We have all heard the news recently. Over 6 million people have filed for unemployment in the U.S. That is an unprecedented number of people that have found themselves without an income due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping the world.
Many of these applicants work in the service industry as either servers or bartenders. The loss of their tips means that they cannot pay bills or put food on the table for their families. Many of the establishments have to offer take out and delivery only and that means that there is no need for the waitstaff or bartenders to be at work. Since there are strict regulations in place that limit the number of people that can be in one place at a time, the restaurants cannot have more than a certain number of employees in the building at a time.
While many of the larger businesses are doing as much as they can for their displaced workers. There are a number of the smaller single owner restaurants are unable to do much if anything at all for their employees. So their employees are going without any help right now.
Those that have filed for unemployment still have weeks to go before they will receive any benefits at all, but there are many funds and assistance programs that have sprung up all over the country.
Since it can be a time-consuming effort to wade through all of the different programs, I have put together a list of resources for servers and bartenders in this time of need.
Many of the programs have seen a surge in those that need assistance, so there is a wait for some. But the are still taking applications and are going through them as quickly as they can.
If you would like to donate to the organizations there are links on the pages to do so.
Sites that offer help for servers and bartenders
The Restaurant Workers Community Foundation has compiled a massive list of programs and resources on its website. This makes it so much easier to find the help that you need right now. This list includes regional resources along with national ones.
Another Round Another Rally is offering $500 grants for hospitality workers that may need it. This is not just for servers and bartenders. They offer assistance to anyone that works in hospitality industries
One Fair Wage Emergency Fund is working to provide cash assistance to not just waitstaff and bartenders, but others that work in the service industry as well.
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund was started by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. This fund is offering grants to those that meet their qualification criteria.
The USBG National Charity Foundation has set up an emergency fund for Bartenders that have lost their jobs and income.
Ways you can help
One place is the website Service Industry Tips. The idea behind this is that each time you make a drink or meal at home, you log on and tip a local service industry worker through Venmo or Cash app. The site is nationwide and new cities are added regularly. Just pick your city, or the one closest to you and pick a server or bartender that is listed.
You can also go to the Go Fund Me home page and there is a list of places that you can donate to or you can do a search for a particular industry or group.
This is just a small list of the resources for servers and bartenders, and not all of them are listed here. There are many regional ones that are specific to different cities.
Final thoughts
Even if you do not work in the service industry please donate to the organizations if you can. These workers are people that are really in need of support and assistance in this very confusing and unprecedented time.
If you know of any other places that are working to help service industry workers please let me know in the comments or you can email shannonsthoughts30@gmail.com and I can update the list as needed.
Thanks and don’t forget to share!
Related Reading: Serving tips and Budgeting tips for servers