The Shifts.

Unless a restaurant serves breakfast doors generally don't open until 11am. Such is the case with (insert real name here). 


FOH staff and BOH staff have very different schedules. 


Rarely do I work a shift that is longer than seven hours. Quite often I work split shifts. Split shifts generally consist of two hours of the lunch rush followed by two hours of whatever I can do to kill some time before starting up again at four. 


Sometimes other servers on splits will catch a movie, or go shopping. Sometimes we hit up the pet store and play with puppies. Who can resist puppies? I challenge you to find someone. 


How long the second part of my split lasts is solely dependent on how busy the dinner rush is, what day of the week it is and how many other servers are working. 


There can be anywhere from three servers to 12 servers on at a time. The more servers on the less tables I get and in turn means the less tips I make. The less servers that are on, ideally means that I will be responsible for more tables. You follow? 


The BOH staff usually shows up much earlier and stays later than the FOH. It is easier for someone who works BOH to make up a 40 hour work week than a server or a host. Our cooks who work the day shift usually start around 9:30 and stay until four or five. They get there early to prep their stations. Someone has to make the honey dill sauce and boil the potatoes for garlic mashed. Not everything is made fresh to order. 


The best shift, the coveted shift for a server is a closing shift on a weekend night. A closer stays until the very end and has new tables long after the other servers have been cut. Those shifts usually go to the staff that has been working there the longest. Seniority plays a big role in what sections you serve and what shifts you get. 


I'm happy to say I get a nice mix of shifts since I'm generally willing to go in on my day off and stay late for someone who doesn't want to be there. After all, I've got my eye on the prize and that prize is mo' money.