The ABC’s of Being a Restaurant Employee

The ABC’s of Being a Restaurant Employee

by | Sep 7, 2016 | Career

From job searching to getting along with new coworkers, being a restaurant employee demands dedication, creativity, and a hospitable attitude. The path from the first job application to an experienced employee is long and often rocky, but take heart! The following tips guide you through the whole process: the search, training and continued improvement, interaction with coworkers, and finally interaction with guests.

Job Search ABC’s

  • Assertive: Nothing gets you nothing, so go for what you want and keep after it. Apply for as many positions as possible – we have a ton of great job opportunities on Sirvo!
  • Believable: The best way to appear trustworthy when interviewing for a to be a restaurant employee is to be honest — if you lie, it will become apparent quickly. Need more interviewing tips? Check out how to answer the 5 most common interview questions.
  • Careful: If at all possible, talk to past or current employees before taking a job to see if it will be a good fit.

How To… Know Which Position to Accept: Look at factors such as location, hours, flexibility, salary, coworkers, and of course, if you like the food you would be preparing or serving. Pick the one that fits your schedule and personality the best.

Do… Apply at Different Locations: Different kinds of food, different atmospheres, different sizes — you never know where you will find your perfect fit.

Do Not… Make Assumptions: You know nothing about a place until you do your research, so never assume you know something based solely on what it serves, the tables it uses, or any other peripheral factor.

The best way to appear trustworthy when interviewing for a job is to be honest.

Job Performance ABC’s

  • Ambitious: Take your progress into your own hands, show interest, and look for ways to take steps forward.
  • Busy: No orders? Ask someone to teach you something — a new plate, an off-menu special, a new drink, etc.
  • Creative: Step out of your box and try something you know nothing about — what do you have to lose?

How To… Get Feedback: Correctly made orders are good feedback, but if you are looking for something a bit more in-depth, take some time to talk to a manager or trainer — most are happy to do either a formal or an informal evaluation and go over your strengths and weaknesses.

Do… Take Advantage of Opportunities: If someone offers to show you something, take them up on it.

Do Not… Act Like a Know-It-All: So maybe you have experience and nothing feels new, but that does not mean you know everything about being a restaurant employee — stay open to learning.

If someone offers to show you something, take them up on it.

Interacting With Coworkers ABC’s

  • Agreeable: You spend a lot of time at work, be nice.
  • Bold: Experienced coworkers may intimidate you initially, but they are one of your biggest assets in learning and improving, so go after them.
  • Considerate: Pick up a little slack and clean up after yourself before you leave — your coworkers will always be happy to see you.

How To… Work With Even the Most Difficult: There will always be people you cannot stand, so when it comes time for your shift with them, ignore their snide comments or complaints and just focus on your own work.

Do… Try to Fit In: This does not mean following along with a mob mentality, it means learning names, going along with inside jokes, and doing your part without complaining.

Do Not… Let People Walk Over You: Stand up for yourself, even if you think people may not like it.

You spend a lot of time at work, so be nice!

Customer Service ABC’s

  • Approachable: Guests who know where to find a listening ear become repeat visitors, so do your best to be personable and friendly.
  • Bulletproof: People get picky — and angry — about their food. Shake it off — at the end of the day, it is just food.
  • Circumspect: Stay aware, always.

How To… Calm an Angry Guest: The first step is listening and sympathizing, next offer a plan of action that goes above and beyond what they expect, and finally make sure the guest leaves happy. Here are even more tips on dealing with angry guests.

Do… Make Friends: They come for the food, and come back — or not — for the service.

Do Not… Share Work Drama: What happens at work should always stay amongst coworkers. People come to eat, not hear gossip about their second favorite server — their favorite is you, of course.

Throughout your journey in restaurant service, your work ethic, attitude, and people skills will determine what kind of experience you have. While this ultimately depends on you, following these ABC’s, How To’s, Do’s, and Do Not’s will set you on the fast track to a successful, fulfilling, and lucrative career. So go get started!

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What to Expect When You Become a Personal Chef

What to Expect When You Become a Personal Chef

by | Aug 31, 2016 | Career

When you decide to become a personal chef, things should start to go your way very quickly, and you may soon find that being a personal chef is quite the lucrative position. A personal chef goes into the homes of clients and creates magnificent meals that tend to be highly rewarded. On average, the profession makes more money than any other chef-related job. However, becoming a personal chef brings its own challenges.

Challenges

The problems that can arise during one’s stint as a personal chef can vary from one job to the next. For instance, you may be hired to cook in a poorly equipped kitchen. Your clients may be too demanding and difficult to work for. Children may be allowed to run in, out and through the kitchen while you are attempting to work. Still, the opportunities to explore the joys of creatively cooking your own way are worth the inconvenience of the occasional setback.

The best way to market oneself as a personal chef is to find a specific niche.

Becoming a Personal Chef

Besides having experience in other professional kitchen jobs, becoming a personal chef is different from other types of jobs, because it usually does not entail any type of formal job application, and acceptance rates depend on many different factors. Food handlers licensing varies from state to state as do taxes, and business laws. All of these things should be taken into consideration ahead of time.

The best way to market oneself as a personal chef is to find a specific niche. For instance, one chef might advertise that she cooks with local ingredients only. Another might make a mark on the vegetarian scene. Each choice has specific constraints and advantages that the chef should work out well in advance of starting a business.

People Skills

Chefs who work in restaurants have the advantage, or disadvantage, depending on their particular perspectives, of being separated from their customers. With few exceptions, chefs work in the kitchen and the customers eat in the dining area. Being a personal chef is a different scene altogether.

Oftentimes, personal chefs develop up close and personal relationships with their clients because at times, their clients want to work with them to help cook, or they want the chef to teach them a few tricks. In other instances, people walk through the kitchen and stop to chat, creating perfect opportunities to make new acquaintances and to work with the clients to prepare exactly what they want.

Personal chefs do not necessarily have the same job security as restaurant chefs, but it is an occupation that can be creatively rewarding, and monetarily rewarding as well.

Feedback

Personal chefs are more vulnerable to feedback than restaurant chefs because they are in closer proximity to their clients. In these more intimate types of positions, clients tend to be much more open to expressing exactly how they feel about the job the chef is doing.

Clients are able to ask for exactly what they want and how they want it cooked, and can readily give kudos or criticism, depending on how well they enjoyed the meal. Their comments should be taken in stride and noted for future reference.

Taking Care of Business

Chefs working in restaurants receive regular paychecks that reflect their hours worked or salary. They are able to spend that money at their own discretion. Personal chefs have a whole different scenario.

When one is a personal chef, he or she bears personal responsibility for making the cash flow. It is up to the chef to find clients who will pay a negotiated fee. Then come the business expenses, such as extra utensils, transportation, food containers and other things. Taxes are also different for a personal chef than for a restaurant chef. All income will be taxed as a business.

Personal chefs do not necessarily have the same job security as restaurant chefs, but it is an occupation that can be creatively rewarding, and monetarily rewarding as well.

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How Culinary Internships Can Get You a Job

How Culinary Internships Can Get You a Job

by | Aug 24, 2016 | Career

It’s been said that you can’t get a job without experience, but you can’t get experience unless you have a job. So, what do you do about this? Take an internship! This is even true about culinary internships.

Benefits of an Internship

You’re probably wondering how culinary internships can get you a job. Well, to begin with, as a culinary intern you’ll learn many new techniques for cooking and baking in the “real” world (outside the classroom). You’ll also learn speed, organization, time management, and perfect your knife skills while working on the line during service.

Regardless of what path you see your culinary career taking, your internship time spent in a professional kitchen is invaluable to your career. For instance, personal chefs must understand how to set up a kitchen, private chefs must learn how to act quickly, and a test kitchen chef must learn to think on their feet while creating recipes.

Sometimes accepting an unpaid internship and working at another job while interning pays off with bigger returns than if you’d accepted a paid internship.

Considerations When Pursuing an Internship

Having some idea of where you want to see your career go is the first step, and a very important one, in deciding where you should seek out an internship. It’s also important to think about what city you want to spend most of your life living in. While moving to a big city for an internship is fun, moving away from there afterwards may prove difficult.

This is because one of the main points of doing an internship is creating contacts and networking. If you do this someplace, you may find they don’t have contacts available in the city you actually want to live in. Simply put, good local references are more beneficial than all your great skills and techniques combined.

When interning in a small, chef-driven place you get to work directly with the chefs and line cooks.

Another important consideration is the environment you wish to do your internship in. When interning in a small, chef-driven place you get to work directly with the chefs and line cooks. This doesn’t always happen in big restaurants, where it’s easier to ignore you.

It’s also important for you to consider whether you can afford to take an unpaid internship. Sometimes accepting an unpaid internship and working at another job while interning pays off with bigger returns than if you’d accepted a paid internship. If you feel as though you can keep up with everything, then you’ll look as though you’re truly dedicated to your profession. Of course, only you can decide this.

One other thing you’ll want to do before choosing where you’ll do your internship is to actually spend time reading about the restaurant. You not only want to lookout for what employees are saying about the restaurant and its work environment, you also want to learn what diners are saying about the food, service, atmosphere, and chef.

Working every station looks good to potential employees as they recognize you have basic experience in various areas of the kitchen.

 

Getting the Most out of Your Internship

In the same way you must take some time to consider whether the internship is right for you, it’s also important to stay on your feet while working an internship. This is a time during which you can do some really great networking. Get to know the line cooks, servers, and other restaurant staff. They’re all an important part of the team when you’re working in a kitchen as a chef.

Some people sincerely believe small, successful restaurants are where you’ll find the best internships because you’re expected to actually do some work. In fact, by the end of your time there, you’ll probably have worked every station. This looks good to potential employees as they recognize you have basic experience in various areas of the kitchen.

Remember, you don’t want to take an internship at a big restaurant just so you can have its name on your résumé. Make sure it sounds as though it will meet your expectations. Instead, accept an internship at a restaurant where you think you’ll be happy (you never know until you start working there). It should also be a place that challenges you so you have a great opportunity to build your skills.

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Tips for Effective Body Language During An Interview

Tips for Effective Body Language During An Interview

by | Aug 17, 2016 | Career

When it comes time to interview for that next job, be ready to impress your future employer with not only stellar answers but also effective body language. With only a limited amount of time to prove yourself during the interview, it’s crucial that you use your body to convey your confidence and know-how. And here’s how.

Stay positive

Your body language follows your mind. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, your body will consciously create negative energy. Instead, stay positive inside your head, and your body language will respond with confidence.

Also, if your mind is thinking positive thoughts, you’re more likely to smile. When you smile, the room will glow, especially if the room has bad lighting.

Sit up straight

A third of all job hunters have bad posture. Practice sitting upright in a chair. Slouching interviewees look like insecure people who aren’t confident in their skills.

If you’re thinking negative thoughts, your body will consciously create negative energy.

Practice a firm handshake

Since first impressions are crucial within the first 10 seconds of meeting someone, your need to perfect the handshake. All good handshakes have between 60% and 75% pressure. Don’t go 100%, but don’t be lazy and give 50% effort. Find that Goldilocks medium, and you will do great!

Make reasonable eye contact

You don’t have to stare into your interviewer’s soul, but you should at least make some eye contact with your interviewer. If you need to look somewhere else when you’re talking, look up, not down. You don’t want to look down often because the top of your head is not what companies are looking for.

Reduce nervous ticks

These habits might include playing with your hair, biting your fingernails, or crossing your arms. Have a friend tell you (in a nice way) which of your habits they notice so you don’t repeat them during an interview.

Stay positive inside your head, and your body language will respond with confidence.

React to their body language

Do your research on the company to get a sense of their business. Once you’ve done your research, read their body language during the interview. If they look puzzled, elaborate on one of your answers.

If the interviewer gets excited or their eyes light up, give them a couple more details, then let them ask you more questions. This keeps them involved in you, which is your only goal at the interview.

Less is more

Talk less and gesture less. The more nervous you are, the more talkative you become. Go over your strong points and say less. This keeps the interviewer on their toes. You will notice quickly if they’re interested in you or not, and most of their interest is in your body language.

Calm down on style

You’re not applying for a famous designer. Your business-casual style shouldn’t stand out. Don’t go overboard, but don’t look like a slob. Stay in the middle when it comes to style. Force the interviewers to like you for your brain, not for your clothes.

Reading the body language of your interviewer keeps him or her involved in you, which should be your only goal at the interview.

Don’t stress too much about the results

If you’re nervous about the interview, it’s usually because you a) are not prepared or b) believe that this job will solve all of the life’s problems. After reading this guide, you will become prepared, so don’t worry about preparation. But if you think this job will solve all of your problems, remember that this is just one of many opportunities that will come your way.

When it comes down to it, the entire package, from speech to posture to movement, is analyzed during the interview. So, leave the nerves at the door, remember a few of these tips, and be yourself!

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20 Golden Rules for Bartenders

20 Golden Rules for Bartenders

by | Aug 10, 2016 | Career

It is hard to come up with a single, specific and detailed list of instructions for bartenders that teaches each how to be a good bartender. However, here are 21 golden rules for bartenders that can help advance your career. Find out what a good bartender does and does not do by following these tips:

  • Do all that you can to make your bar patrons and guests happy within the specified boundaries of your employer. This will increase the likelihood of happier customers and better tips.
  • Be mindful of the fact that this is not your bar, your party, nor your booze. Respect that someone else is paying for the supplies you use and do not waste anything.
  • Dress like a pro, because you are repeatedly seen by virtually every customer who walks into the party or restaurant. Present yourself as a well-groomed professional.
  • Understand the types of alcohol that you serve. Study up on the various brands and their qualities, because your customers will have questions about it from time to time.
  • Practice the small details associated with cocktail making. These are the details that can separate the amateurs from the professionals.
  • Keep your money neat. This demonstrates to your customers and employers that you are well-organized and on top of their cash.

Study up on the various brands and their qualities, because your customers will have questions about it from time to time.

  • Sometimes, you will receive a small tip. This is the nature of the business. Don’t sweat it.
  • If you allow clientele to run your establishment, you will never regain control. Be in charge with a friendly, yet authoritative tone. Your customers will respect you for it.
  • Learn why and how to give out comps, because these can be real problem solvers when other things don’t work. Your customers will love you for them.
  • Anticipate what the customer wants before he or she asks. Refilling a glass, replacing a coaster or emptying a full ashtray are the types of small touches that the customer appreciates.
  • Control the bar environment. Is the music too loud? How is the temperature? Your customers’ comfort is proportional to how they will rate their experiences in your bar.
  • Branch out. It is important for a bartender to work continually to gain additional bartender skills because it helps keep customers interested.

If you allow clientele to run your establishment, you will never regain control.

  • Learn some jokes. Read the papers to learn some banter. People tip for your service. Be amiable, because these are valuable skills that will set you apart from other bartenders.
  • Keep your bar spotless. Face bottles forward. Keep the bar top clean, because this leaves a lasting impression that will impress the customers and show them your dedication to the job.
  • Use both hands as you work, because this will help you pick up speed as you mix drinks. Bartenders learn to become ambidextrous.
  • Mise en place is a French phrase describing how one arranges tools and ingredients. Do the same thing each time you set up because it will help you stay organized.
  • Always be seen washing your hands. Do not touch your face or hair. Be cool. Don’t be untidy, because these are the types of things that drive customers away.
  • Converse with customers. Greet them when they enter the bar area, and good-bye when they depart.  Find out how they are doing. This is exactly what customers expect from a bartender and will result in more loyalty from the customers and better tips.

Arranges tools and ingredients each time you set up because it will help you stay organized.

  • Refrain from offering advice, and resist the urge to dominate conversations, because you are here to serve your customers. Everything should be about your customers and not about yourself.
  • People expect a lot from their bartenders. Be careful about which aspects of yourself you choose to present at a given moment and select your conversational material carefully. No customer wants to know about that mole you just had removed from your ear lobe. Keep the conversation light, interesting and friendly.

Looking for bartender positions? Check out Sirvo for great opportunities! 

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Cost of Living and Restaurant Industry Wages in Metro Areas

Cost of Living and Restaurant Industry Wages in Metro Areas

by | Aug 3, 2016 | Career

Restaurant industry workers face a fundamental industry conundrum. The highest number of restaurant jobs, as well as the best-paying jobs, are in the main metropolitan areas. Unfortunately, these major metro areas are also the most expensive places to live, so the higher wages and better tips tend to be immediately offset by the cost of housing.

New York has long been the poster child for this conundrum. The greater metro area, which includes parts of New Jersey, employs the largest amount of chefs and head cooks in the country. The rate of industry employment is almost double that of the Los Angeles metro area, which is number two on the list.

The higher wages and better tips tend to be immediately offset by the cost of housing.

Of course, the problem here is that New York City is also one of the most expensive places to live in the world. Both entry-level and managerial workers enjoy a higher average salary than most of the rest of the country, but it’s largely offset by the cost of housing alone. Los Angeles faces a similar problem.

The traditional solution to this conundrum has been to commute, trading some extra time each work day for lower housing costs in a more remote suburban area. That isn’t always possible anymore, however. Take San Francisco as an example. The city recently edged out New York for the first time as the most expensive place to live in America.

The rapid growth of the tech and finance industries there has elevated the cost of living.

The San Francisco metro area is one of the top ten largest employers of restaurant industry workers in the country, and the traditional solution for lower to mid-level industry workers there was to live in Oakland or other East Bay cities with a reasonable commute time and a much lower cost of living.

The rapid growth of the tech and finance industries there has elevated the cost of living throughout the Bay Area as a whole to the point that there’s no relief to be found within about 50 miles in any direction from the city. The median wage for cooks and head chefs of $49,290 seems nice at first but quickly fades in appeal when average apartment rentals run in the range of $3,000 to $4,000 per month.

Metro areas away from the coasts still offer a desirable quality of life with good wages and a reasonable cost of living.

That doesn’t mean that every major metro area in the country functions this way, however. This is a phenomenon largely limited to the coastal cities, particularly the West Coast given the temperate weather all year. Metro areas away from the coasts still offer a desirable quality of life combined with good wages and a reasonable cost of living.

Las Vegas is perhaps the foremost example. Despite being geographically smaller than many metro areas, the region employs the third highest amount of restaurant workers in the country yet has a very moderate cost of living.

Despite being geographically smaller than many metro areas, Las Vegas employs the third highest amount of restaurant workers in the country.

Las Vegas cooks and head chefs also have a median annual wage of $52,330, which is significantly higher than much of the country. Other examples of good mean wages for chefs in cities with an affordable cost of living include Houston, Sacramento, Denver, Colorado Springs, Sioux City, Lincoln, Jackson, Lansing and Jacksonville.

Surprisingly high wages can also sometimes be found in more rural, non-metropolitan areas. Central Louisiana, East Arkansas, East Kentucky and both Northeast and Southwest Wyoming all have some of the country’s highest mean wages for restaurant industry workers, though naturally these jobs will not be as plentiful as they are in densely populated cities.

The greatest number of jobs are found in Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston and San Diego, all cities that have established issues with affordable housing.

The top ten cities that have the most jobs for restaurant workers do tend to be expensive places more often than not. In addition to the cities already mentioned, the greatest amount of jobs are found in Washington D.C., Chicago, Boston and San Diego, all cities that have established issues with affordable housing. Only Atlanta at #8 begins to approach the more affordable major metro areas of the country.

These are just the absolute biggest destinations, however. With an estimated 14.4 million jobs in the industry in the country as a whole, there’s definitely a place somewhere for everyone who wants to work. And, if you’re looking, Sirvo has great job opportunities available now!

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