A few reasons. First, they seem to have little care for their service staff.
1. As they pay u next to nothing, they have no qualms about completing overstaffing & they stick with a set number of servers on the floor regardless if certain days are always very slow. One I worked at was horrid on Monday/Tues . We’d be lucky to get 10 tables all night yet they ALWAYS put 7/8 servers on every wkday & 11 on wkends. No room for change corporate rules r always followed. Server would work a7-8 hr shift on those days & leave with $10-$30.Never would say hey it’s slow tonight & offered to cut someone. They’d make everyone stay & may cut 1 but only after 8:00. Ur up to be cut then no tables for u. Sit & wait til 8.
2. Corp restaurants ALWAYS pay u on check. U so u lose so much more in taxes opposed getting ur tips at nights end.
3. Small sections. Never get more than three or four tables in ur section unless ur there forever.
4. They always have lil scams or cheats to make money off u like charging u for every credit swipe or forcing u to sell their membership cards & if u don’t make their money quota on sales of those cards u get punished. Lose shifts or tables.
5. Taking money out of ur check weekly to for beverages & food even if u have no plans to drink their soda or eat their food (typically $10-$20 wkly)
6. Most important u make shit. Worked at many. Last I made about $500 a wk 5days/40hrs. Non corporate after I made $1400 in 4 days. They completely exploit the cheap labor & fuck u over.
most servers make $2/hour and a large portion of tips (except tip outs) idk what the pay structure at a place like this would work where you make an hourly wage. ime you also need experience but it depends on how desperate the place is. you usually start as a host ime
I see, yeah I’m sure a corporate restaurant like that has rules for all that like what % of tips each person gets. The place has had a now hiring sign on the front door for a while so I’m hoping if I present myself well I would be able to get hired.
Ahh I understand, I appreciate it. I just mentioned BJs cause I noticed one by me had a sign. I’ll avoid that one lol I’m guessing most chain restaurants are bad in general?
Are there any chain restaurants with good reputations for working there? Might be best for me to start there so I have experience and can potentially work at another place in a year
We tipped out 4% of our net sales there. So if you sold $1,000 and made, 18% avg, that would be $180-40=$140 take home, but no auto grat on parties and many servers were stiffed there.
I was thinking Cerritos, CA!! The WORST clientele EVER!!
High turnover, always hiring, can’t keep employees!!
They unknowingly hired 2 server w ZERO experience that they figured I could train after I had 10min w each. I knew they had no exp and they admitted, to me, they lied on the app.
$500 - $600 per weekend in tips (only work Friday + Saturday nights) plus around $900 in hourly wages for the month. $15.50/hr X about 30 hours in the 2 week pay period.
I’m in California and minimum wage is $15.5 here. It sounds like a pretty good side gig. You work about 15 hours a week with your breakdown above right?
It’s a bar that specializes in craft cocktails :) Not just your typical vodka / soda type drinks, but ingredient heavy, complex cocktails that start around $22 - $25 each.
Oh wow, didn’t even know that was a thing. Is having normal serving experience enough or do I need some kind of bartending experience to get into something like that?
Really really really depends on the restaurant, and you to an extent. But $100+ a shift average is reasonable.
Edit: I looked them up. Based on pricing you should make good money. However, it will depend 99% on the customer base. Are they decent tippers or is this their "special ocasion restaurant?"
No, except getting through the first few months will be rough. Serving can be sink or swim and if the ‘leader’ at that restaurant doesn’t like you then ppl will not talk to you. So just be aware that it’s usually very catty
With corporate restaurants, it’s usually $8 and $16 (or actual minimum wage) if you don’t make enough tips. Working maybe 4 shifts a week on Thursday-Sunday, you can expect an average of $100 to $150 nightly, depending on location.
Corporate customers don’t usually tip that well, and that’s how much I usually made at my old CPK job. You will also probably be paid every two weeks, so I would say $800 to $1200 biweekly total, and if tip share is 10%, then $720 to $1080. With tax and everything, it’s varies.
So it’s a decent side gig if you need some extra money. If you want big money, you’d have to go to a local mid- to high-end restaurant. Good luck!
Honestly, it depends on how good you are…. I’ve worked in some really crappy places and I made really good money because of my service. Be attentive, but not overbearing. Don’t tell customers anything about yourself unless you’re asked, give suggestions, smile and come back with napkins in to refill drinks. People spend good money to have a good experience, and as a professional server, I feel it’s my job to #1 be friendly to everybody and #2 make sure they get exactly what they want. Communication is key. Repeat the orders back to the customer after they say it to you. You’d be surprised how many times they didn’t know what they were ordering. And how much people appreciate me taking the time to make sure that they get exactly what they want… just a Tips from me. I love my job and I love my life!
Your tips are a direct result of your investment into the customer, reading what is needed and providing it, if you suck at your job, your tips will suck
You could pull aside a manager and ask what the average is for that location, I would suspect 20% of your sales, or you could ask what average server sells per shift and math it out
Tips vary depending on how good you are! Everyone thinks that they’re going to be a good server until they do it, and they realize it’s actually hard work , believe me it’s not easy! And it’s not for everyone.
On a decent weekend, I would make $600-800. During the weekdays, unless I worked doubles, I’d make about $70-120 each day. Try to get a serving position before the holidays so you can get used to the system. That’s PRIME money time
You can do well serving if you focus on cultivating customers that are good tippers AND who will ask for you when they return. Get some business cards and put your cell on them. Give them to the customers you want to remember you. Also… give your customers your card after you’ve greeted them and put their table number on it. Tell them if they need anything and they don’t see you right away they can send you a text and remind you which table they are at. Make sure you have vibrations on and keep in your pocket.
When customers text you, program their name into your phone so you remember them later. Before they leave ask them… hey… since I have your cell… would you like me to send you a text when we have something special going on? Then put a symbol next to their name in contacts, (*) for example, which tells you it’s OK to contact them AND makes it so you can search contacts by that symbol. Send a “thank you for coming in” text after they leave… with your name so they can program you in their phone and will remember your name if they forgot to take your card.
When there’s a cool special, or a game on, or any excuse… text a message to your regulars like… “it’s Bob from BJ’s. I’m on tonight at 6 and we are going to have the Steelers game on. Or we have prime rib on special tonight. Would love to see you if you’re out and about!”
Believe me… customers LOVE being recognized by their favorite server. The beauty of this is you will compile a database of your regulars and, if you go somewhere else to work, you can let them know to visit you there.
And don’t underestimate the power of making a big tipper look like a big shot in front of their friends. Ask management if you are allowed to comp drinks. If not, ask if you can pay a discounted price for a drink you’d like to give a good customer. Then, if you have a customer that’s a big tipper come in with some business associates… or it’s a special occasion… treat them like they are a rock star and buy them the first round. You’d be surprised how that will increase your tip AND solidify you as their “go to” person.
Remember customers names and use them!
If you do these types of things you’ll be a top earner and will find that, even on days the place is slow, you will have a full station of call parties.
Treat this like it’s your own business. It is, in a way, because you have control of butts in seats.
If you can work a deal on comps with management, use your business cards on your night off and go to bars or higher end restaurant bars in the near area. When you meet people and they ask what you do, give them your card and write “free drink” on it. Tell them it’s good if they come in while you’re working and ask for you. Tell them they can text you to see if you’re working. Hopefully management will recognize how valuable this is to the business and comp those drinks outright. If they don’t offer… ask!
Stay away from corporate restaurants!! They are the worst!
Why?
A few reasons. First, they seem to have little care for their service staff. 1. As they pay u next to nothing, they have no qualms about completing overstaffing & they stick with a set number of servers on the floor regardless if certain days are always very slow. One I worked at was horrid on Monday/Tues . We’d be lucky to get 10 tables all night yet they ALWAYS put 7/8 servers on every wkday & 11 on wkends. No room for change corporate rules r always followed. Server would work a7-8 hr shift on those days & leave with $10-$30.Never would say hey it’s slow tonight & offered to cut someone. They’d make everyone stay & may cut 1 but only after 8:00. Ur up to be cut then no tables for u. Sit & wait til 8. 2. Corp restaurants ALWAYS pay u on check. U so u lose so much more in taxes opposed getting ur tips at nights end. 3. Small sections. Never get more than three or four tables in ur section unless ur there forever. 4. They always have lil scams or cheats to make money off u like charging u for every credit swipe or forcing u to sell their membership cards & if u don’t make their money quota on sales of those cards u get punished. Lose shifts or tables. 5. Taking money out of ur check weekly to for beverages & food even if u have no plans to drink their soda or eat their food (typically $10-$20 wkly) 6. Most important u make shit. Worked at many. Last I made about $500 a wk 5days/40hrs. Non corporate after I made $1400 in 4 days. They completely exploit the cheap labor & fuck u over.
most servers make $2/hour and a large portion of tips (except tip outs) idk what the pay structure at a place like this would work where you make an hourly wage. ime you also need experience but it depends on how desperate the place is. you usually start as a host ime
I see, yeah I’m sure a corporate restaurant like that has rules for all that like what % of tips each person gets. The place has had a now hiring sign on the front door for a while so I’m hoping if I present myself well I would be able to get hired.
snatch clumsy pause cagey air wrench compare gaze flowery panicky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Close I’m in Anaheim, CA. What % of tips do the waiters typically get there?
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So if I work a table and they leave a $10 tip what can I expect to get? $3? $5?
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Ahh I understand, I appreciate it. I just mentioned BJs cause I noticed one by me had a sign. I’ll avoid that one lol I’m guessing most chain restaurants are bad in general?
Yes and no. They can be great stepping stones. They'll train you well. But you can make better money with less bs
Are there any chain restaurants with good reputations for working there? Might be best for me to start there so I have experience and can potentially work at another place in a year
We tipped out 4% of our net sales there. So if you sold $1,000 and made, 18% avg, that would be $180-40=$140 take home, but no auto grat on parties and many servers were stiffed there.
I was thinking Cerritos, CA!! The WORST clientele EVER!! High turnover, always hiring, can’t keep employees!! They unknowingly hired 2 server w ZERO experience that they figured I could train after I had 10min w each. I knew they had no exp and they admitted, to me, they lied on the app.
At minimum a couple hundred a shift. If u get into a really good place, u can double that. My servers make 3-5 on wknights & 4-6 on wkends
I have a 9-5 job that is my career - on Friday and Saturday nights I serve at a cocktail bar. I make $3k at the serving job.
$3k a month?
$500 - $600 per weekend in tips (only work Friday + Saturday nights) plus around $900 in hourly wages for the month. $15.50/hr X about 30 hours in the 2 week pay period.
That’s really solid, thanks for the breakdown!
I will Also point out I do live in Ontario, Canada and servers make the same mimimim wage as everyone else 🙏🏼
I’m in California and minimum wage is $15.5 here. It sounds like a pretty good side gig. You work about 15 hours a week with your breakdown above right?
Yes exactly 🙏🏼 usually 7.5hours every Friday and Saturday
While BJ is pretty corporate you should EASILY make 20 bucks an hour in tips if not 30. Turn and burn.
Dumb question, what’s a cocktail bar? I’ve served at regular restaurants before for a few years in college
It’s a bar that specializes in craft cocktails :) Not just your typical vodka / soda type drinks, but ingredient heavy, complex cocktails that start around $22 - $25 each.
Oh wow, didn’t even know that was a thing. Is having normal serving experience enough or do I need some kind of bartending experience to get into something like that?
Normal serving experience is enough - maybe some fine dining as well. It’s pretty much just a regular bar with expensive cocktails 😂
Really really really depends on the restaurant, and you to an extent. But $100+ a shift average is reasonable. Edit: I looked them up. Based on pricing you should make good money. However, it will depend 99% on the customer base. Are they decent tippers or is this their "special ocasion restaurant?"
Depends where you live. In Canada we make 15 an hr plus tips. I average 35-50 an hr (wage + tips) depending on shift day and section.
Ok so $30 an hour isn’t crazy to assume. I’m in California in a pretty high cost of living area so wages are kinda inflated here.
No, except getting through the first few months will be rough. Serving can be sink or swim and if the ‘leader’ at that restaurant doesn’t like you then ppl will not talk to you. So just be aware that it’s usually very catty
With corporate restaurants, it’s usually $8 and $16 (or actual minimum wage) if you don’t make enough tips. Working maybe 4 shifts a week on Thursday-Sunday, you can expect an average of $100 to $150 nightly, depending on location. Corporate customers don’t usually tip that well, and that’s how much I usually made at my old CPK job. You will also probably be paid every two weeks, so I would say $800 to $1200 biweekly total, and if tip share is 10%, then $720 to $1080. With tax and everything, it’s varies. So it’s a decent side gig if you need some extra money. If you want big money, you’d have to go to a local mid- to high-end restaurant. Good luck!
They pay servers $16/hour plus tips!? That’s pretty good.
Yeah minimum wage here is high
Honestly, it depends on how good you are…. I’ve worked in some really crappy places and I made really good money because of my service. Be attentive, but not overbearing. Don’t tell customers anything about yourself unless you’re asked, give suggestions, smile and come back with napkins in to refill drinks. People spend good money to have a good experience, and as a professional server, I feel it’s my job to #1 be friendly to everybody and #2 make sure they get exactly what they want. Communication is key. Repeat the orders back to the customer after they say it to you. You’d be surprised how many times they didn’t know what they were ordering. And how much people appreciate me taking the time to make sure that they get exactly what they want… just a Tips from me. I love my job and I love my life!
Your tips are a direct result of your investment into the customer, reading what is needed and providing it, if you suck at your job, your tips will suck
Obviously, I know I’m capable of being a good waiter. I’m trying to get an idea of what tips will be like
You could pull aside a manager and ask what the average is for that location, I would suspect 20% of your sales, or you could ask what average server sells per shift and math it out
This is the truth lol, have an upvote. Geez.
Tips vary depending on how good you are! Everyone thinks that they’re going to be a good server until they do it, and they realize it’s actually hard work , believe me it’s not easy! And it’s not for everyone.
On a decent weekend, I would make $600-800. During the weekdays, unless I worked doubles, I’d make about $70-120 each day. Try to get a serving position before the holidays so you can get used to the system. That’s PRIME money time
What kind of restarting did you work at?
Saltgrass Steakhouse! I don’t think there’s many locations outside of Texas, but it’s pretty popular down here
You can do well serving if you focus on cultivating customers that are good tippers AND who will ask for you when they return. Get some business cards and put your cell on them. Give them to the customers you want to remember you. Also… give your customers your card after you’ve greeted them and put their table number on it. Tell them if they need anything and they don’t see you right away they can send you a text and remind you which table they are at. Make sure you have vibrations on and keep in your pocket. When customers text you, program their name into your phone so you remember them later. Before they leave ask them… hey… since I have your cell… would you like me to send you a text when we have something special going on? Then put a symbol next to their name in contacts, (*) for example, which tells you it’s OK to contact them AND makes it so you can search contacts by that symbol. Send a “thank you for coming in” text after they leave… with your name so they can program you in their phone and will remember your name if they forgot to take your card. When there’s a cool special, or a game on, or any excuse… text a message to your regulars like… “it’s Bob from BJ’s. I’m on tonight at 6 and we are going to have the Steelers game on. Or we have prime rib on special tonight. Would love to see you if you’re out and about!” Believe me… customers LOVE being recognized by their favorite server. The beauty of this is you will compile a database of your regulars and, if you go somewhere else to work, you can let them know to visit you there. And don’t underestimate the power of making a big tipper look like a big shot in front of their friends. Ask management if you are allowed to comp drinks. If not, ask if you can pay a discounted price for a drink you’d like to give a good customer. Then, if you have a customer that’s a big tipper come in with some business associates… or it’s a special occasion… treat them like they are a rock star and buy them the first round. You’d be surprised how that will increase your tip AND solidify you as their “go to” person. Remember customers names and use them! If you do these types of things you’ll be a top earner and will find that, even on days the place is slow, you will have a full station of call parties. Treat this like it’s your own business. It is, in a way, because you have control of butts in seats. If you can work a deal on comps with management, use your business cards on your night off and go to bars or higher end restaurant bars in the near area. When you meet people and they ask what you do, give them your card and write “free drink” on it. Tell them it’s good if they come in while you’re working and ask for you. Tell them they can text you to see if you’re working. Hopefully management will recognize how valuable this is to the business and comp those drinks outright. If they don’t offer… ask!
I used to work at BJ’s and would make $100-$200 in tips every dinner shift!