Can I take your order? Choosing a career in the restaurant industry

For many recent grads in the Boston area, this news may be less than welcoming. Industry workers won’t hesitate to tell you horror stories of arbitrary firings, high turnover, and wage and hour violations -- and the evidence shows they're not all myths. One study of New York City restaurants found that violations regarding overtime and failure to provide health insurance were almost an industry-wide standard. Outside of New York the industry is finding itself guilty of providing too many dead-end jobs almost across the board.

Emily Liefer, a 2011 Brandeis University graduate with a degree in art history, plans on attending graduate school but got a job at Amelia’s Kitchen in Somerville to make ends meet. However, she soon found the job was more than she had bargained for: Liefer found herself working multiple eleven-hour shifts, usually without breaks. “I wanted something that wouldn't take up too much of my time, but then I ended up picking up more shifts and working more than I wanted to,” she said.

The long hours weren’t the only struggle; Liefer also said her manager often was less than professional.

“I had to eat, so when this manager sees me eating, he says to me, ‘What are you doing? Why are you gaining weight?’" she said. "He was acting like it was me doing something to harm him -- like you’re not going to be able to be a good waitress if you get fat. That was terrible; I could not believe he said that.”

Although Liefer no longer works at Amelia’s, she said that her story is all too common at a time when a tight economy is forcing experienced members of the workforce to take entry-level positions for which they're overqualified, pushing recent grads out of the picture all together.

“The job that you get when you’re straight out of school is an unpaid internship," she said, "so you have to pick one or the other -- either a service job or financial aid [and] an unpaid internship in whatever your chosen field is.”

For industry veterans, though, the restaurant industry can be rewarding. Cait, who asked to be identified only by her first name, has been working in the restaurant industry for 12 years; a trained actress who graduated from Emerson College in 2002, she currently works at a neighborhood haunt in Jamaica Plain. While many struggle working a service job, Cait seems to enjoy it.

“I like the human interaction. I’m an actor, and a lot of the service industry, especially when you’re behind the bar, you’re basically putting on a show for people, keeping them entertained, keeping them happy," she said. "I’ve met a lot of amazing people working at a bunch of different bars and restaurants.”

But Cait also noted the constant human interaction has a flip side: “Not everyone that comes into your bar is a nice friendly person," she said. "Sometimes they can be [really mean].”

Those working in creative fields such as art or theatre often find that a service job can be a good way to augment their not-always-reliable income. Cait said that, with flexible shifts and an opportunity to walk home with $300 per night, working in a restaurant is a good way to make money on the side.

“It’s fun; I have a good time,” Cait said. “I”m good at my job, [and] I love the people I work with. I think a lot of being happy in the service industry is finding the right type of place.”

Photo by ngader (Flickr)

About Matt -- I'm a lifelong Democrat and writer of a politically-oriented column, "Banned in D.C." Hobbies include watching TV and listening to super-intense bands with mad-scary dudes that have tattoos and stuff.

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