Nong Lá Vietnamese Cafe

The Reality of ‘Essential’ Restaurant Work: Low Pay, Bad Tips, High Stress | Eater

"This small Vietnamese restaurant in Los Angeles has been sharply destabilized by the pandemic: nightly staff have been cut to one front‑of‑house and two cooks, the author’s hours fell from five to two nights a week, and workers now rely on masks and obsessive sanitation (including disposable masks provided early on and pens dunked in bleach). Takeout via third‑party apps ballooned—what had been about half the business from Caviar and Postmates pre‑COVID rose to roughly 80%—but platform partnerships have reduced front‑of‑house earnings (the shop lost the ability to add a 10% Postmates service fee that once went into tips) while exposing restaurants to heavy commission rates (~30%) and opaque promotions (for example, a GrubHub $10 discount that was actually comped by the restaurant). The shift has created crowded, unsafe counter conditions as drivers wait for orders, left cashiers with few tipping opportunities, and intensified friction with customers who balk at service fees or tip stingily. Management points to the $14.25/hour county minimum to defend pay practices, yet employees report withheld paychecks (the March 1–15 payroll was not issued until April 10), inconsistent communication about sick time, and public charity efforts (like donating 100 lunches to health‑care workers) that contrast with how staff are treated. Staff morale is mixed—some stay home because unemployment can pay more, others keep working to support a high‑risk manager or kitchen coworkers; an undocumented cook faces acute financial vulnerability—leading to internal organizing, debates over solidarity and hazard pay, and a broader sense that being labeled “essential” has not translated into material protection or respect." - Sara Selevitch