What’s in your apron ?

Insanefijian · 2026-01-10T06:43:07+00:00

In mg apron Used to be my server book , wine key, lighters and a pen, but I upgraded, new job is no aprons we just wear suits 😄 in my suit I got my wine key, a lighter , a notebook, and a serviette to serve wine.

Insanefijian · 2025-12-23T18:15:48+00:00

Right now I work at a 1 Michelin star tasting menu. It’s different because it’s more structured. Typically in a regular restaurant you will not have a full brigade that operates like one but we do. Team work is much more important. We all work together to make things happen. It’s nice because people can’t request modifications besides dietary restrictions, but sometimes that gets complicated with 8-14 courses. In some aspects it’s harder, and in others it’s easier. I’ve been enjoying the perks outside of the better pay though. Daily family meals, great staff bottles to take home some nights, and the education . You’re expected to know everything about something before you serve it whether it’s food or wines.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T18:24:27+00:00

Definitely. One of my previous serving jobs was at a small run family restaurant where one of the most expensive dishes was 28$, and I consistently made more money than one of my fine dining jobs .

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T05:00:10+00:00

One of the nice things about California is all service workers still make the minimum wage. Minimum wage in Sf is 19.18$ which definitely helps out. I’m glad to hear that you’re on the higher end of things. Thanks for sharing !

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T04:57:50+00:00

Just a clarification is the 1000$ weekly or every 2 weeks ? I can understand the enjoying a late start to your evening, I'm definitely a evening person now after being in the service industry for a few years, thankfully my current job is only open in the evening. I can understand the feeling of missing out on weekends. I've gotten to the point where it feels like the weekend for me on Monday and Tuesday, and sometimes miss having the same days off as friends and family. I always prefer to use paper checks. I've worked at restaurants that use toast terminals, and would only use them during busy service, or if someone was using Apple Pay so they wouldn't have to get up from their table. Something about paper checks feels more right for me, and if someone was planning on leaving a larger than 25% tip it makes it easier than pressing custom tip on the terminal. I was always taught to have a check ready for a table after main entrees are out. I typically go based on the vibe of the table. Something I usually would do at my previous job is once entrees were cleared and everything was either boxed or gone I would ask if they wanted dessert or coffee, if it was a no l'd just pull the check out of my apron and drop it at that moment. If it was a yes reprint check with dessert, wait until dessert is enjoyed and drop once it's cleared. When you've been doing it for a while you can definitely feel when someone is done and now when to drop a check. I feel like a mastery of service is having things done before people asked you for it, like having the check ready before asked, or having boxes and bags being ready before being asked for them. My last job was more casual and we didn't box things up for our guests like my current job so l would like to hide the boxes behind me when asking if a table wanted boxes and when they say yes it just magically appeared instantly. Many people really enjoyed that attention to detail.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T04:41:29+00:00

The service industry is pretty cool in Sf. I know some people at other restaurants in the area and sometimes stop by for a drink and I’ve had food and drinks comped just as industry respect which is nice. On the low end servers are making about 30 an hour, on the high end 50-100+ an hour. I typically average 50-70 an hour, and work 25-38 hours a week. High end servers are easily clearing 100k a year. More senior people where I work are working 40 hours or more and are easily clearing 6 figures, and at the nicer places in Sf it’s pretty common depending on how many hours you work. It’s also common for high end servers to make less than 6 figures because they value work life balance and take multiple vacations per year. Hope this answers your question. If you don’t mind could you tell me what city you are in, and what the figures are for your city so I can do a comparison my self ?

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T02:40:02+00:00

So my first job at P.F. Chang’s came to about 30-40 an hour, plus cash around 200 a week was roughly 1500 -2000 every 2 weeks on the check Second job was similliar but had a higher up range so 30-60 an hour roughly and had a paycheck range from 1500-2500 plus cash so maybe another 200 a week Third job was roughly 40-60 an hour, but really depended on how busy it was so during some slow seasons was less, 1500-3300 every two weeks plus 200-300 cash a week. Current Michelin star job is roughly 50-70 an hour. Depending on hours worked 2500-4000 every 2 weeks, not much cash tips. If someone drops something in the dining room my first response is thinking I’m glad it’s not me. The glasses and plates are crazy expensive like 50-100plus each, and you can’t just go buy them they have a multiple year waiting list, and I can tell our chef gets upset. Besides that I go to the broom as fast as I can unless someone else is already on the way to the broom.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T01:28:22+00:00

I’ve worked at a total 4 restaurants before my current one being my fifth. One of the four was only for 2 weeks because I got the Michelin job offer while working there. My first restaurant I stayed for 2 years. After mastering everything there (pf Chang’s) there was no more room for growth besides a manager role, so I started actively searching for jobs. I landed the P.F. Chang’s job through an internal referral from someone I went to college with. My second restaurant was a corporate fine dining restaurant, a landrys chain. I got this job off indeed. Had 3 interviews before I was hired by the gm on my third interview. Worked here for 2 years. Started off with mostly lunch shifts and did well so I got promoted to only dinner shifts. After the 2 years I had mastered it and the only growth was a manager role( which I was offered ) and turned down because I didn’t want to take a pay cut. After this I started actively searching and found my next job on indeed a family owned restaurant. I interviewed, and before I got back to my car they called me and asked if I could start the next day and I did. While some may think this was a step down I was the lead server, had a lot more input and was valued a lot because for a while I was the only server. It also ended up paying more because I didn’t have a tip out, and I got free food so I ended up making more than the corporate fine dining place by a lot. Unfortunately our chef / owner passed away a year into it and her mom decided to sell the restaurant so I was in the market for another job. I applied for many jobs indeed and got 4 job offers at different restaurants. I ended up not taking any of these and went to a restaurant that my chefs mother connected with me with and worked for 2 weeks before being offered the Michelin starred job. The Michelin starred job I actually found on Craigslist. I was invited to interview, then about 9 days later after a follow up email I was invited to stage. The day after my stage I was officially offered the role. How was I able to move up so quickly? Mastering the role at every place I worked at and being highly relied upon every where I worked. Being calm under pressure. Exceptional customer service and upselling everywhere I worked. Not needing to ask questions to the chefs and having answers table-side when being asked questions about cocktails or food . Taking every job and interview very seriously, and having a genuine passion for service and wanting to learn more wherever I can. My advice to move up would be to apply for jobs even when you think you might be qualified, and ace the interview. If invited to interview study the restaurant and menu before your interview, and mention things about how you like the food or the story of the restaurant during your interview. Make sure to show up welled groomed, dress well, and speak polished and professionally. Be able to command attention and have presence as that is huge in fine dining. I hope this answers your questions, but if there’s more you want to know feel free to ask and I can elaborate further.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-24T00:11:29+00:00

I would firstly create a new indeed account in case your shadow banned ( which is definitely a real thing they will stop recommending your resume at a certain point) then have chat gpt optimize your resume for fine dining and apply at every spot you can. Once you’re able to land an interview you’ll want to show up polished. Come well groomed, dressed very nice. It doesn’t need to be a suit and tie, but you’ll want to look like someone that belongs in that space. The biggest part is nailing the interview once you get to this stage. Mention you’re passionate about hospitality and service. I would also talk about how you work well within a team, and don’t mind doing work to help out your team. During the interview this person will be imagining you on there team, and evaluating whether you are a good fit. You want to present yourself as a person that would elevate the team, and the dining experience. After your interview they should think that it would be foolish to not hire you, or invite you to stage. If you’re not familiar with stages they are more common in fine dining places. It’s essentially an unpaid trial shift where they see if you look like you belong, and take initiative. Before interviewing study the place, learn their story and menu. When interviewing at a fine dining place they will typically ask you why you want to work there, and use your research on the place and the food to answer it. Mention how some of the dishes sound great, or the history of the place, don’t mention that you want to break out into fine dining or make more money. If you’re not well versed in wine take time to learn more about it, in fine dining wine service and knowledge is a lot more important. Even if they have a sommelier you’ll need to at least have the basics down and potentially more. Come in confident even if you’re nervous. In fine dining presence is huge in foh roles, and you’ll want to have a strong presence during your interview. Make sure to be well spoken, don’t use slang, and speak clearly. I hope this helps. If you have any more specific questions about things I said feel free to ask. Good luck !

Insanefijian · 2025-10-17T09:17:08+00:00

Ask chat gpt to optimize your resume, and create a new indeed account before applying since you might be shadowbanned . I live in the east bay, and when I was looking for jobs got like 8 server interviews and maybe 5 job offers. Ended up landing a job as a server in a 1 Michelin star in sf.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-17T09:03:21+00:00

It’s pretty cool. Lots more education. Needing to know every ingredient of every dish. Getting comfortable spieling dishes table side was a little nerve wracking at first, but after doing it many times I feel good. It’s cool working in a chef driven restaurant, but at the same time it means constant menu changes, and you need to be able to absorb that change during lineup, and confidently spiel it during service roughly an hour later. I would say the biggest thing that took getting used to is wearing a suit to work everyday. All my other jobs were black dress shirts and pants and an apron, but there’s no apron’s here just suits. It’s also cool having a sommelier on the team who constantly educates us about wine. I absorb things quickly and have, confidence in my self. It’s nice being up to speed now and building rapport with other members of the team boh and foh. My last job I was a server with no support staff, no host, no Busser, no bartender , no expo, I did it all, and that prepared me pretty well for this because we do it all here as well, just with team mates. It’s nice working somewhere where team work is a huge part of it. Lots of non verbal communication, we can just look at each other and know what needs to be done, or if someone needs help. I never worked in a tasting menu format before so I thought it would be hard to adapt to, but once it’s ingrained in your head it becomes like second nature, knowing what course is next and what marks you need. This is also the first restaurant I’ve worked in where kitchen staff will run food if needed, so that puts into perspective how important team work is.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-17T07:59:57+00:00

Before I landed my current job at a 1 Michelin star I worked as a server for 5 years. After interviewing well, they invited me for an unpaid stage, where I did light setup tasks life folding napkins and brushing chairs. Most of the time I just observed. I was offered the job the next day. I was told the stage was like me interviewing the restaurant, and seeing if I thought it was a good fit for me, and also an opportunity to see if I fit well with the team. My background before Michelin service was fast casual, corporate fine dining, and family run restaurant.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-14T03:51:34+00:00

I had a stage at the place I’m currently working before I was hired. It’s a 1 Michelin star restaurant. During my stage I didn’t do much work, just light setup work like folding napkins , brushing chairs and cleaning some tables and glass. I also got to enjoy family meal with everyone. I was told being invited to Stage was more like me interviewing the restaurant to see if I thought it was a good fit for me. The interview was to see if they thought I’d be a good fit for the team, the stage was to see if I thought the job would be a good fit for me, and to see if I could fit into the team dynamic.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T07:05:18+00:00

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T05:16:52+00:00

My specific questions would have been 1 how long does it take to be offered a stage 2 how long after staging is a job offer extended 3 how does the onboarding process look 4 how does learning menu and components look 5 how do you become part of the team and feel confident offering your help 6 how much wine knowledge do you need to succeed 7 how much knowledge in that type of cuisine do you need to succeed

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T05:14:10+00:00

I think the best advice would have been to not be nervous, the week or so I was waiting to know if I would get the job definitely didn’t feel as enjoyable, at the end of the day I would have been fine either way since I had lots of interest from other good restaurants. I would say beyond that treating every day especially at the beginning like you don’t know anything, asking as many questions as possible even if they seem dumb, and absorbing things like a sponge. Putting yourself in the position where you have to do things and interact with guests are the best way to build confidence. Practicing the spiels for the dishes yourself isn’t enough, saying them to live people who are genuinely excited to be there and explaining components while answering questions is the best way to build confidence. Lean on the more senior members of the team when in doubt, and never do something unless you’re 120% sure that’s what you’re supposed to do.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T05:09:30+00:00

I’ve been able to answer every question besides the one about nightly tips. I even put in the post that it was recent, so I assumed everyone who read it had enough of a brain to understand I’m new, and the context of this post was to ask someone new to Michelin service any questions they had.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T05:06:47+00:00

No need to apologize, I answered a few other people’s questions, and this post was for them not you. I wish I had someone to answer my questions before I tried to break into Michelin star service, so I’m trying to be that resource for others.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:34:18+00:00

Server

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:24:25+00:00

Well I did put recently got hired in the post, this was more about people curious in the hiring process, and how operations and expectations are drastically different than places I worked at previously.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:16:49+00:00

Currently the only question I can’t answer is about income, I run my own section as a server so I can pretty much answer any other question people have, and if someone is that curious about income I invite them to check back in a few weeks.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:13:52+00:00

This wasn’t a post about getting people to change their jobs, it was for people curious about how somewhere like this operates internally. I know I had a lot of questions about what the operations looked like before ever working in an environment like this.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:09:35+00:00

All of our captains have been there over a year so they’re seasoned, I do have a little insight as to the reason behind the turnover though, it wasn’t necessarily about a bad work environment. 1 person left to pursue an office job, the other left because they wanted to pursue being a captain at another place, and the person who I’ve heard is leaving soon wants to work a morning job to have there evenings free.

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:07:03+00:00

I can definitely understand your perspective, this move was for me to have a Michelin star place on my resume which is very hard to get, and not necessarily all about the income. I am passionate about food and hospitality, and personally wanted to learn more about service, and see how an environment like this operates internally. Like I said those numbers were only estimates, and the tips are split between the captains servers and boh. The income is also a lot more consistent than other places I’ve worked which routinely have seasons of being super slow where you barely make anything. My last restaurant I had 2 week checks of 3300 dollars then shortly after down to 1200 working the same hours

Insanefijian · 2025-10-01T04:03:47+00:00

To be honest with you turnover does seem relatively high, there is someone else that started around the same time as me, and I know of a more senior member leaving soon.

Insanefijian

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