This past summer, instead of tackling my first internship, I played it safe and applied for what I considered to be the typical summer job: being a hostess at a chain restaurant. You can trust me and all the other summer hostesses/servers out there when we say we learned some interesting things…
1. The environment isn’t particularly glamorous.
There was one day that corporate was coming in to see the restaurant. Managers’ stress levels were high. Servers’ shirts looked less wrinkled. The carpets had been freshly shampooed. I came in expecting to smile and show guests where they should sit – my usual job. But then, I was handed a scraper. As I was led over to the first table, it dawned on me what my job would be before it was spoken aloud. After scraping gum off of the undersides of tables for close to two hours, you could say I was disillusioned with my job. I mean, half my job was literally carrying dirty dishes to the back of the restaurant, so I shouldn’t have trouble convincing you that there are more glamorous jobs than the restaurant business. I was lucky if I wasn’t sweating and covered in food by the end of a shift. However…
2. You bond over imperfect conditions.
Misery loves it’s company, or so the saying goes. I wouldn’t say I was miserable—that seems a bit extreme. But joking and making light of the things you don’t love made the shift go by faster. My first conversation with a trainee might be how to survive, and sometimes I spent an entire shift complaining with a friend about a manager. Of course our whining was over-dramatized, the management wasn’t as bad as we said it was, and my survival guide probably wasn’t necessary. But these little inside jokes often began the connections between employees.
3. You get some cool perks.
I have no compiled list of what every restaurant offers in terms of perks (although that certainly would be a nifty little tool when looking for jobs). However, I can name a few that I do know: people get free food, half-priced food, a personal discount that can be extended to family, the occasional pizza party, etc. Lauren Fish, who worked at a country club’s snack bar over the summer says, “[there was] free food whenever you wanted. Salads, sandwiches, ice cream, french fries, burgers.” The problem with perks is…
4. You have to be careful about what you’re spending/eating.
“If I didn’t [count calories] I would’ve just eaten all the time. I’m not kidding when I say on one side of me were snowballs, the other side was ice cream, in front of me was candy…I would’ve gotten sick,” says Fish. Luckily, Fish knew how to handle it. “I was making sure I was getting a balance of protein, carbs, fat, and at lunch I was trying to be conscious.” It’s not just watching to make sure you don’t load up on the calorie-heavy food restaurants always tend to produce. For me, the food was discounted but not free. If I didn’t want to lose an hour of pay to buy lunch, I had to think about my choices. Could I order something small and supplement with snacks from home? Could I split food with someone? Or the biggest money saver: order off the kid’s menu! (You can always eat more when you get home if it leaves you wanting more.)
5. You learn to be harder on servers.
Working in a restaurant gave me a new set of expectations for when I go out to eat. I expect to be greeted quickly and have my drink brought to me immediately afterwards, the server to be friendly, and to be shown a smiling face. I used to give servers 18% without batting an eye, but now I’m critical. I don’t want to stiff a server because this is their livelihood, but when you treat me like a nuisance or blatantly blow off your job, you might get 15% from me. What can I say, my experience has taught me what it really means to be a server.
6. You also learn to be easier on servers.
Hopefully I won’t lose you now. I’m aware I just said I’m harder on servers, but I’m going to contradict myself. I now know what it’s like to work eight hours past when you’re supposed to leave because the restaurant gets busy. I know what it’s like to stay way past your bedtime one night and come in the next day before you’d normally wake. I’ve worked while hungry, sad, mad, frustrated, anxious, tired, and with bronchitis. I know that after a long day, it’s hard to put on that server smile for one more table who might not tip. I try to cut people a break. I give good servers better tips than I would have before. And when the service is bad, I try to wonder why and give people the benefit of the doubt. It’s not hard, really, when I think of my own experience as a server.
7. The customer is always right…
It’s pretty ingrained in you that the customer is your master. You want a booth, not a table? Okay. You want a new soda because yours was flat? Okay. You want something stricken from your check because you didn’t like it? Okay. You want to decide how much you pay (in tip)? Okay. Seriously, the ‘customer is always right’ really is the generic restaurant mantra. It’s there, and it’s important. This could be somebody’s first date, somebody’s 5th birthday, somebody’s only night off this month! You have the opportunity to give them a special dining experience, without the stresses of home or work or school. Plus, they’re paying you for your kindness.
8. A rude customer is also right.
Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to take any kind of abuse in your workplace. But people will come in with grumpy demeanors and odd demands and tightly-pinched wallets. These customers are still customers, and you have to smile and treat them like you do the happy ones. It can be frustrating to smile and not get a smile back, to be talked over, ignored, complained to, etc. When you come in the door, just be ready to smile and not take it personally.
9. It might not be your dream job…but it’s not a bad job either.
Now this is my last point, but it’s an important one. A restaurant is not my end goal. Personally, I’m kind of introverted and would like to work around fewer people. I realized that I’m not “above” any job, nor is there a job I cannot learn from. My job at a restaurant let me meet all kinds of people and working hard is never regrettable. I learned to operate at a fast pace, be flexible with my schedule, to train new people and even be criticized myself. Summer jobs offer stories, but also lessons you may not even know you’ve learned.