Hello Everyone! First and foremost this week, thank you all for your concern over my health last week. It was definitely just a cold and passed in a couple of days. It’s not fun to be sick on the road, but I was happy it was neither too hot to hang out in my van nor too cold to hang out outside of it making it far easier to get past. It’s been a beautiful week up here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin and a much quieter week than I’ve had all summer. As you all know better than anyone, I’ve been going pretty full-on since the beginning of June and while it’s been a wonderful summer, taking it easy for a few days has been really nice. It’s mostly been a week of fishing, reading and relaxing which I’ll get to in a minute, but first a couple of things that have been on my mind this week.

I saw a sign outside a restaurant this week which said “Money is not free!! This is NOT the American way! Please go to work. Be an American! Help your community, get a job!” I found this particularly offensive outside of a restaurant. You may not know that I spent a good chunk of my life working in restaurants, so I know a fair bit about the industry. Minimum wage in restaurants in the U.S. is $2.13 an hour with Wisconsin’s minimum wage slightly higher at $2.33. That means for a 40 hour week, a restaurant pays a server less than a hundred dollars. That money goes to pay that server’s taxes so in however many years I worked in restaurants, I never once received a paycheck that didn’t have $0.00 on it. You are dependent on a custom of tipping in this country and people’s individual upbringing, understanding and whim. That custom dictates people leave 15-20% of their bill to their server (which is taxed). From those tips, the server has to give a percentage to the bartender and the busboys. More recently, restaurants have decided to dip even further into their servers’ pockets and have them tip out the host, food runners and even the kitchen staff (and have cut those other employees’ salaries accordingly). Instead of a more equitable and reasonable sharing of their own profits (which would cause people to work harder and be more loyal) they’ve decided that servers should share around money left for them by their customers instead. The last time I worked at a restaurant, I was expected to “tip out” 5% of my sales or a quarter to a third of my tips, depending on how generous people were that day. And now restaurant owners have the gall to complain that servers don’t want to work under these conditions and for these paltry wages. They are calling them lazy and un-American. I find it highly offensive and you should too. I have seen “Help Wanted” and “Now Hiring” signs on pretty much every restaurant I’ve walked past this summer, but none are offering $10/hour (some may be, but if they were they would advertise it) and I guarantee that none are offering profit-sharing or benefits. A reckoning in the American restaurant industry is long overdue, and maybe it’s actually upon us. Unlike factory jobs, service jobs can’t be outsourced to other parts of the world (or believe me, they would be). People might take to ordering off of an iPad at their table, but I don’t see that working out so well even at McDonalds. If restaurants want people to work for their business, they may just have to pay people more than slave-wages and stop dipping so deep into their employee’s pockets to pay their other staff. Or they can continue running short-staffed and losing money hand-over-fist which is what they’re doing now, waiting for federal pandemic unemployment to run out so they can get their servants… I mean servers back. I feel for people who are struggling keeping their businesses going, I really do. But in an industry which pays someone two dollars an hour and expects their loyalty and dedication I have my issues. I saw this sign in the parking lot of a restaurant and pulled right out again taking my business elsewhere.

My second issue which came up this week had to do with masks and businesses (I know, you’re probably as tired as I am of hearing about it so I’ll make this short). Here in Northern Wisconsin, the only places I’ve seen mask “mandates” are at the post office and the library. The Indian Reservations have them as well, but those are governed under Tribal Law and there is no arguing them. I have, however, seen many businesses which, in typical Wisconsin fashion, kindly request that all customers wear a mask. They’re not forcing anyone to do anything, just asking that people respect their wishes to enter their business. I have been shocked to walk into many of these places (with my mask on, of course) and see nobody else in the whole place wearing one. If I ask you to take off your shoes when you come into my house, you don’t have to do so but it makes you a real a**hole if you don’t. The same goes for going unmasked in a store that requests you do so. I don’t remember ever seeing anything else in my life that turned so many decent people into stubborn jerks.

See what happens when I slow down? Too much time to think about these things for sure. After writing last week’s post, I did spend some more time in Rhinelander and really enjoyed it. They’ve definitely gone “all-in” on their love for the mythical beast the hodag. There’s Hodag Park and the Hodag Festival and their high school mascot is also the hodag. You can get Hodag Blood Ale at the brewery and there are whole stores dedicated to selling hodag memorabilia. It’s fun, but a little over-the-top, especially in a town with more to offer. But seeing the hodag around wherever I looked made me smile and I enjoyed my time in Rhinelander.

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