6 Struggles of Waiting Tables Through College
1. Serving college kids blows.
The only problem with serving college kids is that they’re just as broke as you. This means that your tips are going to suffer. When you serve in a college town 8 times out of 10, you’re going to be serving a group of kids your own age, and sadly they don’t realize that if you “can’t afford” to tip you shouldn’t be going out to eat at all.
2. You’ll work weekends.
The best tips come on Friday and Saturday nights because that’s when restaurants are the busiest. Even though you’re making great money, it can really suck being stuck at work when all your friends are out drinking.
3. Working late is the norm.
You have a full day of class followed by a shift at work which means you may not even get home until midnight or later. Oh, so you have a 9 a.m. tomorrow? Too bad, you can’t go to sleep because you still have to finish all of your homework and study for your exams.
4. Slow nights are the worst.
When it’s slow, it can be painful. No one has anything to do and everyone is just standing around hoping for someone to walk in. Slow nights are the worst because the slower it is, the less money you make. The unfortunate thing about serving is you could spend two hours at work without a table, meaning you *kind of* worked for two hours but didn’t get paid for it.
5. Drunk customers can be annoying.
College kids are probably gonna go for a beer or two with their meal, fake ID or not. This means rowdy customers and unwanted advances.
6. It’s stressful.
Between rude customers, bad tips, fuck-ups in the kitchen, and very busy nights, serving customers is one of the most stressful jobs out there.
Originally published on FlockU.com
