Because restaurants have for so long relied on tips as an important financial element — essentially subsidizing the entire payroll for the service staff — what sounds like a simple policy decision can require a complete overhaul.

“This is more like opening a new restaurant,” said Dino Lavorini, the director of operations at the Modern, which ended tipping in November 2015, the first restaurant in the Union Square group to do so. In the year since, the restaurant’s profits have slipped, company officials said; they would not say by how much, but added that they had anticipated the drop and expect it will correct itself.

But some restaurants that adopted a no-tipping policy in 2016 have already revoked it: The New York restaurateurs David Chang, Tom Colicchio and Gabe Stulman all found it unworkable in the small-scale experiments they tried. “We continue to be supportive of the no-tipping movement,” Mr. Colicchio said, “but we’ve heard from our customers and team that they just aren’t ready for it yet.”

Mr. Adler of Huertas, and others, say that one big reason to end tipping is the need for more equity between those who work in kitchens, who earn straight wages, and those who work in dining rooms, who receive tips.

A more immediate motivation, local restaurateurs said, was the approach of the $15 minimum wage in 2018, proceeding in New York City on Dec. 31 with a raise to $11 an hour (from $9) for nontipped workers. “Labor is just going to cost more and more, and all restaurants will need to rethink how their people get paid,” Mr. Lavorini said.

As the dining business, especially at the high end, attracts more educated and skilled workers, there is increased pressure to treat them fairly, professionally and predictably.