Hello fellow restaurant warriors,

I (22f) was recently “promoted” to a Sommelier/management position (from server) at my workplace, fine dining steakhouse. Now I say “promoted” because multiple reasons.

- work hours are increased from 35 to 50 per week
- pay is significantly less, still enough for where I live but not what I was making as a server
- my position is mostly management(90%) and very little on actual wine.
- i miss my flexibility/spending time with family and friends
- feels like all I do is deal with problems within the restaurant
-i have started to become slightly miserable, not wanting to work, cutting corners on home life duties
- I am an hourly employee and am getting texts and calls about call outs, which then I have to hop online and make sure we are staffed for the night, or I am screwed

Now I knew there would be a pay cut, but after taxes I’m not pulling in as much as I thought I was. I want to move back into my serving position but I am stuck between the decision taking my serving position back, or staying on as the Sommelier, making a smaller paycheck for longer hours. I originally accepted this position because I wanted it to strengthen my resume. Now Im not sure if it’s worth throwing out my entire social life/ time with family for this. I now just stuck figuring out if I am completely shooting myself in the foot quitting management.

Tonight I had a woman come in, order a roll with fresh salmon...

And then complained that her fish was raw.

Hey! I applied for a serving position at the Knife and Spoon at the Ritz in Orlando. Does anybody work there?? How do you like it? What’s the hardest part?

i’m pretty annoyed and need to commiserate. i’m a busser in a fine dining restaurant and naturally i make the least amount of money. in my experience with fine dining in my city, bussers typically only polish glasses and clean bathrooms at certain intervals (and also take out recycling).

anyway, on an extremely busy day early this year a food runner walked off the shift. i went down to help the runners and i guess was a big help that night. i was definitely happy to help on successive busy nights and did so at the expense of my job since they would really struggle and their jobs were more important.

anyway, now its become an occurrence every shift. we literally had a quiet saturday and they were asking me if i could come and help them. there is no way to help them not at detriment to my job. they can’t handle any day whether its below average, average, above average etc. i was fine with it before but they’ve also started to get pissy and rude with me when i say no (when ive been told off before for going to help them when i have glasses) and they also make more than me.

i feel like it’s unfair that im performing extra duties every shift now but being paid the same and getting no adjustment on the things i was doing before. i also get the sense some of the stuff they want me to do is not because they’re extremely busy, but because they don’t like those jobs and would rather hand them off to me. i would HATE to be a snitch and tell the manager but idek what to do. honestly im not going to be at the restaurant for that much longer but i also do have a second job so doing more physically difficult tasks and staying for longer each shift is taking its toll (especially for no extra money). any advice?

I understand the fee was introduced as a measure to reduce single-use items, but I’ve read that the fee doesn’t go to any agency, it simply goes to the restaurant. What’s the benefit of having this fee if the money doesn’t go toward anything that benefits the public? I feel this is a money grab at this point…and I’ve seen numerous other cities introduce it now

I'm so heartbroken. I found out some of the other part-time staff were getting paid higher than me. Yet my request to have the same rate as them got rejected.

It makes no sense why you'd pay someone who disappears during half of the shift, is often chatting and fooling around, a higher rate than some others. Can someone tell me why that happens?

it’s a pretty fancy except i have literally no experience in the restaurant industry and haven't worked in so long. i’m worried im going to be a nervous reck.

interview tomorrow.. also is there tipping with hosting?

Hey all,

I currently work at a small family place. I do like it well enough, but it's about 50 minutes from my place, and the hours are pretty inconsistent. I'd say we average 150-200 per shift during the summer and a bit more the rest of the year, and the owners, while nice people, definitely engage in some classic penny-pinching behavior (e.g. no AC in the summer until a customer asks for it, one shitty family meal for everyone so I've never even tried the food, etc.). They're also very, very old school- no POS system, everything's by hand. Even our hours are just written in a paper calendar.

I am trialing at a brewpub (cidery, rather, that serves food) which is part of a small restaurant group with two other locations. It's a pretty big space, but I was brought up to the office to meet the CEO on my interview and the rest of the staff seem very chill. I think I'd average the same amount of tips per shift (will ask today), but it's about 15 minutes from my place while being more summer-focused as it's a waterfront location. Obviously they're more organized and modern.

Just wondering what you guys would go for in my position, and whether there's anything to watch out for, positive or negative, as I trial at this new place. Thanks!

It seems like it would be worth it to rescue this but I have no idea what chemicals to use or where to start

Hello all, I've been working at a family owned restaurant for about 2 years now. I work for a husband and wife, they've done pretty well building a good reputation for themselves in our town. When working, the servers (usually 2 people maybe 3 on some nights) do a tip pool. The restaurant isn't big enough to do separate tips, personally I believe my coworkers do good and we work well together and I trust them. Some days my boss will schedule herself, we have 5 servers so I have no idea why she would put herself on the schedule especially when some of us could use more hours. During these nights she takes half the tips in the tip pool, so if I make 200 she gets 100 of it. She doesn't do much and I find myself doing everything by myself and it is extremely exhausting and two of my other coworkers feel the same way. out of all 5 servers we are the only 3 to have our tips split like that with her. I have split 50% of my tips on a very busy morning with her 12 year old child and my other coworker has split 50% with her other child, 14. My old coworker was given a "manager position" paying him full minimum wage plus half tips. reading it seems that under all circumstances it is illegal to take the servers tips because they are in a manager and or owner position. She's also paid other workers under the table fully in cash at the end of the night, "splitting tips" with the people that aren't true servers, looks like she's not taking from the tips directly from that night made on card or cash. she's paying them herself so it makes me wonder where the other half of tips is going after i get my half of it. It's become incredibly frustrating because not only are our tips being taken, the wife has become extremely rude to me and other servers, and micromanaged us. It's become a very hostile and uncomfortable environment when I work. They used to be really kind people. Right now I have another job set up but won't start for another two months. Right now I just want to know what I should do?

I have proof of us splitting tips with her children, of splitting with her, and her being on the schedule.

I understand this request is slightly off topic, and I'm sorry if the request is unwelcome. I read the rules and there didn't seem to be anything that specifically preclude this post. Mods - if you delete my post, could you refer me to a better place to ask?

My home kitchen floor is hard and uncomfortable and I've tried a bog standard home-grade kitchen mat but it doesn't help that much. I tried searching the subreddit for mats but the results I found were related to anti-slip and bar mats, and my question is more specific about "comfort" rather than "nonslip."

Given that a lot of people here spend a lot of time on their feet in a kitchen, I figured I'd try to ask: Are there any good kitchen floor mats that are available to purchase for a home user (i.e. I don't need a company/corporate account to purchase it from a supplier who only sells to restaurants) that you'd recommend as something you feel like you could stand on for extended periods of time?

Caveating that I also understand that footwear is also part of the equation and if I'm cooking at home, we're a "shoes off" house so I would be cooking barefoot and relying solely (pun not intended) on whatever support a mat would provide.

Thanks for reading/responding!

We all have those one-liners that through endless trial and error, we use with our tables to guarantee a laugh basically 100% of the time.

Here are my 2 lines:

1. If someone at the table completely finished their plate and had no leftovers, I point at their plate and in a serious, slow tone I say:

"Im so sorry, I see you didn't like the dish… tell me what was wrong with it?"

• (I mainly just say this to males lol, and definitely don't say it if the person is on the heavier side.)

1. After entrees are finished, I re-drop the menu off at the table and suggest desserts by saying:

"All our cheesecakes are absolutely amazing... and they're all incredibly healthy too…”

• (I also don't say this if the guests are slightly heavier lol.)

Lmk what y'all use with your tables, I'm curious to hear some hilarious lines!

Clips and photos of fully self-service, staff-free ramen stalls running nonstop across South Korea have been spreading widely online lately. These small, simple spaces let customers select their meal, pay, cook it themselves using built-in equipment, and clean up after they finish—all without ever interacting with an employee. The model keeps overhead costs very low, lets locations operate at any hour without scheduling limits, and fits well with local demand for quick, affordable late-night meals and independent convenience.

While many see this as a clever solution for busy areas or times when staffing is hard, others point out that rolling out similar setups elsewhere faces real hurdles. These range from differences in public trust around shared spaces and unattended property, to higher costs for equipment and upkeep, plus existing labor rules and customer habits that rely on in-person help. It’s a setup that works smoothly in one place, but brings up plenty of points about what makes new business models practical or accepted in different communities.

There is a well reviewed Italian place near my home (this is in CA) and I want to go but when I look at the menu ALL (except 1) of their mains, excluding pasta, come with mashed potatoes. Do people love mashed potatoes this much? Or is this a cost saving measure? I do not like them at all and this makes me want to avoid the place and others like it. It makes me think the food is mediocre and most of the reviews are fake. Then again I may just be an outlier with the whole not liking mash thing. There's lots of places like this around. The menu is usually like- steak with mash and steamed veg. or pork chop with mash and steamed veg. Do these restaurants make more money in the long run because they aren't focused on so many side dishes?

edit just to clarify I don't mean "excluding pasta" as in pasta side dishes I mean if the main meal is pasta it doesn't come with a side usually. so no mash of cours.

Hello!

Just wondering what is a reasonable monthly spend for someone to handle your social media (creating content) and email campaigns. About 3 posts a week..

For context I’m an independent restaurant, 1 location restaurant and full bar.

Please be kind.

There are a lot of changes going on and I am looking for another job.

The restaurant corporation has brought in an outside company to "fix" things at our location. That company failed us on prep knives. We do lots of slicing and they say we can only have safe for work knives in the prep area. What are SFW knives? If they are what I think they are the company they hired are idiots.

The restaurant, family dining, I work for is failing. The DM says it is fairly ok and the manager believes him. The manager doesn't know the place is listed for sale. Historically this location has 300% turnover. And 85% of clients are on a fixed income. They understandably raised prices, but they are now the same price, if not more, than steakhouses. Everytimr they rsise lrices they loose 10-15 % of their customers, 5 years ago 700+ customers a day now maybe 350. The corporation just raised their overpriced $16 pies to $21. Their FREEZER only cools to 30 degrees. That is just the good stuff.

Like I said, I am looking for a new job before they sell, close, or make someone sick. By the way, 15% of other employees are also looking.

Edit. With the DM knowledge they kept the emergency fire door dead bolted (new door doesn't dead bolt), kept a diesel powered floor washer within 7 feet of an open flame stove. All was reported to two different city fire and safety departments and they did nothing (friends with health dept and fire dept). At Thanksgiving they had 10 packs of frozen sliced turkeys & 6 packs of sliced ham thawed in the fridge for a week then refroze them. According to the DM, nobody deserves a break. When he wrote me up for a server sitting in the break room, he stated that servers don't do anything and don't deserve a break (he didn't care that the employee was waiting to go TO work)

I’ve pretty much already decided I’m leaving but kinda just want extra confirmation this is the right thing.
Apart from the restaurant being a total mess in every way. We don’t even have an actual manager and haven’t really had one in a long time. Always running out of food, understaffing on busy nights. Unorganized chaos that goes beyond just a busy restaurant night. I’ve been working here for 2 years since this place opened. In many ways this place has my heart. Love my coworkers, and a lot of the regulars. But there’s also the other side of the coin with the customers where so many are maga, I’ve served someone with a confederate flag pin on his hat. Realized it at the end and didn’t know what to do. My boss is the biggest problem. In some ways he’s nice, tells me how much he appreciates me and my work. But he’s also bigoted in every way, doesn’t pay his staff what they deserve (the cooks especially). Has sexually harassed a server. If you asked him he’d say it wasn’t just on him. Doesn’t matter he’s the boss, and drunk as shit every night.
I know this is long so thank you for reading if you have. I know there’s more I’m forgetting lol

I just got hired at a fast food restaurant as a manager. I have prior experience in restaurants and it is an enjoyable job for me. Only issue is, I have bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and I'm a kitchen manager, meaning I have to chop, dice, life heavy things, do truck, etc.

If you have this and work in a restaurant, how do you go about tasks without causing damage to yourself or the business?

Today was day 5, and I have already had a flare up, at least on my non-dominant side. It isn't debilitating yet, but people who have it know that one wrong movement can lock up your hand completely.

I need advice please. I like my job, I have been promised a promotion already just being trained for it at the moment. I can tell them, but don't want them to think of it as a "she can get injured and sue us" type situation, and I don't want them to feel like I cant do the job. I can, but on flareup days which aren't often, I can be very slow or have no strength in my hand.

Do you, those who have it, have an accomodation? Do they even do it in restaurants? How do you manage the job expectations and your body's limits? Today I struggled even carrying a single half pan with food in jt, because of the weight. Dropped so much today. Want to do my best, so any advice is appreciated

Hi everyone, I’m not sure if this is the right place, but I need some advice. I’m in Mexico and opened a restaurant about five months ago. Business has been slow, but sales are gradually increasing. The problem is that another restaurant with a similar concept has started attacking us with bad reviews on Google. I’m certain it’s them because my restaurant suddenly has multiple 1‑star reviews, while theirs consistently shows only 5‑star reviews from the same user accounts. I’ve already reported this to Google, but it’s frustrating.

I started working at a semi nice little restaurant somewhat popular in middle Tennessee a few weeks ago. Every Monday a man comes by to spray down everything and we have to cover a lot of the equipment with plastic bags. I thought it was preventative work until I finally saw that the place is crawling with cockroaches. One was even crawling across my neck and I found several crawling over the cast iron skillets i have to use to cook. I've NEVER experienced this before in a place of work!!!

I just feel guilty because obviously our patrons don't know about it and it almost feels wrong to cook their food on equipment that is infested with insects. I was basically told not to talk about it or ask questions but idk. Is this okay? Or is it something that should honestly be reported?

Getting ready to start offering a pizza buffet service for lunch in our restaurant. My question to the owners that offer pizza buffet. What type of pizza pans do you use on the buffet table itself for serving? I’ve seen many different ones used.
Thanks.