i left my full time job after my child was born, and i've decided not to go back to it due to commute and daycare costs. i'm way too novice to attempt to do cakes for any income at this point so i need to supplement my DH's income somehow.
i've been considering waitressing a few nights a week. i have a close friend that can get me in at her restaurant. i know its hard work but it fits with my schedule at this time and seems to be a flexible job. yet, i'm afraid because i've never done it before.
i'm going to have to balance drinks and eloquently open bottles of wine... cry:
does anyone have any advice on waitressing?
for those who have done it, how much would you take home in a night? did you enjoy the job?
thanks 
First off, I checked out your gallery, and you could DEFINITELY bring in some extra income with your cakes, they are AWESOME!!
As far as waitressing, it's been years since I've done it, but I always enjoyed it. You will be on your feet a lot and have to smile nicely to some rude/obnoxious customers, but all in all, it's pretty fun. I think the income mostly depends on your area and the type restaurant.
Good luck!!
It all depends on your personality. If you love to meet people, have a good attitude, and don't mind working hard for what is sometimes very little pay, then you should do fine. This is not a job for everyone. You can have some really nasty/rude customers and, at most places, you have to put up with it. The pay depends on a lot of things--how busy the restaurant is, your service, your customers--just to name a few. When I was a waitress the pay was $2.13 an hour. The idea being that you can make it up in tips which isn't always true. One night I went in to work and got one table all night and got a $2 tip from them. Sometimes you have a customer that you just can't please no matter what you do and they will not leave you anything and will be the ones who ran you ragged.
If you have a bit of time, I recommend you read a book by Debra Ginsberg called "Waiting: confessions of waitress" She offers some interesting insights into the work. It was a very interesting read. Not everything will apply to your situation, but it sure gives you things to think about.
I'm one of the few who LOVE LOVE LOVE waitressing! Yes, you will have nights where your tips dont pay the gas to go to work, but I've always averaged $10-15/hr total working family restaurants. If I brought home less that $40/night it was a bad night. BUT not everyone can do it, and others might bring home $10.
You can practice carrying at home, it's not difficult but does take different muscles than we usually use. The key to good tips is SMILE. If you can do that while carrying 30lbs of scalding food and liquids and dodging children, you'll be fine. Even if you try it and it doesnt work out, you'll be fine. Any specific questions, PM me. I've done it on and off and as a 2nd job for 15 years.
My daughter went to work for a nice Steak House, she had waitressed before so she did have some experience. She wanted to pay her bills off faster so took this part-time. She was averaging 700-800 week in tips! She loves people and said it was a good break from her first job which was an office manager. If it is a good restaurant, and the food is good, you should do well. But remember you are dealing with the public and that can get stressful sometimes. Buy some good shoes!!
Wow I can't believe how low some of the wages are over there my waitresses are casuals and earn $18p/h for Mon-Fri over $22p/h for Sat and over $26p/h for sundays plus tips (although tipping isn't as popular over here and they have to share the tips with the kitchen staff).
What I like in my staff is that that they show up when they are rostered to do so, they are friendly to the customers (even the ones who are a pain in the rear), that they get the orders right most of the time, can move quickly (because we are a very busy restaurant) and take notice of the customers ie. are they trying to get your attention, are their drinks getting low & want another, are they finished with their meals etc, and make an effort to become familiar with the menu so they can answer basic questions from customers about the menu items. If you can do these things you will be ahead of the game from the start.
In terms of carrying plates, drinks etc you can learn that and I think someone already mentioned practising at home (make sure you fill up your cups with water or something though as empties feel different to full). I personally prefer that staff only carry as many plates as they are comfortable with because I would rather a meal take an extra minute to get to the table than the customer have to wait for it to be re-made because it has been dropped on the floor.
Good Luck
I've waiteressed on and off too, and I'm also thinking about getting back into it part time.
It's a great way to meet new people, and you definately learn a ton of new things.
I had a lot of fun with it, but it is not for everyone. You really have to be a people person, and remember not to take things personally.
Good luck!
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