Food & Beverage

Displaced restaurant workers create web series amid pandemic

Displaced restaurant workers Andrew Klasnic, Megs Free and Chris June star in a web series, "Gratuity Not Included." Provided

June 5, 2020

In hopes of changing how people view the foodservice industry, a group of Atlanta-based restaurant workers created a web series called, "Gratuity Not Included "and have launched a crowdfunding campaign via Indiegogo.

The series, a 10-episode mockumentary, chronicles the daily strife of three servers, their colleagues and a struggling restaurant — Bangers. Fighting to keep the restaurant afloat, new management is brought in to shake things up. From mishaps with complicated orders to walking on eggshells to impress the new managers, each episode explores the work that goes into providing the perfect dining experience — despite the chaos and frustrations happening behind the scenes.

Written and inspired by their first-hand experiences, "Gratuity Not Included" is the brainchild of a tight-knit community of friends — Chris June, Ronesha Strickland, Andrew Klasnic and Megs Free. The group originally began as co-workers in a local Atlanta restaurant, started a book club and then became a film-making family. The production team, which is comprised of displaced service-industry workers looking to push through tough times brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, is accepting donations to help bring this project across the finish line. The Indiegogo campaign will run through July 31 and is open to anyone interested in making a donation toward the workers' goal of $25,000, according to the release.

"With the current state of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on food service workers around the world, we hope to change how people view food-industry workers and to not take the work we do for granted," June, series actor/writer/producer, said in the release. "I would love for audiences to also understand that regardless of how different our lives and jobs may be, we're all very similar beneath the surface. The cast and crew used the series to provide their own form of relief amid the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing. Today, the web series."

The mockumentary will premiere this fall and stars Megs Free as the socially awkward restaurant manager, Tiffany, as well as Chris June, the eternally-optimistic server, Justin, and Andrew Klasnic as an overconfident server, Carter. The supporting ensemble includes Tom Minier, Joshua Gilyard, Isabella De Leon and Payton Briggs Anderson.

Behind the scenes are director and producer, Ronesha Strickland; writer, editor, and director, Tom Minier; editor and cinematographer, Palmer Rubin; and filmmaker and composer Irving Molefe.

Gratuity Not Included Web Series from Christopher Williams on Vimeo.