Java Joint

I got a job. I'm working in a little coffee house/restaurant by the ocean. I like it so far. The clientel are cool. There are paintings on the walls. I've waited tables before. Red star in the insignia, and on my t-shirt for work. The two girls who own it are partners. We "pool tips," all of us. All the money you make/earn goes in a tip jar and is redistributed amongst the staff every two weeks. You must trust strangers sometimes. A test of you're greed instinct. Server minimum wage in Florida is 2 something an hour, the rational is that you're making tips so hour wage is less. I make $5.15 an hour @ Java Joint though, that check comes every other Tuesday. I get a free meal every shift, and the food is wonderful. All the coffee or tea I can drink. Lots of vegetarian options. I'm not a pure vegetarian of course, but I try to be as much as possible. When friends or family come in the owners insist on offering something, "on the house." The senario is of course a microcosmic socialism.

When I've waited tables before you might get half off a meal. You have assigned side work that must be completed before you can leave, and everyone's got their section on the floor, you can help your fellow workers but it's actually optional. You make you're own tips for you're own work. You can claim the tips as income with the government, supposed to, but most don't. The business owner gets none of what you make of course. But he/she's only paying you the minimum possible as wage. This senario is obviously capitalism.

Both can work. If all who are involved are on the same page by choice then either is fine. Both are different, both are same.

Java = coffee, Joint = Pot...Coffee Pot!

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