Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Kerry Donovan as the Mayor of Vail. She is a Colorado State Senator. We have updated the story accordingly.
As service industry workers across the country struggle to make ends meet due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of tipping well has become more important than ever. So when Vice President Mike Pence tipped only $5 on a $45 bill on Tuesday, that must have been quite the slap in the face to whoever served him.
The Vice President’s annual base salary is $230,700 per year.
In a now-viral tweet that has been shared nearly 12k times, Twitter user Sachin Chheda posted a receipt that appears to show that Mike Pence tipped only $5 on a $44.25 bill at the Coyote Cafe.
“Here’s the character of these people,” Chheda writes. “A friend’s friend works at a restaurant that served @Mike_Pence at lunch today. He tipped $5 on $45 bill. This is who these people are. Remember that. Always.”
Here’s the character of these people.
A friend’s friend works at a restaurant that served @Mike_Pence at lunch today.
He tipped $5 on $45 bill.
This is who these people are. Remember that, always. pic.twitter.com/T1dILFzF2N
— Sachin Chheda (@skchheda) December 30, 2020
The infuriatingly small tip comes as even more of an insult as Senate Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell once again effectively block badly-needed $2,000 stimulus checks. By hitching them to measures that would remove legal protection for tech companies and start a costly investigation into voter fraud (which has already been proven to be nonexistent), McConnell and Senate Republicans have ensured that additional stimulus would never pass the House.
A bi-partisan bill separating the stimulus payouts from the other issues has already passed the House, but McConnell is refusing to bring that bill to a vote on the Senate floor. With the House now out of session, even if the Republicans did manage to pass a bill, it would not be heard by the House until early next year.
Although a round of $600 stimulus checks began going out on Tuesday night, that simply isn’t enough to offset months of little to no income for many service industry and other workers across the country.
UPDATE:
Colorado senator Kerry Donovan also tweeted about Pence’s poor tipping behavior on Tuesday evening, stating, “Good evening @VP/@Mike_Pence. Just some advice, a $5.00 tip is just not cool.” The Coyote Cafe is located in Beaver Creek, CO, about 18 minutes from the resort town where Pence is known to be vacationing.
Good evening @VP/ @Mike_Pence. Just some advice, a $5.00 dollar tip is just not cool. pic.twitter.com/N7K2VBxFOS
— Kerry Donovan👩🏻🌾 (@KerryDonovanCO) December 30, 2020
