Job choice and Cash

Sometimes to make more money you need to work at a more expensive restaurant. It's a tough truth but if your check average is $12 you have to serve a lot more tables to make a c-note ($100 bill) than if your check average is $100. However, Would you rather have 5 tables a night with a $200 average or 10 with a $100? Something to think about. A very high end place may not turn tables very quickly at all and one bad customer could really affect your tips. When you are looking for a wait job you should always be conscious of how much traffic as well as the price per check.

I realize if you are just getting you foot in the door you will often take whatever you get. Especially if you have no experience, the first job can be the most important. At that point you goal is to maximize your profit at that job, and build the skills that will make you valuable at either a higher end wait job, a bartending gig, or maybe you move to another job in sales. The skills you pick up in dealing with people and helping them make choices will translate to almost any sales job. Because, at its heart, a wait job is a sales job.

On a side note, how many of you know how many tables you see a night? How about customers? Does your station size affect you or can you sometimes turn more in a smaller section?