There are many college students who find it convenient to work in the restaurant industry with the flexible schedules and, typically, same-day cash. It’s almost perfect for students who want a simple job with little experience. Many of these servers enter this industry to pay for necessities, such as rent and groceries.
Restaurant workers deserve a better regulated industry. For many states, including Louisiana, servers are barely making ends meet. The restaurant industry is only popular in busy cities like New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and even then many servers continue to struggle.
A plethora of college students continue to work as servers despite the industry’s problems. Under the right management and the right company, serving can be breeze, but the work put in rarely reflects the pay. Servers are required to do a lot of work with, oftentimes, very little reward.
Servers are required to maintain a facade regardless of their personal lives. They’re required to deal with needy people, and they have to deal with direct anger from customers over any situation, no matter who’s at fault. They must do this all for the uncertainty of a proper tip.
Waiting takes a serious toll on servers emotionally and even physically. Some days, the pay is good enough for the stress to not matter too much, but other days, it’s as if some people intentionally try to ruin their morale.
 The minimum wage for Louisiana servers is $2.13 plus tips , and most servers never get to see their money due to taxes. In fact, most paychecks for servers are $0 after declaring all they have made in tips.
This isn’t the same for servers in all states. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, seven states require restaurants to pay the minimum wage of the state in addition to tips. Keeping cost of living in mind, it’s understandable that certain states pay more than others. However, servers are all doing the same job and they deserve to have their work rewarded with the proper amount of compensation. 

In the end, the best way to handle this problem is by implementing federal regulations in the service industry. As inflation grows, the minimum wage before tips should be raised, especially here in Louisiana.
Regardless of how people feel about tipping, servers are a crucial part of the food industry. There would be a lot to miss if restaurants lost their servers, and we should finally pay them their dues.
Chantelle Baker is a 20-year-old communication studies senior from Waipahu, Hawaii