CARBONDALE (WSIL)--During the COVID-19 pandemic, many restaurants have gone from indoor dining to curbside pick up and contactless delivery. With this switch, many service workers have seen a decrease in tips.
Tipping has always been important to service workers, but it has become increasingly important during the pandemic.
"Tipping is not optional. Tipping is part of the social contract. Tipping is how restaurants keep their prices low to be competitive with everybody else," said New Kahala General Manager William Lo.
"For people to not see it as common courtesy to tip, I almost wonder if some of them don't even know that that is a courtesy to do, or that most delivery drivers do not even make minimum wage," said Sara Beatty, a former delivery driver for China Wok in Carbondale.
While minimum wage in Illinois is $10 per hour, food industry workers who receive tips make, at minimum, $6.00 per hour. And service workers are aware of the risk COVID-19 poses to their industry.
"We're not out here taking this risk out of the kindness of our hearts. We're trying to earn a living, too," Beatty said.
Beatty quit working as a delivery driver on Wednesday. She said that while her employers and regulars treated her well, it was an experience with a customer that caused her to quit.
"He didn't realize that there was a delivery fee on his charge. So he said when he rang it up online it was only a set amount, but it was actually $3 more for his delivery fee. And he was so mad about this that he threw the food at my chest, and I was maybe three feet from him," Beatty said.
Food industry workers just want the public to know they understand these are stressful times, but they are people, too.
"Yes, we're here to take care of you, but we're here to be hospitable. But it shouldn't be a lot to ask for you guys to return the favor," said Lo.
Beatty also wants to remind people that when you go to meet your delivery drivers, remember to still wear a mask.
