Whether you are home for the summer, working on the boardwalk, working at a restaurant, or just working anywhere when you live in a beach town you truly understand these struggles.
1. Getting to leave by 11 p.m. is a one in a million chance
And when it happens you cry on the drive home because most nights you're there until midnight or worse 2 a.m.
2. You don't even have time for the beach
You could go at 9 a.m. for two hours before your day shift but you'd rather sleep in because you know some asshole is going to call out on a busy and you have to stay for another shift. So back to bed you go.
3. The Bennys (tourists) are your enemies
They are rude, they trash your favorite beach, they take all the good parking spots with their unneccessarily large luxury vehicles, they take up all your tables and only order drinks instead of sitting at the bar, and did I mention they're rude?
4. That uniform though
I just LOVE wearing an all black ensemble requiring me to wear long black pants on the hottest day of the year working both outside and inside with no air conditioning! It's my absolute favorite!
5. Days off? That's funny
You'll get called in any way to work once you finally do get a day off, so no I can't go to your dog's birthday bbq because I have to work another nine hours tomorrow night!
6. The scent that never leaves
Whether it's a mix of sea air and dirty dishes or sea air and the smell of fried food, or even sea air and ice cream. It will never leave you. Not after three washes for your hair, not after you've scrubbed your skin raw, and especially not after you've washed your work clothes five times.
7. Disproportionate arm muscles
My serving arm is at least two times bigger than my other arm. A combination of clearing plates, scooping with the same arm, and always getting stuck carrying things three times your weight.
8. Better learn how to parallel park a mile away from your job
It usually only takes 10-15 minutes to get to work but you better leave an hour early because you'll always get stuck in bridge traffic and you have to park on a side street ten blocks away by the time you get there.
9. The customer is NOT always right
There I said it. They're wrong, almost all of the time. I once had a lady demand I get her a new glass of wine 3 times because her glass was 'dirty' or there was the tiniest piece of food floating in it. The lipstick stain was hers, and the food was her backwash because I watched our bartender clean 3 glasses spotless and pour Cabernet 3 times and watched her sip as she ate.
10. You don't get paid nearly enough
Most of the time you don't even get minimum wage, you rely on tips and majority of the time your customers will only tip you 10 percent when their bill was close to $100 and they had you running around like a chicken modifying every order after you already placed it.
You spend more on gas to get there, and you end up having to buy your dinner at the fine dining restaurant you work at because you've been there since 3 p.m. and won't leave until 12 p.m.
