Going into my senior year of college, I’d had a lot of years of experience in my field under my belt. A communications-related job on campus, a summer internship as a content creator it really looked like I might’ve had it all figured out. And yet I really REALLY wanted to try working in the restaurant industry. I was frankly jealous of my friends who would swap stories about annoying customers and the relationships that they would make with their coworkers, so early this fall I got a job as a server at a Ramen restaurant. The only previous experience I had had was as a hostess for a month over the summer and even that job could get to be a handful so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Luckily for me, Philadelphia is only open for up to 25% capacity currently so while the restaurant does get a lot of takeout orders that we have to process, we never have more than six tables to work with.
Piece of advice #1: Be friendly with the kitchen staff. You might be the face of the restaurant to your customers, but most of their experience depends on their food so therefore making sure that you and the kitchen staff are on the same page and have a good dynamic going can make all the difference. It also helps to always be transparent with them if there is something that you might have messed up on. Especially if you are new, giving them all the details on what you need from them and why would really help both you and staff know exactly how to fix said problem.
Piece of advice #2: Never be afraid to ask for help. I’m sure you might think that this is a given and yes it pretty much applies to all forms of work that you might do. Asking questions about the job could possibly save the restaurant money and you a lot of work depending on the situation. In the restaurant industry it is also possible for your anxiety and stress levels to fly, so do yourself a favor and ask those questions that you need to in order to succeed.
Piece of advice #3: Work somewhere where you like the food unless you’re trying to lose weight in which case don’t. But most of the time when you work a serving job you will be allowed a free meal or a discount on the food. It is my third week in and all I look forward to anymore is the food from the place that I work at. I could eat ramen and other assorted Asian fusion for the rest of my life so working at a ramen restaurant has treated me very well.
What it all really comes down to is being genuine. Doing so will not only help you work more smoothly but it will also make your time at work more enjoyable. I can’t wait to go to work because I love my coworkers and I love the job. Learning how to put myself out there has taught me some great life skills and while I did get a late start to serving (my senior year of college, mere months away from needing to find a “big girl job”) I am so thankful for all that it has taught me as well as all that it still has for me to learn.