Aileen Delaportilla shook the tip jar after half a day’s work at Zack’s Beach Concessions in Huntington Beach. The clatter of loose change echoed from the nearly empty jar labeled “Tips For College.”
There was nothing more than a spare dollar and some change to split between the 21-year-old from Westminster and the cook.
Before the pandemic, Delaportilla could make at least $15 in tips after splitting with four other employees, but recently she was scraping by with $6 split between herself and one other worker.Shifts used to be staffed by four workers at a time, but the business had cut down to two employees per shift.
The stream of tourists that used to fill this Orange County beach city slowed down, and what was often left were locals who didn’t always want to follow California’s guidelines on protecting against COVID-19 — by wearing masks, for example.
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