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Since the start of the pandemic, the local dining industry has continued to suffer. Many restaurants across metro Detroit shut down in the last two years while others continue to face the heat with operational challenges.
Last month, the Court of Claims ordered Michigan businesses to increase the minimum wage to $12 per hour and offer paid sick leave to workers.
However, the implementation was delayed and will take effect in February of next year unless it's appealed.
But regardless, as per the law, tipped employees are entitled to full minimum wage. That's something that engineering student Cassandra Conerio found out early on during her nine years working as a server across metro Detroit.
"It's quick and chaotic, I mean everyone knows it's quick fast money if you are good at it," Conerio said.
Depending on the season, the 25-year-old makes an average of $2,500 per month just from tips. But the pandemic has changed that.
"For a lot of my co-workers it was almost half, a lot of them had to pick a second job that was guaranteed income, so like an hourly rate. Amazon was a big place where a lot of restaurant workers went to," said Conerio.
And even with COVID-19 restrictions nearly gone, the dining industry is still impacted by staffing shortages and rising costs, all resulting in reduced operating hours.
"Nobody would staff us for more than 15 to 25 hours a week. I mean even for our hourly wage workers, like line cooks, and dishwashers none of...
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