There it is. Sitting on the left side of the counter between your purchase and cash register, the crystal, oval tip jar awaits. During the wait in line, your eyes scan to confirm its position. The objects inside look diluted from afar, but you don’t need a dozen guesses to figure what collects inside. Pretending like it doesn’t exist won’t make it disappear. And recognizing that it does doesn’t make the decision any easier.
Placed directly in front of two Barney purple bottles with numerous other colored syrups as the backdrop while the buzz of the espresso machine roars, the tip jar waits, patiently.
A friendly, “Hi, what can I get for you?” echoes from someone like Audrey Sulistio, a University of Oregon graduate. She takes the order, and delivers it with haste and assurance. Pleased and satisfied, you suavely slide her an extra bill to help fill the jar you once avoided in line.
By now, Sulistio is a professional when it comes to knowing how to approach this gesture.
Since 1994 the Duck Stop Café baristas and manager meet once a year to discuss a charity they want to donate their tips to. The team focuses on organizations who have been hurt from funding cut backs or loss of money in general. Main floor and coffee shop supervisor, Chris Boyd agrees, “Giving the tips to charity fits into the philosophy of the Duck Store. We always give back when we can.”
Once the charity has been decided on, the team gets to work.
Over the past 16 years, the Duck Stop has given to a wide variety of charities including Shelter Care, HIV Alliance, Relief Nursery and many more. The other Duck Stop Café locations around Eugene also get to choose a charity of their store’s choice to donate tips too as well.
And every October, after a year of saving, the café and its employees graciously present a check to the charity of choice. The Duck Store Marketing manager, Alma Hesus, states, “Sometimes we don’t notify the charity until the end of the year so the charity gets a nice surprise.”
Animals such as dogs and a falcon have decorated the Duck Store to help celebrate the occasion.
“Our mission is to support staff, student and faculty,” Hesus said, “But there are always ways to support the community outside of the university.”
Although the Café baristas do not receive tips, the Duck Store pays them a little bit more to offset not taking home tips. “It lets them be more open to it and more agreeable,” said Boyd. “I think if you did it at any other coffee shop people would have a riot,” he chuckles.
Sulitisio has run into various people who think she and her fellow employees should be the ones receiving the tips. ” A lot of people ask me where the tip jar is, and I explain to them we take our tips and give them to charity and they sometimes think it’s fair unfair,” explains Sulitiso. “Others get really excited about it.”
“We don’t want people to feel bad for not donating,” continues Hesus, “it is a personal decision.”
Over the past 16 years the Duck Stop has donated to a wide variety of charities. Annually, the café brings in about $3,000-$6,000 from tip donations. But in 2004 and 2007, contributions exceeded $9,000 and in 2005 the team set a record of almost $12,000 dollars for Shelter Care. The café displays a description of the charity as well a chart so customers can see their support and donations rising throughout the year.
“Sometimes people don’t even know we are here,” said Boyd. “so we are trying to get the word out more through specials and different things to accommodate our customer.” Boyd, Hesus and Sulistio witness students trek across campus just to get their share of dollar house-coffee Wednesdays.
At the end of the day, Sulistio finds coming home without tips just as rewarding. “I love working at the café, talking with the regulars, making them smile,” Sulistio said. ” I think if I went to another barista job I would suggest giving tips to charity to them.”
Although being in college synonymously stamps students with the stereotype of being broke, employees at the Duck Stop Café work hard to put money into someone else’s pocket instead of their own.
“Coffee becomes more than just a cup of livelihood,” Boyd said.
So when you are provided the best cup of livelihood possible, tip your barista to remind them of the service they are providing. And when you experience the same joy and satisfaction at the Duck Stop Café, tip the employees to help out a charity in need. And, like Boyd said, you may experience more than just a hot cup of coffee.
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