 is this normal?
some of you may already know my situation but i was wondering if any of you who have worked in top tier restaurants in the country (think Babbo, French laundry, le Cirque) or know someone who did can tell me if this is a road worth traveling. as of now, i am physically, mentally, and emotionally drained.
my current position is a line cook doing all the starches and veggies for the entrees. i create everything that isn't the piece of meat. i also sauce and garnish and send the plate out.
my shift officially starts at 230pm and i am to prep until 5pm when the restaurant opens . i am in the kitchen at 1130am at the latest because the prep that is required of me cannot be accomplished in 2.5 hours. at least it can't be done by me. other cooks who work other stations also show up at least 1.5 hours before their shift starts. we all clock in at 230pm.
my last paycheck came out to 710 bucks. i worked 85 hours. no OT for some reason. i work an approximate 40-50 hours a week on the books. in actuality, i'm doing closer to 70 hours.
the line is killing me since i haven't had prior work experience in a kitchen. i basically worked my way up from a dishwasher.
anyways, now that you know what i'm in to, i was wondering if this is how all "name brand" restaurants worked. i'm mainly doing this for the resume and the experience, but i have to admit, this job is turning me off to cooking as a profession. should i stick it out?  |