Just clocked 1,200 covers in a single Friday night shift and my feet are still screaming three days later

I looked at the ticket machine at 9 p.m. and saw we'd already passed 1,000, which is fifty more than our busiest night last year, and the expo guy just shrugged like that's normal, so has anyone else seen their numbers jump that much without warning?

3 comments

3 Comments

young.michael1d agoMost Upvoted

Did you catch that article in FSR Magazine last month about labor shortages making places push more volume through fewer bodies? It said some kitchens are seeing 30% jumps in covers without changing their floor plans or adding staff, which sounds exactly like what you're going through. I read somewhere that ticket times matter more than raw numbers when it comes to burnout, so maybe check if your expo is actually pacing things right. Truth is, that kind of jump without warning usually means management is trying to squeeze every dollar out of a hot streak and hoping nobody quits. Your feet have every right to be mad, especially if they're not paying you extra for the chaos.

ramirez.vera1d ago

My old spot had a guy named Dom who ran expo for six years, and I swear he could read tickets better than most managers. He knew exactly when to bump a table or hold a steak without even looking up. One Friday we had a 40 cover jump with no warning and he just started calling out times like a machine. Thing is, @young.michael, that FSR article hits close because my last gig kept putting up record numbers while we were working double shifts on broken fryers. Your feet are right to be pissed because nobody packs extra socks for that nonsense without getting paid for it.

spencer_gonzalez11d ago

Wait, did that FSR article say anything about HOW kitchens are supposed to pace 30% more covers without adding a single person?