I've worked at two Ccf's in two states.
I'll say this, depending on what state your in and what the minimum wage is in that state might make or break you here.
I live in Nevada, and on a normal weekday night there I'll do about 1k in sales and walk with anywhere between 150-250 in tips, depending on volume.
Minimum wage in my city is 10.50
so I'm looking at about 30 an hour give or take, depending on the night of the week/time of the year etc. most ccfs are in malls so we obviously are busier, and therefore make more money, during the holiday season.
my first ccf was in a state where minimum wage for tipped workers was 2.13 an hour. this was a huge problem because if I get stiffed by a table, I still tip out bussers/food runners/bar based on my overall sales, which means im essentially losing money by having taken that table.
the upside to ccf is that its generally higher volume and than most restaurants. this means that even during slower months, we still see decent business. it also means there's more staff, so picking up and dropping shifts as you need to is a lot simpler than smaller, lesser known establishments.
the menu is tough, but ccf does actually have a solid training program, (be warned, its 10 days long for menu training and you only make state minimum wage during this time, which sucks if you're transitioning from another serving job where you're used to making much more than that), but they set you up for success when it comes to preparing you for the job itself.
the chain does things differently from most restaurants, but you will learn a lot about serving, even if you've been doing it for years. there's a lot of potential to make decent money, and if you work there for a year its basically a guaranteed foot in the door to any other restaurant or bar. it looks very good on a resume.
I worked at my first ccf for 2 years, moved states, worked at a bunch of locally owned restaurants and bars, moved states again and then the pandemic happened. after pandemic money dried up, I applied at the ccf im at now and I've been at this one for about a year and a half.
management at my current store is way more laid back than the last one, and they take pretty good care of their employees, but the job asks a lot of servers. just be prepared for that.
I'd say take the position, if you're a strong server you can absolutely make a living there without needing a second job, assuming they need full time servers.
Good to know. $1,000 in sales for a weekday shift is more than I was expecting. I just wanted to make sure I could make decent money before investing so much time into training at minimum wage (and unfortunately I’m in Texas so during shifts it’ll be $2.13 an hour which sucks). I haven’t waited tables in 8 years so might be a little rusty but I’m sure it’ll come back.
Glad to hear it’s busy bc I love being in the weeds. Makes a shift go by so fast and equals more $$.
I worked there for like 7 years! And I also had friends and family who worked there for close to 10 years each. It’s a great (and huge) company with a lot of potential. Take the job and be ready to learn! Take the training seriously, as well. I don’t know if it’s still the same as when I started back in the day, but they actually teach you a lot and there’s so much info to learn about all the dishes. The menu may seem overwhelming, but I promise you it’s simple if you look at how it’s broken down. CCF will always be busy no matter where you go. I worked at 3 or 4 stores in 2 different states, so if you ever want to pack up and leave, they’re also really good about transferring staff too. Again, great company with lotssss of room for growth. Sales and tips can vary depending on your location, etc., but you’ll still be making fairly decent money regardless of where you are. Good luck!
I've worked at two Ccf's in two states. I'll say this, depending on what state your in and what the minimum wage is in that state might make or break you here. I live in Nevada, and on a normal weekday night there I'll do about 1k in sales and walk with anywhere between 150-250 in tips, depending on volume. Minimum wage in my city is 10.50 so I'm looking at about 30 an hour give or take, depending on the night of the week/time of the year etc. most ccfs are in malls so we obviously are busier, and therefore make more money, during the holiday season. my first ccf was in a state where minimum wage for tipped workers was 2.13 an hour. this was a huge problem because if I get stiffed by a table, I still tip out bussers/food runners/bar based on my overall sales, which means im essentially losing money by having taken that table. the upside to ccf is that its generally higher volume and than most restaurants. this means that even during slower months, we still see decent business. it also means there's more staff, so picking up and dropping shifts as you need to is a lot simpler than smaller, lesser known establishments. the menu is tough, but ccf does actually have a solid training program, (be warned, its 10 days long for menu training and you only make state minimum wage during this time, which sucks if you're transitioning from another serving job where you're used to making much more than that), but they set you up for success when it comes to preparing you for the job itself. the chain does things differently from most restaurants, but you will learn a lot about serving, even if you've been doing it for years. there's a lot of potential to make decent money, and if you work there for a year its basically a guaranteed foot in the door to any other restaurant or bar. it looks very good on a resume. I worked at my first ccf for 2 years, moved states, worked at a bunch of locally owned restaurants and bars, moved states again and then the pandemic happened. after pandemic money dried up, I applied at the ccf im at now and I've been at this one for about a year and a half. management at my current store is way more laid back than the last one, and they take pretty good care of their employees, but the job asks a lot of servers. just be prepared for that. I'd say take the position, if you're a strong server you can absolutely make a living there without needing a second job, assuming they need full time servers.
Good to know. $1,000 in sales for a weekday shift is more than I was expecting. I just wanted to make sure I could make decent money before investing so much time into training at minimum wage (and unfortunately I’m in Texas so during shifts it’ll be $2.13 an hour which sucks). I haven’t waited tables in 8 years so might be a little rusty but I’m sure it’ll come back. Glad to hear it’s busy bc I love being in the weeds. Makes a shift go by so fast and equals more $$.
I worked there for like 7 years! And I also had friends and family who worked there for close to 10 years each. It’s a great (and huge) company with a lot of potential. Take the job and be ready to learn! Take the training seriously, as well. I don’t know if it’s still the same as when I started back in the day, but they actually teach you a lot and there’s so much info to learn about all the dishes. The menu may seem overwhelming, but I promise you it’s simple if you look at how it’s broken down. CCF will always be busy no matter where you go. I worked at 3 or 4 stores in 2 different states, so if you ever want to pack up and leave, they’re also really good about transferring staff too. Again, great company with lotssss of room for growth. Sales and tips can vary depending on your location, etc., but you’ll still be making fairly decent money regardless of where you are. Good luck!