Dandong NK Restaurants Lean into Tip Culture


A performance by workers at a North Korean restaurant in China. Image: Daily NK

Workers at North Korean foreign-currency earning restaurants in Dandong are increasingly accepting tips from customers, a practice
previously touted as running contrary to North Korean state doctrine and reflective of the nefarious influences of capitalism, Daily NK has learned. 

“Until last year, workers from Pyongyang
working in North Korean restaurants in China would refuse or be leery upon
being tipped. But things are now totally different,” a source in Dandong, China
reported to Daily NK on April 24th. “If you tip them 100 or 200 RMB, they
casually say, ‘Thank you’ and pocket the money.”
 

Previously, he went on to explain, these women–mostly hailing from Pyongyang–would be singled out and subjected to a range of
punishments for these practices, and in most cases deported back to North Korea. These days, however, the source said things are “far more lax”
and that “the restaurant managers knowingly allow waitresses to keep the tips that
they receive.”
 

As tip culture steadily infiltrates and changes these
establishments, workers’ attitude and demeanor have seen a marked shift. Described as “curt” in the past, servers and performers are far warmer now, engaging more customers to increase revenue for the restaurant and bump up the amount of foreign currency stashed away by these
workers. Now, just as in many parts of the world, waitresses go out of their
way to dote on clients and offer exemplary service to procure more tips,
according to the source.
 

Such practices go largely unchecked, with little signs of change in the foreseeable future. “The restaurants near the Dandong Customs
House are subject to inspections by the State Security Department [SSD], but
these inspections are mostly for show– a little light reprimanding that hardly
ever entails punishments,” he explained. “Restaurant managers tell
waitresses to never feel hesitant about receiving tips, indicating that tip
culture is here to stay.”
 

Some waitresses double as entertainment,
putting on elaborate North Korean-style performances every night at the
restaurants. Whether waitress, performer, or both, all are invariably beautiful, tall, and slender, prompting patrons to frequently jump at the chance to go up on stage and dance with them, according to
the source.

There are
countless North Korean restaurants in Beijing, Dandong, Shenyang, and a number
of other cities scattered across China. Either joint ventures between North
Korea and China or under the sole management of North Koreans, these establishments
employ predominantly women from Pyongyang in their 20s with excellent dancing,
singing, and Chinese language skills.
 

Eligibility for such a position is strictly
based on songbun [family political background and loyalty], with all candidates undergoing a thorough investigation prior to their
three-year stint abroad to pull in much-needed foreign currency–both for the
state and themselves. As ever the case in North Korea, personal connections coupled with bribes to the proper officials prove invaluable to those–most, if not all–wishing to stay abroad past the state-mandated timeline.