Tunde Way, a Nigerian man from Lagos, decided to conduct a controversial experiment in his restaurant located in New Orleans, USA. He proposes white customers the option to pay an additional £13 for their meals when compared to people of colour.
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His goal: to bring to light the wage disparity that currently exists between the black and white communities in the city. He cites the white median income as 2.5 times higher than the black median income as one such example of this difference. Way has so far seen positive results from his study: 78% of white clients at the restaurant agreed to pay the additional £13, resulting in their meals costing £21.66 instead of the standard £8.66.
An act for the community
The results so far have been quite impressive, especially given the minimal amount of advertising Way has put into the campaign. The restaurateur says he’s not doing this to generate buzz and drive his profit margins up, but rather to take the money and redistribute it to those in need. However, only 6 people are currently signed up to receive the extra wealth.
‘A lot of the Black folks said, “I don’t need that money, give it to someone else who needs it”’, Tunde Way explains.
