Stuck Serving

When I became employed by a local restaurant last year, I would have never thought that I would still be working as a server. I was hoping that this job would provide an immediate source of income, which it has, while I was on the career hunt. I say career and not job hunt because a job is more short-term while a career is a field for or pursuit of achievement in one's professional lifetime.

While working on the Hill to working in a restaurant, I went from a monthly income of $1,300 to $900-$1,000. Yes, it may be a small decrease in take home pay, but $300 can go a long ways. Before, I didn't have to worry about my student loans because I just graduated and I didn't have to start paying until last fall. Now, I have to pick up extra shifts just to ensure that I have enough money to pay for all of my expenses. Although I have an source of income, this is slowly coming under attack.

My restaurant is implementing this ridiculous initiative called "Per Person Average" (PPA). Basically, it is an average that shows how much each person per bill and per table spends in the restaurant. Each month my restaurant sets a goal for each person and wants them to increase their average. I call this insane and unfair: if you don't reach your goal, you're in danger of getting fired, which they will do. Right now the consumers don't want to spend money because of the economy, so why try to push this greedy and egotistical program now? Not only are we getting a measly $3.65 per hour (which we really don't earn unless we make a lot of tips), we are now basically inching our way by working on the basis of commission?! This is outrageous!

People, who walk into the restaurant, don't realize what we are going through. It's a tough job trying to "coerce" customers to spend extra money on booze and dessert and cheese in their eggs when they're already set in their minds that they're only going to spend a certain amount for lunch or dinner.

So, whenever you walk into a restaurant, just take pity on your server.. You never know what he or she is going through...