Video: What you didn’t know about waiters
What you consider as your right, in reality, is a privilege and, to others, a necessity and income.
Waiters come to restaurants to work so that they can put food on the table, unlike customers coming to a restaurant for pleasure.
A few waiters, wanting to stay anonymous because they are afraid of threats by management or getting fired, told us the inside information you never knew about this tough and ungrateful job.
Please note that not all restaurants work on the same principle but that it’s applicable to most waiters working at your favourite family restaurants.
Waiters are paid on a commission basis, some getting as little as 3%, and have to meet sales targets in order to get paid.
“You’re like a sales representative. If you don’t meet your target, you don’t get paid. In fact, sometimes you end up paying the restaurant.”
Some waiters aren’t permanently appointed which means they can be fired at anytime.
“We’re hired on a casual basis meaning we do not have a permanent position. You can work at a restaurant for 11 years and still not be part of the permanent staff.”
According to these waiters, it’s also not easy to get sick leave or leave for personal issues.
“It’s not as simple as asking management you want to go home next week. It’s always a problem if you want leave.
What they don’t understand is, if we don’t work, we don’t get paid. So if we ask for leave, it’s really for something important, something worth not having an income for during that period.”
Then there’s the issue of deductions.
“From our monthly commission, there are a lot of deductions for all kinds of reasons that we don’t even understand.
Food costs, food shortages, staff shortages, breakages and even a cut of our tips.”
There are also a few rules they have to follow.
“We’re not allowed to sit or lean against the walls, even if there aren’t customers or you don’t feel well. We’re also not allowed to eat inside the restaurant.”
Management designates tables daily to each waiter and if they don’t like you, you get the tables where no customer wants to sit.
“No customers at your table means no money for you.”
It seems that waiters have no security or rewards when it comes to this labour intensive job with long hours.
“In an extremely good month, you’ll earn around R1 900 to R2 000 but there are also times when you go home with nothing.”
These waiters work seven shifts per week and sometimes double shifts, from 07:00-22:00, in order to meet targets. Some wake up at 3:30 to catch a taxi.
“If the taxi isn’t full, it won’t go, so sometimes we are late and get warnings for something totally out of our control.”
Difficult customers are also one of the many problems they have to deal with.
“We’re scared of them because you know you won’t get tipped or reach your targets when they’re at your table. We get threatened and sworn at. Sometimes they eat and only after eating they’ll say the food was bad and leave. Then I have to pay.”
It seems that customers cost waiters money.
“Sometimes if the food wasn’t what they ordered, for example, a medium and not a well-done steak, management would tell them it’s on the house. ‘On the house’ usually means, your steak was on me. And I didn’t even grill it.”
Waiters fight for good customers and know their number plates by heart. The same goes for the bad customers.
“We call the bad customers ‘wrong turns’. They’re the ones who, amongst other things, have a bill of R2 000 and only give you R20.”
Reservations are another headache.
“When you make a reservation, I make sure the table is kept for you the whole day. Isn’t it unfair then if your bill is R4 000 and you tip me R11?”
Read other stories here:
Video: Tips on how to treat your waiter
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