From an outsider's point of view, you may not think that much goes in to working in the restaurant business, but there really is. As a employee of one of my local restaurants, I have learned a thing or two from the insider's view point. So here are a few things I have learned since working in the restaurant business.
1. All of us have our problems.
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No one is perfect, so do not expect them to be. As managers, hostesses/hosts, servers and kitchen staff we all strive to be the best that we can possibly be at work, but there is always the occasional bad day. Do not judge us or talk behind our backs. Instead tell us something that could make our day better or just show us kindness and love.
2. We all have our own lives.
Just because we spend most of our time at work, does not mean we do not have lives of our own. Yes, we understand that to earn money you must sacrifice time away from your daily lives to earn it, but we would appreciate it if you would be considerate of those lives. Please, do not come in right before we close because that means we will have to stay even longer.
3. Not everyone is respectful and polite.
Working in any restaurant, you will encounter either rude employees and / or customers. No matter how nice you are to them, they seem to just dislike you for some odd reason. I've learned to do as the old saying goes, "Treat others how you would like to be treated." No matter how badly you want to ask what their problem is, the best thing to do is to just throw a smile on your face and show them respect even if they do not show you that same respect back.
4. It is OK to mess up.
Like I said earlier, nobody is perfect. As much as we strive for perfection in the workplace, you will mess up something at some point. Whether it's breaking a dish or jumbling up your words, it's OK. We are all human at the end of the day, so don't put yourself down for one little mess up.
5. It is a big family.
Since you do spend so much time with your coworkers, it starts to feel like a giant family. We joke around, pick fun at each other and are always there for each other if you ever need someone to lean on. No matter the little arguments over tables or who should get cut first, at the end of the day we all are in this business together and have to learn to get over petty things like that.
There are many things that I have learned from working in my local restaurant, but the most important of all is that I will cherish these crazy memories forever. I have heard from many people that have worked in the restaurant business before that the best thing is to take in every good and bad day.
