March 22, 2020

To our members and customers:

Our business has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the pandemic—and its safety as well as economic implications—is not likely to end soon, we need to change the way we define employee roles and compensation.

Starting on Monday, March 23, 2020, we will restructure our taproom roles based on our new retail operations of filling crowlers, packing online orders, and – soon – delivery. This new retail team will each be paid $17.00 per hour for all work.

Concurrent with this change, we will no longer accept tips through our online store or in our taproom and will instead implement a 20% service charge. We will use the service charge to defray the costs of benefits and wages for all of our staff.  We cannot sell beer to the public without our whole team working together. This change is the best way for us to continue to serve you and equitably compensate our staff while dealing with the dual challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the legal regulations surrounding tips.

At Fair State we pride ourselves in paying ample cash compensation and PTO, as well as providing paid parental leave, among other benefits. In return, we have the most creative and diligent team members in the business. They are why Fair State will survive this pandemic. We are doing everything that we can to take care of them.

Evan Sallee,

Chief Executive Officer