I have spent more than 22 years in the food and beverage industry, most of them as a minister. I have been in the business for four years now, and I look back and see the good, the bad, and the ugly barbarous things. If you, or someone you know, has ever seen a decent minister, here are some things to consider;
Goods:
Good money. Employees can make really good money. When bar tending “full time” my average take home was $700-800/ week. To put this in perspective, I once worked full time at Kodak for temp. I took home $324/week (which was considered a good job at the time). At the same time it was late part of the time. One night I put $330 in bar tips. The money is there if you come to the right place.
No training required. To use, no training is required. Sure, there are commercial schools, but no minister I’ve ever gone to work for one. It can be short new job training, but it is best learned where everything is in stock and prices. So in theory, you could go out and find a job trading today and make money tomorrow.
Good hours if I like to sleep. This job was especially appealing when I was in my early 20’s.
It’s fun! Bar tending can be really fun! Like throwing a party every night of the week! I got to meet you a lot, and today some of my best friends are former clients. I love my clients so much, even my wife!
It can be nice. It sounds kind of funny now, but in the “80” (when I was tending a bar) and the popularity of such movies called “Cocktail”, it was considered a minister of nice. Cooler court than you worked, cooler you were!
Bad:
Money can be sporadic. I know, I started by boasting about how much money there is, but sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes you get sprinkled in tips. Sometimes it’s too late. Sometimes your (cash register) drawer runs short and you have to make up the difference out of your own pocket. We used to joke that as a waiter so many things (like good customers and good hands) make the difference between lobster and Ramen noodles.
The hours suck. If you plan to be a minister, plan on working every weekend and holiday to the rest of your life. (That’s when it gets legal, baby!) Turn your social life into an after-hours poker games and blind pig parties< /a>, if you have a social life at all. You will find it hard to find someone who works a day job. If you have a family, you usually come home with about three hours of sleep before it’s time to get up and put the kids on the school bus.
You have to deal with some tough people. Anyone who has ever worked in public knows that it can be tough. Just imagine magnifying what you are doing publicly is drunk! There is an old minister’s joke: “What is the difference between a minister and a toilet seat”? only one podex should act at the time.
Many people find mercenaries to be “disgraceful”. Although many businessmen act their butts, the common man thinks that tending to public transport is not a real job. There were many times when a new client would ask me what I did for a living, and I would think “Um, I’m doing it right now…” but I would say “Neurosurgery”. Just keep pushing the bar, because I love people!” Also, many packers are either alcoholics or often drunk, so all employees are automatically lumped into that category.
Deformed:
What you pay is about half the minimum wage. Granted, you’re doing it with a lot of money, but you need to be really good at sticking to the budget. Imagine having a paycheck for a 40 hour week that totals around $130 and then $600+ in cash that same week. Don’t worry, pain, pain!
No pension/no benefits. Most places, except chain restaurants, don. ‘T offer advice or pension benefits. (Except in Las Vegas, where food service and waiter service are combined.) If the plan is offered, it is usually prohibitively expensive. It has large and small coverage. In fact, it won’t cover your paycheck, and you’ll literally be paying the premiums out of pocket.
It’s hard to transition to something outside of food service. When you’ve been in food service for two years, it’s kind of stuck there. The performing skills are usually only transferable to another trade job. Any job that you could get out of food service that doesn’t require previous work experience probably won’t be enough for you. .
Bar owners and managers can be unscrupulous. Oh, to tell stories! A few quick things;
I’ve worked with one manager who doesn’t count us girls as guides, but then he’ll tell us that we’re gone (by a lot) and demand that we pay.
I kept the bar in a place where I was not allowed to break or sit at all during our 8 hour shift. Not exaggerating. (I know it’s wrong.) My legs hurt at the end of the day and I felt like a barbarian shoving a sandwich in my face with one hand and slurping a drink with the other, but it was necessary.
Thus there were good, bad, and disgraceful things done to the minister. I’ve tried not to dwell on it until now, but here I take it personally: I’ve been out of it for four years now, and I can honestly say I miss the money. What’s left, they can keep the candle ball!
