$$How much is a server worth? $$

I for one find it fascinating that I mentioned that cooks take home around a third to half of what servers take home, and not even one person has commented on that.

Interesting.

I'm not sure the supporters of the cooks on this thread are quite as fanatical as the supporters of servers, but you could always leap into the fray, Marsha! (Then I might actually be scared! )


Regardless, I agree with you completely. Cooks may not have face time with customers, but they have just as many (if not more) tasks to handle than servers. On top of that, they're often stuck in a very hot, very cramped workspace for hours on end, and then expected (at many establishments) to create new and exciting dishes. Before we increase the cost of food to eliminate the need for tipping, lets increase it just a smidge to help out the cooks. Very good point Marsha.

Sorry, Shawn. I understand your opinion on the matter, but not the solution;importance or cash equivalent as it pertains to the Serving Industry.

Paul, i believe that Brian and Steve comments do validate my point and Matthew's assessment of what he sees to be a popular bias provides reinforcement.

$10 and hour is barely a living wage in today's economy in Louisville, mush less in a more expensive region of the country.
And $15 as the top end is really quite insulting.

Paul, statements like this only reaffirm your negative bias towards servers.

"You're making the false assumption that every server is in it for a career and providing for a family. Many servers are high school and college students who are just trying to make money on the side. I know lots of students who would love to make $10 an hour."

Where as you take the negative view, that many people in the industry do not have families to provide for and are just trying to make money on the side.
I take the view that many people do have families to provide for and view serving as a viable career.

My opinion is that most servers out there are over 21 and thus have the potential to have finished college and have possibly started a family and are probably living out on their own. I've never had a high school student as a server at any high end restaurant in Louisville, in fact.

Now on to the simplistic argument of food safety. The utilization of this strategy is paired with the many comparisons used in this thread comparing the "worth" of various professions in terms of their importance to the safety of the public. Air traffic controllers and nurses specifically are deemed of greater value because the "safety" of the public is in the hands of these trained professionals.
My point, which you obviously missed Paul, is that servers are trained in food safety standards which affect all of us in a more direct way than the other professions mentioned in the thread.

No one was complaining about washing our hands, just making a point that simple things (like washing our hands) are not valued, despite their importance.

Kindergarten children may learn how to wash their hands, but it doesn't mean that as adults we'll continue that trend. Take a few minutes to observe the people around you Paul, how many people wash their hands before they pick up their menu or handle their glass, how many people go the restroom to wash their hands before they eat, after they handle their wallets or cell phones, watch people when they sneeze or cough or scratch their head...do they immediately wash their hands...or do they continue touching their keyboard, phone, etc.
Simple as it may seem, food safety is one of the most important things that servers think about everyday.

Paul you continue to say that you are not knocking the serving profession, but you follow those statements by devaluing the profession by comparing servers to kindergartners

Nobody ever says they want them to starve, but for most folks $10 an hour for 30/40 hours a week with no benefits is not quite a living wage.

Marsha, i empathize with all the cooks, another thread should be started "What is a good line cook worth?" ($15 to start, but they've got to be good)
BTW
I think dishwashers are the most undervalued members of the restaurant profession and in my opinion should earn more than most line cooks.

Not offering any solutions Kyle, just my opinions about what the profession is worth.

shawn

I guess all the workers at Taco Bell deserve $15 an hour because they wash their hands and throw out the expired fire sauce.

I work my ass off everyday and I deal with the public. I have to deal with pissed off and demanding people just the same as a server and I don't think I'll ever be paid $35 an hour. Sure we can pay servers and cooks $30 an hour, but everyones salary will have to increase to maintain "economic balance". Servers won't have a job very long when people can't afford to dine out.

I have yet to hear a figure on what servers are actually making. If they are bringing home $15-$20 an hour. I think we are debating for no reason.

I think we are debating for no reason.

Shh, the Logic Police will find out.

Paul, i believe that Brian and Steve comments do validate my point and Matthew's assessment of what he sees to be a popular bias provides reinforcement.

$10 and hour is barely a living wage in today's economy in Louisville, mush less in a more expensive region of the country.

You are not being fair to me Shawn. In my post which you are quoting from, I gave a range of $10-$50. You are only giving my lower figure. I'll clarify here that I meant the lower $10 figure to be for servers with zero experience, none. I'll leave to you and the forum to debate whether $10/hour wage is fair for these entry level servers.

I'll still maintain that $50 an hour for lead waiters at top of the line restaurants is not out of the question. This is not journeyman wages, this is master craftsman level wages. There might not be any restaurants in Louisville where this could happen. I have been to restaurants in other cities where it is a certainty.

I have yet to hear a figure on what servers are actually making. If they are bringing home $15-$20 an hour. I think we are debating for no reason.

Here's a fairly recent salary survey for various professions in Louisville.

Assuming a 40 hour work week, that annual $22,815 for servers comes down to $10.92/hour.

Of course there's a big YMMV on a "standard" week. Maybe somebody in the biz can enlighten us to the actual number of hours a server normally works. Another thing to factor in is servers generally don't get benefits like paid vacation or health insurance.

If you've ever been to North End Cafe on a Sunday you will know where I'm coming from here.
So, mathematically speaking, here is how it would pan out.
7am to 4pm=9 hours
say I sold $850 worth of product
IF i got 20% tips on every table
=$170
then subtract 20% of tips to divide between expo, runner, and 2 bussers
so i walk with $136
Thus you may figure that this server made $15 an hour
And you can't forget to add on the bi-weekly paycheck of $0 to $5!
That's alot of running and balancing. One has to take into effect the price points of the food. Busy as hell, but you're still selling eggs n hash, not fois gras.

I guess all the workers at Taco Bell deserve $15 an hour because they wash their hands and throw out the expired fire sauce.

I work my ass off everyday and I deal with the public. I have to deal with pissed off and demanding people just the same as a server and I don't think I'll ever be paid $35 an hour. Sure we can pay servers and cooks $30 an hour, but everyones salary will have to increase to maintain "economic balance". Servers won't have a job very long when people can't afford to dine out.

I have yet to hear a figure on what servers are actually making. If they are bringing home $15-$20 an hour. I think we are debating for no reason.

To answer the pay question. I made about 600 a week when I was waiting tables. I worked 6 doubles a week. The pay clock said I worked 40-45 hours a week. My actual time at work was probably 50-55 hours. Some days I was gone 11-11. So I'd say between 10-15 an hour. But, that's all I did for 6 days a week. As many of those shifts were lunch shifts or slower nights, my hourly pay (each week) totally depended on Friday and Saturday night. Good nights there would put me over 15 an hour. A really slow weekend would put be under 10 for the week.

There's a flaw in this discussion (ONLY ONE FLAW!) in that we are only discussing servers. We started discussing servers, and the teachers got upset. Marsha tried to add cooks to the conversation, but everyone ignored here. So yes, there's no way to pay servers fairly while ignoring all those other underpaid people. And yes, if we paid servers fairly and kept all other people at the same pay, most people would not be able to afford to dine out (at least as often as they now do).

But if we stopped drawing lines between us (teachers, cooks, and servers, etc.) and started drawing the lines that mattered, we might be on to something. It's not that everyone's pay would have to increase. It's that we need to go "Robin Hood" on a small segment of the population.

And you can't forget to add on the bi-weekly paycheck of $0 to $5!

HaHa!

I knew I had made it as a server when I started getting that paycheck receipt that said $0.00. Good times!

Which brings me back to my initial point.

Working in an office 40 hours per week vs Serving is a huge difference; typically because one has Health/Life Benefits. Cost of living increases are always on the rise, but not as much as insurances. Some people can't seem to wrap their head around the fact having no insurance is akin to playing Russian Roulette. Financial difficulties would be DRASTICALLY reduced if benefits given from an office worker to a Server were identical.

It does not matter the amount of money you toss at a Server or think they are worth. It'll mean nothing when they are slapped with a 75K hospital bill. Give them Health Care. Increase their basic wages to something comparable to a receptionist would make in their first year. (Example) And, see the difference it makes.

And, this includes the grunts in the Kitchen too, Marsha!

When I started a job as a receptionist a few years ago, it paid $8 an hour, plus benefits, and that's decent starting pay for a receptionist. That would be a pay DEcrease!

But if we stopped drawing lines between us (teachers, cooks, and servers, etc.) and started drawing the lines that mattered, we might be on to something. It's not that everyone's pay would have to increase. It's that we need to go "Robin Hood" on a small segment of the population.

Yeah! Let's steal from the rich restaurant owners and give their money to their poor restaurant workers!

When I started a job as a receptionist a few years ago, it paid $8 an hour, plus benefits, and that's decent starting pay for a receptionist. That would be a pay DEcrease!

A few years ago...? Comparable to today? And, as far as it being a pay decrease, I'd like to hear from Foodie Peoples with first hand experience buying Health Care Insurance for themselves; let alone an entire company.

[Robin Garr]

I for one find it fascinating that I mentioned that cooks take home around a third to half of what servers take home, and not even one person has commented on that.

Interesting.

And weird. It may be something like newspaper reporters back in the day. Creative people will work for too little because they're having too much fun to care.