to ask what your experience being a waitress was like?

[youngwaitress]

i have just turned 16, and am currently looking for my first job. i am thinking of waitressing, as shop assistant etc does not appeal to me.
if any of you were a waitress as a teenager, please tell me about your experience with it, and if there was a lot of harassment from people (men).

thanks!

sometimes sexually harassed by men, middle aged white women tend to be difficult customers and really rude, often treated like dirt by customers who had large bills. Low wage too... most places pay minimum wage by age.

Seeing as you’re 16, you wouldn’t be able to serve alcohol yet at any restaurants/bars legally. So I would look out for waiter jobs that specify “food runner” or “deliveroo/takeaway helper”

Also, don’t allow other members of staff to take advantage of you with tips or service charge. I was your age when i was a waiter and the boss (owner) would keep my credit card tips/service charge for himself. Genuinely lost hundreds of £s because of that

I enjoyed it. The social aspect was great- because you work long/social hours, you tend to be more social with your fellow waiting staff. I remember finishing work at 1 am and still having enough energy to go into London after

But I was groped once or twice (pinched bottom on one occasion, smacked bottom on another). Both occasions- middle aged men in a group party, had too much to drink. I reported both to my manager and they had words. Sometimes men will be 'over' friendly- an arm around the waist or whatever. Take no shit from them.

Some people will treat you like you're 'less than' them. You need a thick skin and the ability to laugh (inwardly) at them (mysteriously, they always got served last...) But most were nice, and some were wonderful.
You need a lot of patience and also energy.

It's hard work. Badly paid, unless you get good tips. But, on the whole, a lot of fun.

I’ve worked in hospitality for most of my life, started at 15.

My worst experience was at 15/16 working in a posh hotel and working the Hunt Ball, or as we called it, the Cunts Ball. Entitled posh people, gropey old men. But that was 25 years ago.

Nowadays it’s really just the occasional drunk men who try it on and you learn very quickly lots of techniques to shut them down.

In my experience, team solidarity is high and if you are having trouble with a table an older/more experienced/male colleague will always spot trouble and step in. I’m very protective over my youngsters.

The hours can take some getting used to, and kitchen staff/chefs are almost universally shouty and rude but we love them anyway. A good manager is the key to any great experience and obviously this is luck of the draw.

Big chains are often nicer to work for than independents.

You need to be very organised, able to think on your feet (literally) and able to be assertive. You also need a great memory and a certain amount of charm.

It’s not for everybody but if you find you can do it you will have a blast. The people, the atmosphere, the tips. It’s great.

I never had any trouble from the customers, but my boss used to text me sexual stuff (asking about my underwear and whether I used sex toys etc) and was also very creepy at work. When I complained he tried to withold my wages, and when I quit he tried to withold my p45. I was 17 at the time but there were younger waitresses there who had similar stories to tell. He owned the pub with his wife who was often upstairs while this was happening.

I was a crap waitress but managed to get through it by assuming a very ditzy air and sort of permanent dozy smile, so people would look at me and think ‘aw she’s doing her best’ even if I was in the process of dropping food on people.

I also learnt to do this thing when seeing people for the first time, where I’d be doing my dozy smile staring into space as if I was just happy to be there, then I’d ‘see’ the customer for the first time and my whole face would light up as if I was so happy to see them and enthusiastic to serve them. It stopped a lot of people who were storming up to me to complain about something in their tracks, because they would suddenly think either ‘I’m going to upset this otherwise jubilant girl, oh dear’ or ‘this girl is a fool and will not understand the nature of my complaint’. You could literally see them falter, think twice and in many cases change their approach. Made my life a hell of a lot easier!

“middle aged white women tend to be difficult customers and really rude”

God this wasn’t my experience at all!

I really enjoyed being a waitress! I did it from 16 to 22, on and off. I waitressed in pubs and in a more upmarket restaurant. Never had any harassment in the latter. In pubs I didn’t get harassed, had rude nasty customers occasionally but would just get a manager to help. It gave me so much more confidence, I was a very shy sheltered 16 year old when I started and it really brought me out of my shell and made me so much more confident. And as others have said it’s a very sociable job, always lots of laughs and banter with the kitchen staff and other waiting staff.

You’ll always get the odd idiotic customer who acts entitled etc, but if you have a decent manager this shouldn’t be something you have to deal with on your own.

I really enjoyed waitressing - liked being active on my feet all day and interacting with the public who were largely decent and pleasant. Tips were great too.

This was in the restaurant of a 4* chain hotel.

I was a full time waitress when I was 16 and still am now at 22. I absolutely loved it and used to really enjoy going to work. The people I worked with were brilliant and there were customers I considered as friends.

I wasn't allowed to serve on the bar unless it was soft drinks, due to my age. I mainly did waiting on tables (taking orders/running food/host)

You will definitely come across customers who can be really horrible sometimes, but having a good manager to deal with any complaints or anyone causing a problem should make your job easier.

I definitely used to get unwanted attention off men- more so when I was younger than I do now actually, and one of my friends got smacked on the bum by a customer who had been coming in for years and he got barred. But like I said about having a good manager, these things should get dealt with and you should feel safe. Your other coworkers might step in and serve someone if you don't feel comfortable too.

Agree with a pp, it definitely helped my confidence, I used to be really shy and was nervous about doing things wrong but it completely brought me out of my shell. Hope you enjoy it if you do end up being a waitress!!

My experience involved a lot of sexual harassment, but it was a long time ago and I think that that would be less accepted now.

I absolutely loved it.
Hated one place that was very quiet, not good food etc.
What I loved was -
Rushed off feet.
Need to be organised and alert.
Great to mix with kitchen/front of house and customers.
Good to problem solve - just need to stay calm when something is dropped or an order messed up etc.
Need stamina, ability to deal with stuff, ability to get on with people. Don’t ever remember ever having troublesome customers at all.
Looked forward to going to work.
Good luck op.

I loved waitressing, worked at both a restaurant and a cafe. Both times, the establishments were run by women, I got standard hassle from customers but not overly sexual stuff.

There was one job I didn't take because I got a creepy vibe from the owner.

It had good and bad points, like any other job, but if I could physically manage that kind of work still, I'd definitely do it again.

I waitressed as a student in a small independent restaurant. I don’t remember any sexual harassment or inappropriate behaviour from customers. The clientele was generally couples, small groups of friends, families etc. Most customers were great - friendly, cheerful, said please and thank-you. Occasionally some were rude. Older people tended to have more exacting standards e.g. expecting waiting staff to pour their wine, sending dishes back if they weren’t to their tastes, which I assume is because for the older generation dining out used to be a special thing and not just something you’d do for a midweek dinner.

I think if you’re reasonably confident and good at interacting with people it’s a much easier job to have than retail.

Was a waitress in a gastro pub many years ago - my first job (other than babysitting). I mostly did lunchtimes so no groping from the customers thankfully but the chef was horrendous, sexual harassment, bullying etc I absolutely hated going into the kitchen. But I think, thankfully, that all that is much less acceptable now.

It was comparatively very well paid given that my other options at the time were shops etc and the tips were good. People generally were very nice and took an interest in what I did when I wasn't working there. It was knackering though - still remember how my feet and legs ached after a double shift.

agree with poster above that you need to be organised and alert.

On your feet a lot, so they ache.
Always having to be happy with good standard of customer service.
Unable to serve alcohol under 18 but iirc allowed to take it from the bar to tables, not accepting cash or pouring alcohol.
learning silver service if this is applicable, and carrying several plates at once.
Very busy, but time goes fast.
Try to look for a hotel rather than a restaurant as there is scope for promotion or dept transfer.
The one I worked had an inhouse management training course. There was so much scope, if you wanted to make a career of it.
Good luck.

I was a waitress in a coffee shop from the age of 14 to around 21 (between school and uni) but it was 30 years ago! I enjoyed it, don't remember getting any harassment but I was quite young looking, scruffy, and also quite oblivious. I don't remember anyone being rude, but again I didn't tend to notice, I was in my own dream world most of the time. We used to get massive coach parties turn up unannounced so that was annoying, but sometimes it was so quiet I used to bring my homework to do while I was waiting for customers.

I waitresses as a teen (I'm 29 now) and I wouldn't recommend it. I loved retail though, why doesnt shop work appeal to you? It can be very fulfilling and there's much more scope for progression than in hospitality.

Depends on workplace. Can really be a good fun if you have good team
It's hard work though and you will soon be painfully aware how stupid general public can be... And demanding. And filthy.

I really loved it. Like others have said, the other waitresses and waiters were great and it was like hanging out with my mates all day. The customers could be dicks but we could always go and have a whinge about them.

I had 2 jobs as a waitress/barista type role.

One in a coffee shop that served hot lunches too. Loved it. Clientele was mostly older people or mums with small kids. Nice people to work with. All the free coffee I wanted too, and it was amazing coffee as well.

Other one was awful. A large chain bar/restaurant. Tips were good but that's it. Horrible kitchen staff, horrible customers. I admit I wasn't the best waitress as I couldn't do the whole holding 3 plates per arm thing and was such a butterfingers with opening fancy wine at the table with a corkscrew etc with people watching. I've had a lot of jobs and a stressful career now but this was hands down one of the worst roles I've experienced.

I did a range of jobs while I was studying from around 15 - 23.

Shop work was easiest but the most boring.

Waitressing I never had any trouble from the customers (and I was a terrible waitress), people are generally out and having a good time in a good mood and tips were really good but I found the chefs really difficult, arrogant and shouty.

Bar work was my favourite but there were a few inappropriate comments and although I can't be sure it was intentional (very busy, crowded) I did get groped. I worked for a while in an old mans pub and that was by far the best, they were really respectful and there was a group of regulars who would sit at the bar and chat to me.

I think it's probably more about the place and the people than the job. Ask around people you know who have worked in restaurants for their reccomendations.

I loved it, but tbf that was 30 years ago. I was very good at it, efficient and got lots of tips. I learnt silver service and got paid more. Always had jobs all the way through school and uni.

I loved my waitressing job too. Used to earn 50p an hour but made about £3+ an hour (was 40 years ago and worked in a Berni Inn!).

Actually got a lot more hassle from men when training to be a lawyer! So sorry that aspect of life hasn’t changed!

• £3+ an hour in tips!

I waitressed and bartended from the ages of 16-21 and I really enjoyed it. No hassle from the customers but unfortunately there was from the chefs and my boss!