“It’s really easy for you to be like, ‘Oh this is just a joke.'”

Cassandra Kilgore is a 26-year-old woman who manages the dining room in a small, family-owned breakfast restaurant in the heart of the tourist town, Wisconsin Dells. She has worked in the food service industry since she was 14 years old and has recently had to navigate through effects of misinformation in her work life, and personal life.

Madeline Kilgore:  You’ve been working in restaurants since you were 14. How has that been? Do you like It? Do you want to do it forever?

Cassandra Kilgore: Yes. So I started when I was 14 at my grandma’s restaurant, Howie’s. I was a busser, then I was the drink girl and then I waitressed.

After I worked there, I went and did a couple other like food service jobs. I guess I’ve never done—I’ve never been in the service industry without it being food service, so I specifically like food service—mostly serving. I did some like cashiering I guess, but still, we were selling food, but we weren’t serving it, you were still behind like a desk at The Wilderness and yeah, after that I went to BJ’s which is a lot similar to Howie’s in the way its ran, just breakfast, and I started managing there.

Q: Talking about COVID and the pandemic, how did that, how has that affected work, for you?

A: So in, I get the years all messed up, when it first started hitting really hard and like they had the mandatory closure, obviously we closed down. And then, when we opened back up, the owner was very concerned about COVID and took everything super seriously, so we were at 50% capacity for a long time. And I think that took a really big toll on like, the amount of staff we needed on, the wait times were super long in comparison to what they normally would be for like seating. And then all of our employees also wore a mask, and we asked that customers all wore a mask.

We actually opened up later than most places, like we stayed closed I think two weeks beyond what was mandatory, just because we didn’t really know what was going to go on, you know. We’d be, one week the CDC would be saying one thing and the next they’d be saying another, and we just really had no idea what was coming next, so just to try and kind of play it safe. And then also just the unknown, like I said, we stayed closed two weeks longer. I think that had a lot to do with misinformation, like we didn’t know what to think.

Q: So, were you involved in when you were opening and that kind of stuff? Or was it more above you?

A: The owner makes all of the decisions ultimately but definitely asked me what I was thinking, especially when it came to doing the 50% capacity. And we like literally took a tape measure and got all of the tables 6 feet apart, like it was, we tried to follow every single rule that we could. So, I do feel like I was involved in some of the decision making.

Q: I know you said that there was a lot of like, some information was coming, and then it would be something different, do you think that misinformation played into any of that at all? Or not horribly?

A: I think there was a lot of misinformation going around. Because starting even with just like news outlets, where you’re supposed to get reliable information on. You can flip from one channel to another and they’re giving totally different numbers. And nothing that was being said matched from anybody especially like at the beginning, and I feel like it was just because nobody actually knew what was going on

Q: Being in the Dells it was really torn, like you said some places were open and acting like there’s nothing going on, and then places like BJ’s are closing down and trying to really push that there is something going on. Do you think that that, from the other side, like the restaurants that are staying open, do you think that they were pushing those ideas of misinformation?

A: Yes, a million percent. I think that when you can walk into an establishment and nobody’s wearing masks and no one is distanced and everyone is having a good time, it’s really easy for you to be like, “Oh this is just a joke, nothing bad is happening to any of these people”, because you’re not seeing their grandparents or you know, their aunts and uncles or the people who are being affected by it a lot.

Q: In Wisconsin Dells you’re in such a heavily tourist area. Does that affect how the restaurant is working and the different ideas from all of the different people that are coming?

A: The tourists, people who go on vacation just do not care. They are on vacation, they wanted to pretend like there was nothing going on, and a lot of businesses just were okay with that and they kind of did the same thing. So, you have this one side that was saying, “Oh this is over, look. And everyone is here at the bar and we’re drinking, having a good time, nothing bad is happening”, but then the other side that stayed closed. And like for our locals, so at BJ’s the only reason that we can stay open year-round is because we have a lot of local patrons coming through, and most of our locals are elderly or immune-compromised and people who were really concerned about getting COVID, so that played into a lot of the decision making too.

I do want to mention too, some of the misinformation wasn’t just from people, like so when COVID first started, I remember the CDC coming out and saying, “Don’t wear a mask, unless it’s a n95 medical mask, it’s not going to do anything. Don’t be buying up the masks, you don’t need them”.  And I understand like, they said that kind of in a manipulative way, they knew masks did work, but there wasn’t enough of them to go around at that point. So, I talked a lot about the other side being wrong, per say, or the only ones spreading misinformation, but it was all over the board, and I think that’s why people had such a hard time deciding what was going on.

Even the government, like half of them saying that it is serious and dangerous and the other half like, “Oh were going to make it through this! It’s fine! No big deal!”

Q: Do you think that that plays into misinformation? Because a year ago you have people, the CDC or whoever, saying, “Oh this doesn’t work”, and then swapping to “Oh no it does work”.

A: Yes, one million percent yes. I think that everyone could have been a lot more honest in, “This is like, an emergency. Nobody knows what a virus is, or what it’s going to do, we know what it is, we have no idea what it’s going to do. And these are the precautions we’re thinking about taking right now, and this is why we’re going to take them”.

I mean, I don’t know. I’ve never had to lead a huge group of people, but if I was listening to someone talk, and they’re just saying “This is what works, this is what works, this is what works, this is what works”, that almost feels more kind of like brainwashy and kind of like I’m just kind of hypnotized and listening to every command, than somebody who would be like, “Hey, we know this, we don’t know this, we know we need to get here, and an idea we have to get here is this… do we have any questions on that?”

Q: Was there an effect on you and your job with the people who are coming in thinking that this isn’t anything, and then you’re working at a place that is pushing the mask mandate and did close for so long, was there a rift between the people who didn’t follow that, and you who was?

A: I don’t think enough for anyone outside of like the employees to feel it, but I definitely feel like, me personally, you know it was really frustrating. Like, I’m wearing a mask every single day and trying to protect you and trying to protect all of these employees. Yeah, people bringing all of that in and not caring was scary. And even just conversing with people and so many times somebody would tell me like, “Oh why are you guys wearing those masks still?” and it’s like well… I don’t know, have you looked at the numbers?

Q: Even today, do you see effects from COVID and the misinformation and everything that’s been?  And even misinformation in other ways?

A: I definitely think like tension is super high between like this side and this side, whether it’s politically, or whatever you want to call it, yeah there is just a huge divide, a huge separation.

Like affecting today, I also wanted to mention like, so there is one specific local customer that, he was a truck driver, and I remember him saying that it was just a bunch of like hooey. Like “It’s nothing, COVID is nothing”. And I haven’t seen him in a really long time, and he came in and he was hospitalized with COVID, and he actually almost died. He had COVID, then he got MRSA, and then you know, it just was like a tumbleweed. And he looked, he just walked in the restaurant, he looked terrible.

And I just kind of thought to myself like if you would have been better informed and you would’ve not had so much like B.S. I guess, coming at you from all directions, like you probably wouldn’t have gotten sick, because you probably would’ve either stayed home, or distanced, or wore a mask, or gotten your shot.

And right now, the misinformation is, I think it is still affecting people, because I know like most people have their vaccine. The people who want their vaccine have their vaccine, and the people who don’t want it don’t have it, you know? I would say majority of the population at least that I am aware of, is vaccinated, so there’s a lot less chance of it like being a huge blowout thing. That being said there are people, who even with their vaccine are at such a high risk and other people still thinking it’s not a big deal is still putting them at risk today, you know?

Q: So, it started in the beginning of the pandemic, it’s still going on now, like the tension, do you think that that’s something that is going to get better as time goes on? Do you think it’s something that’s going to get worse? Or do you think it’s something that’s just kind of there?

A: So, at the restaurant, specifically, right now we did stop wearing masks. I would say 2 weeks ago, 3 weeks ago, maybe it’s been a month now, I don’t know, but not super long ago, we stopped wearing masks. And I have not gotten any comments or anyone even talking about COVID since I haven’t worn a mask. As soon as I put one on, then there would be like that tension again.

Q: When you were wearing masks, did you get comments, and like if any people were irritated by it? Did you get any of that interaction? Or not?

A: So, we didn’t call out any of the customers that weren’t wearing a mask. I know if we did that, we would’ve gotten a lot of negative feedback. As far as people commenting towards us wearing a mask, I know I got negative comments, because I specifically remember being like, “Oh my boss makes me wear it, like I don’t know, it’s fine”, you know? Because you’re in the service industry, you don’t want to sit there and argue with people.

Just, and not even like being mean, just like, “Oh why are you wearing that”, “You know that doesn’t do anything”, “You know that’s not a n95 and it’s made out of the wrong material, and ….” Like yeah, just constantly.

Q: Do you think that at this point, there is any changing of people’s minds? Or do you think that if people at this point are thinking one thing, it’s probably not going to change?

A: I think the only thing that’s going to change people’s mind is watching those close to them be ill, and watching it first-hand happen. And with more people being vaccinated, that’s going to happen less and less, which is awesome.

But also, sometimes people just see what they want to see, you know? I had the instance of a family member, whose wife was pregnant and the whole family got COVID, and she ended up having some blood clotting issues, and a couple other complications after her birth. And it was in direct correlation with COVID, like they were almost positive. But my family members still thought it was nothing, like, “Oh, no we just had a cough” like I don’t know, I don’t think there’s a lot to change people’s minds right now.

Q:  But it [misinformation] really does come from both sides. Do you think that that’s a common realization? Do you think a lot of people think about it in that way? Or do you think that a lot of people are kind of stuck in the “Oh I wear my mask, I’m right” or the “I don’t, I’m right”?

A: Yeah, I definitely think people get stuck in their own side. Because it is kind of hard, even now when I, well when I try to come up with the example of like, somebody who was wearing a mask, and something they could say, you know, it was more difficult for me to come up with something for me to say about that, than on this side, but when I did think about it, like there is stuff that was said about it that wasn’t accurate.

So, for me personally, if I was ever talking to somebody who was not into wearing masks, something I would always say is that “I don’t know if this helps or not, but I know it’s not hurting me, and if it is helping someone else, like me being uncomfortable for a few hours in a mask is worth me helping”.

Q: Do you think that there is anything else that can kind of fix what’s going on?

A: Yeah, I think that our news outlet media should only be allowed to give facts. I don’t think they should be able to say an opinion on it, or there should be a certain section during the news channel that, “This is the opinion”, you know, like when you’re reading the newspaper, opinions spot. And you can always sway information to seem like it’s leaning this way or this way, but if it’s actual information, like it’s still useful information at that point. I think that would be helpful.

I think it would be helpful too, just to talk about instead of like, “This is bad and this is good”, or “This is good, and this is bad”, is like realizing that there is this like middle ground.

If you don’t want to wear a mask because it’s uncomfortable, and you don’t think it helps, then ok, but don’t say you don’t want to wear one because it’s not working or whatever else people have said. Also, if you do want to wear a mask, don’t tell anybody that it’s 100% effective, and that’s why you’re wearing it.

I think if things weren’t so political, it would be easier. And if people weren’t so like,”this or this”. Things are not black and white, nothing is black and white, there is a spectrum. Like people saying that there’s side effects to a vaccine, like yes, there can be, there can be deadly side effects to a vaccine, like you need to look at the numbers and then decide for yourself and your family if it’s something that is worth it to you. But while you’re doing that, don’t be spreading misinformation about it. Just like somebody who gets vaccinated, to go and say like, “Nobody is getting hurt from these vaccines, what are you talking about?” like that’s not accurate either.