Date: August 6th, 2026 10:19 AM Author: Beady-eyed theater stage
resort with a big pool and a decent golf course in the town where my wife grew up and the girl’s mom also works at this resort. Her mom has some kind of bullshit VP title and basically does some event planning and other marketing and PR work. Mom makes high 5 to low 6 figures depending on her bonus. Almost 18 year old daughter is earning more than her working 25-32 hours a week. She’s making 800 a shift on average and works 3-4 per week this summer. Her goal was to save 10k for college and she’s on track to earn 30k for the summer, which is more than I made as a summer associate. Girl is cute but not like a super model or anything and she’s making this much money because she carries trays of margaritas and chips and guac to moms sitting by the pool while their kids swim.
I’m increasingly persuaded that Gen Z are just lazy retards and if the median 18 year old could amass plenty of wealth if they just hustled as much as normal kids did 25-35 years ago.
Date: August 6th, 2026 10:36 AM Author: Chestnut Address
How'd she get the gig? That's a pretty top-notch place for a waiter. You usually don't start there unless you know someone. Your average kid doesn't have access to a job like that.
Date: August 6th, 2026 10:58 AM Author: Beady-eyed theater stage
Her mom works at the same place. TBF yes if her mom was a fuck up at work and nobody liked her it would be hard for her daughter to get a job there. Otoh I think your brain is suffering from the same fixed price point that mine was from being closer to the earnings that are possible 25+ years ago v today given all the inflation that’s happened since. It’s not that hard to sell $4000 of food (ie you turn 15-20 tables at $40-$50 per diner and serve 80-100 total ie any busy but not insane shift) during a weekend dinner shift at a busy Olive Garden or Outback, and it’s genuinely easy if you work anywhere that involves most people ordering 2+ drinks of alcohol. Making 20% on $4000 is literally a 2007 first year associate paycheck if you work 4 shifts a week.
Date: August 6th, 2026 11:19 AM Author: Chestnut Address
"Her mom works at the same place."
And boom goes the dynamite!
"It’s not that hard to sell $4000 of food (ie you turn 15-20 tables at $40-$50 per diner and serve 80-100 total ie any busy but not insane shift) during a weekend dinner shift at a busy Olive Garden or Outback, and it’s genuinely easy if you work anywhere that involves most people ordering 2+ drinks of alcohol."
Your numbers are about 2x reality. And the tip rate at places like that is closer 18%. And most importantly, someone without experience isn't getting the prime hours like your friend did.
I'm not dispelling the notion that young people can make good money as waiters. Just saying that it's not like it's some easy path that anyone can quickly jump into.
Date: August 6th, 2026 11:52 AM Author: Beady-eyed theater stage
Even if my numbers are 2x reality you’re conceding that a generic good but not great waiting tables job now pays high 4 figures for not even full time hours. And though my diners per shift is likely 2x my cost per diner is low if anything, especially if anyone’s ordering alcohol. This girl in my OP has a “section” that’s just one half of the pool and people typically order from their phones with a QR code so she “serves” over 100 per shift easily and really is more of an expo than an actual waiter, and yet it’s standard for her to bring chips and guac, a plate of chicken fingers and a burger for 2 kids and 4 margaritas and that rings up $150-200 and she’s tipped $30-40 for less than 10 minutes of just carrying trays back and forth. She has 20x of those over her shift on like a Tuesday afternoon.