Virtual Tip Jar Lets DC Servers Earn Amid Coronavirus Closures

WASHINGTON, DC — Earlier this month, District Mayor Muriel Bowser issued an order closing nightclubs and halting table seatings at all restaurants and bars in the district through the end of April.

The order allows food delivery and grab-and-go operations, but servers and bartenders are still feeling the impact of fewer dine-in customers at their workplaces.

When DC bartender Katie Gentsch saw her tips drying up, her activist girlfriend Ana Owens started a movement to help service workers continue to collect tips even if they couldn't go to work, Reuters reported.

Enter the Virtual Tip Jar.

The Virtual Tip Jar, updated daily at noon, is a list of service workers in the district who are facing difficulties as a result of restaurant and bar closures.

The list includes the workers' Venmo, PayPal and Cash App handles, a column notating whether the workers have health insurance and another clarifying whether the workers have children.

"I'm creating a list of the Venmo and/or Pay Pal account handles of DC's service industry workers so we can support the staff of our favorite bars, restaurants, and clubs," Owens wrote in a post on Facebook. "Many establishments are being forced to close or cut hours, and service industry workers depend on tips from us to survive."

The spreadsheet of area service industry workers also includes a randomize feature, allowing would-be tippers to randomly select a tip recipient.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the DC Virtual Tip Jar contained payment information for 4,462 industry workers.

Owens told Reuters that she and Gentsch did not want money going to restaurants or bars for fear funds wouldn't be fairly distributed.

“So we came up with this idea of just letting people donate to servers and bartenders directly,” she told the publication.

Similar programs have popped in other cities across the country. Austin's virtual tip jar was created by 29-year-old Rebecca Gorena, Reuters reported.

“For me, it’s not even heartwarming. It’s a necessity for survival," Gorena told the publication.

Servers who would like to be added to the district list can do so by filling out this form. A link to the form is also at the top fo the DC Virtual Tip Jar spreadsheet.

Click here to access the Virtual Tip Jar.