Waitresses, bartenders, baristas and carhops alike have long been the go-to part-time job of college students working their way through school. But wether you are a student struggling to avoid debt or a single mother struggling to make ends meet, the service industry is home to a group of men and women who need and appreciate every dollar they recieve.

As a barista who was also a waitress in high school, I believe customers should tip at least 20 percent. Yes, I do get the occasional server who is rude or having a bad night; but having been in their situation, sometimes working upwards of eight hours on my feet, I can understand their lack of enthusiasm.

I have heard the phrase, “Here is a tip: get a different job.” For example, when going to a restaurant it is expected that the waitress/waiter cater to our wants and desires; but when the check comes, why is the tip not as important?

Do you, as a consumer, tip low because “tipping isn’t a big deal?” However, Tipping gives the underpaid a way home with gas and enough money to finally make it until payday. As a college student I am familiar with the poor life. As a barista I know the excitement and relief of waking up on a Tuesday to realize that it is “tip day.”

Society assumes that waiters and waitresses alike are making bank on tips from serving four plus tables at a time. Often the reality is that two of the four tables are upset because the cook messed up their order, their seat isn’t the one they wanted and so on — leaving little to no tip at all.

In my time as a waitress, in what seems like a lifetime ago, customers put me down more than they apreciated my work. This behavior applies to the rest of the service industry as well — especially the world of coffee.

Those in the service industry are some of the most hardworking and underappreciated people. I have lost count of how many times I have burnt my hand on coffee because I was rushing to make sure the customer did not have to wait longer than “necessary.” I can’t remember how many times I have been yelled at because I did not get their “nonfat, no foam, no whip, extra hot, extra shot, decaf, pumpkin spice latte,” exactly correct.

I would never go to my doctor’s office and yell because I was waiting too long. I would never tell my professor that he/she doesn’t know what they are doing. However, in the eyes of society it is okay to do this to those in the service industry. Is it because we look down on those in the service industry and consider them a lower class of people?

There are over 2 million people employed in the restaurant industry in the United States; this does not include baristas, bartenders and so on. In 2014 the median pay for waiting staff was around $21,640 in 2014; for a high school student living at home this is a great gig. However, the majority of wait staff are living on their own and have greater responsibilities.

I am not implying that those in the service industry should be tipped in place of being treated with respect; but sadly, every week on Tuesday that is what I look forward to — the little reward I get for no respect.

Jamilyn Hall is the assistant opinions editor of the Kentucky Kernel.

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