waitress earnings ?

[snowflakeluvr]

My daughter just graduated college in December(a semester early

and moved home in February, leaving a job in her field in her college town. Extremely low pay and living in a crackhouse appt buildings were major considerations. She is also awaiting grad school acceptance(fingers crossed) ...so she has applied at a Max and Erma''s chain restaurant to waitress. She has her third interview tomorrow, which is with the GM. Do waitresses across the board make the same?(like 2.00 plus tips?) I worked in a restaurant 100 years ago but I was a hostess so received an hourly, not hourly plus tips. Also, can she ASK "How much might I earn?" She has had several "similar" interviews lately and of course wants to choose the most "lucrative" one. Thank you for your insight about this. I love PS''ers!

 

[rockzilla]

Haha...at first I thought this said "waitress earrings" and was about what kind of earrings are best for waitresses to wear...

A friend of mine is a "server" as he calls it. What he does when he is looking for a job is to ask not the hiring person/manager, but the other employees how much they generally make. You can do this somewhat discreetly, probably before taking a position. Also note that the "old timers" generally get the best shifts, so probably good to ask both someone who''s been there a while and someone who started in the last 6 months.

Also, a nicer restaurant doesn''t always mean more $$$...oftentimes those places have a lot more staff (runners, busboys, etc.) that the tips have to be split between.

 

[Mobinvera]

Date: 3/28/2010 9:00:07 PM
Author: rockzilla
Haha...at first I thought this said ''waitress earrings'' and was about what kind of earrings are best for waitresses to wear...

A friend of mine is a ''server'' as he calls it. What he does when he is looking for a job is to ask not the hiring person/manager, but the other employees how much they generally make. You can do this somewhat discreetly, probably before taking a position. Also note that the ''old timers'' generally get the best shifts, so probably good to ask both someone who''s been there a while and someone who started in the last 6 months.

Also, a nicer restaurant doesn''t always mean more $$$...oftentimes those places have a lot more staff (runners, busboys, etc.) that the tips have to be split between.

I also thought this was about earrings for a waitress!

 

[Cehrabehra]

I would ask what a typical night''s SALES are for a single waiter. From that you can roughly go to 10%. Not everyone tips well so that''s an average. Back when I waitressed I made $5 plus tips because in CA we got minimum wage plus tips. Not sure if it is still that way - we''re looking back a couple decades (haha but at least not 100 years

)

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 3/28/2010 9:02:22 PM
Author: Mobinvera

Date: 3/28/2010 9:00:07 PM

Author: rockzilla

Haha...at first I thought this said ''waitress earrings'' and was about what kind of earrings are best for waitresses to wear...



A friend of mine is a ''server'' as he calls it. What he does when he is looking for a job is to ask not the hiring person/manager, but the other employees how much they generally make. You can do this somewhat discreetly, probably before taking a position. Also note that the ''old timers'' generally get the best shifts, so probably good to ask both someone who''s been there a while and someone who started in the last 6 months.


Also, a nicer restaurant doesn''t always mean more $$$...oftentimes those places have a lot more staff (runners, busboys, etc.) that the tips have to be split between.

I also thought this was about earrings for a waitress!

lol tritto - when I hovered I was thinking well maybe she shouldn''t wear the earrings if she works near a crack house lol!

 

[jewelz617]

I used to make about $100-$200 a night as a waitress. But I worked at a VERY busy restaurant. It was one of the best jobs I ever had! Lots of exercise and it''s where I met my husband

 

[PumpkinPie]

I agree that asking what a typical waitress`s sales per evening is a better way to possibly phrase the question

 

[JulieN]

some states require that servers make minimum wage + tips. In CA, waiters can easily make 5x as much as the cooks in the back.

the best way to pick the restaurant where she might work as a server is to pick the one with the best food. When you have good food, you have good business, and that makes management, cooks, and customers happy. If she's applied to a job at a restaurant, she should have already eaten there!

Please don't ask how much is taken home in a typical night...it means to me that all that person cares about is making money, instead of caring about the customers and service. Again, speaking as a cook, where many cooks and chefs work in other restaurants for FREE as a standard practice, money isn't everything. If you work in a good place where everybody is proud of what they do, the money will come.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

Thanks everyone for your help. Of course she isn''t going in and asking "how much nightly?" and I think my daughter, who''s very hard-working, would do quite well in the restaurant industry, but I was/am curious about how tips+pay works...

I did go back and re-read my title to make sure I didn''t have a spelling error on "earnings" lol....I''m thinking studs over hoops?

 

[zipzapgirl]

First of all, pick the restaurant that has the highest average bill. So if people can order appetizers and make a meal of it, or there are cheaper items on the menu, that average will go down. Also, a place with a good bar atmosphere will mean that the dinner hours go longer, so there will be more times to turn over her tables--and the patrons will likely order drinks, whih also ups the final bill.

Ask how many tables will typically be assigned to each server. If these are limited to 3 or 4, then that will mean fewer potential tables, but let her give better service, so it''s a tradeoff.

She can also ask what the tip-out policy is for hostesses, bus boys, bartenders, etc.

I think CA must be an exception as far as hourly wages goes. I got paid $2.30/hr. a few years ago and I think the wages usually only just cover the taxes in most states. I wouldn''t count on getting a paycheck.

Good luck to your daughter

It''s definitely one of the biggest learning experience jobs i ever had!!

 

[qtiekiki]

Date: 3/28/2010 9:11:49 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 3/28/2010 9:02:22 PM

Author: Mobinvera

Date: 3/28/2010 9:00:07 PM


Author: rockzilla


Haha...at first I thought this said ''waitress earrings'' and was about what kind of earrings are best for waitresses to wear...





A friend of mine is a ''server'' as he calls it. What he does when he is looking for a job is to ask not the hiring person/manager, but the other employees how much they generally make. You can do this somewhat discreetly, probably before taking a position. Also note that the ''old timers'' generally get the best shifts, so probably good to ask both someone who''s been there a while and someone who started in the last 6 months.



Also, a nicer restaurant doesn''t always mean more $$$...oftentimes those places have a lot more staff (runners, busboys, etc.) that the tips have to be split between.

I also thought this was about earrings for a waitress!

lol tritto - when I hovered I was thinking well maybe she shouldn''t wear the earrings if she works near a crack house lol!

LMAO. Quadritto. Glad I wasn''t the only who read "earrings". I was like what''s waitress earrings.

 

[luckystar112]

There are a LOT of factors that go into how much money a server will make. Here are some of them, as well as some questions she might want to ask.

1. What does the menu look like? A restaurant that sells steak and wine will obviously have a higher tab than a burger joint, and hence, a higher tip per table. Someone mentioned finding out the average cost of a meal, that is great advice. ETA: Just realized I copied a lot of zipzapgirl's advice. Oops!

2. How is the restaurant set up? For example, if customers are required to order at a counter and then sit at a table where a server will bring them their food, tips may not be as high.

3. Does the restaurant serve alcohol? Alcohol is a big bill-booster.

4. How big of a section are you allowed to have (how many tables are you allowed to serve at once)? This is a big one, because some restaurants may let you take over half of the restaurant on a slow day, whereas others may require that that servers only have a maximum of 4 tables at a time. It has been my experience that they higher-end restaurants give their servers smaller sections so that tables get their undivided attention. The higher tabs make up for the loss.

5. Do you keep your earnings, or do they go into a "pool"? Believe it or not, some restaurants do this! At the end of the night, tips are collected from all servers and the money is distributed based on how long your shift was, how long you have worked there, etc. Sounds "fair" but it can be REALLY annoying if you get a huge tip on one table and you have to split it with everyone else.

6. How many people do you have to tip out, and how much? Most restaurants require that you distribute a percentage of your tips to hostesses, busboys, bartenders, etc. The last waitressing job I had we gave 10% to the bartender and 10% to the busboys--20% of total earnings for the night. Restaurants do this so that they can keep their pay low, and it's pretty annoying.

7. What shifts can you work? Obviously, a Friday night will be far more lucrative than a Tuesday night. Managers try to even things out by scheduling less people on the slow nights, but in my experience is doesn't help much because people are far more likely to drink more, spend money on dessert, stay longer, etc. if they don't have to work the next morning. Also, in some restaurants, you have to EARN the more lucrative shifts. I'd go for a restaurant that is willing to give me the good shifts up front.

That's all I can think of right now. I may be back. lol

 

[meresal]

I didn't read the other replies, but this is one of the things that made a HUGE difference in how much you made...

1. Size of sections and how they are picked at the beginning of a shift. (Seniority, random drawing, etc?)
2. Also, you will obviously make more on the weekends. So be sure to ask if she will be able to work both Friday and Saturday nights... or if they split them.

Ditto re: the tip out.

 

[snowflakeluvr]

Thanks so much. She went to her interview this afternoon, but the health dept had shown up so the GM was busy. Interview rescheduled...I appreciate the input! This isi a great place to be