Happening today/tonight: It’s all about the blue and green

| Environment | How to help | West Seattle restaurants

No, not the Seahawks.

BLUE: The Tap Project is under way. As we mentioned 2 weeks ago, participating restaurants are asking patrons to donate $ for their otherwise-free tap water; the $ goes to UNICEF for safe drinking water for kids. 4 West Seattle restaurants are participating (through Saturday): Ama Ama, Beato, Eats Market Cafe, Skylark. Saturday is World Water Day and will be marked with the Walk for Water on Alki.

GREEN: Sustainable West Seattle meets tonight @ Camp Long. The agenda includes a rep for Puget Sound Community Change — connecting green businesses and customers.

Jack Loblaw March 17, 2008 (7:54 am)

Has anyone heard the radio spot for the Tap Project ? It starts out with a guy saying “Why should I pay a waitress for a job that she is being paid for already ?. . .” Then it goes on to say that I should give money to the Tap Project instead. This is a really poor way to make me want to give money to anything when the add immediately attacks tipping waitresses.

charlabob March 17, 2008 (4:19 pm)

Thanks for pointing this out — I completely agree and emailed them at:

to complain. So the ad is saying, “Don’t tip your waitress — give the $ to someone even poorer?????”

miws March 18, 2008 (6:49 am)

I just heard it about an hour ago on KIRO 710 AM.

I agree, it sounds like it’s attacking the waitress, and that she doesn’t deserve a tip. It ends with him saying in mock anger “…and where are my fajitas?”

I enjoy witty ads, and even some that use a little gentle teasing type humor. But, this one seems to be a bit mean spirited, and if I were a Restaurateur, I’d definitley have some second thoughts about supporting a group that would put out an ad that would be potentially insulting to my staff, my restaurant, and myself.

Mike

Copywriter of radio spot March 19, 2008 (4:12 pm)

I work at the ad agency Publicis West in Seattle. I am the Creative director and copywriter of the local public service campaign for the Tap Project Seattle. I did indeed write a radio spot which is airing, but it doesn’t mention anything about a waitress. I am not sure where the radio spot you’re talking about came from.

Please know that the Seattle restaurant community are our best friends in this project and we have been working hand-in-hand with restaurants to support this great cause. I was a waitress myself all through college and would NEVER suggest that a food server not be tipped. In fact, I had lunch today at Le Pichet and we gave both a big tip to the waitress and a $75 donation to TAP!

Perhaps the radio spot is part of the national public service campaign. If so, they are definitely utilizing a tongue and cheek tone and probably didn’t have the intention of offending the very people who are supporting the TAP Project.

Below is the script for the radio spot currently airing in Seattle:

ANNC: This morning when you woke up there was a 65% chance it was falling from the sky. You turned on a tap and bathed in it. You turned on another tap and brushed your teeth in it. You put on clothes that were washed in it. You flushed a gallon and a half of it down the toilet. You got in your car and crossed large bodies of it. You drank a latte steamed with it. You gossiped next to a cooler of it. And you havenâ€™t given it a second thought. You havenâ€™t had to. Because in Seattle weâ€™ve got plenty of water. But not everyone in the world is so lucky. The fact is, 5000 children die every day from a lack of safe water. During world water week, we can help change that. Dine out March 16th through the 22nd and donate a dollar for a glass of tap water. That dollar will provide 40 children with safe drinking water for one day. And because you thought about water for a change, someone else wonâ€™t have to. For participating restaurants or to donate online, go to tapproject.org/Seattle

D. March 20, 2008 (3:13 pm)

This ad is exteremely offensive to those of us in the service industry and I appreciate the time you took to try and “explain” things but if you’re representing this public service campaign perhaps you should be better informed about where this spot came from…and yes I contacted them as well…

D. March 20, 2008 (3:35 pm)

my email to tapproject@unicefusa.org:

Myself and my fellow service industry friends are extremely offended by your radio spot that begins “Why should I pay a waitress for a job that she is being paid for already ?. . .” I think you cause is just and with merit but how dare you insult the very people you want to push your cause…do you really think people are going to donate because they see some sign in a restaurant? or are they going to donate when a server “pitches” your cause? did you even think before you okay ed this spot? the idiot that wrote this should be immediately fired or forced to work for tips for a month and see how they like it…wise up and pull this spot before you piss any more of us off…here in Seattle the restaurant community is small and tight knit and my friends and I are telling everyone (service industry and restaurant customers) not to support your cause…honestly, you angered the wrong group of people…looking forward to your reply…

D. March 21, 2008 (9:51 pm)

I got a response from them today:

Thank you for your note expressing concern over the :30 second radio advertisement titled, “Bad Tipper/Fajita Tipper”. This spot, through the caricature of a miserly restaurant patron, was intended to promote the Tap Project, the national campaign that celebrates the clean and accessible drinking water available as an everyday privilege to millions of Americans, while helping UNICEF provide safe drinking water for children around the world.

In this, Tap’s second year, 13 advertising agencies volunteered to write creative copy and secure donated media to help raise awareness and drive donations for this unique campaign. This particular advertisement is just one result of their pro bono efforts.

It was not the intention of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF or the Tap Project to disparage the essential role restaurant and bar wait staff play across the nation. Indeed, it is this community of individuals that the Tap Project relies upon to make Tap a success throughout World Water Week. In light of your feedback, we have aksed radio stations to no longer run the spot.

Thank you so much for taking the time to express your concern and we sincerely hope that you plan on dining out during World Water Week at any of the 2000 plus restaurants that have signed on to support the Tap Project.

On behalf of the world’s children,

Maria

Tap Project Team

Evo March 23, 2008 (1:08 am)

I live in a small community in New York state. I’ve been a server for the past seven years. My tips pay the bills. I try hard to give the best service. If a patron drops a fork, I want to be there to catch it before it hits the floor. I am able to tell how much beer is left in a can by the way someone holds it. I want my customers to feel pampered. The happier they are with the service the better the tip.
The radio advertisement titled, â€œBad Tipper/Fajita Tipperâ€ offended me. I’ve come across my share of rude customers. This advertisement offended me more than all those customers combined. When I heard this ad, I felt like it was encouraging people not to tip. That instead of tipping, customers should save it an spend it elsewhere. “Why should I pay her for doing her job?” is still ringing in my ears. To answer, because her employer doesn’t. It’s a job based on performance. Only good severs make enough to survive. Bad servers find a different field of work, quick, cause they can’t even afford to pay for gas to make it to work.
I think this commercial was written with poor taste, and was not successful at conveying its message. Thank you for pulling the ad, and taking time to read my thoughts. Good luck with your cause, it sounds like a good one.

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