For many young people, working in the food industry for a part time job is not ideal. Starbucks sure, but a restaurant? Not likely. Sometimes there isn’t a choice though when you need a job ASAP or have never been employed before. I myself was anxious about starting my hosting job. However, I’ve learned from it so far. Working in the food industry teaches you things that any other part time job might not, things that will be valuable down the road.
1. You learn the art of patience.
By this I don’t mean waiting, I mean holding your tongue. You will be dealing with some of the rudest people you will ever meet. The term “hangry” takes on a whole new meaning. Of course there will be people that are nice and understand that you are doing your best. Restaurant staff appreciate these people and remember them when they come back. But we always remember the mean ones. You have to learn to deal with these people and be as kind as possible, which is hard to do sometimes. But you can, and you will be so proud of yourself for getting through it. Of course later you’ll go rant about it to someone, but you’ll be proud and be more patient with things outside of work as well.
2. You become close with the people you work with.
These are the people that you’ll be wanting to talk to after you just did a stressful task or got a great tip. They understand your troubles with work and you can relate with them. You will at times be spending your whole day, and time after your shift, with them. They will be with you through the highs and the lows of the shift and help you out when you need it. Of course there will always be drama, and some people won’t like each other, that’s a given. But when it comes down to it and you need help busing a table so the next one can sit, they are right there cleaning it with you.
3. It teaches you to be humble.
You see how ridiculous it is when people get angry over small things, and realize that you have done that at a restaurant too. It’s a crappy feeling at first but you will always know how to act when you go out to eat from then on. You will also be cleaning up things that you never believed could be concocted, or your parents would scold you for leaving at a restaurant. A whole bowl of queso dumped on the floor? A child’s flip flop covered in salsa? No big deal. Clarity will be given and once you’re on the other side of things, you’ll be understanding of the staff at any restaurant.
4. It pushes you to be more responsible.
Being in school is stressful at times. Being in school with a part time job IS stressful. There is no time for procrastination on homework, because you have to go to work later that night. Most free time you get will be spent doing school work, and that’s okay. Before my job, I would laze around and take my time not doing things until the last minute. Now I jump on my homework the moment I get the chance to. You start to schedule your week out and have to-do lists. At one point after I got my job I thought “holy crap, I’m actually being an adult." Sometimes it will stink because you won’t be able to hang out with your friends or take a well-deserved nap. But in the end, it will be worth it.
