I have worked in a number of restaurants over the past several years, and so I have definitely noticed a trend when it comes to “restaurant cliques.” In a restaurant there are numerous positions to be filled, so there are many different kinds of people that are hired to fill the positions. I try not to be judgmental, or group people into stereotypical groups, but it is difficult not to do, especially when you are a new employee.
I have been at the restaurant that I work at presently for nine months, so I have had time to form an opinion of my coworkers over a long period of time. Restaurants have a high turnover rate, so there are always new people entering into the clique. It’s always interesting to see who they gravitate towards, what group they will join. Because I have worked in restaurants for such a long time, and have in the past immersed myself into the drama, I chose not to form any close relationships with my fellow coworkers. Because I am not part of any one clique, I feel as though I can make an unbiased opinion about my coworkers.
The first and most common restaurant worker is the single mother. She has usually been in the restaurant business for a very long time, so she knows the tricks of the trade. She is very confident in her job and usually does it better than any other server. They can be a little aggressive and dominant, and they like for people to keep out of their way. Because there is a lot of money to be made as a server, the single mother works hard. She is always willing to come in early and wants to be the one to stay the latest. In my experience I always find the single mother to be very trustworthy, the one I go to for help. This type of employee is usually the most faithful and is always backed up by management.
The next type of restaurant worker is the college student. This type of worker, depending on their age, can be good workers or flaky. The flaky college student server complains about being at work, is stressing about the exam they have the next day, and will leave as soon as possible. This type of worker is always trying to get rid of a shift. Although they usually do their job well, they are not dedicated enough and so management will promote them in any way. The good college student worker is dedicated to their job because just as college is important, so is paying their bills. Although they do not go out of their way to work extra shifts, they do the job they are assigned and leave their school stresses at the door.
The next type of restaurant worker is the male server that is in his late twenty’s, early thirties. They may or may not have a college degree, and they usually have a child or girlfriend. I find that this worker is always the most frustrating to work with because I feel they view their job as social time. They walk around like they own the place. They are always standing around planning a get together for later that evening, and they are always making inappropriate comments to the female servers. They are usually not the best at their job because they are too busy socializing. Because they are so confidant in themselves, they usually have the management fooled. They are able to talk themselves out of trouble, so they are rarely reprimanded.
Another type of restaurant worker is the young female server that has worked in the restaurant for a few years. Usually this type of server has sucked up to the managers, intimidates other servers, and will be dishonest at times. This is my least favorite type of coworker. They are controlling and bossy. But they are always a little too nice to your face. They usually are not in school, so the restaurant is their life. They want to run the show, and usually get to. I have learned how to handle this type of person by completely disregarding them. There isn’t anything they hate more. They want people to run to them for help, they like to be in control. There will always be this type of person working in the restaurant.
Although I do not know my coworkers entirely, this is the perception I get from observing them. I have seen these personalities in almost every restaurant I have worked at, and I doubt that they will go away anytime soon.
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