u/mojaverevenant

I'm relatively new to this job. I work as a busser. during my training, I asked the manager what to do with the leftover food on the plates stacked in the bus tubs. he just shrugged and told me (well, basically) to do whatever I wanted (or rather, not to do anything)

now that I've gotten faster at clearing tables and restocking (among other things), I've been wondering what else I can do to help the dishwasher

I always try to stack the plates neatly and scrape the leftover food into the trash (usually the bus tubs are out front and the trash cans are inside the kitchen), but last night a server stopped me and said, "don't do that. you're slowing down your own work, and that's the dishwasher's job."

is there a way I can be more efficient about this? I'm the only busser on this shift, so things do get a bit hectic at times. but I figure that the more I help out with this, the sooner we'll have clean plates and cutlery available if we get hit with a massive rush too

For some context: I'm a busser, but during the evening shift, I act as a barback, bartender, and barista because it's a fusion restaurant and café where I'm making drinks non-stop 80% of the time.

When I applied, I expected to be clearing tables and such, not serving drinks constantly. I don't mind it, but I'm also expected to do everything else. Running food whenever a server asks and dealing with complaints directly (I'm not a manager and there isn't one on our shift. They usually send me because they say I look like a "respectful teenager" and that we'll get a less severe scolding).

Lately, I've been getting orders that require me to go to the table and pour bottles. Protocol says to do it right at the table, but another busser told me not to, saying that's the servers' job.

So, whenever I'm sent to do it (which has been every time since I started), I just open the bottle behind the bar and pour it in front of them. That way, I don't waste time on the whole presentation when I still have tables to clear and more drinks to make.

Today was no exception.

The thing is, a married couple didn't like that. I understand why, and when I mentioned it to the server, she said, "well, we'll do better next time, right?".

It made me a bit angry inside, but I didn't say anything.

Should I keep doing what I've been doing, or should I talk to the manager? I know it seems obvious that the latter is the best choice, but it's just the server and me on these shifts, and I don't want to create bad relationship between us.

just to clarify, I'm not a server, I'm a busser who's been in the industry for just a few weeks.

yesterday, a family came in and ordered chicken. the server put the order in and brought it out. When he checked on the table again later, he noticed the man hadn't really eaten the chicken at all except for the salad, and even that was barely touched.

he asked if everything was okay, and the man said, "no, the chicken is way too dry." I heard the server reply with something like, "yeah, the breast tends to be a bit dry. would you like to change your order?"

the man said, "no, but it's inedible. It's burnt and everything." (personally, I didn't see it myself, so I can't confirm that part).

the server came over to me looking like he was about to cry and asked, "what would you do?"

I said, "I don't know, I'm not a server" (jokingly). he smiled but pressed me for an answer.

then I remembered that the other server I work with usually removes the item from the bill and lets the customers know they won't have to pay for it. it was either that or give them a discount. I mentioned this (what the other server usually does) to him, and he said, "okay, I'll do that."

but in the end, he just removed the item, brought them the check, and didn't say a word about it. I saw the family leave looking absolutely pissed off. what would you guys have done if you were in that situation?

how can I make these long shifts feel less exhausting?

I'm a restaurant busser, and when I joined, I had a coworker for the same position. they quit unexpectedly, so the owners asked if I could handle working 6 days straight with Sundays off. I said yes immediately, and they were thankful. but now I'm second-guessing myself lol. I think I can manage it for a while though

what are your thoughts?

In my current job, sometimes they release schedules for the next two weeks ahead of time, and other times I don't know my hours until a few hours before my shift.

The others don't have problems because their schedules are fixed, but mine is the only rotating one. I hate having to constantly text the manager about this, but is it normal for restaurants to handle scheduling this way?

I recently started working as a busser at a restaurant. It’s my first job (I’ve been there a week and a half).

Yesterday, my shift was from 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Around 1:00 PM, I asked Waitress 1 to put in an order for me; I wanted to take my 30-minute break while the food was being prepared and pay for it once I was done. She gave me a weird look and asked, "Did the other waitress tell you to take your break?" I told her, "No, but the owner (who is also a waitress, different one) told me the other day that if more than five hours had passed, I absolutely had to take my break." She glanced around and shrugged.

Time went by, and it was around 1:45 PM when the other waitress came over and asked what I wanted to order. I told her nothing, since I had to leave at 2:00 PM. She said, "No, you can't do that; you have to take your meal break. It’s mandatory." So I took it, and it didn't end until 2:15 PM.

I remembered that the barista, who had left an hour earlier, had asked me to clean her station before I left. So, between making an iced latte for one of the kitchen staff, finishing the cleaning, and restocking a few things, it ended up being 2:38 PM.

That’s when I grabbed my stuff and was about to leave. I went to say goodbye to Waitress 1, and she said, "What? You're leaving already? Did you ask the other waitress for permission?" That left me totally confused. I told her my shift ended at 2:00 and I’d just stayed a bit longer to clean up.

She gave me another really weird look and said, "Okay." When I asked what was wrong, she completely ignored me. Now I’m left wondering what I did wrong, since I don’t usually get much of an explanation when things like this happen.

So that’s my question. I know it’s late but I (need) am going to buy it tomorrow. Where I work I have to mop and I don’t want to unlock the third-person view by slipping lol

For some context, I’ve started working as a busser without having any prior experience in the field. I’ve been trying to do my best on these 2 days by shadowing my coworker busser and always looking for more tips and advice when I’m not working. On rushed hours I couldn’t avoid going out of my training so I could help clean the tables and settle them as soon as possible, but the owner tried to redirect me to my training again. When it’s slow, I try to stay busy restocking, sweeping, and basically working hard. And when someone corrects me or points something out, I try to memorize it to not make the same mistake again. I want to learn quickly, so in that way I won’t be a burden for my lack of experience.

A little fun fact is they initially thought I was applying as a barista. I’ve made tons of lattes and cappuccinos all morning in my first day with the help of my coworker until the manager indicated I was the new busser. It didn’t bother me to learn that. I mean, at least now I know how to do some of the hot drinks if they need an extra hand with that.

Oh, and the place is like a fusion between a restaurant and a café, so we all are kind of hosts at the same time? When there were people waiting, servers told me to seat them and bring them the menu too. I have no clue where to seat people who come alone versus parties of 3 people, but good thing for now is they don’t usually stay longer than 5 minutes, meaning I’ve received zero complaints about it so far.