Cafe - Waitor Beach Cafe Employee Review

A good work environment and a good management

Long Hours and that's all the cons I have

The staff are great! You enter a community that is very encouraging, and fun to be with. You become a part of a family. Being on the waterfront, you stay really busy and can make good money in tips. It's an excellent summer job, and they are great at working with your school schedule if you're in high school or college. I think everyone should work in the restaurant business at some point in their life. I loved my job the entire time I was there. I think working crazy hours, and getting yelled at, and feeling undervalued by customers created a strong sense of "we're all in this together" from everyone. I met some of my dearest friends working there. The tips in the summer are also excellent. I would honestly recommend this job. Quick note on logistics: Servers and bartenders make the best money. But it's hit or miss depending on the night. Bussers consistently make the most tips and then hosts are second. Busser work till 11pm though most nights, whereas as a host I left right at 9pm. The worst job is working as a dishwasher, we never kept anyone longer than a couple months. We also went though a lot of chefs, every one I worked with ended up quitting. But line cooks have told me they like their job ok. Benefits: You're an employee of the Woodmark Hotel technically, so you can get great discounts on their hotels. The hotel owns the restaurant, so they also provide room services to hotel guests. The hotel also puts on a Christmas party for everyone in Dec, where you can enter into raffles for different prizes or hotel stays. Occasionally the hotel also gets discount tickets to different games and events that staff can purchase, and that's always fun. The hotel also offers stuff like paddleboards and jet skis to their guests that you can rent for a discount on slow days as an employee.

Kirkland area is well known for its difficult customers. I went home many nights in tears over some of the treatment I endured from customers. At the time I worked there, the management wasn't great at helping with that. But they go through managers a lot. I worked there from 2014-2018 and saw 7 different head and assistant managers go through. The theory among staff at the time for the reasoning of going through management so quickly was that most managers saw the restaurant as a stepping stone to another job, rather than a permanent place. You're also expected to work holidays and weekends, which usually means great tips, but can also be a con for some. There is limited room for growth. If you start as a host they might train you to be a busser or server later, but that's the most growth you'll see. There also aren't really raises either. I worked there for 4 years and only saw one raise. Just don't plan on staying too long honestly. The restaurant business will slowly suck out your soul. It's a job to get yourself through school, or while you're looking for another job, not a final employer.