Cooper Ownbey
Server Wages Are Unsustainable for Georgian College Students
Waffle House, to readers unfamiliar, has been a breakfast restaurant held near and dear to Georgians’ hearts since Labor Day of 1955. While most patrons view the chain as their favorite family diner, and others gauge the severity of weather emergencies by its operational status- something referred to as the Waffle House Index by FEMA– I know the beloved American staple as my employer of two years.
Before applying at Waffle House, I didn’t know much about tipped wages, or “server wage”, in legislation. I was under the impression that at 16 years old, having to buy my groceries and hygiene items with little to no financial support, I’d be able to just snag a job to stay afloat. The consensus that the pre-millennial generations had come to on wages was that young people are inherently lazy, and “no one wants to work anymore,” so I did what they said I was supposed to do: My job.
I did my job so well that after an annual performance review, corporate decided to give me a raise. I opened the envelope that my manager had given me, eager with anticipation to see how much easier it would be to make ends meet, and my starry eyes met with printed numerals reading, “$3.22.”
Allow me to clear up any confusion: My hourly rate of pay was not being raised by three dollars, but rather increased to equal $3.22. The increase in question- after eight consistent months of hard labor and tens of thousands of dollars in...
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