this entire video is why i went from serving tables to working in daycare, which is equally stressful in different ways and makes me about half as much money. But babies don’t sexually harass me. So there’s that.
'They see every little thing their employees do as a threat' - every single employer evverrrrrrrrrr. Like, calm down, maybe your employee actually IS ill that day, maybe your employee really IS struggling in their personal life. Basically give people the benefit of the doubt and SUPPORT THEM. Maybe your turnover won't be so high?! Surely the thing that wastes an employers time/money the most is high staff turnover and training staff, it feels nonsensical to drive out staff because you're so suspicious of everyone.
They're also gaslighting you, saying you'll never leave If you're stuck, there is hope, you CAN get out It will take a long time but you can do it I landed a "data entry"(sample processor) at a lab for $16/hour 2 week paid vacation and 5 paid sick days, paid holidays off My days are chill with half sitting half putting stickers on samples with the chillest people
I was a restaurant manager at one point, and what they don't tell you about a restaurant management position is that working 40 hours a week really means 60+. Even on a rare day off you have to be "on call" in case someone calls off, and someone always does, it never fails. It wasn't worth it to me. I was just constantly frustrated and stressed out. Being a restaurant manager is miserable, I seriously don't know how anyone does it.
Still miss bartending. Shit can be so enjoyable at certain bars/establishments. But It's literally fucking insane how exploited server industry labor work is. Just a never ending supply of 18-25 y/o entering the work force and working back to back doubles because they haven't learned any better yet. Literally renting out their durable youth for like 40$ flat wage a day plus tips. Once you start to grasp the amount of money you generate for the owners, stealing doesn't even feel like stealing anymore. Its like just self paid bonuses and reimbursements of my labor in the form of whatever i can get away with. Oh we're charging 15$ for a rice dish that had an over head cost of less that $1. And if i sell just one of those i cover my labor costs for more than half my shift? Yea, im quite comfortable takin whatever the hell i want. I remember having a manager who would regularly black out from drinking on shift. He didn't just let, but actually HELPED me steal a mini freezer from the restaurant because i told him we didn't know where to put it and i offered to take it for them. I still use it that thing.
In the kitchen, I was tired of being micromanaged and yelled at by boss daily and not getting any tips and $1 over minimum wage as pay after being there for 2 years. We were one of the best restaurants in the state winning awards almost every year since opening, yet the cooks get zilch nadda nothing. Even been on the news a few times since I've worked there. I just quit last week while getting yelled at. I decided to "drop" 3 brisket of beef on the floor on the way out. Sorry not sorry. that's for all the disrespect. It goes both ways.
Every day at work that I think “I should quit my job and go back to food service” I remember that I have fibromyalgia now and I can’t stand for more than like an hour. I couldn’t do one shift. No, not everyone can do it. Respect food workers.
Working in food service industry were my worst job experiences. You definitely need specific personality, people skills and good physical health to deal with it long-term.
Most of my food service jobs were guilty of the issues here but the worst was at a subway franchise. My boss did hours of wage theft every single day. She'd have us work alone for entire shifts. This meant working multiple positions as one person, which pushed a lot of the prep work and clean up to the end of the shift. If you were closing, you could end up staying after unpaid for two to three hours because you had to clock out at the official closing time no matter what. She was also constantly watching us on her security cameras and would text and call to micromanage us through the day. The turnover was insane. Also, we were expected to soothe her ego all the time. She would frequently get angry calls from parents because of teenage workers going home close to midnight on school days and she would turn to whatever worker that was there to get them to call her a good boss. On top of it all, she expected everyone to split tips with her if she happened to be here. This to me was the biggest slap in the face when paired with the hours of extra unpaid work that always came at the end of the day.
Ugh one of my worst bosses was at a subway franchise too! In my case, she was manipulative and pushy, but acted really nice until she didn't get her way. She trained us to switch the expiration date stickers on old ingredients so they wouldn't be "wasted", to the point where I was supposed to serve tuna that I knew to be literally days old, and I just didn't. She was brought almost to tears when she accused me of saying she was trying to hurt people by serving bad food, and saying that she has kids and would never hurt anyone. She told me that this was "Subway's policy" in any case, and to my luck some kind of regional manager did an inspection that same week, where I asked her about this "Subway policy" (which I knew very well was BS). She seemed appalled and told me it wasn't Subway's policy & she'd look into it. My manager soon texted me saying I was being let go due to "being rude to a customer". I responded with complete confidence that I was, if anything, OVERLY polite to every customer, as she and the rest of our coworkers could clearly see and commented on. The next day, she said it was "worked out with her boss" and I could return to work. By that point, I was happy to say no thank you, and I never went back. Still wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes as that all happened. I can only imagine she or the owner was afraid of me going after them for retaliation or something.
I worked at a restaurant where we found out they were stealing our excess tips every weekend, so we would get the same amount of tips every week even if we earned more because they would withhold it and keep it for themselves lol. I was the only worker with US citizenship so I was the only one who really had the ability to speak up, this was 6 years ago when I was 19 and I just didn’t know what to do or if it was ok. Really gross!!!
@@Kelgore yeah exactly! It took me almost a year to figure it out through other workers who left, I just thought we earned around the same amount every weekend. They took advantage of our lack of power and knowledge any chance they got (applies to other service jobs I’ve had too)
The food industry has stolen so much of my time in my early 20’s it wasn’t until my sister passed that I realized I was working myself to death for no reason. Money comes and goes but making sure my work and personal life are balanced is super important to me now. Well at least I try as much as I can without getting fired. Call center work now.
im 35 and incredibly sad that i didnt have time or energy to go to parties, have more girlfriends or relationships, go to more music shows, my 20s are long gone, and my body feels the physical stress of years of abuse. not to mention all of the empty promises on pay and opportunities.
Been in restaurants for 10 years and has ruined my mental and physical health. I’ve tried so hard to get out and branch out to other careers but feel tethered to it. I feel genuinely trapped.
If I was paid enough to thrive, I would love my grocery store bakery job. I'm good at it and have gotten really efficient at it but because I'm paid barely above minimum wage, I hate every minute of it and dream of moving on to something, anything else
I despise that I’m 28 and a literal 60% of this decade has been wasted on this restaurant industry. I’m just one state test away from being an official realtor. I have the upmost respect for people that have done serving for decades because I just don’t have it in me to go any further than this. It’s gotten to a point where I’m over going above and beyond because all it does is create an expectation for me to make up for other people who don’t pull the same weight, and when you stop then you’re looked at as the bad guy. I’m over the entitlement, lack of self awareness, working in a corporate owned restaurant is the worst because we are not allowed to set any boundaries with guest so they get away with anything, they can come in a minute before closing, they can order food WELL AFTER closing, they can take up our sections for the whole shift if they wanted to, they can redeem coupons years after expiration date plus always stuck cleaning extra tables and sidework (on nights when the tips are terrible it’s even more frustrating), singing happy birthday to people I don’t know or have any connection to, I’m over it all 😂
i’m seventeen and I just started working as a server and i really appreciate this video so thanks :) I would love if you make more videos about this topic
YES!!! I've always hated the whole "real job" mentality. Service industry, retail... people are always like "if you want to make a living get a real job". Like, fuck you, who are you and whats with that incredible level of arrogance? I don't get it. I did both of those jobs for over 10 years, was the most eye opening experience. Thanks again, Kelgore, always superb topic choice and coverage
as if they wouldn’t be totally SOL if everyone in these industries decided to “get a real job”…who’s gonna serve you at a restaurant, cash you out at the gas station, sell you your groceries, clean the bathrooms at your local chipotle, etc. Our lives couldn’t function without people doing these jobs but somehow they’re…”fake” jobs?
that's when you say "ok I'll get a real job" then you quit that same day and study computer programming in college or in your spare time. That's what I did and I never want to go back to food industry. who is gonna serve them their shit sandwich now?
@@bm1006 lemme just go to college on a whim real quick and study computer code even though that's a whole monster of a career on its own and not built for just anybody
@@Kelgore hotels, airports, and college food service mostly. i think they're slowly expanding to restaurants or have plans to help restaurant workers unionize
I've been a line cook for ten years, dropping out of high school at 16. I will cook until I die, I am in the planning stage of a co-op restaurant in Southeast Asia, it's who I am now. Most I've made, ten years cooking in Washington State, is twenty-four thousand in one year. It's a broken industry, run by crooks, even if some don't realize it. My physical, mental, and emotional health are all heavily affected by work. I quit drinking, but am still reliant on cannabis. I have no libido to speak of. I have severe social anxiety outside of a restaurant environment. My roommates messed up our kitchen and didn't do the washing up. I curled up on my floor for two days in a full-ass depressed panic attack and on day the third cheerfully cured my own condition by spitefully cleaning their mess. The shit I've seen, the coworker at four in the morning breaking down in the passenger seat of my car after we ran a seventeen hour day between the two jobs we shared (solely to carry each other through Hell, mind) at a food truck and a late night grilled cheese shop. She had a big test the next day if I recall, and was falling apart. I hope she got out. This industry is designed to shatter you, point, and shout 'Look what you've brought upon yourself, lowlife!'
@@ThrashJazzAssassin77 I ask because my husband was a line cook up in Washington a while back. anyways I hope the co-op goes well! sounds like a cool idea =]
The other thing is there’s no way to transition out of cooking. I had the same problem and I ended up cutting my hours so I could go to school and it resulted in me actually living for a time in my car to save money. Unfortunately the skills you learn as a cook don’t transition well learning real jobs with real pay at least not by societies standards.
I loved every second of this video! You’ve described 100% of the restaurant industry problems, I worked in restaurants for 8 years, started as a dishwasher and climbed my way up to basically every station. I ended up developing depression, anxiety, substance abuse problems… it was a nightmare, I’m still to this day dealing with some of those issues even tho I don’t work in that industry anymore, thankfully my life and mental health have gotten much better since quitting, I’ll never go back to that life
this video reminded me of how my old boss at unnamed chain sandwich restaurant would watch me close through the CCTV cameras every night and text me to ask why i was doing something🤦 food service is the worst
i’ve spent a lot of time in retail and a lot of the same stuff rings true… but the sheer stress of a serving shift seems like a sales floor up to 11. any time a server like apologizes or makes an error i didn’t even notice my first reaction is like noooo i’d die for you !! and also the norms around comping stuff for slow service or incorrect orders- the few times it’s happened to me i’ve made sure to tip the amount back so the staff don’t lose anything off my table. but the entitlement some ppl have thinking they shouldn’t get charged for shit 😬
I had worked in a restaurant where we had to make photocopies of our time cards because management would try to underpay us and say that we didn't work hours that we had worked.
After 13 years in the industry, I’m making my move to childcare/education, which was always my end goal. Not because it’s a “real job” but because for a similar amount of pay, my work is now fulfilling. My education job is only 3 days a week, so I drive in the gig economy to supplement my earnings and save for the degrees necessitated by my goals. Driving serves me better than restaurant work because I still don’t have a fair rate or benefits, but now I also don’t have management expecting me to work double clopens on game day weekends or sexually harassing me while I serve my tables. I actually have time and mental energy to learn about child development and pedagogy. My family has been in the restaurant industry for 4 generations-as long as we’ve been in the US-and I used to see leaving the industry as a failure and a character flaw. Too weak, too easily discouraged, or even too bougie and pretentious. I’m glad that my time away from the industry during the pandemic granted me perspective and I was able to lighten up and recognize that I won’t be a class traitor for becoming a teacher lmfao. The restaurant industry is so full of jaded lifers that I became one without realizing. All this being said, I’m probably only on a break, but this is my first break from the industry since before I was legally allowed to work and it feels great to recognize my potential outside of serving people. I also take a ton of pride in my ability to do my job as a server exceptionally well, and hope that I haven’t forgotten how to roll silverware or something stupid when I come back.
Almost 8 years of retail at age 30. I'm going back to school to get into science/tech industry. Late to the Game, but I want a career where I can advance, make good money/benefits and do something meaningful everyday
i know this isn't very relevant to the video but regarding to tipping in europe: it's true that it's not the custom, but here in italy waiters make from 2.50 to 4€/hour, which is nothing when the average rent is at least 800€/month (also, most of the time it's not even legal work, they don't have a contract because it's cheaper for the employer). i know some waiters may get offended when you tip them, but please if you ever visit italy at least offer a tip, the worst that can happen is they'll get a bit pissed, but you have the potential to help someone who's struggling
I cooked for ten years in the restaurant industry. It was the worst experience of my life. It lead my down a path of depression and self destruction that I wouldn’t wish on anyone. I dealt with abuse and ridicule on a daily basis from the owners. My advise for other cooks is to get the hell out of there while you still can. There’s nothing sadder than seeing people in there 40s still working in that industry.
🙌 true. In the before times I was a nanny and my bff was a bartender. When we got together, that bish paid for basically everything cause I NEVER had any disposable income. I used to work in a couple coke-head-manager-run kitchens and quickly became a supervisor at both but I absolutely hated it. It was way too stressful, too fast-paced, too physically uncomfortable, too many smells and sounds, horrible hours, terrible shifts, and WAY too annoying dealing with all the blatant sexism in the kitchen. I was getting paid like $7.00/hr in kansas pre-2010 (when those big dick ballers had to raise the minimum wage to 7.25).
you said “dish pit” & it opened up a memory hole that i fell right the fuck into. soggy ass life. then i remembered by manager at starbucks who stole tips. then i remembered how much addiction plays into the service industry. then i remembered the face of every customer who purposefully went out of their way to not tip me on more than 100 dollar tabs because “bartending isn’t a real job”. then i remembered how many scumbag sex pests are out there owning these establishments. then i remembered i used to have dreams about burning these places down but then they would collect the insurance so even in my dream i gave up. i did NOT have the fortitude to be a good bartender. i couldn’t handle the disrespect. all customers are bastards but they get extra bastard-y when it comes to having their food & drink handed to them by smelly poors. holy god, am i triggered? thanks, dude! (love the video, please roast restaurant owners, keep being rad, loved the paddy’s pub inclusion)
I really loved the years i spent waiting tables. Harrasment, shitting customers, yea those all sucked. But the community amongst the restraunt crew and a high of a really good night going well was something special. Ive had an office job for 3 years now and i do think if it was viable i would have liked to stay a waiter
Tipping culture isn't a thing here the same way as it is in the USA but where I work there is an optional ''service charge'' of 12.5% and of course most diners pay it. But there is a lot of skullduggery (wanted to write f_ckery) amongst management so we don't get all of it, if indeed any of it.
Worked restaurants for 20 years. Serving in the North Bay Area. The flexibility and tips were the only reason. It was hell and I'm trying not to do it again. Looking at caregiving opportunities. I did make a lot per hour. My kid is medically fragile so I needed super flexible hours in case of medical emergencies. 1. The way it traps you in is really terrible. I remember driving home one day while screaming because I didn't want my kids to see me like that by the time I got home. Had to pull over and shake it off before walking in the house. NO mental health help. It dehumanizes you and than you lash out. It is what fueled my current political tendencies. 2. Tips no matter what increase your wage past minimum. But the world doesn't really work like that. When you stack it up you won't be able to afford to really live with a concrete life. It turns the paycheck to paycheck mentality on overdrive. You constantly live in fear of not getting enough tips and having your kids be homeless. Tipping in the Bay Area is pretty decent. The divide with staff is real too. I needed the tips to survive though. So did the cooks. So it also turns you against the working class just for the sake of a fake ass sense of agency. 3. The sexual harassments thing is so multilayered. The tipping sets this weird dynamic up. You have to constantly flirt and be nice with people to get more tips. Staff are constantly flirting. Some couples I met ended up getting married. Most ended up causing problems. The whole thing is gross. I have been sexually harassed. Especially by older women. There's sex discrimination too. I had one boss who wouldn't put me on as a server because he only hired women with large breasts. He was one of the most disgusting men I have ever met. 4. I was a direct victim of wage theft. When a lady I worked for was going under she started to skim hours from us. We brought this up everytime she came in to visit. She did nothing and did not stop. I looked up the process for reporting it and taking her to court and lawyers said it wasn't worth it. So we have all this wage theft happening with no real means to stop it. Because of that I did what I needed to (if you get what I mean). I was still under what I actually earned. With no means to report her for wage theft I had zero choice. 5. Alcohol and drugs are so common in this line of work. Drinking on the job wasn't too common because you would be too messed up. But smoking weed was almost required to get past the mental fuckery of it all. I didn't smoke on the job too often but I didn't care if anyone else did. Drinking after the job was incredibly common. 6. Owners depend on the tips. They will never pay a living wage because I wouldn't do that work if it paid the same as any other minimum wage job. They are truly vampires in the worst sense. Universal scumbags. Every one of them and I've met plenty.
I have friends that own their own restaurants, they have no employees because everyone from the server, to the Cook, to the dishwasher, are equal owners,
I'm a cook hoping to leave the restaurant business for good soon. I honestly want to be a video game developer and start my own big brand. I've always been more of the creative type and more a perfectionist. I don't like to rush things like a restaurant. The restaurant business is the antithesis of perfection and taking my time with something. Plus I could sit at a computer all day, be creative, and make more money than I could doing manual labor or being the boss of a small restaurant. If I'm developing a video game, I don't have to give a release date until I know for sure when to do so.
I just left cooking and had the same dream/ plan. I was unable to do both because cooking took way too much energy when I got home I just wanted to stare at a blank wall. Game development takes an immense amount of cognitive bandwidth. Soon I will find a simpler job and continue my games on the side. I wish you luck in your endeavors.
At this point janitorial work would be so peaceful! Cleaning toilets can be gross but at least the toilet won't call you fuck face, maggot or shit stain to amuse their shitty little friends!
I’m so scared no one is gonna hire me outside of the service industry because I’ve been a server for three years now. I hate serving and bartending I just want something Monday through Friday 9 to 5. I have depression and Asperger’s and have a really hard time in overstimulating environments I feel trapped and sometimes I want to die.
I remember there was a section of seating where "crumbs" would always be. I'd always make mention of it to my managers and they always brushed it off as "just clean it" But, the "crumbs" kept coming back without any explanation. Anyways, I soon learned from several servers and the bartenders that it was feces of termites in one section of the building and that they had slowly been spreading. I also found out that the MANAGERS DID KNOW WHAT THE "CRUMBS" ACTUALLY WERE. They just refused to do anything about it, and had the tables cleaned before higher supervisors showed up.
I’ve been applying for serving jobs for 4 months in Portland Oregon after leaving my long time serving position at a well known steakhouse chain. I got sick of their BS so I put in my notice before Christmas thinking I could easily get hired elsewhere as a server. I have 30 years of experience. There are Lots of ads online for server and bartender jobs but I’ve barely even gotten five call backs on the 50+ applications and haven’t gotten a job yet. They aren’t hiring even though they claim they are. Before Covid I could of easily gotten another serving job in this town but not now.
I worked as a cook at a busy fancy shmancy restaurant in a stuck up neighbourhood. I had applied to be a dishwasher but they hired me to be a cook. I should have quit a long time ago but my boss had this superficial charm to him which suckered me into keep working for him. He and other chefs would do these big motivational speeches which were pretty empty but fooled me at the time. The work and environment was super fast paced with heavy duty lifting and working around extreme temperatures. The kitchen was super cramped and you'd have to juggle many tasks at once. A lot of the cooks weren't the most intellectual people and often said outright stupid, judgmental, or sexist bullshit. The whole experience made me never ever want to work in the restaurant industry. Now I'm happily pursuing other aims outside of the restaurant industry.
As a former member of (and then manager of those in) a hospitality union: we need more hospitality unions. It wasn't perfect by any stretch but it was better than not having one. By the time I left (because I was working 12hr shifts where the entire time I was just me groveling to guests for stupid shit) in 2019, the base pay was up to $15 in Florida. Which is to say it was actually kind of reasonable.
in my opinion a huge portion of the effort made by [restaurant] unions should be to balance the division of labor. in other words, nobody should be working hours like that, the goal should be to get it down to people working something like 30 hours per week max or 6 hour shifts, depending on the circumstances/preferences. the amount of work we do in a shift/shifts per week/month/year is just ridiculous.
I tried to break into the grocery store business- from a life of low key food service (I’m not even good enough to wait tables!!!) I never worked at one before so I couldn’t get hired- even though a friend got me an interview.
I've been working in a restaurant as a barista/server since the vaccines came out last year, so almost a year now (got laid off my previous mall retail job bc pandemic). And this was all very accurate and honestly I talk about this shit with my coworkers all the time. I also live in a city with a good minimum wage (maybe same one?) but the company that owns the restaurant is small enough to qualify for a lower minimum wage, which of course they pay us even though we make money hand over fist every day. I can check the live sales at any time, we make $10,000 on a "bad" day at my restaurant, and most of us take home maybe $100-120 for an 8 hour shift without tips. And tipping can vary so widely. We do counter service so if you're on register you just see chains of customers on busy days hit "no tip" and it makes me feel violent sometimes. Also just had an amazing back of house lead quit because he was overworked and underpaid. He was working 6 days a week and making less than me who works 4/5 days front of house. It's not fair. We shouldn't owe owners an infinite debt for opening a business and we should be sharing profits so we all can support a healthy life.
Sometimes I miss the job I had at a lunchroom years ago, working as a barista. I became the leader of the team pretty quickly because I’m really good at that job. The rush of going like crazy for several hours on a Saturday lunch rush is like no other. That feeling when everything is going smoothly and costumers are having a good time, 👌
I think people in the restaurant industry hate to be micromanaged in any way, and with all this free time due to covid we can ask ourselves is this worth spending my life soon ? For some yes for some no .
Start holding managers accountable for favoritism and half the harassment will stop. I’ve seen a disturbing trend in favoritism and “ harem building” in this industry even in corporate restaurants that don’t perform any oversight.
way too much bars, restaurants, vegan places, 1000 sorts of coffee bars etc. Even here (Netherlands) the only thing one can buy in city centres nowadays is food and clothes/boutiques. All other things are on industry-terrains/areas, mostly only accessible by car, or online. Hospitality working hours are lousy (except maybe lunch rooms), there arent enough hours, or too many, and ......everyone together is 1 team. That makes that the weakest link makes or breaks the service/product. Toxic often for trust and not healthy to work in, having loads of alcohol around isnt healthy neither, and 1 new virus and youre sacked again
I clean frier yesterday, and range vent. Table servers style and bar restaurant are way to slow and to high price. When I walk into a place and there offer try to seat me know I going to waste how lot of MY TIME. I stick to party stores, gastation, and fast food. I work in a gastation cleaning up, at end of day I glad I don't have to jerk table weighter.
Thank you for defending cooks. I clean 3 fryers every night and i work appetizer station at a big "upscale" spot. I heard a server say to another server that he'd made $170 (ON A MONDAY). I looked at another server that heard him and semi-sarcastically said "aaand that is why cooks quit jobs and life". Everyone treats the cooks like sh** (unless you're spending the night with one of us)...even then
i married one tbh lol. also yes i feel like the fact that cooks dont get much of a tip out has a lot to do with the fact that a huge part of the BOH demographic are undocumented immigrants. the abuse of hierarchy includes how servers treat their ““subordinates”” (emphasis on the quote marks)
@@Kelgore good for you, we are generally only good at 2 things😉. I live/ work in one of Texas' biggest cities and recall only working with 1 undocumented person (which was a kid that killed it in the dish pit). On the other hand, I have never received a tip out as a cook...ever (I've worked at 7 different places. Ironically, in my experience, the better/pricier the venue, the more the cooks & chefs become "critical" or more important than servers because at these places all you need is a pretty face and a good sales pitch to represent the company & food it serves*I don't agree with this employment practice at all, rather just how it is). Management will follow a line cook to their car as they walk out *IME* but say "whatever or "cool" when a server walks out. I have respect for what servers do and would not want to be "on the front lines" dealing with guests, but I think it is beyond fair to say that more cooks *could* be servers than vice-versa; which isjust another reason this industry is straight horse caca. I have heard about places that often hire illegals and I have no problem with someone doing any job so long as they rock that sh**; I have a problem with people treating illegal coworkers OR AND ***ESPECIALLY*** HOMELESS coworkers who are just trying to earn a check. I have felt like such an idiot for assuming both previous and current coworkers had somewhere to go/stay after work. Tough sh*t but I dont think the same anymore. I wish we could unionize 🤐😓😞
3:10 That ain’t wrong. At the place I used to work at, the boss never said or did anything against the most problematic person in the kitchen due to the fact that they were one of the workers with the most experience working there.
28 here. Worked in restaurants since i was 25. still do at red lobster. Doing dishes to making bread. Tried being fry today the fryer was laughing at me and said i dont see it and was talking mad crap. Need I remind you he does not speak english cause he is a 70 yr old mexican dude. But the other workers see me and know i haul ass. Anyways i am currently licensed as a CNA now and we shall see if i wanna continue to be a nurse.
there will have to be a change in the dining out culture as well as the industry. for now, skeleton crews and temp holiday workers seem to be the only solution, now
I was ditch digger for 3 McDonald last 4 weeks, I did a was ditch digger for Hooters lasted 3 days as well. There ditch have to hand dug because of all the conduit for electrical.
it’s so mind boggling to me that tipped minimum wages are a thing. i served for a year in michigan and every time my managers or the restaurant owner would piss me off i would remind them that they practically don’t even pay me at all (as in i never see that measley little wage, it doesn’t even cover the taxes on the tips for the year i did it)
There need to get rid of alcohol any business that sell alcohol is clearly non-essential business Even when I did go bars it was to meet people. I have a hard time a business is unnecessary some of these bar/restaurant/ Casino are. To bad hair cut places, dentist offices, optometrist, concrete shops were close.
Your entitled to your opinion, but I disagree on various points. Furthermore, there are a lot of contradictory thoughts. Like, I love what I do. then begin to bash the industry. But its your opinion.
Restaurant jobs are full of slackers people want to get paid while playing on there phones and its usually people will very little skills who apply for these jobs only getting worse folks learn how to cook it's a great tool to have
I was with you for a while but towards the end you just seemed entitled. Sorry, but if you're making 16 plus tips you're getting overpaid for what the job requires. Also, there is nothing wrong with the tip system in a place where you're getting 16 dollars an hour. If you're good at your job (like you claim to be) then you should have plenty of money to tip out everyone from the busboy to the dishwasher. Most people waiting tables are in a transitory state and if you hate it that much then go find a better job. You'll see that finding a good job that checks off all your boxes is hard for EVERYONE to find.
i disagree with what you’ve said but the biggest issue i have is that you seem to think if i get paid $16 an hour it means i shouldnt come on here and advocate for the people getting $2.13 an hour. you clearly have a very loose grasp on reality though, glad you’ve personally been unaffected by decades of economic decline.
@@Kelgore I think what’s most offensive about you is this idea that people are trapped in this industry. You act so smart, why don’t you get a better job.
@@Kelgore look. Here’s the bottom line. As I already said I was with you when you were talking about the low hourly wages, but if you are not in one of those states (like you are) then waiters can make 50,000 plus a year. Do mangers sometimes suck. Yes. Do chefs sometimes suck. Always. But everyone knows running a restaurant is super thin margins. That 2000 a night you got 200 in tips on? Rent, food, payroll, taxes, utilities. Most places tip pool now. But guess what? Waiters hate it and quit.
Thank you! I've been Doordashing for a month because I can't stand restaurant owners treating me like a liability anymore. I have 20 years experience! Not good enough for these douchebags living out their dream of serving people a pizza!
I’m so scared no one is gonna hire me outside of the service industry because I’ve been a server for almost three years now. I hate serving and bartending I just want something Monday through Friday 9 to 5. I have depression and Asperger’s and have a really hard time in overstimulating environments I feel trapped and sometimes I want to die.
this entire video is why i went from serving tables to working in daycare, which is equally stressful in different ways and makes me about half as much money. But babies don’t sexually harass me. So there’s that.
love babies for that 😂
With the way the public acts, I bet the jobs are very similar unfortunately.
'They see every little thing their employees do as a threat' - every single employer evverrrrrrrrrr. Like, calm down, maybe your employee actually IS ill that day, maybe your employee really IS struggling in their personal life. Basically give people the benefit of the doubt and SUPPORT THEM. Maybe your turnover won't be so high?! Surely the thing that wastes an employers time/money the most is high staff turnover and training staff, it feels nonsensical to drive out staff because you're so suspicious of everyone.
employers who micromanage and are suspicious of their employees are so degrading!
They're also gaslighting you, saying you'll never leave
If you're stuck, there is hope, you CAN get out
It will take a long time but you can do it
I landed a "data entry"(sample processor) at a lab for $16/hour 2 week paid vacation and 5 paid sick days, paid holidays off
My days are chill with half sitting half putting stickers on samples with the chillest people
I've worked for my first 2 weeks and it's already a nightmare, The boss can be ill mannered to her employees and me at times, even though I'm new
It's a feature of narcissistic personality
I was a restaurant manager at one point, and what they don't tell you about a restaurant management position is that working 40 hours a week really means 60+. Even on a rare day off you have to be "on call" in case someone calls off, and someone always does, it never fails. It wasn't worth it to me. I was just constantly frustrated and stressed out. Being a restaurant manager is miserable, I seriously don't know how anyone does it.
Same just gone through this, forget holidays too 😂
Still miss bartending. Shit can be so enjoyable at certain bars/establishments.
But It's literally fucking insane how exploited server industry labor work is.
Just a never ending supply of 18-25 y/o entering the work force and working back to back doubles because they haven't learned any better yet. Literally renting out their durable youth for like 40$ flat wage a day plus tips.
Once you start to grasp the amount of money you generate for the owners, stealing doesn't even feel like stealing anymore. Its like just self paid bonuses and reimbursements of my labor in the form of whatever i can get away with.
Oh we're charging 15$ for a rice dish that had an over head cost of less that $1. And if i sell just one of those i cover my labor costs for more than half my shift? Yea, im quite comfortable takin whatever the hell i want.
I remember having a manager who would regularly black out from drinking on shift. He didn't just let, but actually HELPED me steal a mini freezer from the restaurant because i told him we didn't know where to put it and i offered to take it for them. I still use it that thing.
In the kitchen, I was tired of being micromanaged and yelled at by boss daily and not getting any tips and $1 over minimum wage as pay after being there for 2 years. We were one of the best restaurants in the state winning awards almost every year since opening, yet the cooks get zilch nadda nothing. Even been on the news a few times since I've worked there. I just quit last week while getting yelled at. I decided to "drop" 3 brisket of beef on the floor on the way out. Sorry not sorry. that's for all the disrespect. It goes both ways.
Every day at work that I think “I should quit my job and go back to food service” I remember that I have fibromyalgia now and I can’t stand for more than like an hour. I couldn’t do one shift. No, not everyone can do it. Respect food workers.
much respect to people who can’t do physical labor, too
Working in food service industry were my worst job experiences. You definitely need specific personality, people skills and good physical health to deal with it long-term.
Most of my food service jobs were guilty of the issues here but the worst was at a subway franchise. My boss did hours of wage theft every single day. She'd have us work alone for entire shifts. This meant working multiple positions as one person, which pushed a lot of the prep work and clean up to the end of the shift. If you were closing, you could end up staying after unpaid for two to three hours because you had to clock out at the official closing time no matter what. She was also constantly watching us on her security cameras and would text and call to micromanage us through the day. The turnover was insane. Also, we were expected to soothe her ego all the time. She would frequently get angry calls from parents because of teenage workers going home close to midnight on school days and she would turn to whatever worker that was there to get them to call her a good boss. On top of it all, she expected everyone to split tips with her if she happened to be here. This to me was the biggest slap in the face when paired with the hours of extra unpaid work that always came at the end of the day.
I’m going to k*** subway
That gets a crappy boss award
Ugh one of my worst bosses was at a subway franchise too! In my case, she was manipulative and pushy, but acted really nice until she didn't get her way. She trained us to switch the expiration date stickers on old ingredients so they wouldn't be "wasted", to the point where I was supposed to serve tuna that I knew to be literally days old, and I just didn't. She was brought almost to tears when she accused me of saying she was trying to hurt people by serving bad food, and saying that she has kids and would never hurt anyone. She told me that this was "Subway's policy" in any case, and to my luck some kind of regional manager did an inspection that same week, where I asked her about this "Subway policy" (which I knew very well was BS). She seemed appalled and told me it wasn't Subway's policy & she'd look into it. My manager soon texted me saying I was being let go due to "being rude to a customer". I responded with complete confidence that I was, if anything, OVERLY polite to every customer, as she and the rest of our coworkers could clearly see and commented on. The next day, she said it was "worked out with her boss" and I could return to work. By that point, I was happy to say no thank you, and I never went back. Still wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes as that all happened. I can only imagine she or the owner was afraid of me going after them for retaliation or something.
Should have called Better Business Bureau,and put a foot up her ass.
She’s pure evil I wouldn’t even last a shift
I worked at a restaurant where we found out they were stealing our excess tips every weekend, so we would get the same amount of tips every week even if we earned more because they would withhold it and keep it for themselves lol. I was the only worker with US citizenship so I was the only one who really had the ability to speak up, this was 6 years ago when I was 19 and I just didn’t know what to do or if it was ok. Really gross!!!
Oh wow! yeah I’ve heard this sort of thing before, and they make it hard at some places to tell the difference! so sleazy
@@Kelgore yeah exactly! It took me almost a year to figure it out through other workers who left, I just thought we earned around the same amount every weekend. They took advantage of our lack of power and knowledge any chance they got (applies to other service jobs I’ve had too)
The food industry has stolen so much of my time in my early 20’s it wasn’t until my sister passed that I realized I was working myself to death for no reason. Money comes and goes but making sure my work and personal life are balanced is super important to me now. Well at least I try as much as I can without getting fired. Call center work now.
callcenters get you nowhere , watch PTPOP ! on YT. My expierence as well
im 35 and incredibly sad that i didnt have time or energy to go to parties, have more girlfriends or relationships, go to more music shows, my 20s are long gone, and my body feels the physical stress of years of abuse. not to mention all of the empty promises on pay and opportunities.
Been in restaurants for 10 years and has ruined my mental and physical health. I’ve tried so hard to get out and branch out to other careers but feel tethered to it. I feel genuinely trapped.
If I was paid enough to thrive, I would love my grocery store bakery job. I'm good at it and have gotten really efficient at it but because I'm paid barely above minimum wage, I hate every minute of it and dream of moving on to something, anything else
I despise that I’m 28 and a literal 60% of this decade has been wasted on this restaurant industry. I’m just one state test away from being an official realtor.
I have the upmost respect for people that have done serving for decades because I just don’t have it in me to go any further than this. It’s gotten to a point where I’m over going above and beyond because all it does is create an expectation for me to make up for other people who don’t pull the same weight, and when you stop then you’re looked at as the bad guy. I’m over the entitlement, lack of self awareness, working in a corporate owned restaurant is the worst because we are not allowed to set any boundaries with guest so they get away with anything, they can come in a minute before closing, they can order food WELL AFTER closing, they can take up our sections for the whole shift if they wanted to, they can redeem coupons years after expiration date plus always stuck cleaning extra tables and sidework (on nights when the tips are terrible it’s even more frustrating), singing happy birthday to people I don’t know or have any connection to, I’m over it all 😂
i’m seventeen and I just started working as a server and i really appreciate this video so thanks :) I would love if you make more videos about this topic
will do!! thanks for watching :)
YES!!! I've always hated the whole "real job" mentality. Service industry, retail... people are always like "if you want to make a living get a real job". Like, fuck you, who are you and whats with that incredible level of arrogance? I don't get it. I did both of those jobs for over 10 years, was the most eye opening experience. Thanks again, Kelgore, always superb topic choice and coverage
thanks friend! definitely something I’m passionate about
as if they wouldn’t be totally SOL if everyone in these industries decided to “get a real job”…who’s gonna serve you at a restaurant, cash you out at the gas station, sell you your groceries, clean the bathrooms at your local chipotle, etc. Our lives couldn’t function without people doing these jobs but somehow they’re…”fake” jobs?
@@saggguy7 well put
that's when you say "ok I'll get a real job"
then you quit that same day and study computer programming in college or in your spare time.
That's what I did and I never want to go back to food industry.
who is gonna serve them their shit sandwich now?
@@bm1006 lemme just go to college on a whim real quick and study computer code even though that's a whole monster of a career on its own and not built for just anybody
Unite here!!! The hospitality workers union!! Boy it was nice to have union protections so that one bad customer complaint wouldn’t cost me my job
hotel?
@@Kelgore hotels, airports, and college food service mostly. i think they're slowly expanding to restaurants or have plans to help restaurant workers unionize
I've been a line cook for ten years, dropping out of high school at 16. I will cook until I die, I am in the planning stage of a co-op restaurant in Southeast Asia, it's who I am now. Most I've made, ten years cooking in Washington State, is twenty-four thousand in one year. It's a broken industry, run by crooks, even if some don't realize it. My physical, mental, and emotional health are all heavily affected by work. I quit drinking, but am still reliant on cannabis. I have no libido to speak of. I have severe social anxiety outside of a restaurant environment. My roommates messed up our kitchen and didn't do the washing up. I curled up on my floor for two days in a full-ass depressed panic attack and on day the third cheerfully cured my own condition by spitefully cleaning their mess. The shit I've seen, the coworker at four in the morning breaking down in the passenger seat of my car after we ran a seventeen hour day between the two jobs we shared (solely to carry each other through Hell, mind) at a food truck and a late night grilled cheese shop. She had a big test the next day if I recall, and was falling apart. I hope she got out. This industry is designed to shatter you, point, and shout 'Look what you've brought upon yourself, lowlife!'
where in Washington state did you cook?
@@Kelgore Ellensburg, little college town in the middle of the state. Recently moved near Seatac, the jobhubt here is a real pain.
@@ThrashJazzAssassin77 I ask because my husband was a line cook up in Washington a while back. anyways I hope the co-op goes well! sounds like a cool idea =]
get out there and move somewhere else. Walk even if you cant afford a car, busticket. If you stay your doomed. Do you want that ?
The other thing is there’s no way to transition out of cooking. I had the same problem and I ended up cutting my hours so I could go to school and it resulted in me actually living for a time in my car to save money.
Unfortunately the skills you learn as a cook don’t transition well learning real jobs with real pay at least not by societies standards.
My first two jobs were in the food service industry. I lasted a day at both. Data entry was more my entry level speed in the end 😂
I loved every second of this video! You’ve described 100% of the restaurant industry problems, I worked in restaurants for 8 years, started as a dishwasher and climbed my way up to basically every station. I ended up developing depression, anxiety, substance abuse problems… it was a nightmare, I’m still to this day dealing with some of those issues even tho I don’t work in that industry anymore, thankfully my life and mental health have gotten much better since quitting, I’ll never go back to that life
An episode of Owned all about restaurant owners would be great! You should totally add that to your channel's growing collection of fantastic videos!
this video reminded me of how my old boss at unnamed chain sandwich restaurant would watch me close through the CCTV cameras every night and text me to ask why i was doing something🤦 food service is the worst
i’ve spent a lot of time in retail and a lot of the same stuff rings true… but the sheer stress of a serving shift seems like a sales floor up to 11. any time a server like apologizes or makes an error i didn’t even notice my first reaction is like noooo i’d die for you !! and also the norms around comping stuff for slow service or incorrect orders- the few times it’s happened to me i’ve made sure to tip the amount back so the staff don’t lose anything off my table. but the entitlement some ppl have thinking they shouldn’t get charged for shit 😬
I had worked in a restaurant where we had to make photocopies of our time cards because management would try to underpay us and say that we didn't work hours that we had worked.
Thank you for this. So much. I feel incredibly validated I’m really about to cry.
I have worked in many restaurants/coffee shops. I will still watch this.
Also, thank you for the respect for us cooks. 🥰
😈
I love this video so many people need more awareness about what restaurant workers got through.
After 13 years in the industry, I’m making my move to childcare/education, which was always my end goal. Not because it’s a “real job” but because for a similar amount of pay, my work is now fulfilling. My education job is only 3 days a week, so I drive in the gig economy to supplement my earnings and save for the degrees necessitated by my goals. Driving serves me better than restaurant work because I still don’t have a fair rate or benefits, but now I also don’t have management expecting me to work double clopens on game day weekends or sexually harassing me while I serve my tables. I actually have time and mental energy to learn about child development and pedagogy.
My family has been in the restaurant industry for 4 generations-as long as we’ve been in the US-and I used to see leaving the industry as a failure and a character flaw. Too weak, too easily discouraged, or even too bougie and pretentious. I’m glad that my time away from the industry during the pandemic granted me perspective and I was able to lighten up and recognize that I won’t be a class traitor for becoming a teacher lmfao. The restaurant industry is so full of jaded lifers that I became one without realizing.
All this being said, I’m probably only on a break, but this is my first break from the industry since before I was legally allowed to work and it feels great to recognize my potential outside of serving people. I also take a ton of pride in my ability to do my job as a server exceptionally well, and hope that I haven’t forgotten how to roll silverware or something stupid when I come back.
Almost 8 years of retail at age 30. I'm going back to school to get into science/tech industry. Late to the Game, but I want a career where I can advance, make good money/benefits and do something meaningful everyday
i know this isn't very relevant to the video but regarding to tipping in europe: it's true that it's not the custom, but here in italy waiters make from 2.50 to 4€/hour, which is nothing when the average rent is at least 800€/month (also, most of the time it's not even legal work, they don't have a contract because it's cheaper for the employer). i know some waiters may get offended when you tip them, but please if you ever visit italy at least offer a tip, the worst that can happen is they'll get a bit pissed, but you have the potential to help someone who's struggling
damn I didn't know the conditions were that bad! If I can ever afford a trip to Italy, I'll be sure to bring enough to tip some servers =]
@@Kelgore yeah it's been like this for decades but people are only starting to protest now
Also can I just say, as proof that intelligent, outgoing, charismatic people are/have been in this industry: AOC.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Thanks for talking about dishwashers
I cooked for ten years in the restaurant industry. It was the worst experience of my life. It lead my down a path of depression and self destruction that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
I dealt with abuse and ridicule on a daily basis from the owners.
My advise for other cooks is to get the hell out of there while you still can. There’s nothing sadder than seeing people in there 40s still working in that industry.
Im on that end man, im 13 years in & as soon as I can ima bolt. I've gotten cuts, bruises, burns, punched etc.. restaurants should be outlawed!
17 years and going back to school. Recovering alcoholic and major health issues. I just can’t do it anymore. Especially after trying to be sober.
Preach. Excellent video. Currently working at a restaurant. Everything still holds...lol why wouldn't it. Wishing you success in your channel.
🙌 true. In the before times I was a nanny and my bff was a bartender. When we got together, that bish paid for basically everything cause I NEVER had any disposable income.
I used to work in a couple coke-head-manager-run kitchens and quickly became a supervisor at both but I absolutely hated it. It was way too stressful, too fast-paced, too physically uncomfortable, too many smells and sounds, horrible hours, terrible shifts, and WAY too annoying dealing with all the blatant sexism in the kitchen. I was getting paid like $7.00/hr in kansas pre-2010 (when those big dick ballers had to raise the minimum wage to 7.25).
you said “dish pit” & it opened up a memory hole that i fell right the fuck into. soggy ass life. then i remembered by manager at starbucks who stole tips. then i remembered how much addiction plays into the service industry. then i remembered the face of every customer who purposefully went out of their way to not tip me on more than 100 dollar tabs because “bartending isn’t a real job”. then i remembered how many scumbag sex pests are out there owning these establishments. then i remembered i used to have dreams about burning these places down but then they would collect the insurance so even in my dream i gave up. i did NOT have the fortitude to be a good bartender. i couldn’t handle the disrespect. all customers are bastards but they get extra bastard-y when it comes to having their food & drink handed to them by smelly poors. holy god, am i triggered? thanks, dude! (love the video, please roast restaurant owners, keep being rad, loved the paddy’s pub inclusion)
honorary mention for recognizing paddy’s
The fact that you read Vonnegut means I’m forever subscribing and when I can budget it, matreoning
I really loved the years i spent waiting tables. Harrasment, shitting customers, yea those all sucked. But the community amongst the restraunt crew and a high of a really good night going well was something special. Ive had an office job for 3 years now and i do think if it was viable i would have liked to stay a waiter
Really good video. I live in the UK so “tipping culture” isn’t the same here but everything else is a mirror image.
thanks for watching :)
Tipping culture isn't a thing here the same way as it is in the USA but where I work there is an optional ''service charge'' of 12.5% and of course most diners pay it. But there is a lot of skullduggery (wanted to write f_ckery) amongst management so we don't get all of it, if indeed any of it.
Worked restaurants for 20 years. Serving in the North Bay Area. The flexibility and tips were the only reason. It was hell and I'm trying not to do it again. Looking at caregiving opportunities. I did make a lot per hour. My kid is medically fragile so I needed super flexible hours in case of medical emergencies.
1. The way it traps you in is really terrible. I remember driving home one day while screaming because I didn't want my kids to see me like that by the time I got home. Had to pull over and shake it off before walking in the house. NO mental health help. It dehumanizes you and than you lash out. It is what fueled my current political tendencies.
2. Tips no matter what increase your wage past minimum. But the world doesn't really work like that. When you stack it up you won't be able to afford to really live with a concrete life. It turns the paycheck to paycheck mentality on overdrive. You constantly live in fear of not getting enough tips and having your kids be homeless. Tipping in the Bay Area is pretty decent. The divide with staff is real too. I needed the tips to survive though. So did the cooks. So it also turns you against the working class just for the sake of a fake ass sense of agency.
3. The sexual harassments thing is so multilayered. The tipping sets this weird dynamic up. You have to constantly flirt and be nice with people to get more tips. Staff are constantly flirting. Some couples I met ended up getting married. Most ended up causing problems. The whole thing is gross. I have been sexually harassed. Especially by older women. There's sex discrimination too. I had one boss who wouldn't put me on as a server because he only hired women with large breasts. He was one of the most disgusting men I have ever met.
4. I was a direct victim of wage theft. When a lady I worked for was going under she started to skim hours from us. We brought this up everytime she came in to visit. She did nothing and did not stop. I looked up the process for reporting it and taking her to court and lawyers said it wasn't worth it. So we have all this wage theft happening with no real means to stop it. Because of that I did what I needed to (if you get what I mean). I was still under what I actually earned. With no means to report her for wage theft I had zero choice.
5. Alcohol and drugs are so common in this line of work. Drinking on the job wasn't too common because you would be too messed up. But smoking weed was almost required to get past the mental fuckery of it all. I didn't smoke on the job too often but I didn't care if anyone else did. Drinking after the job was incredibly common.
6. Owners depend on the tips. They will never pay a living wage because I wouldn't do that work if it paid the same as any other minimum wage job. They are truly vampires in the worst sense. Universal scumbags. Every one of them and I've met plenty.
I have friends that own their own restaurants, they have no employees because everyone from the server, to the Cook, to the dishwasher, are equal owners,
"The idea that anyone can do it is insulting." AMEN!
I'm a cook hoping to leave the restaurant business for good soon. I honestly want to be a video game developer and start my own big brand. I've always been more of the creative type and more a perfectionist. I don't like to rush things like a restaurant. The restaurant business is the antithesis of perfection and taking my time with something. Plus I could sit at a computer all day, be creative, and make more money than I could doing manual labor or being the boss of a small restaurant. If I'm developing a video game, I don't have to give a release date until I know for sure when to do so.
I just left cooking and had the same dream/ plan. I was unable to do both because cooking took way too much energy when I got home I just wanted to stare at a blank wall. Game development takes an immense amount of cognitive bandwidth. Soon I will find a simpler job and continue my games on the side. I wish you luck in your endeavors.
@@apollyon9946 well so far I left for manufacturing but I’m looking into place like Full Sail.
@@apollyon9946so true cooking is an extremely exhausting job
At this point janitorial work would be so peaceful! Cleaning toilets can be gross but at least the toilet won't call you fuck face, maggot or shit stain to amuse their shitty little friends!
I’m so scared no one is gonna hire me outside of the service industry because I’ve been a server for three years now. I hate serving and bartending I just want something Monday through Friday 9 to 5. I have depression and Asperger’s and have a really hard time in overstimulating environments I feel trapped and sometimes I want to die.
I remember there was a section of seating where "crumbs" would always be. I'd always make mention of it to my managers and they always brushed it off as "just clean it"
But, the "crumbs" kept coming back without any explanation.
Anyways, I soon learned from several servers and the bartenders that it was feces of termites in one section of the building and that they had slowly been spreading. I also found out that the MANAGERS DID KNOW WHAT THE "CRUMBS" ACTUALLY WERE. They just refused to do anything about it, and had the tables cleaned before higher supervisors showed up.
You can safely assume going forward when you ask if we want you to do an episode of Owned about something that my answer will be all caps YES.
okay okay fine! =]
I’ve been applying for serving jobs for 4 months in Portland Oregon after leaving my long time serving position at a well known steakhouse chain. I got sick of their BS so I put in my notice before Christmas thinking I could easily get hired elsewhere as a server. I have 30 years of experience. There are Lots of ads online for server and bartender jobs but I’ve barely even gotten five call backs on the 50+ applications and haven’t gotten a job yet. They aren’t hiring even though they claim they are. Before Covid I could of easily gotten another serving job in this town but not now.
Interesting. Hope you find something friend.
I worked as a cook at a busy fancy shmancy restaurant in a stuck up neighbourhood. I had applied to be a dishwasher but they hired me to be a cook. I should have quit a long time ago but my boss had this superficial charm to him which suckered me into keep working for him. He and other chefs would do these big motivational speeches which were pretty empty but fooled me at the time.
The work and environment was super fast paced with heavy duty lifting and working around extreme temperatures. The kitchen was super cramped and you'd have to juggle many tasks at once. A lot of the cooks weren't the most intellectual people and often said outright stupid, judgmental, or sexist bullshit. The whole experience made me never ever want to work in the restaurant industry. Now I'm happily pursuing other aims outside of the restaurant industry.
Your hair is fabulous!
thank you
As a former member of (and then manager of those in) a hospitality union: we need more hospitality unions.
It wasn't perfect by any stretch but it was better than not having one. By the time I left (because I was working 12hr shifts where the entire time I was just me groveling to guests for stupid shit) in 2019, the base pay was up to $15 in Florida. Which is to say it was actually kind of reasonable.
in my opinion a huge portion of the effort made by [restaurant] unions should be to balance the division of labor. in other words, nobody should be working hours like that, the goal should be to get it down to people working something like 30 hours per week max or 6 hour shifts, depending on the circumstances/preferences. the amount of work we do in a shift/shifts per week/month/year is just ridiculous.
@@Kelgore Absolutely! I had gone into a non-represented management role at that point. Where I only lasted like 5 minutes (9 months)
I tried to break into the grocery store business- from a life of low key food service (I’m not even good enough to wait tables!!!) I never worked at one before so I couldn’t get hired- even though a friend got me an interview.
Tipping should be tax deductible. You're paying someone's salary. People would have much less of an issue with it if we could deduct it.
I've been working in a restaurant as a barista/server since the vaccines came out last year, so almost a year now (got laid off my previous mall retail job bc pandemic). And this was all very accurate and honestly I talk about this shit with my coworkers all the time. I also live in a city with a good minimum wage (maybe same one?) but the company that owns the restaurant is small enough to qualify for a lower minimum wage, which of course they pay us even though we make money hand over fist every day. I can check the live sales at any time, we make $10,000 on a "bad" day at my restaurant, and most of us take home maybe $100-120 for an 8 hour shift without tips. And tipping can vary so widely. We do counter service so if you're on register you just see chains of customers on busy days hit "no tip" and it makes me feel violent sometimes. Also just had an amazing back of house lead quit because he was overworked and underpaid. He was working 6 days a week and making less than me who works 4/5 days front of house. It's not fair. We shouldn't owe owners an infinite debt for opening a business and we should be sharing profits so we all can support a healthy life.
Great vid, thanks!
Glad you liked it!
The stigma is terrible. The Hospitality industry is essential.
I worked in restaurants for 10 years, everything from a hostess to a manager and although I know how unhealthy it was, I still really miss it
Sometimes I miss the job I had at a lunchroom years ago, working as a barista. I became the leader of the team pretty quickly because I’m really good at that job. The rush of going like crazy for several hours on a Saturday lunch rush is like no other. That feeling when everything is going smoothly and costumers are having a good time, 👌
And it’s simple and you don’t have to take your job home like when I worked as a teacher
I think people in the restaurant industry hate to be micromanaged in any way, and with all this free time due to covid we can ask ourselves is this worth spending my life soon ? For some yes for some no .
You are very kind
Start holding managers accountable for favoritism and half the harassment will stop. I’ve seen a disturbing trend in favoritism and “ harem building” in this industry even in corporate restaurants that don’t perform any oversight.
I worked as a hostess at a Carrabba's in Clearwater and I will never go back to work with them. Worst experience I've had.
I love you & your videos … keep going!😊
Liked and subscribed , more restaurant content !!!🎉
Do you have a video on the topic of favoritism? Favoritism in restaurants is now a big issue on a subliminal level.
I will never go back working in hospitality! Even if the salary grows!
I’m very late too the party, but would love an Owned episode on restaurant owners!
way too much bars, restaurants, vegan places, 1000 sorts of coffee bars etc. Even here (Netherlands) the only thing one can buy in city centres nowadays is food and clothes/boutiques. All other things are on industry-terrains/areas, mostly only accessible by car, or online. Hospitality working hours are lousy (except maybe lunch rooms), there arent enough hours, or too many, and ......everyone together is 1 team. That makes that the weakest link makes or breaks the service/product. Toxic often for trust and not healthy to work in, having loads of alcohol around isnt healthy neither, and 1 new virus and youre sacked again
I clean frier yesterday, and range vent. Table servers style and bar restaurant are way to slow and to high price. When I walk into a place and there offer try to seat me know I going to waste how lot of MY TIME.
I stick to party stores, gastation, and fast food. I work in a gastation cleaning up, at end of day I glad I don't have to jerk table weighter.
thanks for sharing this
Thank you for defending cooks. I clean 3 fryers every night and i work appetizer station at a big "upscale" spot. I heard a server say to another server that he'd made $170 (ON A MONDAY). I looked at another server that heard him and semi-sarcastically said "aaand that is why cooks quit jobs and life". Everyone treats the cooks like sh** (unless you're spending the night with one of us)...even then
i married one tbh lol. also yes i feel like the fact that cooks dont get much of a tip out has a lot to do with the fact that a huge part of the BOH demographic are undocumented immigrants. the abuse of hierarchy includes how servers treat their ““subordinates”” (emphasis on the quote marks)
@@Kelgore good for you, we are generally only good at 2 things😉. I live/ work in one of Texas' biggest cities and recall only working with 1 undocumented person (which was a kid that killed it in the dish pit). On the other hand, I have never received a tip out as a cook...ever (I've worked at 7 different places. Ironically, in my experience, the better/pricier the venue, the more the cooks & chefs become "critical" or more important than servers because at these places all you need is a pretty face and a good sales pitch to represent the company & food it serves*I don't agree with this employment practice at all, rather just how it is). Management will follow a line cook to their car as they walk out *IME* but say "whatever or "cool" when a server walks out. I have respect for what servers do and would not want to be "on the front lines" dealing with guests, but I think it is beyond fair to say that more cooks *could* be servers than vice-versa; which isjust another reason this industry is straight horse caca. I have heard about places that often hire illegals and I have no problem with someone doing any job so long as they rock that sh**; I have a problem with people treating illegal coworkers OR AND ***ESPECIALLY*** HOMELESS coworkers who are just trying to earn a check. I have felt like such an idiot for assuming both previous and current coworkers had somewhere to go/stay after work. Tough sh*t but I dont think the same anymore. I wish we could unionize 🤐😓😞
3:10
That ain’t wrong. At the place I used to work at, the boss never said or did anything against the most problematic person in the kitchen due to the fact that they were one of the workers with the most experience working there.
Great video
28 here. Worked in restaurants since i was 25. still do at red lobster. Doing dishes to making bread. Tried being fry today the fryer was laughing at me and said i dont see it and was talking mad crap. Need I remind you he does not speak english cause he is a 70 yr old mexican dude. But the other workers see me and know i haul ass. Anyways i am currently licensed as a CNA now and we shall see if i wanna continue to be a nurse.
As long as we're on the subject, I have a piece of advice. Don't work at Fridays! Ever!
Yeah and if you decide to move up the ladder into management you’ll work way more hours and make way less money, make it make sense ! 😢
there will have to be a change in the dining out culture as well as the industry. for now, skeleton crews and temp holiday workers seem to be the only solution, now
Looooovvvveeee your shirt 😊
In Australia we don't do tipping. The USA minimum rage needs to be risen.
I agree, we need to level up our minimum rage!
I was ditch digger for 3 McDonald last 4 weeks, I did a was ditch digger for Hooters lasted 3 days as well. There ditch have to hand dug because of all the conduit for electrical.
I hope you have a permit for that ditch digging.
Phfft yeah I make 5 $ an hour at outback . Plus tips. Customers mostly dont care about u. I can't wait to quit
would you be so kind as to discuss the high unemployment rate of autistic people and also the lack of accessible housing?
Bring on the modern vending machines
it’s so mind boggling to me that tipped minimum wages are a thing. i served for a year in michigan and every time my managers or the restaurant owner would piss me off i would remind them that they practically don’t even pay me at all (as in i never see that measley little wage, it doesn’t even cover the taxes on the tips for the year i did it)
great vid
But what if I have worked in a restaurant?
don’t you dare watch this video
how can you tip when you are paying with credit card
❤️❤️
HER: “…you’re a hack… and a capitalist…”
ME:“… kinda the point…” 😂🤣💀
From 10 owners 2 of them are some how “fair” the rest are just assholes
10:07 XD XD XD
There need to get rid of alcohol any business that sell alcohol is clearly non-essential business Even when I did go bars it was to meet people. I have a hard time a business is unnecessary some of these bar/restaurant/ Casino are. To bad hair cut places, dentist offices, optometrist, concrete shops were close.
Your entitled to your opinion, but I disagree on various points. Furthermore, there are a lot of contradictory thoughts. Like, I love what I do. then begin to bash the industry. But its your opinion.
i mean that is true of any industry. teachers can love teaching while being critical of the public school system.
Restaurant jobs are full of slackers people want to get paid while playing on there phones and its usually people will very little skills who apply for these jobs only getting worse folks learn how to cook it's a great tool to have
I’ll never understand how you guys in the USA have literally no workers rights
I was with you for a while but towards the end you just seemed entitled. Sorry, but if you're making 16 plus tips you're getting overpaid for what the job requires. Also, there is nothing wrong with the tip system in a place where you're getting 16 dollars an hour. If you're good at your job (like you claim to be) then you should have plenty of money to tip out everyone from the busboy to the dishwasher. Most people waiting tables are in a transitory state and if you hate it that much then go find a better job. You'll see that finding a good job that checks off all your boxes is hard for EVERYONE to find.
i disagree with what you’ve said but the biggest issue i have is that you seem to think if i get paid $16 an hour it means i shouldnt come on here and advocate for the people getting $2.13 an hour. you clearly have a very loose grasp on reality though, glad you’ve personally been unaffected by decades of economic decline.
@@Kelgore I think what’s most offensive about you is this idea that people are trapped in this industry. You act so smart, why don’t you get a better job.
@@tomarnold8417 what are you talking about?
@@Kelgore look. Here’s the bottom line. As I already said I was with you when you were talking about the low hourly wages, but if you are not in one of those states (like you are) then waiters can make 50,000 plus a year. Do mangers sometimes suck. Yes. Do chefs sometimes suck. Always. But everyone knows running a restaurant is super thin margins. That 2000 a night you got 200 in tips on? Rent, food, payroll, taxes, utilities. Most places tip pool now. But guess what? Waiters hate it and quit.
why cant i advocate for people in those states?
Thank you! I've been Doordashing for a month because I can't stand restaurant owners treating me like a liability anymore. I have 20 years experience! Not good enough for these douchebags living out their dream of serving people a pizza!
This is so useful. Please keep making videos ! Hoping to be able to support your patreon before the end of the year
thank you so much! I will check it out :) please don’t feel pressure about the patreon!!
I’m so scared no one is gonna hire me outside of the service industry because I’ve been a server for almost three years now. I hate serving and bartending I just want something Monday through Friday 9 to 5. I have depression and Asperger’s and have a really hard time in overstimulating environments I feel trapped and sometimes I want to die.