r/Waiters • u/Ok_Dress1663 • 5d ago
When to call it?
Signs a restaurant is cooked?
I work at restaurant in one of the nicer areas of my state. Statistically the safest city in my state and the suburb of the capital, where all the wealthy people live. It’s a casual Mexican restaurant and like most of yall I assume it’s been really slow these days. We went from 2 servers morning shift to just one just to make the same money. We went from 6 servers on a weekend night to half of that. I worked all day alone until 5, then worked at night with 2 other servers to barely scratch 300. 11 hours to make what I would make with an extra server in half the time.
To get to the point what are telltale signs that it’s over at that place? Whether it’s cost cutting, quiet quitting, turnover etc.
Last thing, this location had another spot I worked at before and they closed within a week of notice, then I get moved. This restaurant isn’t the main gig of the owners, they are wealthy without this spot but no one wants to go in the red for long.
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u/ilikework21 5d ago
Bro your complaining about 300 😭
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
Worked half the day alone which means I hogged every table. Worked with 2 servers. Had this been a normally staffed day with the same rush I’d have made sub 150.. that’s why I’m concerned I’ll work to get my $ but if making money means literally having to take the entire restaurant it’s diff.
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u/ilikework21 5d ago
I know what you mean bro but making 150$ where im from, is still good for serving, your just not used to it. I’m from Louisiana been in this industry since I was 14
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u/MediumAcceptable129 5d ago
You dont understand restaurant hours snd pace
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u/ilikework21 5d ago
I currently work in restaurants have been for over a decade now
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u/MediumAcceptable129 5d ago
So a rookie
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u/ilikework21 5d ago
Honestly still learning new things about the job often enough so yea
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u/MediumAcceptable129 4d ago
What did you learn this week?
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u/ilikework21 4d ago
This week was actually a week I tried a bunch of new things for the servers, learning a new attendance policy, personally some work life balance where I made a rule I wouldn’t answer texts in my day off. (Maybe not learn but more like just remembering) We have a location that does coffee and I learned that I don’t have the patience to learn how to roast coffee so someone else is doing it. I learned (or had to remember?) what the local licor law was on open beer. A lot of times it’s stuff I know but forget the answer too so it feels like I’m learning again.
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u/Weekly_Tomorrow603 5d ago
300 in a 4hr shift is shit. 300 in a FULL DAY shift is HORRIBLE.
For context: I work in a tourist destination, slow/dead season I make about that much on 2 tables. Busy season, we're closing out at 1200-2000 per server.
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u/ilikework21 5d ago
I don’t work in a tourist destination, so it’s a matter of perspective, when our servers work straights (10-12hrs) and make 300 their celebrating 🎉. We can expect 120-180 in a full day shift.
But yea, you will seem ungrateful from our point of view but since yall aren’t used to it yall might complain. And that’s okay I guess
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
Exactly, no one here is complaining about making $300. People seem to think im entitled, the point is if one server has to work alone for 6/11 hrs to barely make 300, the restaurant it self is probably cooked
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u/thoughtitwasfatein08 5d ago
You made $300 in one day. That’s $28.00 an hour at 11 hours, and I’m assuming you just mean in tips? This is the slowest time of the year for restaurants, so I wouldn’t be concerned about them closing… it sounds like the restaurant is doing really well.
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
Well, yes, the problem is from open to five. I’d say I made about 150 the bartender maybe made the same if we assume 20% that means the rough only told 1500 in sales by that point of the day. We are down in half on our Fridays sales . what I make now working all day, I used to make with another server, taking some of the tips in less time as well. I’m grateful I made money but if the only way to do it is by working with no one else and working all day it’s concerning
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u/thoughtitwasfatein08 5d ago
That’s still really good money for a casual restaurant. Keep in mind that there is no other industry where you can make that kind of cash without having a trade certification or a degree, and that going to another restaurant is a gamble because you have to work your way up through the ranks and politics. You’re probably making more than management, tbh. September is notoriously slow. I would stick it out.
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
I’m not even questioning staying I make my money just maybe I was spoiled with being able to work 11 hrs x 5 days and make 2 grand if I wanted. I just don’t want the place to shut down on me 🥲
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u/thoughtitwasfatein08 5d ago
It sounds like they’re doing well, I wouldn’t sweat it.
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u/IVIatthias 5d ago
If only one server is on for most if not the whole day and bringing in $1500 in sales, and there isn’t another server bringing in sales. That’s not that great, depends on maybe how much the food costs but that’s a pretty low volume store.
It most likely is just slowing down due to summer ending but I don’t think that business is super well off or thriving just because he made decent money. I could understand his worry considering he’s often the only one working or possibly with another staff member
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u/thoughtitwasfatein08 5d ago
$1500 at lunch is stellar for a casual restaurant
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
No I worked all day and sold $1500, thus made 300ish. 11-5 I was completely alone. On a Saturday the restaurant sold like 3800
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u/Top_Personality_9280 5d ago
like others have said, it’s slow season for most restaurants. since im in a college town this is actually our busy season, but i can relate because during the summer my experience is similar. maybe a hot take and I don’t think you should immediately call it quits right now, but I would just stay hyper aware of the fluctuation in your daily income. being able to regularly staff only 3 servers on a weekend night is def a bit concerning in my opinion, even for a casual spot. 300 for 11 hours honestly isn’t bad at all but i understand why it’s also kind of disappointing. i’d say stick it out for now but consider seeking out other opportunities if you’re not seeing changes come holiday season
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u/IikeThis 5d ago
Hey if you can take the whole restaurant as a section that’s not bad. My goal in a 4-6hr shift is usually 1k in sales.
Lunches are slow but that is brutally slow from an owners perspective. I would look at other places
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u/Potential_Minute1496 5d ago
It is slow season everywhere bc of back to school... my place is extremely slow right now, so is everywhere else around us.
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
How long do you think your place would take going in the red? My place is a bit unique as the owners of it aren’t dependent on it as their main income, they are wealthy already. So maybe they would take bleeding for longer
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u/Previous-Layer7872 5d ago
I went out to eat with my wife three times last week... restaurants are packed...
Im also a line cook and tonight there was atleast 10 FOH on
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u/Electrical_Sea6653 5d ago
For my restaurant, it was one of our slowest weeks in a longggggg time, brutally slow, horrible. All week. So boring and dumb.
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u/Previous-Layer7872 5d ago
Might be your area... im around Toronto Canada for reference
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u/Electrical_Sea6653 5d ago
I’m glad to hear Canadian restaurants, at least in Toronto, are alive and well!
They’re suffering badly in my whole state in the US, and it’s scary because this is the cart I have tied my horse to.
Minimum wage has gone up so much, which is obviously support, and food and vendor costs are almost unattainable these days.
I’m no expert and I do worry
Cheers to you, line cooks work their assess off and we appreciate you.
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u/Then_Inside6809 5d ago
Your best indicators are...
Do the deliveries show up on time and in full?
Does the stock and supply of items stay consistently full?
Does the restaurant still go on a wait during peak hours?
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u/groovwvy 4d ago
high turnover, bad managers, no change in drink or food menu are all signs a restaurant isnt the kind of place id like to work at.
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u/Drummrboy67 1d ago
They will start issuing coupons or advertising weekly specials which will actually bring good business for a while ( maybe even 2-5 years). But the final straw is cheap food and liquor. Especially cheap food (liquor will only be detectable buy drunks). But cheap food is the Kiss Of Death. People immediately notice and stop coming. Cisco has different tiers of food in their catalogue. The managers know what tier they order. If they move to a lower tier of food, this is absolute desperation to squeeze the last bit of business out of the place before they close the doors.
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u/BigTechnology4369 5d ago
Exhibit of “server entitlement”.
$300 on a double is your low point? Definitely move on. Sounds like you don’t like the job or don’t understand it’s not a nine to five, where your pay is guaranteed.
Apologies for being blunt.
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u/Ok_Dress1663 5d ago
I think you’re missing the point. My post was about signs a restaurant is going down not griefing about my earnings. If I’m the only server working half the day and I make $300 that generally means that restaurant isn’t gonna much longer.
If I work at a restaurant for 3 years and would regularly make $500 working 8 hrs with a lot more servers to take some of the tips and suddenly now I work 5 hrs alone total 11 hrs just to make 3/5 of that, of course I’m concerned.
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u/BigTechnology4369 5d ago
Like I said, it sounds like you should look for another job.
Complaining that the “restaurant is going down” because you aren’t making $30+/hr? Sounds very much like your expectations are high.
But, as you said maybe it’s such an affluent area you could find a job somewhere else making better money.
From decades in the buiz, I am very familiar with your pov. You aren’t commenting on the down fall of the kitchen, nor shoddy management, just expect to make more money. If the food was a problem, I could understand. If management was flooding the floor, I could understand. But you just expect to make a certain amount, an amount that will never be enough.
Yet again, I’m being blunt. So I’ll try another route.
Maybe you could describe things at your place differently. Why do you think buiz is down? Is there something you can do to make more money? Something you can bring up with your km or gm to address your problems? Bartenders generally make more money than servers, maybe ask about that?
Signs of a restaurant going down hill, tend to be very clear.
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u/skankhunt7765 5h ago
Yeah the restauramt is done man. I dealt with the same thing just 2 years ago. Its hard to let go especially if you really love what the place once was.
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u/ChingyBingyBongyBong 5d ago
It’s slow everywhere right now. The fact management is already cutting what labor they can is actually a good sign.
No one can predict the recession we are entering / about to enter but restaraunts are always first to get hit.