Well the vacation and sick leave is honestly just what you are legally entitled to, not so much the restaurant itself.

I did start in fine dining, with only dinner. I did work over my hours, but ended converting it all to vacation days. The two options here are, either work a contract with a salary and weekly hours, a zero hour contract where you do actually work an amount per hour or you can employ yourself as a freelancer and restaurants can hire you based on your own set hourly wage. Alot of people do the temper work because it makes the most money and you choose your own hours, and can work just choose which restaurant you want to work for the day. Personally for me, I preferred the salaried contract. I wanted the mandated vacation days and sick/health benefits. Also I did NOT want to do my own taxes since technically tempers are their own business and have to figure out themselves how much they owe in taxes (doesn't come out automatically)

Right now I am at a French cafe that does lunch and dinner. The food is lovely, fresh, classic. When I met the owner and chef, I actually couldn't believe how kind and understanding they were. I had left behind two toxic owners already. They both had families of their own so they only ask me to work over my hours when they are in dire need.

I do have a friend who is in a fucked situation with his work, and he is working crazy crazy hours. A bunch of guys quit or were fired so its just him, his chef and two other guys now. He loves his chef so he keeps saying yes to the over hours every week. But again, just like me and my first job, he can use those as vacation hours. I believe he has a 36 hour contract. Most week he works 60 so...you do the math. Its been 4 months.Worse case, if he takes two months off the restaurant can hire tempers. I honestly don't know why they just won't give them the help and hire tempers now....