On May 12, 2020, Amethyst Coffee in Denver announced they would no longer be accepting tips. They increased prices 50%, and posted about their new policy on Instagram—the post got over 200 comments. The comments ranged in tone—from excited to inquisitive to downright aggressive—and almost every single comment or question was answered by one of the two owners of Amethyst: Elle Taylor and Breezy Sanchez.

In this episode, we sit down with Elle and Breezy and talk about their no-tipping policy, and ask the questions you might have. Why now, during a pandemic, would you announce a 50% price increase? There’s a lot more to this price increase that just charging more for an undervalued product—although the idea that coffee is undervalued is part of this conversation, Elle and Breezy also bring up how labor, especially service work and the emotional labor tied to it, are both undercompensated and potentially harmful. And they also talk about how worth and self-value get monetized by being tied up with tipping—your self-worth is actually quantifiable by the amount of money you have in your hand, and frankly, that can fuck you up.

There’s so much to talk about in this episode, and we barely scratch the surface. No-tipping policies aren’t new—hundreds of bars and restaurants have tried them with varying levels of success—but during this pandemic, the service industry has the ear of the public in a way that could potentially spark change. So now might be the time to try something ambitious, and transform the way we treat and view service workers. Here’s Elle and Breezy.