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First restaurant job

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NEPTR
Posts: 766 - Karma: 1,936
so i applied for a host position in a well known restaurant near me and had my interview today, it went pretty well but because I haven't worked in the restaurant industry the manager told me that they start everyone as bussers first and offered me a position at $6.00 an hour plus tips. Should i take this as there is limited work where i live? or is this little pay and should i try to find something else?
Jul 17 2015 7:05PM
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.Roockley.
Posts: 3857 - Karma: 4,000
depends how old you are, bussers where i used to work in canada would leave with around 50 bucks in tips each day and more over busy periods

be prepared to be run off your feet occasionaly
Jul 17 2015 7:25PM
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Chubz.
Posts: 13918 - Karma: 25,656
Ive had friends make over 200 bucks one night just from tips. You can make serious bank off tips. Money is money and you'll be makin some good money. I would take it
Jul 17 2015 7:42PM
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~Gotama~
Posts: 821 - Karma: 3,160
Busing tables sucks ass on busy nights, but it does get your foot in the door and can turn into good money. I started busing in a restaurant with over 70 tables and it was very stressful, but after a couple months they started training me on the grill and then I was a line cook. Don't be afraid of getting your hands dirty and keep your head cool when shit gets crowded. A hard job is a lot better than no job, and if you work hard, you will be rewarded beyond your meager paychecks.
Jul 17 2015 7:46PM
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McLS
Posts: 1980 - Karma: 6,446
if it's a well known restaurant i say go for it, you might get lucky a few times and get some serious good tips
Jul 18 2015 7:07AM
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Brule.
Posts: 3846 - Karma: 5,658
I bus tables in the summer and it's a sweet gig, and this summer was also my first summer working in the restaurant industry. You get to make sure that the restaurant is clean, take care of people's shit, and you get a lot more in tips that are more than the hourly pay, especially if it's at a popular place to go eat in the area. All in all, it's a lot better than being the dish bitch.
Jul 18 2015 12:13PM
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Big_Spence
Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
1. if you're a host/busser don't expect "server" tips; that's where the real gratuity money goes.

2. do you plan on staying at that specific restaurant for a while? aka continuing employment in to the school year? if yes, work towards the server position. buddy up with all the servers in the restaurant, attempt to learn the menu/short hand language, try as much of the menu as possible to become versed and competent, try to glean what the restaurant wants in a server, ect. i promise you the job of serving itself is infinitely easier than bussing tables and depending the establishment.

3. don't switch to cooking.
Jul 18 2015 12:52PM
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Broook
Posts: 353 - Karma: 46
Big_Spence1. if you're a host/busser don't expect "server" tips; that's where the real gratuity money goes.

2. do you plan on staying at that specific restaurant for a while? aka continuing employment in to the school year? if yes, work towards the server position. buddy up with all the servers in the restaurant, attempt to learn the menu/short hand language, try as much of the menu as possible to become versed and competent, try to glean what the restaurant wants in a server, ect. i promise you the job of serving itself is infinitely easier than bussing tables and depending the establishment.

3. don't switch to cooking.


This.

$6 is low as a starting wage for sure, i guess depending on your age. the tip out you'll get per night is nothing like what a server will walk away with ... but one normally starts from the bottom and works way up. if your sticking around for a bit, fuck it, go for it.
Jul 18 2015 1:46PM
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profa_212
Posts: 8622 - Karma: 32,341
BroookThis.

$6 is low as a starting wage for sure, i guess depending on your age. the tip out you'll get per night is nothing like what a server will walk away with ... but one normally starts from the bottom and works way up. if your sticking around for a bit, fuck it, go for it.


Lol $6 an hour is killer for a restaurant.when I started working I was making $2.13 an hour. It just got bumped up to $4.25 and I feel like a king hahaha.

OP. I would take the job. Bussing/hosting is a pretty easy gig. And you can work your way towards serving, which is where the real money is at.


Also, at least in SD, the law is that if you do not make at least the difference of your base pay and minimum wage in tips, they must add onto your base pay to make minimum. Idk if that makes sense. But no matter what you make minimum on super slow days, and much more on faster ones.
Jul 18 2015 1:54PM
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Big_Spence
Posts: 16177 - Karma: 4,352
Profahoben_212Lol $6 an hour is killer for a restaurant.when I started working I was making $2.13 an hour. It just got bumped up to $4.25 and I feel like a king hahaha.


i live in WA (highest minimum wage in the nation plus Seattle just passed that dumb fucking law upping minimum in the city for service workers to $15) but all FoH employees at the place i work at start at $10. for that reason the servers control the percentage they're tipped out at....which in some cases can REALLY fuck you if you're a piece of shit busser but the flip side of the coin it gives you incentive to bust you ass so i think it's good.

OP i never stated in my first post but i think you should definitely take the job. it will make you some cash, meet some new people and it will keep you busy. plus i think everyone should work a mandatory year in the service industry before moving on to other jobs so they learn to treat the people in the service industry a bit better. haha
Jul 18 2015 2:08PM
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CaptainObvious.
Posts: 5711 - Karma: 20,627
Profahoben_212Lol $6 an hour is killer for a restaurant.when I started working I was making $2.13 an hour. It just got bumped up to $4.25 and I feel like a king hahaha.

OP. I would take the job. Bussing/hosting is a pretty easy gig. And you can work your way towards serving, which is where the real money is at.


Also, at least in SD, the law is that if you do not make at least the difference of your base pay and minimum wage in tips, they must add onto your base pay to make minimum. Idk if that makes sense. But no matter what you make minimum on super slow days, and much more on faster ones.


It all depends on your state's laws on "tipped minimum wage". For example, Nevada doesn't have one. Min wage is min wage and you can't pay any employee less than that.Meaning as a server I was making 8.25/hr + tips.
But when I moved to Colorado (working for the same restaurant - Olive Garden) I made 2.35/hr + tips.

So, OP. To answer your question, 6/hr is completely subjective based on your state. Bussers tend to get paid a couple bucks more an hour than servers when there is a tipped min wage. Reason being that you won't make as much in tips.

I say go for it. 6 ain't bad.
Jul 18 2015 2:10PM
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act.resist
Posts: 8875 - Karma: 513
i was a hostess/busser and made 4.25 an hour plus tips but still made around 9 dollars an hour in total on a good night. i guess it depends on how busy that restaurant is.
Jul 18 2015 2:19PM
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ModMommy
Posts: 10718 - Karma: 55,304
I work as a dishwasher and make $10 and hours + pooled tips, so on busy nights it's great. If it's something you're interested in then you're just gonna have to start at the bottom and work your way up.
Jul 18 2015 3:48PM
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Drail
Posts: 14011 - Karma: 10,001
The way I see it, you said that work is limited in your area. This sounds like it's either be a bus boy for $6/h + tips or no job. Anything is better than nothing. Restaurant work can be crazy stressful, but I personally prefer a job that's high stress yet engaging over some boring ass job where you spend all day looking at the clock.

Take the job - but don't put it on a pedestal, you will (hopefully) move on to something else eventually so don't over think things at work. Hell - even if you get fired by mid August, it won't ruin your life (or even your summer). Just make the most of it and roll with it.
Jul 18 2015 4:24PM
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cobra_commander
Posts: 16909 - Karma: 4,682
You have to start somewhere.
Jul 18 2015 4:34PM
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theabortionator
Posts: 51257 - Karma: 157,315
Do it. A job is a job. Busing or dish washing is a good way to get your foot in the door of the restaurant industry. Become a waiter, cook, or bartender eventually.

The good thing about these jobs is they'll hire young and don't require any experience. Also if you get waiting, cooking, or bar tending experience you can use that anywhere. Let's say you move to a new part of the country and are struggling to get into a certain line of work. You can do some restaurant work in the mean time. In college you can pick up a couple nights a week to earn money, a lot of work is at night so you could work around classes. Maybe you have a full time day job but want to earn a few extra bucks here and there.

Idk just saying it's not bad. There are restaurants everywhere, and there will be forever. So even if it's just temporary not a bad thing for your resume.

Also if there's no work in your area, a jobs a job.
Jul 18 2015 4:54PM
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msg
Posts: 1108 - Karma: 3,269
Do it. Easy to move upward. See if you like it. Quit if not.
Jul 18 2015 5:05PM
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NEPTR
Posts: 766 - Karma: 1,936
thanks guys! apparently i have to do another interview with the second manager on Tuesday, only this time its a formal interview? any tips on nailing this?
Jul 18 2015 11:41PM
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Plankton
Posts: 3226 - Karma: 6,840
kbonrthanks guys! apparently i have to do another interview with the second manager on Tuesday, only this time its a formal interview? any tips on nailing this?


Just be yourself and outline all the tendencies you have that would make you fit to work the job. My first real job was working as a busser in a large restaurant with more than 70 tables. It was super hard work but I actually made a ton of money off of tips
Jul 19 2015 1:05AM
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