Some Washington, D.C.-based restaurant workers reportedly say they will refuse service to certain Trump officials, or make dining uncomfortable for them.
These service industry employees voiced their opinions while speaking with the Washingtonian.
“You expect the masses to just ignore RFK eating at Le Diplomate on a Sunday morning after a few mimosas and not to throw a drink in his face?” Zac Hoffman, a D.C. restaurant veteran and current manager at the National Democratic Club, told the outlet. He is reportedly concerned about potential safety risks for not only members of Team Trump but also unaffiliated diners and restaurant staff.
“This person theoretically has the power to take away your rights, but I have the power to make you wait 20 minutes to get your entrée,” a fine-dining bartender who requested anonymity said of potentially serving members of Trump’s staff.
“There’s a lot of opportunities for us as workers to feel like we’re taking our power back, while not necessarily ruining someone’s life,” the bartender added. “Giving them a subtle inconvenience feels like a little bit of a win for us.”
The bartender also said she would quit if restaurant management took issue with her tactics.
“There is power in making it known that you’re not comfortable with a situation, and it doesn’t necessarily have to be this big dramatic show,” she told the outlet. “It’s just little bits of resistance that add up, and little bits of resistance that other people will see and hopefully feel empowered to stand on those convictions as well.”
Suzannah Van Rooy, a server and manager at Beuchert’s Saloon on Capitol Hill, said she would refuse service to those “trying to deport millions of people.”
“It’s not, ‘Oh, we hate Republicans.’ It’s that this person has moral convictions that are strongly opposed to mine, and I don’t feel comfortable serving them,” Van Rooy said.
Another anonymous interviewee said she would serve Trump officials but intentionally make their dining experience unpleasant.
“I’ll only give them a bad table but will otherwise guarantee decent and polite service,” she explained. “I feel like them getting a bad table is nothing compared to the harm they’ll be inflicting.”
Not every person interviewed was unhappy about an incoming Republican administration, however. A bartender named Joseph, who voted for Kamala Harris, said that in his experience, Republicans tip better.
“I think my tip average from Republicans—at least ones that I or a coworker has recognized—is close to 30 percent. With Dems, I’m surprised if it’s over 20,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment