College campuses can create some tough living conditions. The excessive drinking and partying create a lot of drama and crime. If you are a server in a restaurant near or smack dab in the middle of a college campus, there a few strategies that can help you make plenty of money while remaining safe.
1) Many restaurants on a college campus are open 24 hours a day. If you find yourself working third shift, also known as overnight, make sure that you are staffed with people who are willing to back you up if something bad happens. If at all possible have the restaurant provide you with security.
2) Don’t let your customers push you around. At night the whole atmosphere of a restaurant changes because different types of people come out as restaurant patrons. Don’t be afraid to kick customers out who are being disrespectful or rude.
3) Students love to tease their server; this is acceptable as long as they keep it clean. Once they start banging on the table and hollering for you it is time to put a stop to their antics. Be firm and follow your company’s rules on the situation.
4) You have to be somewhat of a feisty person to survive at a college campus restaurant. Quiet and calm people won’t make it very far. Don’t let your customers or coworkers walk all over you. Naturally, you do not want to start fights; you want to learn how to calm people down and stop them.
5) If your table keeps asking for you and acts like you are going to forget them, politely explain to them that they are not your only table and that they need to be patient. Apologize for the wait and say that you will get right to them after you are done helping your new customers.
6) Your coworkers are probably used to being loud and annoying since that is the environment of a restaurant on a college campus. They aren’t exactly known for being classy places and therefore they aren’t always going to hire the most honest people.
- Never bring your purse/wallet into work.
- Credit card scanners are becoming a bit of problem today or someone might just have sticky fingers.
Even if your restaurant has cameras they probably do not watch every corner of the restaurant. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
It is possible to be happy and make a lot of money as a server in an environment like this. It may not be ideal or something that you want to do for the rest of your life, but it’s definitely exciting. There is never a dull moment when the students are in town.