As bad as 2020 has been, Restaurants and it’s employees may have it worse than most.

Was watching a news report on the state of the economy. One of worst hit is restaurants. Specifically servers who work them.

According to the report, tips are down between 75% and 90% nationwide. That is HUGE. And devastating.

Because of that, a lot of restaurants are reevaluating how they pay their staff, and many are raising hourly wages to incentivize people to return to work.

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Jesse Grant

Yakima has some great restaurants with some great people employed therein. So when I hear that tipping is down, this includes Yakima as part of this nationwide trend. And it breaks my heart.

Now we know there are a ton of folks out of work, or are hurting due to ‘Rona. So it’s understandable see why tipping is down. The recent re-closings haven’t helped. So now that we know this, what do we do? How can we help?

It's well-known that you tip for service. But where did this practice begin? Wealthy Americans in the 1850s and 1860s discovered the tradition, which had originated the custom wherein a servant would receive extra money for having performed superbly well, on vacations in Europe. Wanting to seem aristocratic, these individuals began tipping in the United States upon their return. Oh and that whole acronym, "To Insure Proper Service" is a myth. Although is a great way to remember what it's all about.

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This is now part of our economy. People have come to expect it as part of exchange of services and goods. When they make our dining, delivery, service experience more pleasurable, that effort should be rewarded appropriately.

I know many services like Door Dash, Uber Eats, and the like, typically ask for a tips in advance. Pizza delivery is one place where tipping can fall in the cracks. If you are able to swing it, dig a bit deeper for your food servers.

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So during this time, when you order out, order in or get a delivery, do yourself and those in service a favor – dig a little deeper if you can, and give your servers a little extra right now. You are not only investing in others, but you are also supporting small businesses here in Yakima. And that’s never a bad thing.

 

All My Best,

The JimShow

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