Its not for everyone, but great for some.
Who doesn’t understand the hospitality lifestyle? People that live outside of this industry. For those that don’t understand it, they think it is about not having weekends off, working holidays and pretty much every day of the year. Although for many, it is inconvenient, for others it is a lifestyle, the hospitality lifestyle. Members of the restaurant industry and hospitality/retail industry as a whole tend to enjoy the 24/7/365 nature of this business, it allows them to enjoy life while the masses are at work.
Have you ever gone food shopping on a Tuesday morning at 10 am? The place is like a ghost town, with the exception of housewives, stay at home moms, college kids, seniors and others in the hospitality lifestyle. It is liberating to not be rushing around a crowded grocery store or going to a movie with the rest of the herd, the herd of “Weekend Warriors” those dedicated to the Monday-Friday, 9-5 lifestyle in all of its limiting glory. Humans tend to want to be part of a large group and this is the premier group!
The reality is that many of us love having off two days during the week and working nights as well. Who wants to be out in crowded stores anyway?
Why The Hospitality Lifestyle?
Working nights means we can play during the day! Ever go hiking, skiing, the beach or workout at 2pm on a Wednesday? (pre-pandemic) Like the food shopping story above, it is amazing! There are almost no people on the trails, beach or the gym…they are all working! If they are not working, they are generally on vacation or have time freedom. The hospitality lifestyle providesan opportunity to enjoy the daytime hours. Many use these hours to work on leaving this industry, sleeping or getting vitamin D from the sun. Playing during the day 7 days a week is quite nice.
If sleep is your thing…why do it on those cherished weekends and instead do it any day you wish. The hospitality lifestyle encourages people sleep for 12 hours a day, cause while the masses work, they are free.
What If I do Not Like to Sleep All Day? What do I do in the Hospitality Lifestyle?
Even better for you! Keep your days busy and end them with work as opposed to starting, being a night owl gets old. Now if you are into the whole night owl lifestyle, consider moving to Las Vegas. Sin City will exploit your desire to go on a bender for 3 days, there is a 100% chance of that. Need to take a week off? Great! It is a balance in this business, a balance of days off and work days. Be sure to choose them wisely.
Be cautious with the idea of enjoying too much sleep, it gives us all a black eye! There is more to life than sleeping and working. Do not be a banker that is either sleeping or working. Live a little and enjoy daylight hours. Vitamin D from the sun is good for you vampire! Remember also, that many people frown upon a life that only consists of working a 5 hour day and then partying for the next 10 hours. That black eye again…
How Can the Hospitality Lifestyle Be Good?
Easy!
Enjoying those days! What is better than being the only person out on the mountain during ski/snowboard season? Ever be at the local lake on a Tuesday or not have to fret about making that 1pm baseball game? The hospitality lifestyle is about flexibility, especially as an hourly employee.
Being an Hourly Employee in The Hospitality Lifestyle
Hourly employees enjoy the most flexibility out of any employee in this business. Due to the advent of scheduling systems such as Hotschedules or wheniwork.com, giving away or trading shifts is as easy as hitting a few buttons. The possibility of taking a “cut” is available as well. Not having to worry about that scheduled shift or even a few days is quite nice. When someone has that big night or a last-minute event pops up, it is easy to call in and get off. This is not calling in sick, but saying you will take off if not needed!
Really?
Yes, it is common in many restaurants to overstaff and have the opportunity to send people home when needed. Labor is one of the few items that can be controlled in a restaurant. Having too much of it can prove to be the difference between a profit or loss! Many people in this business have no problem taking a day off here and there. Working 5 days a week is tough when one works on tips and can follow a $400 night with an $80 night. That is frustrating, stressful and exhausting. It sounds crazy, but be empathetic for a minute and think of the commissioned salesperson; making their biggest commission on the first call of the day. Alternately they might spend 10 hours making calls and not get a single sale!
The same principle applies to tipped employees as do salespeople! Not every shift is the same as not every day is the same in sales! Ironically both are sales jobs! Both sales and tipped employees have an aura of art and hustle to their jobs, hence why so many leave the business to the sales world! Leaving the hospitality lifestyle is something of a beast on its own that needs a deep look into.
How hard is it to leave the Hospitality Lifestyle?
Very hard! Try being a manager first or working every day you are scheduled! Giving up that freedom can be difficult and pose a new set of challenges. Do a test run before going down that road. Try starting a new job that has more “normal” hours and see how it works out while still holding a restaurant job. Plus getting paid daily for minimal hours is tough as well. Not to mention the money…
Working 40-50 hours a week and making $45k a year at a “normal” job is very different than working 30 hours a week in a restaurant making $45k a year. Waiting for a vacation to be approved or coordinating time off with other people is a chore in itself. Now, there are some in the hospitality business that are in environments such as this. However, paid vacations for hourly employees is not the norm. Paid vacations and even sick days (unheard of) tend to be concentrated in hotel-owned restaurants, casinos and some large restaurant chains/groups. These situations are the exception rather than the standard.
The rest of this business is generally entrenched in the hospitality lifestyle, especially hourly employees. For the most part as long as one can get shifts covered, time off can happen. In many situations, however, people are not taking a ton of vacations. Many in the hospitality lifestyle suffer from spending money like toddlers.
Is the Hospitality Lifestyle a Money Trap?
NO!
People make their lives what it is. Many in this busines choose to always be spending their earnings on whatever is closest to them as opposed to saving it. Having cash burning holes is pockets is a rather easy fix in the 21st century. Nearly every bank now has ATM’s that take cash deposits. Make use of them, they can lead to getting out of the percieved money trap of this business.
The real psychological battle in the hospitality lifestyle is this. Make $250 on Thursday, expect to make it again on Friday and Saturday. Time to celebrate, the weekend shifts are coming and they are going to be good. Friday turns out to be a dud for $120 and Saturday is decent at $184. Not quite the expectation and far below the $500 expected for a total of $304. This is the money trap and it is painful, but is it avoidable?
Yes!
It is possible to establish a baseline of tips (preferred) or sales to calculate a baseline to make
Establish a Baseline for Tips
What is a baseline? In a nutshell, a baseline is the place to start when comparing past shifts/weeks/months of work. The baseline for earnings in the hospitality lifestyle can be on a weekly (easiest), weekends (a little work) or daily (most granular and nerdy) basis. Which is best depends on the restaurant and its flow of business.
Establishing a baseline is quite simple, record tips for a month and divide by the days worked. Example: total tips for April $4,000, days worked 20. $4,000/20= $200 a day. Now, take this and apply a savings plan to it. Anything over $200 is free to spend, anything below is not. Basic, yes. Requires discipline, yes. Elaborate savings plan needed, no.
Hospitality lifestyle trap avoided.
Maximizing the Hospitality Lifestyle
Saving isn’t ideal for all, nor is calling it saving. However, opportunity should be part of it. Creating opportunities in the hospitality lifestyle is more achievable than in the traditional 9-5. Make use of this time for more than video games, sleeping, recovering from the night before or scrolling mindlessly through the tiny glowing screens.
Live it and Love it, but make the most of it!
Cheers Friends
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