage industry and save millions of tipped workers money.
At Sergio’s Restaurants, we’ve always aimed to create opportunities from the kitchen to the front of the house. With government policies that reward hard work, encourage investment, and reduce financial burdens, we’re better equipped than ever to do that. So let’s raise a glass to President Donald Trump’s tax cuts – preferably with a Cuban-inspired cocktail.
