According to the National Restaurant Association, about 14.4 million Americans are currently employed within some realm of the service industry, and the industry has created over a million jobs this past year in the United States. Although so many individuals work countless hours and seemingly always have a smile on their faces, the job itself isn't exactly a walk in the park. Simply put, it's tough and tiring. But those of us who have experienced it know it's all worth it at the end of a third double shift in a row. Why? Well, there are a ton of reasons - and they're not all about the cash. Whether you work in the industry as a career, work part-time for some extra spending money or your job is a stepping stone for your future endeavors, valuable life skills are learned once you lace up your first pair of non-slips.
1. Burn Those Calories!
No matter what your role is in a restaurant or bar, rest assured you're going to get a good few miles of steps in during any shift. Being on your feet for hours with no chance to sit down - or even eat most of the time - is a sure way to keep the extra pounds off.
2. Learn how to talk to anyone and everyone
I could go on and on about this one. Get used to it: not everyone is pleasant, nor can you read anyone's mind. However, the important skill to be learned here is how to be patient and find ways to get your customers to think that you're a pleasant person, even though you're probably running on three hours of sleep and a case of Red Bull. A smile is contagious, y'all!
3. Competition
Even though some restaurants and bars exist that schedule based on seniority, managers and owners want results. Results come from numbers. Numbers should be high. The more efficient employees always get the best shifts or the best sections for the sheer fact that the service industry relies on them to produce high sales and a returning clientele. Therefore, you're in a constant competition with your coworkers. No matter what you do in life, it's always competitive.
4. Priorities, priorities, priorities
Weekends can get especially crazy to say in the least. With that being said, not everyone is in a rational state of mind and can pick out the smallest things that need attention. However, some issues are bigger than others. For instance, hot food goes out before cold drinks. Seems simple enough, right? Not in the midst of a borderline panic attack in the kitchen. Once you master the skill of staying calm, getting it done and showcasing that contagious smile (remember??), stressing over time management is a thing of the past.
5. Let the little things go
We're only human. Humans make mistakes. Get over it. Some are bigger than others, but there's no reason to have a meltdown over bringing blue cheese instead of ranch for that customer's wings or sweetening the tea in the "un-sweet" urn. It's important to pay attention to detail in anything you do, but the sooner you accept that mistakes will be made for the rest of your life, the better off your sanity will be.
6. You learn your strengths & weaknesses
Let's go back to the "learning patience" comment from before. For most, that's a skill that doesn't come easily. As an employee in the service industry, you must have the ability to nod your head and agree with every customer, even if it's blatantly obvious you're in the right. Like I said before, not everyone is pleasant. Moreover, speed and efficiency don't necessarily come naturally. You quickly learn your strong suits and what skills you should work on to further yourself in whatever you choose to do for the rest of your life.
7. Teamwork with eclectic coworkers
One of the single most important skills someone can learn is teamwork and learning how to work alongside so many different personalities. The service industry makes for a group of people who come from a ton of different walks of life whose ages range from teenagers to those in their senior years. At the end of the day, you all have a common goal to make money and find a way to work together to reach that goal, no matter why you chose to work in the industry.
8. Money management
Since the majority of servers and bartenders take home their pay every day, it's super easy to spend money knowing you'll replace it the next day. One of the most important skills you can learn from the service industry is the management of your finances. In the state of Georgia, for example, the typical wage for servers is $2.13 per hour, so a paycheck is hardly ever seen due to having to claim your tips at the end of the day for tax purposes. Having cash in hand on a daily basis can be dangerous if you're not careful about saving, so financial discipline is a quick lesson learned.
9. Appreciate hard work
It's easy to give up when you're exhausted from a 12 to 14 hour shift or question your life choices after a busy holiday weekend, but as a service industry employee, you're a Grade-A bad-ass because you work extremely hard. You develop a phenomenal work ethic and are able to show for it with that wad of cash you made on Friday that's going to keep your lights on and your refrigerator full. It's clear that the job isn't glamorous, but the people you meet and the value of the skills you learn make you a master at life.
