Even before the pandemic, the service industry was in need of reform. As restaurants begin to open to full capacity, owners and managers are having trouble finding servers, bartenders and other key players. With stimulus packages and unemployment checks, furloughed workers of the service industry were practically guaranteed biweekly payments of a set amount. Many workers found it allowed them to pursue other job opportunities, and even better, not have their livelihoods depend on customer tips.
Callie Dee is one of Dallas’ most sought-out artist managers, but before the pandemic, she was a bartender at a Saginaw dive bar. She was furloughed immediately when COVID ordered restaurants closed. When the bar began to bring people back on, Dee chose not to return and instead focused on her work in the local music industry.