27 Aug 2019

Sure, working in hospitality can have a few downsides, whether it's getting abused by impatient customers, the unlimited amount of things that can go wrong like dropping plates, spilling hot coffee and getting orders mixed up, or working with aggravating bosses and lazy employees. Sure, I could rant about working in hospitality until the cows come home, but hospitality also has its perks and it's time to appreciate them.

1. Unlimited free food

Well, take this with a grain of salt; my friend did get fired from Maccas after her boss spied her on the security cameras eating their stock (how could you not?). Get a feeling of what your job is okay with before you start taking liberties with the leftovers, but thankfully a lot of hospo jobs are very giving. Food that isn't right to sell is yours for taking and whatever's left from making a meal or drink way too big is better off in your stomach or in the bin (waste not, people!).

Some hospo jobs shout you lunch and are happy for you to take food home as well. I swear my mum's love for me grew when I got a job at a cafe and would bring home muffins, cupcakes and brownies that weren't fresh enough to sell the next day. 

2. Shared experience = friends for life

You know that scene in the first Harry Potter film where Harry and Ron save Hermione from a troll and the three become best buds from this overwhelming and crazy shared experience? That's exactly what happens in hospo.

Hospo is a wild, fast-paced environment where getting yelled at by impatient customers, standing until your feet ache and working crazy hours in the morning/night are common occurrences. It's these shared struggles that bind you to your work comrades. You vent to one another, laugh about mistakes and eat leftovers of customer's plates together, and it's bloody beautiful. Some of your workmates become friends for life and even if they don't, they sure make shifts a whole lot more enjoyable.

3. You'll always be a good customer

You know those customers that leave you speechless? It's the customer that sourly abuses you if their coffee took a minute longer than promised or you brought out the wrong meal. It's the customer who takes forever to order and believe to their core that they are always right. Trust me when I say, the customer is not always right but unfortunately, you have to put on a smile and pretend like that's true... These are the people that never worked in hospitality. They cannot begin to empathise with the struggles hospo workers face every shift.

If you work in hospitality, you will never be the customer you hate. You'll understand on a spiritual level what it's like to be that frazzled worker, running around like a headless chicken attempting the impossible task of making everyone happy. 

4. Classic anecdotes

I have an abundance of weird and wonderful anecdotes from working in hospitality. In such a fast-paced work environment where customers flood in and out, there's so much opportunity to make some hilarious and wild memories. 

As well as having tonnes of funny stories to share, work can also be a time to network. I was chatting to one customer about my filmmaking dreams and he gave me his business card, telling me he'd worked with Baz Lurhman... You never know who you're serving and that's pretty exciting, so put on your best hospo-smile and make the small talk work to your advantage. 

5. Flexibility 

Hospitality hours are pretty flexible, making it a perfect job that can work around school, university and wanting to actually have a life. It's fine to cross a few days off on the availabilities sheet because you're going away or it's your birthday weekend. The flexibility of working day or night in some cases is the perfect thing for your busy schedule. 

On those days when you're feeling over the long hours and the late-night shifts, just remember that it's not all doom and gloom - hospo does have some bloody decent perks. 

Keen to find a new job in hospo? Suss out what jobs Year13 have on offer.