On a normal Friday night, places like Wall Street Plaza would be bustling with business, and workers pulling in tips to make a living.
This weekend it will be a ghost town, and thousands of people who work in bars and restaurants don’t have any idea when they’ll return to work.
“I was working there fulltime, slinging drinks (in) downtown Orlando,” said Leya Siri, a bartender at Wall Street Plaza who was recently told there would be no work for 30 days, but it could be more.
“We don’t even know,” Siri said. “It’s kind of up in the air right now.”
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To help those in Central Florida’s service and hospitality industry, Grossman Law, an Orlando law firm, has joined with Big Bite Media to created the website OrlandoTipPool.com.
The site is seeking donations to raise money for tipped employees such as servers and bartenders in Orange and Osceola counties who have lost at least 50% of their shifts. The law firm says all the money donated will go to servers.
“(Those) who live on tips, who have absolutely no other means of income – the result has been absolutely catastrophic,” said Mike Grossman with Grossman Law.
Grossman knows what it’s like to work for tips – that’s how he paid his way through college. He said his goal is to raise $1 million in the next 30 days through the website, and that companies and people who enjoy going out will pitch in.
“Think about the money you would have tipped your servers or bartenders going out last weekend,” Grossman said.
Restaurant manager Heather Martens hopes the idea will catch on. She knows the impact has been huge. At her restaurant alone, she estimates about 80 people lost their jobs, including her.
“Even if it’s $5, a little bit goes a long way,” Martens said. “You can almost feel the panic in the air.”