Tipping in real-time transforms lives.
Eating out at a restaurant is one of my favorite things to do. It’s convenient and it’s usually faster than making something homemade. It can also be fun to try new foods or drinks while getting to relax with the company you brought along; in my opinion, eating out is an experience. The restaurant’s decor and lighting - the food, the server - it all goes a long way into completing what “eating out” really is.
Recently, I had an amazing experience while I was eating at a local ramen joint. My server was wonderful! There was never a time I was left wanting more water or wondering where she/my food was. She had expertly learned how to balance being a good, cheerful server with the stresses of the job.
When it came time for the bill, I wanted to show my appreciation to her by tipping well. I had read an article about how servers rely on tips as nearly 25% of their overall income, so I wanted to make sure she got her proper dues. While getting my phone out to calculate the percentage I should tip (math is not my strong suit!), I overheard some employees talking.
“Since I’m new, what do we do with the tips at the end of the night?” he asked.
A woman replied, “Since most people tip using their card, we won’t get our tips until we get paid next”.
Until they get paid next… Are you serious? I honestly had no idea this was happening when I was tipping on the receipt using my card. That’s at least 2 weeks where you’re working your butt off every single day, trying to appease hungry customers, the people you work with – all while balancing home life and seeing absolutely nothing for it.
Why is that the way things are for tipped workers? I guess you could argue tips haven’t caught up to the rest of the money world yet and I think that’s fair to say.
Tipped workers are professions left behind by fintech. In a world where plastic cards dominate the payment landscape, why are some of our hardest working people being punished for the advancements of money? One could say, ‘well, just carry cash for tipping!’ but we all know how unsafe cash is and ultimately, that’s only a bandaid solution to the problem. The problem is: the payment system in place for tipped workers is terribly unfair and punishes them for living in a digital age.
In an era with Venmo, I don’t see how this is able to still affect someone’s quality of life. It’s unfair and it’s not sustainable without utter misery for the worker. Tipped workers deserve better. They deserve to get their tips daily.
That’s why I’m proud to work for a fintech that isn’t forgetting tipped workers or punishing them for living in a digital age. One of our priorities here is getting tipped workers their hard-earned tips daily. There’s no reason they should have to wait just because someone used a card instead of cash.
Let’s bring tipped workers into the 21st century before it becomes the 22nd.
