Servers are a necessity. Without the hard work of these men and women, your experience dining out would be significantly less desirable. Everyone knows that having a good server can make or break your opinion of a restaurant. The real question is, does anyone ever think about how hard it can be to be a server? If you've ever spent your days carrying food to hungry people, you know that it can be the best and worst job ever.
1. TIPS!!!
Probably the first reason anyone accepts a serving position. Walking out of work with money in your pocket is probably the best feeling in the world. It's so nice to know that you have an every day cash flow. It's also great that the better you are at your job, the better you get paid!
2. Servers' Wage
The complete downside of working for tips is the pathetic paycheck you get at the end of a week or two of working your ass off. You can't depend on a huge influx of money after a hard week because you're making next to nothing.
3. People
If you work somewhere that you have regulars like a bar or a golf club, the people are the best part! Everyone knows you by name and you already know their order when they walk through the door. Having this close relationship with the people you serve means better tips and even potential future job opportunities! Not a bad deal at all!
4. People
Unfortunately, this goes both ways. You can't please everyone and you're going to end up having those incredibly rude people that will treat you more like a servant. People are also probably the worst part of the job. No matter how good you are at what you do, you'll never be good enough for some people.
5. Constantly Moving
If you're anything like me, the idea of sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day sounds horrendous. As a server, you get to work in a fast pace environment where you're generally not standing in one place for very long ever.
6. Long Hours on Your Feet
The downfall to the fast pace environment is the fact that you're pretty much on your feet the entire time you're working which can be exhausting. Hope you've got great leg muscles and supportive shoes because if you don't, you're gonna clock out with cankles.
7. Great Food
After you've worked at the same place for long enough, you know the menu by heart and you're pretty close with all the cooks. Words cannot describe how fantastic it is to clock out and have your favorite pizza ready for you. If you're lucky, you might get some food in the middle of your shift too!
8. Restaurant Perfume
Food smells great when you're hungry. Not so much when you go home and collapse in bed and your hair smells like sweat and pizza and all of your shirts start to constantly smell like beer. You'll get used to it after a while, but don't count on going anywhere after work without a shower and a change of clothes!
9. Coworkers
The people you work with can make or break any job. The best part of being a server is knowing that all of your coworkers feel the exact same way at the end of the day. You can use this to bond over drinks after work, or maybe just bond over singing really loud as you vacuum while you close at 12:30am.
10. Experience
Before you work at a restaurant, a bar, a golf club or anywhere as a server, you don't think about what it's like to have to deal with all of the above. Serving gives you a greater appreciation for the wait staff at your favorite place. Not to mention serving looks great on any job app! Being a server can be incredibly rewarding. If you put a smile on your face and move quick, you'll do just fine!