I Don't Know How You Do It?

This morning my wife comes home after working 5 1/2 hours with $18 in tips as there was only 2 rooms in the inn where she works. Tonight the restaurant was dead and I served 12 people and took home after tip out $52.

I said to some people there that when it is slow for a waiter and both of the money earners in the family are working as waiters money can be tight. When it is busy it's great but when it is slow it is tough.

That is when the supervisor said I don't know how you do it meaning income wise. When I think about it I really don't know either. We manage but that is about it. When it is good it is very good and when it is slow you have to work more to make the same amount.

So next week my wife picks up some lunches and I picked up another shift so that will make 7 days in a row with my next day off Wednesday the 13th.

One thing we are definitely doing when our kids come of age is to discourage them from doing the hospitality business. Do anything else but this. This industry is way too uncertain , inconsistent , doesn't really offer any benefits , and where you work basically owns you with respect to working on holidays and long hours for not so great pay.

Who out there can remember the same money they make now is what they used to make 20 years ago?

Our deal is with 2 young kids we can work our schedule around them. That is the big perk.

So as the summer comes it slows down and then we re-energize for September. But for the meantime we wonder how we get by on such slow days...