Why Every Restaurant Owner Should Still Wait Tables

In 2022, when I first joined Chris at Breakfast by Salt’s Cure in an official capacity (I’d been behind the scenes for many years), the plan was that I’d eventually become the brand’s creative director. I would be able to create short films that served as subtle advertisements because at the time I wanted to be a filmmaker. In the meantime I’d work the floor five or six days a week, manage maintenance, and lead staffing– just temporarily I thought, until the company grew. My return to the floor was humbling because I was under the impression that I had grown out of needing a restaurant job. In my previous career as a creative agency producer I had commanded a day rate of $800/day. I was working with celebrity talent and traveling all over the world with a generous per diem. Upon moving to New York, I landed what I thought was my dream job as “creative video something or other” at a women’s media company. It turned out it really wasn’t my dream job and I was fired after a few months. It was a tough pill to swallow but it ended up being one of the best things that ever happened to me because it created an opportunity for me to try out working with Chris on Breakfast in a low-pressure way.

My First Restaurant Job

I was hired at my first service job in 2013 at Nic’s Martini Lounge (RIP) in Beverly Hills. I spent an afternoon walking around Rodeo Drive with my resume in hand trying to find a service job to pay my rent while I went on auditions and wrote short films and tried to “network” as much as possible. The only relevant experience I had was a brief stint at a wine bar in suburban CT that after a few training shifts told me it wasn’t a good fit. I was just too young and dumb! I’ve always been a hard worker willing to go above and beyond because hard work is the love language of my family (German immigrant farmers) but I just didn’t have the chops yet. Desi, the manager of Nic’s, given that name because he looked like Lucy’s husband in I Love Lucy– hired me on the spot. I thought it was a bit odd given that every other place had turned me down to lack of experience but ...