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windcatcher

Should I become a waitress???

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Hey guys, I need to find a better job than working as a supervisor for our athletic center, for only 10 hrs. a weekB|.

I have thought about becoming a waitress, I think I would be good at it because I am patient, pleasant ( most of the time:D), and want to serve people more. Only thing is, isn't it stressful?
For those of you who have been servers before, is the stress worth the money?


thanks,Sarah

edit to add: I am actually working right now:)


Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

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I liked serving tables. If you like getting cash nightly, then it's not bad. But, you definitely have to be able to deal with people in bad moods who blame you for things outside of your control, slow times punctuated by mad hectic times during the lunch and dinner rush, and deal with walking out with 10-15% in total tips knowing you deserve more than that, it's all good.

I liked the people I worked with, the company I worked for, and talking to and serving customers. Mostly, it was good. Sometimes, it wasn't. My only advice...do your best to get employed by a middle or upper class restaurant. By all means, avoid the lower end restaurants.

Understand, too, that making decent money comes with dinner shifts more than lunch shifts, typically, and sometimes, due to lack of superiority, you might not get a lot of dinner shifts at first. At least, that's how it was for me. Lot's of lunches (take home $20) and the occassional dinner (take home $60+), but over time I was able to pick up more lucrative shifts.
Take me, I am the drug; take me, I am hallucinogenic.
-Salvador Dali

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It is stressful and you spend a lot of time running around. For me though, its totally worth it!! You don't have to take your work home with you and you can get away with doing it part time if you want.

It's a great way to earn quick cash! I have been doing it for eleven years (I work in the fine dining business) and I work with a lot of waiters who have degrees in something else but have come back to waiting tables because the money is better than a lot of jobs you get right out of college.

Besides, it keeps me in shape...which is good because I am too busy (or lazy:P) to go to the gym...

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It depends on the restaurant. If its a busy one that serves more than breakfast types of food then I'd say go for it.

Waitress' typically make ~$2/hr. the rest is made up in tips. I worked as a waitress for a coffee shop type of place that also served ice cream and sandwhiches when I was in HS. There were many nights when I would bring home >$10 in tips after working 5 hours. :S

Talk to people that work there and ask them how the tips are usually before you agree to the job.

Good luck - I really liked waitressing :)

Jen
Arianna Frances

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You should sell real estate.
:ph34r: if you are going to work that hard.

I think if you become a waitress, then every job after that will seem easier.

the best training for real estate was waiting on tables. Think of it as waiting on one table for 1 to 24 weeks...and you get REALLY close to people. It is a crazy business, but it can be pretty fulfilling.

PM if you want advice about either biz. :)


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Ya know....I almost said, "Don't DO IT!!!" But that's just me. I could never wait tables because I don't like being friendly to people I don't like and I tend toward being a bitch. Can't help it. YOU, on the other hand, seem like a person who'd be a GREAT waitress. It'd be great to have the extra cash too huh? I say go for it. There are some spots in Fayetteville that you could make some really good money at I'd imagine....

Peace~
linz
--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

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Take a good dose of all the above advice and give it a shot. If it doesn't work out you can always get work at the local funeral parlor...



:o:|? :|???

thanks for the advice Linds, I think I may give it a go if I can find a job around campus; I would of course work at a fine dining establishment...I'm just afraid I'll want to eat everything off the menu if I work at a nice place:|:):$


Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

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i think EVERYONE should try serving once in their life -- it teaches valuable skills. i used to be the kid who mixed the ketchup with the leftovers & made nasty "potions", but now i totally try to stack everything neatly:)

PROs: have the potential to make bank, more social work, getting free/discounted meals, can ALWAYS pick up shifts for extra hours

CONs: majority is tips, inconsistency (i.e. make $80 with dinner, then a $20 lunch), the busiest times are probably when you would wanna be with your family (I DUNNO, DO U HAVE KIDS?) or weekends (during skydiving time!>:()

good luck!
~hollywood

see the world! http://gorocketdog.blogspot.com

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well, I waited tables in fine dining for a year while I applied to law school. I'd like to think that the serving days are over, but I still pick up a few shifts from time to time when I need some extra cash.

If you don't have any experience waiting tables, it might be difficult to get a job in a nice place....especially because you're a woman. If every anyone tells me that the sexes are equal in society, I tell them to go work in the restaurant business. Women make just as much in tips, but they get passed over for the good shifts, at least in my experience.

If you don't have any experience, my advice would be to go to one of the big chains that have policies on hiring from within (like the Melting Pot, Chili's, etc.) That way you can start hostessing and work your way up. No fine dining establishment will hire you as a server if you have no experience.

That said, it's harder than it seems. Being on your feet for six hour shifts is good exercise, but it's the kind of exercise that does more harm than good. You can develop back problems, feet problems, and all other kinds of stuff

However, it's also the best money you can make without a degree. I used to work in a wine bar and restaurant, and walk with 300 a night easy. And it's all tax free. Granted, the shift was from 4 to 4, but it sure helped pay for my first rig.

:)
"Ive seen you hump air, hump the floor of the plane, and hump legs. You now have a new nickname: "Black Humper of Death"--yardhippie

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