They all had something in common: experience waiting tables as young unknowns.
One night, this gentleman was trying to get my attention I had walked past him, Raphael says.
And he took a fork, and he poked my ass with the fork.
Keegan-Michael Key speaks to attendees at fundraiser for One Fair Wage.Phillip Faraone/Getty Images
I truly didnt know what to say, so I just said, Thats inappropriate.
Thats the best I could come up with.
I hated having to work for tips and being reliant on such a volatile industry.
Californias current minimum wage is $16, and the state has eliminated the subminimum wage for tipped workers.
But $2.13 is still the floor for restaurant workers in 15 states.
And, naturally, its Ladyhawks usual waitstaff that brings out the platters.
Ferguson is gently jeered when he arrives at the restaurant half an hour late for his shift.
In between tending to the customers, the celebs make remarks to the room.
Key, always a high-energy performer, is particularly impassioned at the podium.
Who here remembers their very first job, and how much they made at that job?
After a few more grim statistics, Key adds, I wish I was joking.
On the other hand, who am I to nitpick?
I wasnt paying anything, which I certainly didnt mind.
But I did feel somewhat awkward about not leaving a tip.
