thepineappleproject

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[thepineappleproject]

Americans have a gift for deluding themselves into thinking that everyone is given a fair shake. The conservative pundits who want to scale back federal stimulus during the pandemic, for example, are convinced that we should all pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Unfortunately, not everyone’s boots have straps. Some people are barefoot.

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The economic reality of the COVID-19 pandemic is coming just as more Americans are questioning the practice of tipping. Tipping can be traced back to feudal Europe—it was an extra given from a noble person to someone of lesser status. It spread to the U.S. in the latter half of the 19th century as wealthy Americans traveled in Europe and brought the custom back with them. European labor unions ended the policy there, but the act of voluntarily gifting a sum of money for a service rendered remained in the U.S. The timing is key to understanding why: Tipping arrived right around the time of emancipation. Some industries, including restaurants, lobbied for the right to hire newly freed slaves for $0 an hour, making them live solely on tips.

Today, federal law dictates that restaurants pay servers no less than the "tipped minimum wage" of $2.13 an hour, though some states have set a higher minimum. The idea is that tips can make up the difference from the standard minimum wage for other types of work. But critics say that can lead to discrimination—many studies have shown that people of color are systematically tipped less than white coworkers, and the need to make good tips can pressure female servers to tolerate inappropriate behavior.

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“There are options available to restaurateurs. Taking a credit card in advance is the most common and effective option against losing money because of no-shows.”

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Boilerman Bar, Hamburg

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"Chefs work as hard as servers who work as hard as bartenders who work as hard as barbacks who work as hard as dishwashers," he says. "That doesn't mean we flatten everyone's rate. It just means an adjustment is due.” It also means, he says, that service charges may need to be incorporated into checks, putting an end to tipping.

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The job of a restaurant manager is mulitifaceted, but a very important part is ensuring the safety of both guests and staff members. COVID-19 has added a new layer of responsibility, especially as cases continue to increase, but reopening of the economy continues.

Guidelines are available, but they’re just that, guidelines. What have you done when an employee tests positive and others begin to call in sick? Do you close the restaurant, even for a deep cleaning? Or do you do nothing?

Some restaurants close right away for a deep cleaning and let their guests know, maintaining transparency during the process. Others chose to do nothing, hiding the facts and continuing operations as normal - hopefully following at least minimum legal requirements.

As restaurant guests, what are your thoughts and experiences?

As restaurant owners, or operators thoughts and experiences are you willing to share?

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One Long Table

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Hospitality means primarily the creation of free space where the stranger can enter and become a friend instead of an enemy.

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“A restaurant kitchen isn’t an artist’s studio; it’s a factory. As a guest, you have a responsibility to understand that not every element of your dining experience is customizable. When you dine in a restaurant, you are enjoying plates or food that were engineered to be efficiently served simultaneously to a dining room full of hungry people. Expecting your initials monogrammed on every dish shows a lack of respect for the orderliness that is necessary for a cohesively functioning kitchen.”

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During the period NYC raised the minimum wage from $7.25 in 2013 to $15 in 2019, the city's restaurant industry outperformed the rest of the country in job growth and expansion, according to a new study.