“I hate being a server but I love the money I make doing it” is a common sentiment many who have posted about their experiences working in the food service industry have shared. While servers may long for jobs more in line with their long-term career goals, some can’t turn down the amount of cash they rake in on a typical shift—enough to become “addicted” to the dynamic of serving.
This is what TikToker Lexi (@lexindn) said happened to her after her first official day working in the food service industry. Her TikTok about her experience racked up nearly 255,000 views as of Monday.
@lexindn first day working after being trained and it was kinda funsies idk but its NOT for the weak … but i made almost triple an hour what i was making when i did retail😭 #waitress #serving #serverlife #server ♬ orange soda by baby keem – kysin
Lexi writes in a text overlay of her video as she stares into the camera, “Started a serving job yesterday and I understand now why people say they get ‘addicted’ to serving this is kinda crazy LOL.”
The camera then cuts to footage of her recording stacks of cash—there are 20s, 10s, 5s, and piles of 1s, before the camera turns back on her face. She pouts her lips and then rolls her eyes to the left before the video cuts out.
She explains the reason behind her “addiction” towards serving further in a caption, writing how after her first shift, she ended up earning around three times more than what she was making while working retail.
According to Salary.com, the average retail employee in the United States earns anywhere from $12 to $19 per hour, with those figures changing from state to state. For instance, Indeed has listings for a range of retail associate positions that offer hourly wages from $10 to $19 per hour, and Payscale has others listed from $9.50 to $19.20.
One viewer seemed to have been convinced to apply for a serving job herself, sharing, “I’ve been influenced retail has prepared me to be strong.”
Another said they were able to earn more than $100 a day at Sonic, saying, “Workin at sonic on a busy weekday sends me home with $100+.”
However, someone else wrote that while the payouts one receives as a server initially may seem great, the job eventually takes a toll on you.
“It’s great until it’s not anymore it will become very draining,” they wrote.
Another commenter echoed the sentiment, writing, “Food service jobs are simultaneously the best and worst thing istg.”
One person said that employees need to have a thick skin in order to work as a server, as tempers can flare.
“if you can handle getting yelled at constantly then it’s a great job lol,” they said and Lexi agreed, replying, “No fr this my last day of training an old man yelled at me and I cried and almost quit.”
However, not all TikTokers seemed to think that the money working serving jobs was worth it.
“It can be inconsistent + everyone treats like shi I prefer hourly jobs after serving for 4 years,” one user said.
Others said that no matter how many times they resolve to quit, they end up coming back.
As one user wrote, “I complain relentlessly abt how much I wave quit then I pick up 3 extra shifts.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Lexi via TikTok comment.
