Six of the ten lowest-paying jobs in the country are in restaurants:1
- Combined Food Preparation and Serving Workers
- Fast Food Cooks
- Dishwashers
- Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, and Coffee Shop
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurants, Lounge and Coffee Shop
- Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
Employment Numbers for the Restaurant Industry in New York City2
Job Classification | Number Employed | Percentage |
Short Order Cooks | 5,440 | 1.267 |
Chefs and Head Cooks | 11,750 | 2.736 |
Fast Food Cooks | 12,630 | 2.940 |
Hosts and Hostesses | 14,310 | 3.332 |
Non-Restaurant Servers | 19,480 | 4.535 |
Bussers and Barbacks | 21,450 | 4.994 |
Dishwashers | 26,020 | 6.058 |
Bartenders | 27,210 | 6.335 |
Counter Attendants and Baristas | 30,320 | 7.059 |
Supervisors and Managers | 37,300 | 8.684 |
Restaurant Cooks | 48,750 | 11.350 |
Food Prep Workers | 50,130 | 11.671 |
Waiters and Waitresses | 124,740 | 29.041 |
_____ | _____ | |
429,530 | 100.000 |
INDUSTRY SEGMENTS WHERE WORKPLACE VIOLATIONS ARE COMMON
Violations reported in all industry segments, but appear to be concentrated in
(1) expensive “white table cloth” restaurants and (2) independent family-style restaurants, including ethnic restaurants. Fast food and chain and franchise restaurants appear to have fewer violations.
THE JOBS WHERE WORKPLACE VIOLATIONS ARE COMMON
“Back of the house” restaurant jobs: Dishwashers, delivery persons, food prep, line cooks, and porters.
“Front of the house” restaurant jobs: Bussers, runners, bathroom attendants, barbacks, cashiers, counter persons and coat checkers (and in some restaurants, waiters, waitresses and hosts).
Typical wages
-
Back of the house jobs:
- Dishwasher: $180 – $300 per week.
- Delivery person: $120 – $200 per week.
- Line cook/food prep: $250 – $400 per week.
-
Front of the house jobs:
- Busser/barback: $150 – $200 per week including tips.
- Runner: $120 – $180 per week (rush hours only, usually paid as
percentage of tips). - Coat check & bathroom attendants: $20 – $80 a night.
- Cashiers/counter persons: $222 – $320 per week.
- Waiters/waitresses: $300 – $480 per week including tips.
Typical hours
On average, kitchen staff tend to work 6 days a week, between 8 and 12 hours a day, with some dishwashers and cooks working double shifts. In the front of the restaurant, bussers and runners work the same hours as kitchen staff. Wait staff tend to work 3–5 days per week (hours can range from 20–45 per week).
Payment method
Dishwashers, runners, bussers, and delivery persons tend to be off the books, while servers, bartenders and managerial jobs are more likely to be on the books. High-end and chain restaurants have the majority of their sales on credit cards, which can force more jobs to be on the books.
Benefits
Health benefits are generally not offered to front-line staff; when offered, the employee co–pay is usually high, resulting in low take-up rates. In the kitchen, workers may get one week unpaid vacation, but no sick days.
Immigration status
High representation of undocumented immigrants in back of the house jobs (as well as some lower-wage jobs in the front). But long tenures in the industry mean that there are also significant numbers of documented immigrants.
INTERMEDIARIES PLACING WORKERS IN UNREGULATED JOBS
(1) Employment agencies for immigrant workers and (2) much less frequently, non-profit public agencies for people transitioning off welfare or out of prison. At employment agencies, placement fees range from $50 up to a weeks’ earnings, paid by the worker, plus possibly an additional $25 application fee. Some employment agencies specialize in restaurant placements for Mexican workers.
COMMON WORKPLACE VIOLATIONS
Minimum wage and overtime
- Minimum wage: The industry’s pay structure of flat weekly wages for more than full-time work suggests that minimum wage violations are common. For example, typical earnings of $300 per week for 60 hours translates into an hourly wage of $5 (without considering time-and-a-half pay for overtime hours). Coat checkers and delivery persons can make as low as $3 an hour.
- Overtime: Non-payment of overtime appears common for almost all positions.
- Tips: For tipped positions, common violations include being paid only in tips, or the employer taking a percentage of tips. Bussers often do not get tips owed them.
Non-payment of wages
Occurs mainly for kitchen jobs, especially dishwashers. Can take the form of full non-payment, partial non-payment, or several months backlog of payment.
Illegal deductions
Workers report employers deducting arbitrary amounts from wages for broken plates, spoiled food, etc.
Meal breaks
Lack of meal breaks, or erratic meal breaks, is a pervasive problem. A single meal break for a 12-hour shift is common.
Employer taxes
Restaurants are heavily cash-based, and most workers do not receive pay stubs. Employer taxes are often not paid, or not paid for the actual number of workers on site.
OSHA
Health & safety violations occur mainly in kitchens: electrical dangers, inadequate fire safety, lack of cutting guards on machines, lack of slip mats, lack of required ventilation.
Workers’ Compensation
Rarely offered. Employers may pay a one-time hospital bill out of pocket in order to avoid an official claim, and instruct workers to say that the injury did not occur at work.
Discrimination
Evidence of discrimination in hiring and promotion on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, and accent – particularly for front of the house jobs. Harassment based on national origin and gender.
Retaliation & the right to organize
Employers’ retaliation in response to complaints about working conditions and attempts to organize include threats to call immigration, punishing the worker with bad shifts or bad hours, and outright retaliatory firing.
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1The 10 Lowest Paid Jobs in America
2Employment Numbers for the Restaurant Industry in New York City
3Unregulated Work in the Restaurant Industry in New York City
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