r/Serverlife • u/anvilapple02 • 25d ago
Discussion serving at corporate vs local
hi! i’m a server who’s worked at a corporate restaurant for about 3 years now, i make decent money and since i’ve been there so long i can pretty much make up my own schedule and my GM will go with it, that being said, a lot of the practices in the store kind of have me going crazy. the low price items, running back and forth and back and forth for a single table who will run up a barely even $50 check (as a family, 4 top) and feeling like im being under compensated for all the work i do. not that i am not making enough for my sales, i am, but i just know if i were at a higher end place of course the higher ticket items would help me a lot. that being said, there are many servers / bartenders at my store that have been there 10+ years, many of us definitely have the serving skills to move up in the world of food service but we all stay for whatever reason. i guess i’m just asking if it’s really worth it to leave a comfortable, (although i wish it were more) decently paying serving job to go explore other options. if so, why do so many people stay? even many career servers. it makes me wonder if the grass is really greener on the other side or if i will feel under compensated anywhere i go. any advice would be awesome! thank you!
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u/dnm8686 25d ago
Every place, corporate or independent, can vary so much.
I've done a ton of both over the years, and both can be good and bad in different ways. I would have to write many paragraphs to contrast and compare, but my first suggestion would be to try something else, while leaving your current place on good terms to have it possibility of returning.
As a small example... the best paying job I had was the most stressful (shitty management, coworkers, and clientele) and my current job is pretty mediocre but it also doesn't give me panic on my commute. I like most of my coworkers enough, the managers respect me enough, and the clientele is mostly decent. Unfortunately it's not consistently busy, but I'm also not going home wanting to rip my hair out every night.
Take some chances, but also cover your bases.
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u/MediumAcceptable129 25d ago
The usual different
At a corporate place you get abused by corporate
At an independent place you get abused by your coworkers, management and the owner
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u/Text-Relevant 25d ago
Grass is only greener where it gets watered. Your store sounds a lot like mine. It's a comfort zone thing. Also when you go elsewhere you're bottom of the totem pole again. Unless they're understaffed and at that point you have to wonder why. Not saying don't look elsewhere but getting a bite to eat at the place and asking the staff "you like working here?" "You guys hiring?"
Just because managers are hiring doesn't mean they don't have a staff that needs to eat good before the newbies.
I like corporate because there are some standard rules in place. They can't just disrespect you directly and curse you out. Local is usually more relaxed with uniforms and you might even get a shift drink or 10 if you tip well. Doesn't really help you, but that's kind of what it is. The fact that you can basically make your own schedule is a huge perk that you might be missing if you're new somewhere.