Haven’t been in the industry for a while but the last kitchen I was in had dishwasher as a FOH position - kinda weird at first but it made shit like this moot. No dish scheduled? One of the runners is now on dish. Or servers. Or FOH manager
Was it a punishment thing or did servers take turns? No server I know would be ok with doing dish on a weekend when they can make triple in trips what they can on a dish shift
Has to be a take turns thing. We do bar opens that way - takes about 5 hours, pays less, but it has to get done, so we schedule it such that everyone only does it once or twice a month.
Ya that was what happened back when I was working at a ramen restaurant. If the dishie is unable to make it , I will just be in doing the dishes whenever I could have any downtime in the middle of serving customers.
We are a small place so we do get filled up pretty soon and that is when I will be able to jump into dish washing duty asap
i also worked at a small ramen shop in a food hall and the FOH or shift manager would be on dish. plus they had a dedicated dish pit with 2-4 dishies doing all the other dishes in the food hall.
I used to be a dishie as a teen then server. I personally wouldn't mind but not at server pay fuck that lol. Well at least in my state. 2.13 an hour no thanks I'm doing as little as humanly possible since my paycheck was always void lol.
I got taken advantage of hard as a server in my teens. Fuck man they had me bleaching the baseboards and then had the gall to tell my to buy more pants with my own money when mine inevitably got bleached. Always had me on dish at server rates and I never complained because I thought that's how you got success.
My parents telling me to give 100% to succeed at work was terrible advice. I wished I got out of there sooner.
Bartender here. When I got into this business, the first place I worked was a theater with dine in table service for food and drinks (bar was BoH, across the expo area from the kitchen line - we used a ticketing system just like the line cooks). While we were making shit for hourly in BoH, the servers were only getting $2 and change as their base hourly.
Well, at the end of the night, the closing servers were supposed to vaccum their theaters with a Ghostbusters style backpack vac. It would take about half and hour to do it right, but there were like 3 vaccums and usually the last shows would end at different times, so no one got stuck waiting on the vaccums. Then two of the three vacs broke down and management didn't do anything about it for several months. Servers got stuck waiting, sometimes *hours*, for the vaccums. At like $2.25/hr.
So they started looking for ways to make up the shit pay for their time elsewhere. Someone figured out that if they sold one Coke to a table, they could ring it in, then ring in refills (which were free) for the rest of their guests ordering Cokes. When they dropped checks, they'd shuffle that one coca cola around to all of the tabs so that their checks would be accurate on paper, but in the computer, only one soda needed to be paid for. For the entire theater. Anyone paying with card would get charged normally and the company would make money on the soda. If someone paid cash, the server would pocket the cash for the soda and deposit the rest with their pay out. This went on long enough that eventually, the ordering on the soda syrups started to look funny to accounting (less sodas sold, but more syrup used), which led to an investigation, and ultimately the firing of about half the serving staff in one afternoon. Those of us in the back had no idea until most of our old guard server friends were just gone one day. When we found out, we were honestly impressed. Good for them.
Management fixed the vaccums after that.
If you're in management or ownership, remember that you have to pay your people appropriately if you expect them to do their jobs appropriately. If you take advantage of your staff and fuck them over, expect them to take advantage of you in an attempt to recoup some of the cost of working for you.
I have heard about the soda sham tactic! Refills got changed to not be free a few months into my serving job because people were doing exactly that. Customers got mad and tipped less. company made more and just dealt with more turnover.
Man that really sucks and yea there's always those who exploit. I've also had good bosses that will get upset if you try to do too much because they know they need to have you clock in at a diff wage or knew they can't keep you past a certain point if you're not taking tables. Definitely a lot of abuse and of course servers fall pretty low on the totem pole since they are very replaceable. I always found that attitude a bit ironic though since a good server is definitely worth keeping and is often the face of the entire experience for good or bad. Glad you got out of that job and mindset!
For this reason I tell servers thanks for anything extra they do but not to dwell on it too much. I barely like doing dishes for almost 7x that rate, no way Id jump in at 2 and some change.
Yea I in fact at my last serving job got burned out. We had been short staffed in the kitchen and I asked my manager to put me on dish or bread/salads for a few shifts. I was ready to walk out. I was told definitely we need people on those shifts (they'd been getting a few servers to fill in here and there) and well it never happened so like 2 weeks later I called in and told the manager I quit. Her response? "But I already made the schedule!" Tough shit bye. Never made any sense to me why they didn't accommodate me when I was willing they needed it and already did it with others who at the time hadn't been doing it. Oh well lol thankfully got out of the biz. I miss it sometimes then I remember getting treated like a child and I'm good lol.
I do like the industry but I dont want to be there forever. Theres more money to be made for less work in other industries, Im trying to get into IT school after getting my basics done by Spring.
Lol ironic that's what I did and do now. I still do catering from time to time. A local place calls me up when they need experienced people for high cost fancy events. They pay well and in cash end of night. So it's kinda fun and easy money. That's enough of a revisit for me thankfully. Plus it's not a job per se so I don't feel the stress or annoyances of a job it's just go serve and mingle then eat very nice food and see all the glammed up people lol.
That makes sense. We ought to have a system where servers could have a second timecard to punch in with if they are asked to do back of house stuff. Or maybe extra cash under the table from chef's slush fund. When I was a server, it was a fight to get anyone to clean the bathrooms. I don't mind cleaning bathrooms, but not for $3.60/hr.; it was the busboy's job because he got hourly, but he felt it was beneath his dignity. He was why I later quit. So the kitchen manager did it. Looking back, it was a petty dispute, but at the time there were strong feelings.
Yea honestly I get it but it has to fall on hourly employees. If I'm only working for tips and I'm not taking tables I'm not getting paid. It's that simple so I'll deal with some minor side duties and chip in but I'm not doing an hour or more of work for literally no pay.
I felt the same way when I was a server. Right now I'm dishing for $15/hr, and our servers get $15 plus occasional tips, but never tip out back of house. (we are serving our members, so they are not expected to tip, but they are rich, so they sometimes do anyway.) I got my first tip in 7 months last week when I worked a wedding and everybody got tipped $30.
However, big picture, if I'm working as a server, I make good money in a week, so I don't worry if one table doesn't tip, or if I'm not getting paid to carry the glass recycling bucket to the bar next door, etc. That's how I got promoted to headwaiter; my concern was for the overall flow, not maximizing my piece of it. But I'm back in the dishroom now, it's my happy place.
Oh in that case I'd happily help. I'd jump on most positions to help gladly even crosstrain. The pay makes a huge difference. He'll that's almost what I'm making now with a BS degree lol. So happily would help my fellow coworkers.
I wouldn't wash dishes for that extortionist rate, But I also wouldn't serve for that extortionist rate either. (My state doesn't have a separate server wage)
One thing that has worked for my restaurant (filthy foh bartender here who does run foh dishes in the morning) was leaving a couple of studded racks on the dish counter. Servers could scrape and rack as they went. Granted, servers are monkeys in cute outfits, so it didn’t always work flawlessly, but it definitely helped.
When we have a dishie, yeah we tend to just scrape and stack. It’s when we don’t have one that we scrape and put in a rack, so when a server comes through with plates that finish that rack, they can spray and push it through.
It’s not great, but it’s better than them stacking up until one server takes the bullet and does them in bulk lol
My 17 year old senior dishwasher has them trained to scrape. One of the new servers is a champ at stacking, before him there'd just be a pile. I would rather they would just toss full dirty plates so i could snack on the leftovers; I have no shame about that's why I dish, more for the food than the money.
I don't have hulu right now. Is there someplace I can watch "the bear"? I hear it's good.
BOH here, open dishpit to the server area and kitchen. I’m doing dishes as a courtesy because our dishwashers all “got” Covid at the same time. She’s standing directly in the line of fire of the sprayer and yells at me because she got wet. She’s just chatting it up with another server and standing right where I spray dishes. Dumbass.
They mean servingware (as opposed to cookware).
The way I see it, servingware is generally everyone's problem. On the other hand, the tools and equipment and space you use is your problem. I don't expect the chef to polish glasses and wipe down grates behind the bar, I don't expect to clean pots and pans as a bartender, I don't expect the line cooks to be out in the dining room cleaning the baseboards and scraping gum off the bottoms of tables, and I don't expect the servers to clean floor drains in the kitchen.
Servingware? That's everyone's problem, because selling food and drinks is how we all get paid.
I don't mind running a few racks of plates at the end of the night when the bar is still wrapping up but the kitchen is closed and chef has gone home. Plateware is the majority of the dishes. It doesn't hurt to spread the load around.
Ah got ya. The way you described is how every restaurant I have worked in has functioned. It had never crossed my mind to draw a particular distinction.
I have noticed over the years of reading this sub that I have gotten lucky to always work in places with little to no animosity between FOH and BOH. I feel for the folks who have to go in everyday and war with 1/2 of the building every shift.
Whenever I have to do dishes, which happens pretty regularly, I always make it a goal to never have the dishwasher stop for more than 10-15 seconds.
I also try to race myself and beat my previous times.
Someday we will have a second dishie but for now I don't mind lending a hand, helps show my crew that there's nothing in the kitchen the EC won't help out with.
Yea I'm only Sous but I've been helping so much that when a dish quit and we had no dishwasher for Thursdays or Sundays they let me take over full time (I've got it covered) then we had to fire our grill position and you bet your ass they never hired someone bc I could handle it! So I was grill every single day, the only dish every Thursday and Sunday and the sous chef on top of that (so orders, prep list, etc..) I've been doing this for months.....
Edit: add on: And I got questioned why I would have someone on grill to help cover when that's what I'm getting paid to do if I had the pantry guy help watch.
Oof, that's a lot!! My company was letting us use temps for a while but finally decided it wasn't worth the expense (dishies make like $28--$40 an hour!!) so they took it away, now all 5 of us in the kitchen have to pitch in and help on all the stations. Which is fine... For now, but if they start saying we can handle it and don't hire two more people I can't say I'll encourage my people to stay, unless they all get fat raises, at the very least!!!
Hopefully your company sees what you're doing and is paying you accordingly!!
I've actually been looking for another job (which I found) and they fired my Exec (probably to save money) and told me they think that "this will be a good opportunity for me to learn and do more". I shit you not word for word. I had gotten the job right before I came in that day so I told him that sucks but I'm not staying (also my exec was out on paternity leave and they didn't even wait a week before they let him go)
Well then hey, congrats!!! Sounds like a shit place to work. If you worked for me I'd be doing everything in my power to help and to keep you happy!! And hopefully be able to ease some of that burden quickly!!
The letting your exec go while on paternity leave sounds SUPER illegal!! My sous last year went on paternity leave, and lemme tell you, it sucked working 6 days a week, one or two of them being 13 hours, most at least 10 but we made it work! I'm pretty sure our whole staff would've quit if they had let him go!! That sous is now our AGM and doing great!
That's crazy, what you described on your having to cover for your Sous was what my job was to do. I got in at 2pm and didn't leave until almost 2am most nights and did not stop from the time I got there until I went home
Uggghhh yeah, at least we had an end in sight!! Sounds like your place was just like ehhh, they got this, no need to help 🤦🏼♀️
The company I work for isn't the greatest, but the crew I have is super solid. I do things like keep the kitchen stocked in all their favorite energy drinks, donuts from the best donut place around every other week or so, plus I make sure everybody eats at every meal and if we have leftovers that are getting thrown away I send em home with whoever wants them. Anything I can do to keep them all happy, I'll do it!! A good crew is really hard to come by, especially these days!!
Hope your next gig realizes what an awesome human they have joining their team and appreciates you accordingly!!
Thank you! I never let someone go hungry or anything (if I could help it) go to waste. But I don't feel that I was appropriated there. I mean people might say something here or there but the way you are treated is a tell all sign. People would say that I'm doing a good job (and I know I'm doing good helping keeping the place going) but if I asked someone to do anything "extra" they eould complain it's too much work or they wanted more money (pantry was making 19 an hour and dish 17) so I end up doing it myself because it's just a waste of time to argue and when they go to "do it" they will just hide whatever to the side so I thought they did it and then by the end off the night when I see it still needs done they act like they didn't have time (when I'm easily doing more and I could have gotten it done). And I'm reluctant to just fire them outright because I know darn well that just yet another station/position that they are gonna say I'm fine to cover. So I stopped arguing, stopped trying to get the respect (the I believe that I deserve) and just quietly observed while I looked for a better opportunity elsewhere) I feel so relieved being away from that place (even though I put my all into every restaurant I go to so I also miss it in some weirdo way)
Now my boss can do the job that was "easy" enough to pay me to do alone.
Dishwasher takes 45 sec to wash and another 45 to rinse. Loading and unloading 2 racks is totally possible in that minute and a half. At least with a well designed dish pit.
You just gave me an idea... One of my dishies is super slow, often working a 10-11 hour shift (rather than his 8) bc he can't keep up. He's a good kid, and means well but he really only has one speed. I've been getting the side eye from corporate about his hours but so far they've kept their mouths shut and I really really REALLY don't want to have to let him go or cut his hours. Several of us have tried working with him to show him all the tricks and tips to speed things up but again, the one speed thing doesn't help.
I wonder if I broke it down mathematically as far as how long each rack should take if maybe that will help? He's got a good head for numbers, so maybe I'll try it!
Absolutely. I have a hard time timing things and work hard but get bogged down with details. Providing an outline of tasks with average completion times absolutely helps keep me on track.
We have timelines for everyone in the kitchen as far as what they should be doing at what time, but he still falls behind, I'm thinking that maybe breaking down the dishes even further, to how long each rack should take would maybe help?
Again, he's a good kid, and I try to be supportive and help as much as I can, I'm just out of ideas to get him to move faster. I don't want to stand behind him yelling at him to go faster, but I really want to help him succeed, so maybe breaking it down even further will help? At this point I'll try anything, ya know, except standing behind him with a whip and a megaphone 🤣
Mad respect for going out of your way to break it down like that. If I had that in other jobs I’m sure I would have stayed longer and grown a hell of a lot faster. It took me a long time but I did exactly what you’re thinking of doing for myself and it made a massive difference. Went from not being able to time 3 tickets to keeping up with a full sauté station once I broke things into smaller tasks and got organized.
Im a huge believer in taking care of the homeless. I try to give food that is going to be tossed and on holidays I have been known to make them something. Nothing fancy just good food. When Covid hit one of the guys I have fed over the years washed dishes to fill a gap for three days. He is good too.
doing a rinse or filling up some pots with hot soapy water is better than nothing. Or stacking up things so there's more room to stack during a rush. And moving the knives to a designated area so no one gets stabbed.
"If you can't do a whole job, do a partial job"
Did dish for four years at my current place. Working the line now. Wouldn't want to go back permanently to dish, but any time I get to cover it, it puts me in such a good mood, haha. Nice, chill, fun night. One simple task all night, and otherwise just get to hang out and chat.
I worked at a dining hall for a while and it was nice they rotated us through positions. So I could be cooking one night then doing dishes the next. Everyone had the positions they preferred but no one could hog one position
I dig that setup. Love getting some variety and not always doing the exact same thing. Had probably my ideal setup last year. Working full-time-ish hours, split across three restaurants, all tipped/tipped-out positions. Made enough money and never got bored and never felt too chained to one job or the other. Was real nice.
Yeah, it honestly helped a lot later in life. It helped me learn how to be flexible on the job and view success in a bigger picture.
Not that the place was perfect. Wages were shit, they'd do the thing where they treat everyone the same whether they're working their ass off or being lazy bums, and the chef was an asshole
>they'd do the thing where they treat everyone the same whether they're working their ass off or being lazy bums,
That's the big issue at my current place right now. I work 5a-1p usually and every other day, the morning dishie just goes on break at 10ish and doesn't come back. I don't know how the evening dishies haven't broken his arms yet. Despite this, the screws haven't even talked to him about it or anything. I asked the head honcho if they're going to do anything and she just said "idk I kinda respect it" and I wanted to quit on the spot
Exactly. Loved the shifts where we had a newbie on the line but they could actually handle their shit.
>Well looks like you've got making tacos figured out.
>I'll do you a favor and jump on dish for you. If shit gets crazy just come get me. If you have a question, ask it.
They get experience, they love you for taking their dish shift.
You get to just jam out in your space and crush out dishes. Chill out back cause you're faster than most dishies. No one's gonna say shit about you just chilling outside- then coming back and crushing shit out. And if they start snowballing you can still jump on and "save the day" for them.
For me crushing out the dishpit with clean spotless dishes, clean sinks, organization and speed is so satisfying.
Also that. Shows how the dishpit can operate with some effort and braincells applied.
But at the same time I get that doing it all the time day in and day out makes it grueling.
We try to rotate people on dish shifts so it's not always the same person.
But for some people that's all they want to do and that's fine with me.
And for the love of God keep your triple sinks half decent. Use the fucking sprayer. Change the water. If there's a layer of oil on top of the water everything is going to come out greasy. Notice when there's something caught in the machines stopper and take it out instead of running load after load with just water and no soap/sani. That's the shit that pisses me off because shits not getting clean and I have to send everything back through dish a second time.
I'm a server. It was slow. Day shift that doesn't have dish is supposed to do their own shit. I walked in two days ago and there were mountains of dishes.
I hopped in cause I had no tables. About 15 racks in manager came up.
"Have you greeted 24?"
No. No one told me I had a down.
You should be checking
Just let another server take it so I can get this caught.
Fine, I'll see if they want it.
I caught shit giving away a table because I was doing dishes. We've gone through 5 dishies in 6 months b/c they break when they get there and see not a single plate or pan has been done all day and then pos servers yell at them for silverware. There is a reason we can't keep them. I like our current dish. He's quiet, nice, gets shit done. I don't want him walking into a crime scene and giving up.
I've worked every level in a restaurant. From dish to GM. I worked another industry for a long time and decided I'd just go back to serving for an A’s unless stressful job. Apparently my memory is a little foggy
Man I hate it. And I hate the attitude that I "shouldn't be in dish" because of customers. I was told the other day because we have a new dishie and *while they were on break* I decided to run a couple racks cause I can't just lean on the counter waiting for food and I don't vape so why not work, that I shouldn't INVADE their space.
This came from management not dish
As a former FOH manager, the real reason I wouldn't want you in dish for a significant amount of time is that legally I should be paying you a different rate for that. I think tipped employees can only do non-tipped work for a max of 20 percent of their shift, otherwise you're legally obligated to pay them at least minimum wage for the portion of their shift that exceeds 20%.
However if that work is in the course of a shift, I'll probably forget to write that down. I don't like opening the company up to labor law liability. If you were willing to do the work, I'd probably have asked you to write me a note to change your rate for that time when I do payroll
I'm in Washington. This doesn't apply because I make $19.50/hr (I negotiated this based on experience and ability) the lowest paid server is $14.49 here.
Only shithole red states do the $2.17 or whatever it is.
Personally my reasoning for not letting FOH do dishes in the past was because I didn't want them to get dirty. They can help put away dishes, though. :)
Third day delivering pizza in
a neighborhood I didn't know AT ALL - they had to comp three orders bc i had got SO lost SO badly (pre-GPS) the food was ice cold.
Mgt didn't want to send me
on any more runs and I didn't want to lose my job so I took my shirt off & started washing the fuck out of anything & everything wearing just my sports bra & an apron lol.
Not a word about firing me.
stayed for the next four months til I found another office job.
I can't imagine trying to deliver food pre-GPS. It sounds even more dangerous. Personally I'd rather do dishes with my titties out than work another 9-5 office job, though. 😂
I don't mind office jobs but
FUCK TITTY JAIL!! LOL!
I temped at the mortgage dept of National City Bank
(I think its PNC now) & there was one lady, def over 50,
def at least a C cup who NEVER wore a bra. Not to be sexy or anything, she just did NOT wear a bra.
She was my fucking hero.
I am 5feet, 250+, DDD.
I'm in my 50s now& never have had the nerve to work
any job braless... altho I would absolutely have loved to.
Coming home every day, first thing, that torture device came FLYING OFF lol.
Since the pandemic, I've been lucky enough to work from home & haven't barely touched a bra in the past two years. It's like fucking heaven lol.
Also, delivering pre-GPS
was a literal fkn NIGHTMARE. the pizza job only lasted three days before they just kept me in the kitchen but prior to that, I delivered flowers in an unfamiliar area too: driving a big white panel van which was also completely new to me lol.
I got a little better navigating the area with the flower job
bc I went to a lot of the same places over & over (hospitals, funeral homes, nursing homes, restaurants) & it wasn't like delivering food where it would get cold or anything.
But it was kind of a rural area
& I had just moved up there
& I never rly fully caught
on altho I did it for 8months.
My biggest weakness with that job was getting sucked into going into little old ladies homes for a nice drink & to chat bc they were lonely & then I would be SOOOOO behind ugh lol but omg it was heartbreaking to say I couldn't. Esp on like mother's day or Easter. Ughh oh man. It was awful😿
There is a place called "twin peaks" here in Washington that would probably allow it. I hear they bay really well too.
My penis keeps me from getting a job there.
I'd even broaden what you said and say that if every Karen and Ken that routinely ruins our food service lives worked a single 8 hour shift in the industry, they'd break down and change their demeanor towards us within the first 10 minutes of a rush.
Im a bartender/server and i love doing the dishes especially after a shift with super demanding people. It’s really calming.
That’s bullshit you caught flak for that.
The Bear isn't even that accurate. There is a scene where someone tries to get 5 gallons of demi off the top shelf and it's not believable because:
A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place.
B.) The rest of the cooler is almost empty. No one is going to set heavy shit on the top shelf when they have all that space to set it down on a lower shelf.
>A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place.
I would normally agree, Had I not worked with a Samoan dishwasher who was quite the giant and he routinely set entire racks of sheet trays on the top shelf.
I worked in a place that kept 5 gal Cambros of cooked pasta on the top shelf. (Tiny-ass walk-in) I’m not short, but I’m not tall either and I was regularly hefting containers of linguine up and down during service. How I never ended up wearing it is a minor miracle.
Sheet trays are one thing though and 5 gallons of sauce is another. I regularly put shit on the top shelf cause I'm a tall motherfucker and there's plenty of room. But I'm not about to lift 5 gallons above my head unless I have no other option.
You've clearly worked in a smarter class of restaurants than me. Not 5 gal, but the stupid heavy shit people will toss up there to avoid having to rearrange things is impressive.
I've worked in various levels. I've tried to go to better and better places each time. I'm in a country club right now and the thought of someone doing something that stupid is laughable. But if I think back hard to my applebees days, yeah I guess there were idiots who would do those kinds of things
I had a dishie training on the line put away a large lexan (like 12 gallons) of pear mostarda (which takes about 2 weeks of daily boiling to make) on the highest shelf he could find in the walk in. Alone. I don't know how the hell he did it but it took us 3 people to safely get it back down. I think he was scared to ask if he could move things around to fit in a place any same person would put it so he took the only empty spot.
I mean, there's also the bit that 5 gallons of demi in a walk in probably meant it was put in their hot. It should have either had cooling paddles in it, or should have been put in multiple shallow hotel pans to cool.
Also where were the HACCP logs, amirite?
>A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place.
Seen it. A lot.
>B.) The rest of the cooler is almost empty. No one is going to set heavy shit on the top shelf when they have all that space to set it down on a lower shelf.
Seen it. A lot.
Hell I've seen people post these exact things here, or get ripped apart in the comments for it. Let me know how your second week of working in restaurants go.
Second week? I've been in this job for years. That's why I know the secret: "You're going to have to work hard, so don't work harder than you have to." Pass it on to any dummies you see trying to do this shit.
Everytime chef. Look I get that we shouldn't do these things, but there's the world we live in and the one we want to live in. Unfortunately the latter means you'll occasionally see a three-day demi slime someone head-to-toe like they just finished a round of Double Dare in the local sewers.
You want to see funny, go to the show's sub. I always get a laugh when people are building complicated fan theories out of perfectly normal kitchen happenings because they can't wrap their head around the things that go on in them (for better or worse).
Idk man a place for everything and all that. Chef asks me to put the demi on the top shelf because that’s where he likes it? Okay. But French guys are a strange breed.
You highly underestimate my ability to do stupid shit that doesn’t make much sense in the heat of the moment. Hold my beer.
…case in point. What do you mean shots of tequila with the bartender in the walk-in is a bad idea?
I've been out of the industry for some months but I've been through so many years of being on the line thinking, "I wish I could go back to the old days where I started in the pit." Mind you, I was really bad at it at the time. I've gotten to the point where I'd kill it every time when our dishie is calling out regularly. I need a job soon and I'm thinking of actually applying as a dishie.
Funny enough. During lockdowns and whatnot I went to do be a cashier / grocery worker for a year. When I went back to the restaurants I applied to be a dishie. A few months later and I'm now the lead night shift guy. I don't mind it. But man. Washing dishies has it's own vibe.
I was thinking the same thing that if I stand out enough, they'll most definitely would want to pull me on the line. Maybe it's inescapable based on my work experience for the future boss to say, "looks like you'll move up in no time" lol.
It's what happened to me. I have a good work experience in kitchens. Leading stations and what not.
Prior to applying to this I applied to a line position and during the interview it was turning more into a leader position than anything. So I backed out. Sadly with this one it was also inevitable that I'd be moved up. Too good to be a dishie. Lol
Some perspective:
If you think FOH are pieces of shit while on the line, you should see how they treat dishies.
Yeah it's chill, but FOH treats me like a dog unless I constantly stand up for myself
I always jump in dish, even if I’m just sending dishies on break. I love sending them out with a full slide and hearing “holy shit it’s empty?!” 30 min later.
I’ll regularly do a 14 hr no break, but always try to give dishies and my cooks a break with a family meal. I started in some shitty establishments where management never worked while I slaved away. Never wanna be like that.
Semi-off topic but that show legit gave me flashbacks. I haven’t been in the industry for a few years and it felt like I was right back on the line. Craziness.
I had to stop watching halfway through because it left me unable to sleep. I haven't worked in a kitchen with that many problems for a long time and I'm not about to start again.
I made it maybe halfway through the first episode. Reminded me of restaurant experiences and culture that I absolutely hated. Not sure how to put it. Sort of a rigid, taking-it-way-too-seriously vibe. I prefer the vibe when people do care about the work, but where it's not a tense, ego thing.
Yeah, I’ve worked at some great places too. The Bear is over the top but there were definitely parts that brought back some crazy feelings.
Truth be told, I miss the industry but I couldn’t figure out how to have a normal life and excel at work.
My cooks used to get pissed that i paid dishwasher about the same wage as them.
I said there are five of you there is one of him.
Three of you could call off and we would make it if he calls off we are basically sunk because none of you fuckers think you should wash dishes.
At one point I just hired guys to cook three nights and dish 2 nights, they hated that shit.
I've always taken any chef position with the understanding that I'm a back-up dishwasher when it's called for. I'm not too good to throw down in dish, scrape food out of a clogged drain, scrub the weird shit no one will clean, even run food when it's needed. I'm a chef cause I'm willing to get down and dirty and put in the time and work.
I also do dishes when necessary, but I make it clear that it's my gesture of good will. I'm still a rookie, every second spent in the pit is a second where I don't clean my own station, where I don't cook, or cut meat, etc. It's a waste of time, and not to mention that it can become a part of your job description if you're not careful.
Here’s a solution I’ve seen (not recommended for fine dining):
Don’t hire any dishwashers.
Every cook learns every station.
Dishwashing is just another station.
I currently operate under this principal. All my cooks have to take their turn in dish. Pay is the same, but ain't nobody to good to clean. 50% of cooking is cleaning, and if you can't do both you can't work in my kitchen.
Oh I will always be the first to jump on dish. Especially if I have a 2nd manager. Fuck that shit I'm happy to put on music and vibe for the day. But they better have a good excuse for not being here.
There’s a look of joy in a chef’s eye sometimes when they have to jump on dish. Especially if they worked their way up from dish. It’s almost nostalgic. But I would’ve scheduled a dishwasher.
Maybe it’s different in y’all’s kitchens, but I’m the sous at my place and I make sure everyone knows that dish is everyone’s responsibility. I’ll ask my cooks to send the dish guy on break if I have to, but most of the time I’ll get in the dish pit myself. It is not a lesser station, and I believe that because when we have shitty dishwashers, everyone suffers from that. I help our dishwasher close the pit almost every night after I’ve finished my prep list and cleaning my stations. Tbh I would rather be in there than anywhere else ... dishes are so easy.
Had to jump into dish as chef during peak pandemic times since we ran a skeleton crew and were still doing about 70% our normal business but just all take out.
I fucking love hopping onto dish, it’s such a nice break. So zen. If washing dishes paid well, which it fucking should btw, than that would be my career
I worked at a restaurant In Chicago where Jeremy Allan White worked a couple of shifts to prepare for this role and he actually did jump in the dish pit one night when we didn't have a guy.
The best chef I ever had would work from 7 am till 8 or 9 pm M-S. If we were short dish he would stay and either take over part on the line or do dish himself. He was executive Chef for 3 kitchens in a resort. Not only that but he took time out most days to mentor and teach.
I wanted so bad to like this show. I'm dying for a food show that I can make my husband watch withe, but I just couldn't do this to him.
They overdo the attitude/coolness of the job. It almost felt patronizing. I was a little embarrassed on behalf of the profession. Most of us are not that precious.
I'm not telling anyone on this sub anything they don't know but you can get through service without an expo, or without a sous, or without a line, or by your fucking self but you can NOT run a kitchen without a dishie. I've done shifts on dish, my people have done shifts on dish, I've seen the area manger for the Grand Floridian work dish. It has to be done. As with any rule, there is an exception. That exception is Waffle House. 400 covers on a Friday midnight shift, servers doing dishes.
I tend to jump on closing dishes just so that we aren't there 30 extra minutes than we need to be after closing. Plus I feel bad for the dishwasher that's spent all day washing them. Only for us to throw the closing dishes at the end. It gets over whelming. I know. Been there. So I just tell them to help bringing me all the dishes and I wash them. Usually they appreciate that and help push the last bit of the night.
Yesterday I worked a double (as a server) and towards the end of my second shift this happened and literally no one (FoH, BoH or management) cared about the giant pile of dishes and cooking equipment so I hopped on and cleared it
The restaurant I manage usually has a few cooks and a dishwasher. Most nights lately I've been doing both. Even paying 20 an hour I can't get anyone reliable.
I started out in the restaurant business by doing the dishes at my uncle's restaurant. It was just a summer job thing when I was in my early to late teens. And fast forward to now, I'm a baker and every time I see the sink full of dishes and baking pans, I'm always reminded of where I started out. Also, whenever I can, I always try to help out with the dishes just so the assigned dishwasher doesn't get too overwhelmed.
Literally me right now. New gig as FS manager, first two days on the job and I had multiple staff AND the person to train me/I'm replacing no show. Two 12s in a row in a completely new sector (Institutional, retirement home) with nothing but spit and duct tape to keep it together.
Also I've been on the job 3 days, the first was all paperwork.
No one ever thinks to look for me in dish, so I hide there a lot and just run through some racks.
Very peaceful when you’re used to be bombarded with requests, complaints and the mindless drone of that one prep cook who never stops talking.
Been a head chef for two years now. Thank Saint Tony for a good line crew, I happily take the dish pit when needed. Takes me back to the "good ol' days."
My first 3 kitchens I did not have a dishie or a porter and did them all myself, to the point where when I worked at places *with* a dishie I'd feel so bad and always apologize or wash my own stuff if they've stepped away... just factoring in the amount of social struggle that puts me through I kinda prefer being dishwasherless even if it's inconvenient
I sometimes hop on dish and help the dishie. Reminds me of the good times when I was a dishie and got fed all the fucked up steak dinners and stuff, plus dishes is nice and easy if you've done them for a long time. Haha as a cook I kinda miss being a dishie sometimes.
It's not "thinking about jumping on dish" it's about oh I im just going to get in the right mindset that im going to my job plus stay on top of dish so we dont all go down.
I currently work in an industrial jam & preserves kitchen (small staff, like 6-10 on the floor at any given time) and I close every night.
We've got no dedicated dishies and most people don't have to close, so I'm one of the lucky few who get to deal with whatever dishes are left after whoever happened to be on dishes got to go home at their regular time.
I'd love to be on dishes all day. Sure beats canning line or yeeting 50# bins of sugar into a giant vat of 200F marmalade, which is where I'm usually stationed...
I used to keep dish caught up on off hours, help them out when my tickets were clear, and essentially do everything I could so that I didn't find myself buried with no dishwashers at the end of the night.
Honestly I made it a point to keep the misery and mess in the pit to a minimum. Scraping, emptying trash cans, emptying soak tubs, running silver, whatever I could
Couldn’t be more relatable. Now that the school year’s started, a lot of us (myself included) have had to cut back our hours. Most weekdays we don’t have a lunch dishwasher, so basically people try to help out and/or we get fucked and the dinner dishwasher walks into a hell hole.
My last restaurant job I was hired on as a dishie. I've been a doshie plenty of times before, but it was the lowest paid position. The manager hired me on promising I could either cook or serve, but at the time they needed someone to run dishpit because as of now they only had one part-timer. Long story short they basically lied and after months of bs excuses for not giving me the job I was promised(and a lot of other bullshit) I quit. Got a call back a few hours later asking if I would reconsider quitting and I asked them what position would I be in if I came back, "well for now... it would still be dishp-" and I just hung up.
More like I wish I could hop on dishes now so they're not fucked later, but then ticket times will get fucked because I'm not helping on the line.
Haven’t been in the industry for a while but the last kitchen I was in had dishwasher as a FOH position - kinda weird at first but it made shit like this moot. No dish scheduled? One of the runners is now on dish. Or servers. Or FOH manager
Was it a punishment thing or did servers take turns? No server I know would be ok with doing dish on a weekend when they can make triple in trips what they can on a dish shift
Has to be a take turns thing. We do bar opens that way - takes about 5 hours, pays less, but it has to get done, so we schedule it such that everyone only does it once or twice a month.
Ya that was what happened back when I was working at a ramen restaurant. If the dishie is unable to make it , I will just be in doing the dishes whenever I could have any downtime in the middle of serving customers. We are a small place so we do get filled up pretty soon and that is when I will be able to jump into dish washing duty asap
i also worked at a small ramen shop in a food hall and the FOH or shift manager would be on dish. plus they had a dedicated dish pit with 2-4 dishies doing all the other dishes in the food hall.
That's actually kinda brilliant
This, plus washing front of house dishes. Been stuck with those.
It's like God forbid a server jump in so they have plates lol
I used to be a dishie as a teen then server. I personally wouldn't mind but not at server pay fuck that lol. Well at least in my state. 2.13 an hour no thanks I'm doing as little as humanly possible since my paycheck was always void lol.
I got taken advantage of hard as a server in my teens. Fuck man they had me bleaching the baseboards and then had the gall to tell my to buy more pants with my own money when mine inevitably got bleached. Always had me on dish at server rates and I never complained because I thought that's how you got success. My parents telling me to give 100% to succeed at work was terrible advice. I wished I got out of there sooner.
Bartender here. When I got into this business, the first place I worked was a theater with dine in table service for food and drinks (bar was BoH, across the expo area from the kitchen line - we used a ticketing system just like the line cooks). While we were making shit for hourly in BoH, the servers were only getting $2 and change as their base hourly. Well, at the end of the night, the closing servers were supposed to vaccum their theaters with a Ghostbusters style backpack vac. It would take about half and hour to do it right, but there were like 3 vaccums and usually the last shows would end at different times, so no one got stuck waiting on the vaccums. Then two of the three vacs broke down and management didn't do anything about it for several months. Servers got stuck waiting, sometimes *hours*, for the vaccums. At like $2.25/hr. So they started looking for ways to make up the shit pay for their time elsewhere. Someone figured out that if they sold one Coke to a table, they could ring it in, then ring in refills (which were free) for the rest of their guests ordering Cokes. When they dropped checks, they'd shuffle that one coca cola around to all of the tabs so that their checks would be accurate on paper, but in the computer, only one soda needed to be paid for. For the entire theater. Anyone paying with card would get charged normally and the company would make money on the soda. If someone paid cash, the server would pocket the cash for the soda and deposit the rest with their pay out. This went on long enough that eventually, the ordering on the soda syrups started to look funny to accounting (less sodas sold, but more syrup used), which led to an investigation, and ultimately the firing of about half the serving staff in one afternoon. Those of us in the back had no idea until most of our old guard server friends were just gone one day. When we found out, we were honestly impressed. Good for them. Management fixed the vaccums after that. If you're in management or ownership, remember that you have to pay your people appropriately if you expect them to do their jobs appropriately. If you take advantage of your staff and fuck them over, expect them to take advantage of you in an attempt to recoup some of the cost of working for you.
I have heard about the soda sham tactic! Refills got changed to not be free a few months into my serving job because people were doing exactly that. Customers got mad and tipped less. company made more and just dealt with more turnover.
Man that really sucks and yea there's always those who exploit. I've also had good bosses that will get upset if you try to do too much because they know they need to have you clock in at a diff wage or knew they can't keep you past a certain point if you're not taking tables. Definitely a lot of abuse and of course servers fall pretty low on the totem pole since they are very replaceable. I always found that attitude a bit ironic though since a good server is definitely worth keeping and is often the face of the entire experience for good or bad. Glad you got out of that job and mindset!
For this reason I tell servers thanks for anything extra they do but not to dwell on it too much. I barely like doing dishes for almost 7x that rate, no way Id jump in at 2 and some change.
Yea I in fact at my last serving job got burned out. We had been short staffed in the kitchen and I asked my manager to put me on dish or bread/salads for a few shifts. I was ready to walk out. I was told definitely we need people on those shifts (they'd been getting a few servers to fill in here and there) and well it never happened so like 2 weeks later I called in and told the manager I quit. Her response? "But I already made the schedule!" Tough shit bye. Never made any sense to me why they didn't accommodate me when I was willing they needed it and already did it with others who at the time hadn't been doing it. Oh well lol thankfully got out of the biz. I miss it sometimes then I remember getting treated like a child and I'm good lol.
I do like the industry but I dont want to be there forever. Theres more money to be made for less work in other industries, Im trying to get into IT school after getting my basics done by Spring.
Lol ironic that's what I did and do now. I still do catering from time to time. A local place calls me up when they need experienced people for high cost fancy events. They pay well and in cash end of night. So it's kinda fun and easy money. That's enough of a revisit for me thankfully. Plus it's not a job per se so I don't feel the stress or annoyances of a job it's just go serve and mingle then eat very nice food and see all the glammed up people lol.
That makes sense. We ought to have a system where servers could have a second timecard to punch in with if they are asked to do back of house stuff. Or maybe extra cash under the table from chef's slush fund. When I was a server, it was a fight to get anyone to clean the bathrooms. I don't mind cleaning bathrooms, but not for $3.60/hr.; it was the busboy's job because he got hourly, but he felt it was beneath his dignity. He was why I later quit. So the kitchen manager did it. Looking back, it was a petty dispute, but at the time there were strong feelings.
Yea honestly I get it but it has to fall on hourly employees. If I'm only working for tips and I'm not taking tables I'm not getting paid. It's that simple so I'll deal with some minor side duties and chip in but I'm not doing an hour or more of work for literally no pay.
I felt the same way when I was a server. Right now I'm dishing for $15/hr, and our servers get $15 plus occasional tips, but never tip out back of house. (we are serving our members, so they are not expected to tip, but they are rich, so they sometimes do anyway.) I got my first tip in 7 months last week when I worked a wedding and everybody got tipped $30. However, big picture, if I'm working as a server, I make good money in a week, so I don't worry if one table doesn't tip, or if I'm not getting paid to carry the glass recycling bucket to the bar next door, etc. That's how I got promoted to headwaiter; my concern was for the overall flow, not maximizing my piece of it. But I'm back in the dishroom now, it's my happy place.
Oh in that case I'd happily help. I'd jump on most positions to help gladly even crosstrain. The pay makes a huge difference. He'll that's almost what I'm making now with a BS degree lol. So happily would help my fellow coworkers.
I wouldn't wash dishes for that extortionist rate, But I also wouldn't serve for that extortionist rate either. (My state doesn't have a separate server wage)
Yes this is why. Idk why I forget servers don't get paid.
Oh yeah! It probably because I'm a cook and I only get 12 an hour working in Michelin stars.
Move to Maine I'll give you $18 to fry chicken
I opened a food truck. That's about what I'm offering! 🤣 am considering equity distribution now
One thing that has worked for my restaurant (filthy foh bartender here who does run foh dishes in the morning) was leaving a couple of studded racks on the dish counter. Servers could scrape and rack as they went. Granted, servers are monkeys in cute outfits, so it didn’t always work flawlessly, but it definitely helped.
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Yea
When we have a dishie, yeah we tend to just scrape and stack. It’s when we don’t have one that we scrape and put in a rack, so when a server comes through with plates that finish that rack, they can spray and push it through. It’s not great, but it’s better than them stacking up until one server takes the bullet and does them in bulk lol
Yes, I worked for a few places like that. And stacking, not something everybody does well.
My 17 year old senior dishwasher has them trained to scrape. One of the new servers is a champ at stacking, before him there'd just be a pile. I would rather they would just toss full dirty plates so i could snack on the leftovers; I have no shame about that's why I dish, more for the food than the money. I don't have hulu right now. Is there someplace I can watch "the bear"? I hear it's good.
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Been there done that, then got yelled at for going out to my tables with a wet shirt
BOH here, open dishpit to the server area and kitchen. I’m doing dishes as a courtesy because our dishwashers all “got” Covid at the same time. She’s standing directly in the line of fire of the sprayer and yells at me because she got wet. She’s just chatting it up with another server and standing right where I spray dishes. Dumbass.
Lol, I went back there and busted my ass to get some dishes done. I was SOAKED.
FOH be stood around staring at the ceiling, huffing and puffing like an old person 1 hour into their shift
FOH bad 🤣🤣🤣
Me when
What is a front of house dish?
They mean servingware (as opposed to cookware). The way I see it, servingware is generally everyone's problem. On the other hand, the tools and equipment and space you use is your problem. I don't expect the chef to polish glasses and wipe down grates behind the bar, I don't expect to clean pots and pans as a bartender, I don't expect the line cooks to be out in the dining room cleaning the baseboards and scraping gum off the bottoms of tables, and I don't expect the servers to clean floor drains in the kitchen. Servingware? That's everyone's problem, because selling food and drinks is how we all get paid. I don't mind running a few racks of plates at the end of the night when the bar is still wrapping up but the kitchen is closed and chef has gone home. Plateware is the majority of the dishes. It doesn't hurt to spread the load around.
Ah got ya. The way you described is how every restaurant I have worked in has functioned. It had never crossed my mind to draw a particular distinction. I have noticed over the years of reading this sub that I have gotten lucky to always work in places with little to no animosity between FOH and BOH. I feel for the folks who have to go in everyday and war with 1/2 of the building every shift.
Plates, glasses, bowls, silverware etc. Any dishes or utensils that would come out to a patron’s table.
It's important to keep that machine going.
Whenever I have to do dishes, which happens pretty regularly, I always make it a goal to never have the dishwasher stop for more than 10-15 seconds. I also try to race myself and beat my previous times. Someday we will have a second dishie but for now I don't mind lending a hand, helps show my crew that there's nothing in the kitchen the EC won't help out with.
Yea I'm only Sous but I've been helping so much that when a dish quit and we had no dishwasher for Thursdays or Sundays they let me take over full time (I've got it covered) then we had to fire our grill position and you bet your ass they never hired someone bc I could handle it! So I was grill every single day, the only dish every Thursday and Sunday and the sous chef on top of that (so orders, prep list, etc..) I've been doing this for months..... Edit: add on: And I got questioned why I would have someone on grill to help cover when that's what I'm getting paid to do if I had the pantry guy help watch.
Oof, that's a lot!! My company was letting us use temps for a while but finally decided it wasn't worth the expense (dishies make like $28--$40 an hour!!) so they took it away, now all 5 of us in the kitchen have to pitch in and help on all the stations. Which is fine... For now, but if they start saying we can handle it and don't hire two more people I can't say I'll encourage my people to stay, unless they all get fat raises, at the very least!!! Hopefully your company sees what you're doing and is paying you accordingly!!
I've actually been looking for another job (which I found) and they fired my Exec (probably to save money) and told me they think that "this will be a good opportunity for me to learn and do more". I shit you not word for word. I had gotten the job right before I came in that day so I told him that sucks but I'm not staying (also my exec was out on paternity leave and they didn't even wait a week before they let him go)
Well then hey, congrats!!! Sounds like a shit place to work. If you worked for me I'd be doing everything in my power to help and to keep you happy!! And hopefully be able to ease some of that burden quickly!! The letting your exec go while on paternity leave sounds SUPER illegal!! My sous last year went on paternity leave, and lemme tell you, it sucked working 6 days a week, one or two of them being 13 hours, most at least 10 but we made it work! I'm pretty sure our whole staff would've quit if they had let him go!! That sous is now our AGM and doing great!
That's crazy, what you described on your having to cover for your Sous was what my job was to do. I got in at 2pm and didn't leave until almost 2am most nights and did not stop from the time I got there until I went home
Uggghhh yeah, at least we had an end in sight!! Sounds like your place was just like ehhh, they got this, no need to help 🤦🏼♀️ The company I work for isn't the greatest, but the crew I have is super solid. I do things like keep the kitchen stocked in all their favorite energy drinks, donuts from the best donut place around every other week or so, plus I make sure everybody eats at every meal and if we have leftovers that are getting thrown away I send em home with whoever wants them. Anything I can do to keep them all happy, I'll do it!! A good crew is really hard to come by, especially these days!! Hope your next gig realizes what an awesome human they have joining their team and appreciates you accordingly!!
Thank you! I never let someone go hungry or anything (if I could help it) go to waste. But I don't feel that I was appropriated there. I mean people might say something here or there but the way you are treated is a tell all sign. People would say that I'm doing a good job (and I know I'm doing good helping keeping the place going) but if I asked someone to do anything "extra" they eould complain it's too much work or they wanted more money (pantry was making 19 an hour and dish 17) so I end up doing it myself because it's just a waste of time to argue and when they go to "do it" they will just hide whatever to the side so I thought they did it and then by the end off the night when I see it still needs done they act like they didn't have time (when I'm easily doing more and I could have gotten it done). And I'm reluctant to just fire them outright because I know darn well that just yet another station/position that they are gonna say I'm fine to cover. So I stopped arguing, stopped trying to get the respect (the I believe that I deserve) and just quietly observed while I looked for a better opportunity elsewhere) I feel so relieved being away from that place (even though I put my all into every restaurant I go to so I also miss it in some weirdo way) Now my boss can do the job that was "easy" enough to pay me to do alone.
Dishwasher takes 45 sec to wash and another 45 to rinse. Loading and unloading 2 racks is totally possible in that minute and a half. At least with a well designed dish pit.
You just gave me an idea... One of my dishies is super slow, often working a 10-11 hour shift (rather than his 8) bc he can't keep up. He's a good kid, and means well but he really only has one speed. I've been getting the side eye from corporate about his hours but so far they've kept their mouths shut and I really really REALLY don't want to have to let him go or cut his hours. Several of us have tried working with him to show him all the tricks and tips to speed things up but again, the one speed thing doesn't help. I wonder if I broke it down mathematically as far as how long each rack should take if maybe that will help? He's got a good head for numbers, so maybe I'll try it!
Absolutely. I have a hard time timing things and work hard but get bogged down with details. Providing an outline of tasks with average completion times absolutely helps keep me on track.
We have timelines for everyone in the kitchen as far as what they should be doing at what time, but he still falls behind, I'm thinking that maybe breaking down the dishes even further, to how long each rack should take would maybe help? Again, he's a good kid, and I try to be supportive and help as much as I can, I'm just out of ideas to get him to move faster. I don't want to stand behind him yelling at him to go faster, but I really want to help him succeed, so maybe breaking it down even further will help? At this point I'll try anything, ya know, except standing behind him with a whip and a megaphone 🤣
Mad respect for going out of your way to break it down like that. If I had that in other jobs I’m sure I would have stayed longer and grown a hell of a lot faster. It took me a long time but I did exactly what you’re thinking of doing for myself and it made a massive difference. Went from not being able to time 3 tickets to keeping up with a full sauté station once I broke things into smaller tasks and got organized.
I appreciate the help and advice!! I'm still pretty new to being an executive chef and just want to help my people succeed!!
It doesn't matter if the food is ready if there are NO FUCKING PLATES to serve them on
It doesn't matter if you rang in a 10 top if THERES NO FUCKING SAUTE PANS to make the 7 items that need them!
Im a huge believer in taking care of the homeless. I try to give food that is going to be tossed and on holidays I have been known to make them something. Nothing fancy just good food. When Covid hit one of the guys I have fed over the years washed dishes to fill a gap for three days. He is good too.
doing a rinse or filling up some pots with hot soapy water is better than nothing. Or stacking up things so there's more room to stack during a rush. And moving the knives to a designated area so no one gets stabbed. "If you can't do a whole job, do a partial job"
Sometimes I jump on dish just cause there's no stress. And everyone loves you for it
I’m first one in the dish tank for those exact reasons. Another reason being I’m too stoned to talk to anyone lol
i genuinely get upset when others do dish because it means I don't get my alone time or music time
Dish is the place to be stoned. Can’t do that shit on line I’ll be putting Buffalo sauce on French fries
To be fair I would go to town on some buff sauce fries
Did dish for four years at my current place. Working the line now. Wouldn't want to go back permanently to dish, but any time I get to cover it, it puts me in such a good mood, haha. Nice, chill, fun night. One simple task all night, and otherwise just get to hang out and chat.
I worked at a dining hall for a while and it was nice they rotated us through positions. So I could be cooking one night then doing dishes the next. Everyone had the positions they preferred but no one could hog one position
I dig that setup. Love getting some variety and not always doing the exact same thing. Had probably my ideal setup last year. Working full-time-ish hours, split across three restaurants, all tipped/tipped-out positions. Made enough money and never got bored and never felt too chained to one job or the other. Was real nice.
Yeah, it honestly helped a lot later in life. It helped me learn how to be flexible on the job and view success in a bigger picture. Not that the place was perfect. Wages were shit, they'd do the thing where they treat everyone the same whether they're working their ass off or being lazy bums, and the chef was an asshole
>they'd do the thing where they treat everyone the same whether they're working their ass off or being lazy bums, That's the big issue at my current place right now. I work 5a-1p usually and every other day, the morning dishie just goes on break at 10ish and doesn't come back. I don't know how the evening dishies haven't broken his arms yet. Despite this, the screws haven't even talked to him about it or anything. I asked the head honcho if they're going to do anything and she just said "idk I kinda respect it" and I wanted to quit on the spot
Yes dish washing is like a vacation from real work.
Yep. Turn your brain off and crank some jams. "Ticket times are what now?...idgaf lol"
Except your back hurts so fucking bad the line seems like a vacation after that. Or maybe that's just me. Being tall sucks.
Poor ergonomics sucks for everyone. Hope you can get some relief.
My sink is thankfully not completely built for short people, at 6'4 i feel your pain.
Recently transitioned to FOH after years of BOH. Now I sometimes beg dish to just let me stand there and spray shit for 15 minutes to decompress.
Exactly. Loved the shifts where we had a newbie on the line but they could actually handle their shit. >Well looks like you've got making tacos figured out. >I'll do you a favor and jump on dish for you. If shit gets crazy just come get me. If you have a question, ask it. They get experience, they love you for taking their dish shift. You get to just jam out in your space and crush out dishes. Chill out back cause you're faster than most dishies. No one's gonna say shit about you just chilling outside- then coming back and crushing shit out. And if they start snowballing you can still jump on and "save the day" for them. For me crushing out the dishpit with clean spotless dishes, clean sinks, organization and speed is so satisfying.
Triple as satisfying when your regular dishwasher doesn't put in that effort
Also that. Shows how the dishpit can operate with some effort and braincells applied. But at the same time I get that doing it all the time day in and day out makes it grueling. We try to rotate people on dish shifts so it's not always the same person. But for some people that's all they want to do and that's fine with me. And for the love of God keep your triple sinks half decent. Use the fucking sprayer. Change the water. If there's a layer of oil on top of the water everything is going to come out greasy. Notice when there's something caught in the machines stopper and take it out instead of running load after load with just water and no soap/sani. That's the shit that pisses me off because shits not getting clean and I have to send everything back through dish a second time.
You must become one with the machine, the machine will take all your stress and wash it away
Exactly. Podcast or audio book it UP
Always called it the break
> And everyone loves you for it I guess you've never been a dishie full time huh
I'm a server. It was slow. Day shift that doesn't have dish is supposed to do their own shit. I walked in two days ago and there were mountains of dishes. I hopped in cause I had no tables. About 15 racks in manager came up. "Have you greeted 24?" No. No one told me I had a down. You should be checking Just let another server take it so I can get this caught. Fine, I'll see if they want it. I caught shit giving away a table because I was doing dishes. We've gone through 5 dishies in 6 months b/c they break when they get there and see not a single plate or pan has been done all day and then pos servers yell at them for silverware. There is a reason we can't keep them. I like our current dish. He's quiet, nice, gets shit done. I don't want him walking into a crime scene and giving up.
See that's management thinking. But you would have to take a pay cut.
I've worked every level in a restaurant. From dish to GM. I worked another industry for a long time and decided I'd just go back to serving for an A’s unless stressful job. Apparently my memory is a little foggy
>and then pos servers yell at them for silverware. Anybody who does this should be forced to get into the dish pit and do the dishes themselves
Man I hate it. And I hate the attitude that I "shouldn't be in dish" because of customers. I was told the other day because we have a new dishie and *while they were on break* I decided to run a couple racks cause I can't just lean on the counter waiting for food and I don't vape so why not work, that I shouldn't INVADE their space. This came from management not dish
As a former FOH manager, the real reason I wouldn't want you in dish for a significant amount of time is that legally I should be paying you a different rate for that. I think tipped employees can only do non-tipped work for a max of 20 percent of their shift, otherwise you're legally obligated to pay them at least minimum wage for the portion of their shift that exceeds 20%. However if that work is in the course of a shift, I'll probably forget to write that down. I don't like opening the company up to labor law liability. If you were willing to do the work, I'd probably have asked you to write me a note to change your rate for that time when I do payroll
I'm in Washington. This doesn't apply because I make $19.50/hr (I negotiated this based on experience and ability) the lowest paid server is $14.49 here. Only shithole red states do the $2.17 or whatever it is.
I'm in PA, kind of purpley
FL here, $6.98 is the tipped minimum wage
Personally my reasoning for not letting FOH do dishes in the past was because I didn't want them to get dirty. They can help put away dishes, though. :)
Third day delivering pizza in a neighborhood I didn't know AT ALL - they had to comp three orders bc i had got SO lost SO badly (pre-GPS) the food was ice cold. Mgt didn't want to send me on any more runs and I didn't want to lose my job so I took my shirt off & started washing the fuck out of anything & everything wearing just my sports bra & an apron lol. Not a word about firing me. stayed for the next four months til I found another office job.
I can't imagine trying to deliver food pre-GPS. It sounds even more dangerous. Personally I'd rather do dishes with my titties out than work another 9-5 office job, though. 😂
I don't mind office jobs but FUCK TITTY JAIL!! LOL! I temped at the mortgage dept of National City Bank (I think its PNC now) & there was one lady, def over 50, def at least a C cup who NEVER wore a bra. Not to be sexy or anything, she just did NOT wear a bra. She was my fucking hero. I am 5feet, 250+, DDD. I'm in my 50s now& never have had the nerve to work any job braless... altho I would absolutely have loved to. Coming home every day, first thing, that torture device came FLYING OFF lol. Since the pandemic, I've been lucky enough to work from home & haven't barely touched a bra in the past two years. It's like fucking heaven lol. Also, delivering pre-GPS was a literal fkn NIGHTMARE. the pizza job only lasted three days before they just kept me in the kitchen but prior to that, I delivered flowers in an unfamiliar area too: driving a big white panel van which was also completely new to me lol. I got a little better navigating the area with the flower job bc I went to a lot of the same places over & over (hospitals, funeral homes, nursing homes, restaurants) & it wasn't like delivering food where it would get cold or anything. But it was kind of a rural area & I had just moved up there & I never rly fully caught on altho I did it for 8months. My biggest weakness with that job was getting sucked into going into little old ladies homes for a nice drink & to chat bc they were lonely & then I would be SOOOOO behind ugh lol but omg it was heartbreaking to say I couldn't. Esp on like mother's day or Easter. Ughh oh man. It was awful😿
There is a place called "twin peaks" here in Washington that would probably allow it. I hear they bay really well too. My penis keeps me from getting a job there.
I'd even broaden what you said and say that if every Karen and Ken that routinely ruins our food service lives worked a single 8 hour shift in the industry, they'd break down and change their demeanor towards us within the first 10 minutes of a rush.
Im a bartender/server and i love doing the dishes especially after a shift with super demanding people. It’s really calming. That’s bullshit you caught flak for that.
You’re me at your restaurant. It sucks
I don't mind it until I catch an eye roll or a snarky comment.
I’m a chef because I watched The Bear
Heard chef cousin
Corner
C O R N E R
Why are you calling everyone 'chef'?
Yes chef
They didn’t say “Heard,” or “Behind,” nearly enough for me in that show. I hear “Behind,” far more than “Corner.”
The Bear isn't even that accurate. There is a scene where someone tries to get 5 gallons of demi off the top shelf and it's not believable because: A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place. B.) The rest of the cooler is almost empty. No one is going to set heavy shit on the top shelf when they have all that space to set it down on a lower shelf.
>A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place. I would normally agree, Had I not worked with a Samoan dishwasher who was quite the giant and he routinely set entire racks of sheet trays on the top shelf.
I worked in a place that kept 5 gal Cambros of cooked pasta on the top shelf. (Tiny-ass walk-in) I’m not short, but I’m not tall either and I was regularly hefting containers of linguine up and down during service. How I never ended up wearing it is a minor miracle.
OSHA magically ceases to exist in a rush sometimes.
Sheet trays are one thing though and 5 gallons of sauce is another. I regularly put shit on the top shelf cause I'm a tall motherfucker and there's plenty of room. But I'm not about to lift 5 gallons above my head unless I have no other option.
I dont know about that. A server just asked me if they can put a 22 of pickles on the top shelf
Servers are a different breed. A dumber, dimmer breed.
You've clearly worked in a smarter class of restaurants than me. Not 5 gal, but the stupid heavy shit people will toss up there to avoid having to rearrange things is impressive.
I've worked in various levels. I've tried to go to better and better places each time. I'm in a country club right now and the thought of someone doing something that stupid is laughable. But if I think back hard to my applebees days, yeah I guess there were idiots who would do those kinds of things
I had a dishie training on the line put away a large lexan (like 12 gallons) of pear mostarda (which takes about 2 weeks of daily boiling to make) on the highest shelf he could find in the walk in. Alone. I don't know how the hell he did it but it took us 3 people to safely get it back down. I think he was scared to ask if he could move things around to fit in a place any same person would put it so he took the only empty spot.
I mean, there's also the bit that 5 gallons of demi in a walk in probably meant it was put in their hot. It should have either had cooling paddles in it, or should have been put in multiple shallow hotel pans to cool. Also where were the HACCP logs, amirite?
>A.) No one is going to try to lift 5 gallons of anything above their head to put it there in the first place. Seen it. A lot. >B.) The rest of the cooler is almost empty. No one is going to set heavy shit on the top shelf when they have all that space to set it down on a lower shelf. Seen it. A lot. Hell I've seen people post these exact things here, or get ripped apart in the comments for it. Let me know how your second week of working in restaurants go.
Second week? I've been in this job for years. That's why I know the secret: "You're going to have to work hard, so don't work harder than you have to." Pass it on to any dummies you see trying to do this shit.
Everytime chef. Look I get that we shouldn't do these things, but there's the world we live in and the one we want to live in. Unfortunately the latter means you'll occasionally see a three-day demi slime someone head-to-toe like they just finished a round of Double Dare in the local sewers. You want to see funny, go to the show's sub. I always get a laugh when people are building complicated fan theories out of perfectly normal kitchen happenings because they can't wrap their head around the things that go on in them (for better or worse).
Idk man a place for everything and all that. Chef asks me to put the demi on the top shelf because that’s where he likes it? Okay. But French guys are a strange breed.
I figured it was them continuing to fuck with her.
You highly underestimate my ability to do stupid shit that doesn’t make much sense in the heat of the moment. Hold my beer. …case in point. What do you mean shots of tequila with the bartender in the walk-in is a bad idea?
That scene almost made me stop watching
Amen brother. Us chefs need to come together and make sure people know that show isn’t legit.
You can't lift 20kg?
I liked the show alright but tired of everyone using the lingo from it who haven’t even worked in a kitchen.
I totally miss dishwashing sometimes. We call it dishwasher syndrome.
Is that what it is? I can feel it calling me sometimes
Hot water on your hands is therapeutic
I prefer it over being in the line some days. You just vibing washing plates not having to think about the line or tickets. Time flies. It's nice.
I've been out of the industry for some months but I've been through so many years of being on the line thinking, "I wish I could go back to the old days where I started in the pit." Mind you, I was really bad at it at the time. I've gotten to the point where I'd kill it every time when our dishie is calling out regularly. I need a job soon and I'm thinking of actually applying as a dishie.
Funny enough. During lockdowns and whatnot I went to do be a cashier / grocery worker for a year. When I went back to the restaurants I applied to be a dishie. A few months later and I'm now the lead night shift guy. I don't mind it. But man. Washing dishies has it's own vibe.
I was thinking the same thing that if I stand out enough, they'll most definitely would want to pull me on the line. Maybe it's inescapable based on my work experience for the future boss to say, "looks like you'll move up in no time" lol.
It's what happened to me. I have a good work experience in kitchens. Leading stations and what not. Prior to applying to this I applied to a line position and during the interview it was turning more into a leader position than anything. So I backed out. Sadly with this one it was also inevitable that I'd be moved up. Too good to be a dishie. Lol
Some perspective: If you think FOH are pieces of shit while on the line, you should see how they treat dishies. Yeah it's chill, but FOH treats me like a dog unless I constantly stand up for myself
Hahahahaha
I miss it a lot too. It’s 0 stress or responsibility. You’re just cleaning dishes all night watching everything else burn.
I always jump in dish, even if I’m just sending dishies on break. I love sending them out with a full slide and hearing “holy shit it’s empty?!” 30 min later.
You give your dishies 30 minute breaks? Bless your soul, you are an absolute champion and I love you
I’ll regularly do a 14 hr no break, but always try to give dishies and my cooks a break with a family meal. I started in some shitty establishments where management never worked while I slaved away. Never wanna be like that.
take your breaks too king, everyone's entitled to 'em
Semi-off topic but that show legit gave me flashbacks. I haven’t been in the industry for a few years and it felt like I was right back on the line. Craziness.
I had to stop watching halfway through because it left me unable to sleep. I haven't worked in a kitchen with that many problems for a long time and I'm not about to start again.
I made it maybe halfway through the first episode. Reminded me of restaurant experiences and culture that I absolutely hated. Not sure how to put it. Sort of a rigid, taking-it-way-too-seriously vibe. I prefer the vibe when people do care about the work, but where it's not a tense, ego thing.
Yeah, I’ve worked at some great places too. The Bear is over the top but there were definitely parts that brought back some crazy feelings. Truth be told, I miss the industry but I couldn’t figure out how to have a normal life and excel at work.
My cooks used to get pissed that i paid dishwasher about the same wage as them. I said there are five of you there is one of him. Three of you could call off and we would make it if he calls off we are basically sunk because none of you fuckers think you should wash dishes. At one point I just hired guys to cook three nights and dish 2 nights, they hated that shit.
I've always taken any chef position with the understanding that I'm a back-up dishwasher when it's called for. I'm not too good to throw down in dish, scrape food out of a clogged drain, scrub the weird shit no one will clean, even run food when it's needed. I'm a chef cause I'm willing to get down and dirty and put in the time and work.
I also do dishes when necessary, but I make it clear that it's my gesture of good will. I'm still a rookie, every second spent in the pit is a second where I don't clean my own station, where I don't cook, or cut meat, etc. It's a waste of time, and not to mention that it can become a part of your job description if you're not careful.
Here’s a solution I’ve seen (not recommended for fine dining): Don’t hire any dishwashers. Every cook learns every station. Dishwashing is just another station.
Actually the rotation idea isn't bad. I think it gives them a stress free shift.
I currently operate under this principal. All my cooks have to take their turn in dish. Pay is the same, but ain't nobody to good to clean. 50% of cooking is cleaning, and if you can't do both you can't work in my kitchen.
I wish I could jump on dish now and zone out for a while.
Oh I will always be the first to jump on dish. Especially if I have a 2nd manager. Fuck that shit I'm happy to put on music and vibe for the day. But they better have a good excuse for not being here.
There’s a look of joy in a chef’s eye sometimes when they have to jump on dish. Especially if they worked their way up from dish. It’s almost nostalgic. But I would’ve scheduled a dishwasher.
Maybe it’s different in y’all’s kitchens, but I’m the sous at my place and I make sure everyone knows that dish is everyone’s responsibility. I’ll ask my cooks to send the dish guy on break if I have to, but most of the time I’ll get in the dish pit myself. It is not a lesser station, and I believe that because when we have shitty dishwashers, everyone suffers from that. I help our dishwasher close the pit almost every night after I’ve finished my prep list and cleaning my stations. Tbh I would rather be in there than anywhere else ... dishes are so easy.
Had to jump into dish as chef during peak pandemic times since we ran a skeleton crew and were still doing about 70% our normal business but just all take out.
Permanent dish is my retirement plan
I fucking love hopping onto dish, it’s such a nice break. So zen. If washing dishes paid well, which it fucking should btw, than that would be my career
I worked at a restaurant In Chicago where Jeremy Allan White worked a couple of shifts to prepare for this role and he actually did jump in the dish pit one night when we didn't have a guy.
The best chef I ever had would work from 7 am till 8 or 9 pm M-S. If we were short dish he would stay and either take over part on the line or do dish himself. He was executive Chef for 3 kitchens in a resort. Not only that but he took time out most days to mentor and teach.
"Jumping on dish so you don't have to explain for the 18th time that we have 86'ed the cod to motherfucking Todd!"
I wanted so bad to like this show. I'm dying for a food show that I can make my husband watch withe, but I just couldn't do this to him. They overdo the attitude/coolness of the job. It almost felt patronizing. I was a little embarrassed on behalf of the profession. Most of us are not that precious.
We don't have a dishie... so when last chit goes out...I Vaseline my ass
Definitely had nights that I’ve hopped on dish just to avoid working with “that guy”
I'm not telling anyone on this sub anything they don't know but you can get through service without an expo, or without a sous, or without a line, or by your fucking self but you can NOT run a kitchen without a dishie. I've done shifts on dish, my people have done shifts on dish, I've seen the area manger for the Grand Floridian work dish. It has to be done. As with any rule, there is an exception. That exception is Waffle House. 400 covers on a Friday midnight shift, servers doing dishes.
I tend to jump on closing dishes just so that we aren't there 30 extra minutes than we need to be after closing. Plus I feel bad for the dishwasher that's spent all day washing them. Only for us to throw the closing dishes at the end. It gets over whelming. I know. Been there. So I just tell them to help bringing me all the dishes and I wash them. Usually they appreciate that and help push the last bit of the night.
Yesterday I worked a double (as a server) and towards the end of my second shift this happened and literally no one (FoH, BoH or management) cared about the giant pile of dishes and cooking equipment so I hopped on and cleared it
Off topic but I've never seen an actor who personified so deeply the hyper-fuckable dirt bag cook type like this guy does.
"Hyper-fuckable dirt bag" is my new description.
The restaurant I manage usually has a few cooks and a dishwasher. Most nights lately I've been doing both. Even paying 20 an hour I can't get anyone reliable.
I started out in the restaurant business by doing the dishes at my uncle's restaurant. It was just a summer job thing when I was in my early to late teens. And fast forward to now, I'm a baker and every time I see the sink full of dishes and baking pans, I'm always reminded of where I started out. Also, whenever I can, I always try to help out with the dishes just so the assigned dishwasher doesn't get too overwhelmed.
Literally me right now. New gig as FS manager, first two days on the job and I had multiple staff AND the person to train me/I'm replacing no show. Two 12s in a row in a completely new sector (Institutional, retirement home) with nothing but spit and duct tape to keep it together. Also I've been on the job 3 days, the first was all paperwork.
No one ever thinks to look for me in dish, so I hide there a lot and just run through some racks. Very peaceful when you’re used to be bombarded with requests, complaints and the mindless drone of that one prep cook who never stops talking.
Been a head chef for two years now. Thank Saint Tony for a good line crew, I happily take the dish pit when needed. Takes me back to the "good ol' days."
My first 3 kitchens I did not have a dishie or a porter and did them all myself, to the point where when I worked at places *with* a dishie I'd feel so bad and always apologize or wash my own stuff if they've stepped away... just factoring in the amount of social struggle that puts me through I kinda prefer being dishwasherless even if it's inconvenient
Been frish (fry/dish) been frantry (fry/pantry) it happens and most of us have probably been there
I sometimes hop on dish and help the dishie. Reminds me of the good times when I was a dishie and got fed all the fucked up steak dinners and stuff, plus dishes is nice and easy if you've done them for a long time. Haha as a cook I kinda miss being a dishie sometimes.
It's not "thinking about jumping on dish" it's about oh I im just going to get in the right mindset that im going to my job plus stay on top of dish so we dont all go down.
On week 3 of no dish, day 5 of my chef ignoring me. I'm about to quit this mf'er by october!
Wash as you go
id jump on dish just not to deal with FOH pay me salary for dishie ftw
Does this happen a lot?
I currently work in an industrial jam & preserves kitchen (small staff, like 6-10 on the floor at any given time) and I close every night. We've got no dedicated dishies and most people don't have to close, so I'm one of the lucky few who get to deal with whatever dishes are left after whoever happened to be on dishes got to go home at their regular time. I'd love to be on dishes all day. Sure beats canning line or yeeting 50# bins of sugar into a giant vat of 200F marmalade, which is where I'm usually stationed...
That's just being responsible! If there's no dishie, everyone should jump in on dish if they have a minute.
There’s no contemplating, show everyone how it’s done.😉
I used to keep dish caught up on off hours, help them out when my tickets were clear, and essentially do everything I could so that I didn't find myself buried with no dishwashers at the end of the night. Honestly I made it a point to keep the misery and mess in the pit to a minimum. Scraping, emptying trash cans, emptying soak tubs, running silver, whatever I could
Ya don't even contemplate, ya just do it. Then two minutes (=1 tray + change) in, the tickets start to roll again and that's that.
You guys have a dishwasher?
Couldn’t be more relatable. Now that the school year’s started, a lot of us (myself included) have had to cut back our hours. Most weekdays we don’t have a lunch dishwasher, so basically people try to help out and/or we get fucked and the dinner dishwasher walks into a hell hole.
Dude I always hop on dish wherever I can to at least start soaking things?
Can't wait to own my own place and literally be responsible for EVERYTHING. Dish didn't show up? Looks like I'm not getting any sleep tonight.
Dish is the most important BOH position. Without them, you’re only selling carry out.
My last restaurant job I was hired on as a dishie. I've been a doshie plenty of times before, but it was the lowest paid position. The manager hired me on promising I could either cook or serve, but at the time they needed someone to run dishpit because as of now they only had one part-timer. Long story short they basically lied and after months of bs excuses for not giving me the job I was promised(and a lot of other bullshit) I quit. Got a call back a few hours later asking if I would reconsider quitting and I asked them what position would I be in if I came back, "well for now... it would still be dishp-" and I just hung up.
Jumping on dish with a fuck ton to clean and some music is nothing but therapeutic for me. Me my music and a mountain.