Working in restaurants

Can anyone who's worked in restaurants tell me about how many were 100% off the books?

And for those who were hostesses, did you get a percentage of the tips from the waitstaff?

TIA.

Re: Working in restaurants

It varies if they are off the books or not. I have worked at 3 restuarants in my day and they were all off the books and 1 that was on but I claimed a minimal amount of my tips and the "salary" was very low.

Re: Working in restaurants

I personally have found that to get a job off the books in a restaurant you are better off going to a privately owned restaurant. Some will be ok with off the books, others will require you to go on, it varies by owner (and also who does their bookkeeping). Anything that is chain or corporate will require you to be on the books. (as far as my experience goes)

I have never had to tip any hostess money and I have worked at four different restaurants. Again I feel as though this varies from place to place and how much they actually do for you!

Re: Working in restaurants

Everything I did was mom and pop places so it was off the books.

I only had one place that had a hostess and they were paid a higher salary than the servers so they didn't get tipped.

Re: Working in restaurants

Thanks girls. I am going to meet with a privately owned restaurant in a few days and I'm looking for it to be cash ... they are going to start me as a hostess and train me to be a waitress. the owner is a friend of a friend and he MAY have been told that I am looking for off the books work -- but he may not have been told, so I suppose I have to address it But I can't take it unless it IS cash, so I have to ask ...

Re: Working in restaurants

Re: Working in restaurants

I've worked in a couple of restaurants -- and one was a chain and the other was privately owned.

Some of the busboys were paid off the books there -- so they had worked it out with the managers about it.

In one restaurant I did get a small share of the tips when I did hostess work--but not much.

Re: Working in restaurants

I was always "on the books" but I only worked in corporate resturants (ie Boulder Creek, Chuck E Cheese & Chilis)

Re: Working in restaurants

Depends on the position. I would think even the mom & pop places would show some staff on the books (unless things have changed in the past 5 years since I have worked in the biz). I have never seen hostesses get tipped in smaller restaurants. The only place I have seen it is larger restaurants, like Morton's & Peter Lugers.