Lauren Fabrizio, 22, is a senior from Warren, Ohio pursuing a B.A. in English Literature at the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works as a waitress at Fire Side Public House in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty Neighborhood. She graciously accepted my invitation to answer a few questions about her experiences in the food service industry. The following interview was conducted via email and has been slightly edited for clarity.
Question: Why did you choose to work at this restaurant?
Answer: “The restaurant that I had been working at for a year closed abruptly and I lost a job that I really loved. So I applied to a million different food service positions and ended up with an interview at Fire Side. I liked the atmosphere and their menu consisted of food that I could actually see myself eating. So I committed and now I’ve been there five months.”
Question: What does your job primarily entail?
Answer: “Everything that you normally think of that‘waitresses do.’ Take orders, deliver food, talk to customers, and occasionally do absurd amounts of conflict resolution! It’s a lot of time on my feet and a lot of communication. Oh, and I bartend as well. I make a mean Old Fashioned.”
Question: How many hours a week do you usually work? What is it like balancing this job with being a student?
Answer: “It varies because some nights are much busier and I have to stay late. Others are super slow and I might leave at 8 pm. I work typically three shifts a week, so I’d say that’s around fifteen hours.However, I commute by bus, so once you add on the time I spend on the 71C and P3, that changes things. I feel like I work much longer hours than I do because it’s incredibly stressful to work while going to school. Academics are always my number one priority, but it requires a lot of time management and dedication to make it through the semester. I’m sleepy all the time. But when it comes down to it, I like my job and I like the people I’ve surrounded myself with at work, so the stress will end up being worth it. Plus, as long as my grades are staying high, I must be managing things alright enough.”
Question:What do you wish customers knew about people working in the food service industry?
Answer: “Oh my goodness. Where do I even start with this question!? First and foremost, the tip you leave a waitress is seriously her salary. I make $4 an hour. So even on nights when the restaurant is popping and you maybe don’t see your chicken wings as quickly as you want to, if you stiff me I might not be able to make my electric bill the next month or I might not be able to buy more cat food. Your server is almost always trying their best and should be compensated just like anyone else. And if you can’t afford to pay a 15-20% tip at the end of your meal, YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO EAT OUT. Think of that every time you get hungry. Can you really afford to go out to dinner? Factor in the tip.
Some other things worth remembering: don’t touch your server under any circumstances; your cute waitress is not your substitute girlfriend even if she acts like it (she just wants your money); don’t seat yourself if there’s a sign asking you not to and if you have to wait for a table then you have to deal with it; if you have a child, do your best to clean up after them yourself or leave a fat tip because I’m going to end up having to sanitize the whole area after your kid smears boogers and barbeque sauce everywhere…
I have so much more I could say but I’ll just end with this: your server is a human being. The customer/server relationship places the customer in a position of relative power and it’s the server’s job to make the customer happy. But that doesn’t mean I’m ‘unskilled.’ It doesn’t mean that I’ll do anything for you. So just treat your server with basic decency and recognize the fact that if it weren’t for them you’d be at home cooking and cleaning up after yourself.You’re welcome.”
Question: Any secret tips of the trade?
Answer: “Be kind to your coworkers. Yeah, you all earn tips for yourselves, but you don’t want to work in an atmosphere of hostility. Deliver their food for them when they’re busy. Check in during a dinner rush to make sure they’re okay (even when you’re not). It pays off in the relationships you foster. Just be kind in any situation you can be, forever and ever and ever.”
Question: What have been your best and worst experiences on the job?
Answer: “Worst experience: It was probably my second or third week at Fire Side. I was working on the patio &front sections and almost every table was full. The whole restaurant was absolutely packed. I’d been rushing around to take and deliver orders, drop off refills, etc… but I finally had a free moment to regroup and see if there was anything I’d missed. I looked over at a table in the corner of the patio and thought ‘Wow, their food is taking so long.’ Then I realized it was because I’d forgotten to order their food! My heart rate when crazy and I had to work so hard to cover my tracks. So stressful.
Best experience: A family came in a few weeks ago with a little boy, maybe three years old. He was so sweet and I talked with him a lot, just like I do with most kids that come into the restaurant. He had me ‘high five’ his C3PO figurine and he told me all about how he got a lollipop for being good during a haircut. Then, before they left, he tapped me as I walked by. I crouched down to hear him and he said, unprompted, “Being here is just like being at home.”Pretty sure my coworkers had to mop me off the floor because I completely melted right there!”
