Living Wage for US
Jonathan Pascual
We’re proud to announce that we are part of the launching cohort of companies to carry a Living Wage for US certification, as a Leading Living Wage Employer! In keeping with our certification, we are making a public commitment to pay our employees living wages based on real costs of living in our area. Every employee at Taproom is assured of wages and benefits that make “coffee shop barista” a truly sustainable career choice.
I love that we get to offer every barista at Taproom in their starting year:
Total wages (base + tips) of $22-$26/hour
Paid breaks
Reliable schedule: published 3-4 weeks in advance, no doubles or “clopens” as a rule
PTO accrual
Meal benefit for every shift
Monthly fitness benefit
Monthly book benefit
401k with employer matching
I want my employees to not worry about being able to afford to pay bills. They should feel free to grow a family or buy a home or pay down debt or travel the world without breaking the bank or losing their jobs. And more than that, I want Taproom employees to all have a healthy work/life balance and to actually enjoy going into work everyday, even if it’s to “just” sling espresso and bus tables.
This public commitment is, of course, simply one step in a very complex understanding of job sustainability and worker satisfaction. But it’s not insignificant. Joining with Living Wage for US is also showing that we support their efforts to raise awareness of living wage issues across all industries.
Taking care of our employees like this comes at a real cost. While I’d like to think that Taproom is so uber-successful that we can indiscriminately increase pay and benefits anytime, the truth is that coffee business margins are always slim and I’ve always poured back our profits (after paying back all of our debts) into initiatives like this to make sure everyone shares in the success of our community coffee shop.
So at this time, we’re doing one of our periodic, modest menu price increases. They’re still in line with what you’ll see elsewhere, and if it’s noticeable at all to you, hopefully you remember the level at which we’re dedicated to taking care of our staff. As always, I’m thankful for every one of our customers and for each person who comes alongside us in this journey!