Downtown Greensburg Project sets up virtual tip jar for food service workers

We’ve all heard of ways to help food and beverage industry workers through the second round of pandemic shutdowns: order takeout, buy gift cards and post positive reviews on social media.

That’s good as far as it goes, said Downtown Greensburg Project founder Jessica Hickey, but it doesn’t help everyone.

“Obviously, takeout is fantastic, but some places are not able to do takeout, some workers are laid off or had their hours cut,” she said. “We wanted to find a way to make up for some of that.”

So here’s another helpful hint: consider giving your favorite server, cook or bartender an actual tip via the Virtual Tip Jar on the DGP website.

“Many of us would regularly be patronizing bars, restaurants, breweries, wineries and distilleries that have been ordered to take out or outside dining only. Even if you are socially isolating, you can help to support our local service industry staff,” DGP says.

“So, every time you have a drink or a take-out meal at home during social distancing, consider tipping a local worker through Venmo or PayPal.”

Service industry workers from around the area can add their names, place of employments and payment options to a list on the DGP website. Patrons can scan the list for someone to support and use the information provided to send them funds.

“A lot of other cities and towns have done this,” Hickey said. “Pittsburgh has has (a virtual tip jar) since March.”

Hickey adapted the DGP tip jar from a template she found online.

“We talked to a lot of people in the service industry, and they really liked the idea,” she said. “It’s already been shared quite a bit and more than 100 people have added themselves to the list.”

The holidays are often a major money-making time for servers, with people out shopping and celebrating, Hickey said.

“A lot of people count on that extra money at the end of the year,” she said. “This is the second round of shutdowns for the restaurant industry, so they’ve already been missing out (on income).”

The tip list will stay up on the website for as long as it’s needed, she added.

Details: downtowngreensburgpa.us