Bartenders Monetize Jokes to Earn Tips During Pandemic

Comedic duo creates Instagram account to share humorous videos and earn $5 per joke from viewers

Apr. 10, 2026 at 2:45am

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An extreme close-up of a shattered car sensor lens reflecting a faint red light, conceptually illustrating the vandalism of self-driving cars.As tensions over autonomous vehicles escalate, a recent wave of targeted street vandalism exposes pent-up frustration with driverless technology.Trinity Today

When the COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced their weekly hours as bartenders, Victoria Cavalcanti and Taylor Citek found a clever way to monetize their personalities and earn tips - by creating an Instagram account called 'Jokes for Babe' where Citek yells corny dad jokes at Cavalcanti as she works in the background. Each joke earns them a $5 tip from viewers, providing a much-needed source of income during the crisis.

Why it matters

The story highlights how service industry workers have had to get creative to earn income during the pandemic, as many traditional side gigs and customer-facing jobs have been disrupted. It also demonstrates how simple ideas leveraging existing skills and social media can be turned into profitable ventures, even in challenging economic times.

The details

In three separate incidents since July, police said Walker Reed Quinn has been damaging Waymo autonomous vehicles in San Francisco's SoMa neighborhood by removing and swinging his belt, placing a cone on the dome and sensors of the car, damaging the tires and driver's side mirror, and stomping on the windshield.

  • On July 4, Quinn allegedly dove onto the hood of a Waymo vehicle and covered sensors.
  • On July 29, Quinn allegedly damaged a Waymo's tires and driver's side mirror.
  • On August 11, Quinn allegedly stomped on a windshield while someone was inside.

The players

Victoria Cavalcanti

A bartender who co-created the 'Jokes for Babe' Instagram account with her colleague Taylor Citek.

Taylor Citek

A bartender who co-created the 'Jokes for Babe' Instagram account with her colleague Victoria Cavalcanti, where she yells corny dad jokes that earn them $5 tips from viewers.

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What they’re saying

“It's hard for me to just ask for money without anything in return, but the jokes are the perfect medium. You give something. You get something.”

— Taylor Citek, Bartender

“The first day we had 15 [requests] come in right away. I thought, 'oh, that was a fun way to make 30 bucks, 40 bucks,' but it snowballed fast. It just took off, and it brought people a sense of positivity.”

— Taylor Citek, Bartender

The takeaway

This case highlights the creative ways service industry workers are finding to earn income during the pandemic, leveraging their existing skills and personalities to provide entertainment and value to customers in a virtual setting. It demonstrates the power of simple, low-cost ideas that can be quickly executed on social media platforms to generate meaningful revenue streams.