18-Independent Contractors?

Cafe Du Monde is a New Orleans institution. They are nestled on the edge of the French Quarter with their back to the Mississippi. Famed world-over for their 'beignets' (French donuts). They are good! They are yummy!! We have had some wonderful food on this trip. Nothing beats a beignet!
All the servers are Vietnamese. All the managers are not. The servers have to fill an order and buy each purchase before they serve it to the customer. That's right! They buy each individual beignet before you get served!!
Do I applaud the system for showing initiative? Are the servers "independent contractors" so management does not have to pay benefits? I was here a year and a half ago. The work force was mainly black. What happened? Were the blacks out hustled? Can I even ask the question without being called a racist?
I am not close enough to the situation to form an opinion, but the questions still are tantalizing!