You’re So Desperate For Any Job, That You Can’t Breathe. Should You Wait Tables?
On my way to a job fair, I couldn’t help noticing the used car lots that were jammed with someone else’s repossessed, ride-to-work automobiles. The red traffic signal forces me to stop at the corner in front of the bus stop, where a small group of what seems like very unhappy people, await their bus ride.
One of them sparks my interest. A well-groomed young woman in her mid twenties sits silently resolute, staring into the traffic. She reminds me of a beautiful red bell pepper that is mistakenly placed, a top a mound of fresh green peppers. She doesn’t belong there, she knows it and so do I. Her red baseball cap and T-shirt advertise the soul burning insignia of a burger joint. I feel her pain, as my eyes drift to her hands. Her knuckles have turned white, from clutching her svelte attache case so tightly. She must be on her way to a second job.
The hair on the back of my neck stands straight up, as my mind takes a mental snap shot. Like I’ve suddenly been sucked into a chapter, of Ayn Rands, “Atlas Shrugged.” Then, I think, “Oh, my God! She’s in my head.” How is it possible that Rand, could write a story fifty years ago, about what is currently happening in America? As white and blue-collar workers begin downshifting into survival mode, and poaching off jobs that rightfully belong to others, Rand unmistakably comes to mind. She is regarded as the high priestess of free enterprise having never met the men of AIG, Adelphia, WorldCom or Enron. Countless entrepreneurs credit the book with inspiring them to start their businesses and persevere in tough times. She believed there are three types of people: producers, moochers or looters.
Waiting tables is a hair’s breath away from being an entrepreneur. How so? The restaurant furnishes a server with all or some of the following; food and drink prepared to the guests specification, a business license fully furnished turn key business, parking lot, utilities, full staff of trained employees, supplies, sanitation, advertising materials or brand recognition, and training. It’s a performance-based job that earns a tinny tiny hourly wage, plus gratuities. The hourly pay is chicken feed, the gratuities are what pumps the iron.
It’s a job that one chooses to perform either by choice or circumstances. It requires a tsunami of common sense, skill, ability, personality and agility. I concede, that academic black holes exist, and yet this trade continues to yield a paycheck. At one time food servers in Switzerland had to complete two years of university, and earn a degree, before they were qualify to serve food.
We listen to the news reports and silently shutter, hoping we’re not next on the chopping block, or we aimlessly await a phone call, inviting us to an interview. Most of the job seekers I spoke to, said they would be willing to take on ANY job, just as long as they could make ends meet. I also heard things like; “But I have two degree’s, I’m knee deep in debt, I’m going to get evicted. I was a Vice President, and I have all this experience. I’ll take ANYTHING; anything at all. I’ll even wait tables.”
The majority of people wrongly believe that any “dumb as rocks idiot” can wait tables. Nothing could be further from the truth. Restaurant work is stigmatized and seen as a second rate career. Yet the job can pay off: loans, mortgages, gambling debts, credit cards, grandchildren’s tuitions, even doctor bills can melt away, if the server is providing outstanding service! Supposedly, this is where our blog and hopefully soon, our forthcoming book can be an enormous boost to anyone having to wait tables.
It upsets me when I hear parents telling their children “you don’t want to end up being a waiter, waitress or work at McDonald’s.” Well, my pretty, I’m here to tell you that you’re children will be missing out on one of life’s most valuable lessons. Imagine all the outstanding development skills they could learn: timeliness, perfection, presentation, complaint resolution, neatness, cleanliness, hospitality, sanitation, and so much more. They walk away with something far more valuable than any 401k. The monumental bonus is that they learn to value the money they earn and to be proud of the work (any work) they perform.
If you think this job is for lazy people or individuals who did not graduate cum laude, you are dead wrong. Think again! Servers and bartenders know more about the real-life world than most highly degreed professionals.
We know its not rocket science but we also don't think it’s second rate. We invite you to subscribe and share your thoughts, experience and comments with us.
Gabriella & PT
Book Plug: "Counter Culture" ~ Author Candacy A. Taylor ~ stories of waitressing. Jean Joseph has been serving coffee and eggs there for nearly four decades ~ the last three alongside her sister, Joanne ~ and the two are as effervescent today as when they first began waitressing in 1947. "She just turned 79," Jean says of her sister, pointing toward a cluster of balloons in the corner. "Those were for her birthday party." And Jean? "I'll be 81 in April," she says with a smile. "Customers are what keep me and her young."
(c) 2010 ptsaldari.posterous.com : PTsaldari Group Inc. | The Art of Serving Well | Serve Me Well Inc. All rights reserved. This article originally appeared on ptsaldari.posterous.com blog authored by PTsaldari. This article may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it. Email: ptsaldari@gmail.com
Comments [50]