Australia’s leading mobile ordering and payment platform, me&u, has launched a nationwide drive to support hospitality workers with the announcement of Tip to Hospo Day, an initiative designed to help diners show their love and gratitude for the people who make their favourite venues tick. Scheduled for Thursday, 22 April, the event aims to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the sector, as well as directly support the teams that have been on the frontline and worked tirelessly to keep doors open to our favourite restaurants, bars and pubs over the past 12 months.
It’s not just words, either. To up the impact, me&u is pledging to match every tip raised on their platform, dollar for dollar, as a show of appreciation after what’s been an incredibly tough year for hospitality, marked by a stream of restrictions, shutdowns, closures and reopenings. With JobKeeper now ended, things are even tougher. For many staff, the reality has been one of reduced shifts and uncertainty in a time when we’ve relied on them to keep our stomachs full and our spirits high.
With the ABS revealing in March that hospitality continues to be the industry most affected by job losses since the start of the pandemic, there’s never been a better time to throw support behind the venues we love, by showing a little love for the people behind them. With in-venue dining now back in full swing, me&u sees Tip to Hospo as a way for us to get out and say thanks to all the workers who make hospo tick.
me&u has been a tireless advocate for hospitality, supporting venues through COVID by facilitating seamless contactless ordering and payment while helping increase safety and the diner experience. And while data from contactless ordering and payment apps initially saw tipping numbers taper off, with increased uptake and new features, that figure is on the rise. Since me&u added their tipping feature in June 2020, for example, they’ve seen an eightfold increase in tipping nationwide, and are now on track to raise $10 million of tips through their platform. That’s $10 million back in the pockets of hospitality workers.
Launching Tip to Hospo is a chance to remind diners that hospitality is nothing without its staff, and to say thanks to a section of the workforce that we’ve relied on so heavily over the past year. “Hospitality staff need our support. They have been some of the hardest hit during the pandemic, and yet we’ve relied on them to keep us safe and well fed,” said me&u in a statement. For me&u, if looking after people is at the core of hospitality, then Tip to Hospo is a chance to turn it around and, for a day at least, look after those people who look after us.
With hundreds of partnering venues around Australia, including Merivale, Rockpool Group, Solotel Group, The Portsea Hotel, Howard Smith Wharves and plenty more neighbourhood joints, me&u is committed to making Tip to Hospo reach far and wide, and maximising its impact. That’s why it’s pledging to dollar-match any tip made through its platform on the day to increase outcomes for workers, and to encourage diners to tip even bigger.
As for upping the stakes, Tip to Hospo is also a chance for our states to stake a claim as the country’s most generous. The latest data from me&u reveals that Victorians are Australia’s most generous diners when it comes to tipping, outspending those in New South Wales by 11% and by double in Queensland, but Tip to Hospo is an opportunity to bring a little healthy competition into the mix, with Victorians under pressure to maintain their reputation, and the onus on NSW, Queensland and other states to raise their game, all in the spirit of supporting an industry we love.
Whatever the state, Tip to Hospo is, at its core, about shedding light on the people behind the magic, but it’s also about backing it up with financial support when it’s most needed. So this Thursday, 22 April, get a group together, get out to your favourite local, and prime those tapping fingers to tip big for hospo.
Images: Steven Woodburn
me&u launches National ‘Tip to Hospo’ Day to celebrate Australia’s hospitality workers
