If you are a server/waitress?

YorkieFan · May 2010

I've been working a few shifts a week to supplement our income for the past few months. I'm curious if you work at a restaurant, are you required to do cleaning at the end of the evening besides just cleaning tables? We are required to clean one area of the kitchen at the end of the night in addition to rolling silverware as well as cleaning our tables. This often takes over an hour because we are still required to plate and run food as well. That leads to my next question. Are you also responsible for plating and running food? I'm just looking to see what other restaurants do. This job has to be one of the most stressful I've ever worked at and I used to work at a university in an administrative roll before becoming a mom.

Thanks for any input you can provide!

Stacyc625 · May 2010

when i tended bar (in/after college)- i was responsible for cleaning my bar area and the surrounding tables at the end of my shift- I would also run food to tables in the bar area. That is pretty common- never really saw anything stressful about it (but thats me)

EDIT- i made super great money tending bar (having big boobs helps i guess lol) ~ I have considered it again- since PA went smokeless in all bars/restaurants- but I just don't have the time. Was a lot of fun though-

babypuplove · May 2010

I was a server in college, and yes, at both restaurants I worked in we had some sort of "closing duties." Rolling silverware was usually one of them, filling salt/pepper shakers, cleaning a section of the restaurant, etc. I hated everything about serving and couldn't stand that we had to stay for an extra hour or so after a long shift to do things like that while making $2.00/hour. I'm sorry you're stressed. Is the money at least good? I also worked at J.Crew and babysat in college, and definitely made the best money serving, which is why I did it, although I enjoyed babysitting the most. :-)

kcisthebombdotcom · May 2010

I don't waitress now but used to in college, and I did the cleaning at the end of the night/silverware/bussed my own tables.

detroitblondie · May 2010

I've waited tables & tended bar in the past for several different places. YES there can be a lot of extra work at the end of your shift. At one place not only did we have to clean our section but we would split the duties of vacuuming the entire establishment, mopping the front of the house, cleaning all the game tables, cleaning both men & women's bathrooms... the list could go on forever. At another place we had to roll an entire milk crate of silverware every night in addition to whatever our duties were for the particular section we were in- that could mean an extra hour of stuff added on at the end of our shift. I guess all that extra work just comes with the territory of being a server, you know?

taylormillgirl · May 2010

Another college waitress here. I was a cocktail waitress at a busy sports bar. After closing, I had to help clean up my section, which included cleaning all the ashtrays. I always hated that part. Oh, and when those damn drunken cowboys left their cups full of tobacco spit lying around. That was nasty.

MrsPreK · May 2010

Same here. I waited tables for the past 5 years at a local/popular bar and made GREAT $$ =D Even when pregnant! LOL.

That being said, waitresses were required to clean the *back room* where we kept all the soup, coffee pots, microwaves and *extras* as well as roll silverware AND fill items up front in the fridge like: condiments, pickle chips, pickles, cheeses (for burgers), etc.

Clean-up stunk as we'd always try and do it as the evening rush came to an end but then if we got a rush we'd be back to square one or if a girl was cut and her duties were taken care of but then depleted again, you would have to make sure everything was full again.

Sometimes this would take up to 1.5 hours to get out after being *cut* from waiting tables.

DevonPow · May 2010

I waitressed summers in college - ditto the PP. I had to clean, run food, etc etc. One summer I worked in the bar area of a large restaurant (so,limited food menu, mostly drinks). That was really good money, and I liked it a lot more than "regular" waitressing. It is stressful though, and loooong nights.

Mc_Newlywed · May 2010

It's been a few years but I was in that biz for a long time. And yes, in addition to cleaning my own tables, filling salt/peppers/ketchups/etc. I also ran my own food (didn't plate it though) and cleaned part of the kitchen. But the part that we had to clean was like the salad area or another area that we were responsible for. We never went behind the line to clean or had to clean the prep areas.

And yes, we also rolled silverware. But usually we had to do 50 pieces or so then the closing person did the rest.

Mrs.Hizzo · May 2010

I was in the restaurant industry for years. Waited tables, bartended, and managed. So, yes, I never worked anywhere that didn't require sidework at the end of a shift. It was always expected that a server run food, even if they were cut, if no one else was available. Think how bad that looks to a guest, to see their food in the window (if it's an open kitchen) and a server walking past it, but not taking 30 seconds to run it out to the table. I don't think anything is being asked of you that wouldn't be required at any other restaurant.

Cutemin · May 2010

I worked in restaurants for almost 15 years in just about every position there is! Waiting tables can be a very stressful job, I don't think many people realize that. But yes, every place I have ever worked requires side work, most require running food and some plating food. Any place I have had runners to run food, I have had to tip them out a good portion of my tips. Of course the bartender and the bussers also get their share.

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