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Getting into the restaurant industry
taketheblack
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Lately I've been thinking about trying to get a restaurant job. I think I have the temperament for a fast-paced job in a dirty hellish kitchen somewhere. Willing to embrace the suck. I'm sure TONS of you guys have restaurant experience.
I don't have any experience, but South Florida seems to have a HUGE demand for entry level dishwashers/bus boys/prep workers. Besides trawling craigslist for postings (most of these explicitly require experience) or asking to meet the manager during the hectic lunch rush, what are some good ways to get my feet in the door? Any other advice about working in restaurants/getting the job is much appreciated.
I don't have any experience, but South Florida seems to have a HUGE demand for entry level dishwashers/bus boys/prep workers. Besides trawling craigslist for postings (most of these explicitly require experience) or asking to meet the manager during the hectic lunch rush, what are some good ways to get my feet in the door? Any other advice about working in restaurants/getting the job is much appreciated.
taketheblack on
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How long have you been thinking about this?
It'll give you a good idea of what to expect. That's all the entire book is about.
"Oh what a day, what a LOVELY DAY!"
This.
If you don't like people, go for dishwasher. The career path of a bus boy generally keeps you dealing with customers. Dishwashers usually can move up to prep, then cook, etc, and if you thrive on fast paced suck, the back of the house is for you.
[Edit] And, in my opinion, the work ethic forged in the fires of a busy kitchen does more to prepare for careers with more focus on deadlines than customer interaction.
It shouldn't be hard to get a job at a restaurant, their turnover rate is ridiculously high.
And just like trying to get a job in any other industry, the more resumes you hand out, they better chance you have of getting a job.
Never, ever, ever, ever go in and try to talk to someone there during lunch or dinner service. That's the fastest to never get hired at that establishment.
It can actually be difficult to get hired as a dishwasher. It's a hard job and good dishwashers are a commodity. They're literally the backbone of the restaurant and hiring one with no experience doesn't happen to often unless the place is a bit of a shithole. You're not going to get hired anywhere decent with no experience.
Alternately, go knock a little while before they open. I always worked in local places, the manager or owner was usually there to open up. And usually still in a pretty good mood.
That's when I've been told to come in for interviews and things before waaaay back when I was looking jobs like that.
I've had pretty much the opposite experience with dishwashing. It's such a shitty job that the turnover rate is high. People either quit or move to a different position pretty quick, so most places are looking for dishwashers pretty often. It's a good way to get your foot in the door working in a restaurant.
Like others have said, go in during the slow hours to talk to people. You're not going to do yourself any good going in during a mealtime rush.
21. I'm in school but I have an upcoming move to NYC (a year or so away)
I thought some restaurant experience might do me some good up there at least.
Try the restaurant's direct website...or, yeah, craigslist isn't too bad. Also, like other's have mentioned, visiting the restaurant during off hours is a good way to promote yourself as well...and remember to wear a suit.
This is it. My most successful friend in the food industry started at a chain, kicked ass, got a job at a shitty non-chain place, and moved up from there.
I meant at a good place. You're not going to get a job doing dishes at some place that you'd want to really move up in with no experience. Red Robin, sure. A well rated place with a real chef, nope.
But that's how you move up. Get the experience in the shit holes and go from there.
Are you planning to work in the industry for a while?
Because there are much better entry level jobs with much more applicable skills that will pay a lot better than cooking. I worked in the industry for 8 years, it sucks, it is not fun or glamorous and there is little in the way of money to be made. If you are getting your perceptions of the food service industry from the Food Network, you are in for one hell of a wake up call.
The pay is pretty shitty for the amount of work you do, but working a line is a decent job. The camaraderie in a restaurant (at least, in my old restaurant) is pretty tight, so that can be fun.
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Getting your foot in the door isn't difficult. If you're well spoken and interview well, you can easily land a prep job at a lot of places, but you'll be covering dish shifts as well. The "pure dishwasher" job is usually reserved for those that just wouldn't make it on line/prep. Heck, often you'll see people working dish who have mental disabilities. Not to say anything about them as people, but it's just what I've seen throughout the industry.
It's not a fun job, though. As far as the work goes, it's not easy. You'll smell like shit. Your clothes will be filthy. You'll develop a terrible sleep routine. As far as the people go, you need to fit in fast. Kitchens (and front of house as well) often have very tight cliques, and if you don't do your best to fit in, you'll become the outsider. I think the idea of poisonous office politics was invented on a kitchen line.
That said, it can be fun to work in a busy kitchen if you like challenges. The money is never great, but the hours are usually there for people who want them.
Actually, Figgy, I did work my way up. My very first job was waiting tables at a Denny's. My first bar job was a hellish karaoke bar where I spent 5 hours a night collecting bottles, washing glasses, cleaning barf, and trying to stop fights. I've been in the industry for 18 years. You? And "if he didn't work there it's a complete shit-hole"? That doesn't make any sense. I can think of plenty of places I haven't worked that I admire and respect and would love to be employed by.
Also, getting a prep cook job with no cooking experience? Maybe at a place where you're flipping grilled cheeses. As well there are quite a few people who love washing dishes. It's not only where the wash outs land. Our dishwasher at work is amazing and love what he does. We'd be screwed without him.
OP, the absolute best way to do what you want to do is start at the bottom and go up. That way you know how everything works and you'll have respect and a fair attitude for everyone you work with. I know a good amount of people who started as pantry or in the dish pit and are now chefs. It takes time, but there's no better way.
Also, don't even think about culinary school. It's a scam.
I don't care how many decades you've been in it and how highly you want to talk about it, it's not difficult. I've been working in it for eight years, and I think that's enough time seeing people hired at half a dozen places to know how true that is. And no, I'm not talking about critic-frequented establishments with renowned chefs, fucking obviously. The OP could very easily land a kitchen job (other than dish) at any chain restaurant, downtown pub, etc.
So, OP, don't be discouraged. Walk into a place with a well-written resume either very early in the morning or between 3 and 4 in the afternoon and ask to speak to the manager. Don't ask the hostess or bartender if they're hiring. Don't ask if you can drop off your resume. Ask to speak to the manager. If the manager isn't there, ask when a good time to come back would be. You want to introduce yourself and hand him/her your resume personally.
Edit: And Esh, don't try to inject shit into my posts. I didn't say dishwashers were wash outs. I said they usually are there because they wouldn't make it on line. While both positions are fast-paced and high-pressure, the level of responsibility is much higher on line.
NYC is going to be a bitch to find a restaurant job in, FYI. Your competition even for dishpits is gonna be hellish.
No matter the restaurant, dishwashing sucks and turnover is high. I got a job in high school as a dishwasher at a nice place with a head chef and sous chef who had graduated from the CIA. The application for dishwashers and bussers was a 3x5 index card with your name and phone number. When they needed someone new, they called the next person. If you could come in when they needed you, the job was yours.
Every place I've worked in the past 10 years, our dishwashers are solid and there isn't a turnover rate. Maybe that place should've actually try hiring dishwashers with experience rather than having every nitwit off the street write their name and number down.
Every part of the kitchen should be experienced and dependable, this includes the dishwasher.
Assuming he has little experience in the hospitality business, he will learn something even if he is working at Red Robin. You need to start somewhere, even if it is working at Denny's or a Mom and Pop dinner.