I worked at Waffle House for $2.92 an hour. It was scary relying on luck or the generosity of custom

2023-05-30T09:00:00Z

Amanda Claypool got a part-time job at Waffle House for $2.92 an hour.
She planned to work at Waffle House long enough to pay off her $1,700 credit card debt.
Claypool said she felt like she was depending on generosity and luck to earn enough money.

Back in February, I took a part-time job at Waffle House to get a better understanding of the labor shortage. I wasn't sure how long I'd stay, but I set a goal to work long enough to pay off a $1,700 credit card balance.

When I took the job at Waffle House I knew servers made less than minimum wage because they received tips. I was paid $2.92 per hour and I only worked once a week on Wednesdays.I didn't last long enough to pay off my credit card debt, and even though I liked the job and the people, I couldn't afford to keep working there.

I worked at Waffle House for almost 3 months

I actually liked working at Waffle House. My managers were friendly and the other servers worked hard. I enjoyed getting to know the regulars and I honestly didn't mind doing the dishes or mopping the floors. My weekly shift was a nice change of pace from sitting in front of a computer all day.

After every shift, I kept a detailed log of my actual cash flow and I recorded how much Waffle House paid me in wages and how much I earned in tips. Over the course of 61 hours, and after paying my taxes and subtracting deductions, I made $869 overall.

Ultimately, working at Waffle House just wasn't a good use of my time

I'm a full-time freelance writer and strategy consultant. I could have worked more days at Waffle House and maybe I would've earned more money if I had. But I couldn't continue selling my time at a job where my profitability came down to chance and generosity.

I worked the first shift at Waffle House, which meant I served during breakfast and lunch time. Four servers typically work that shift and somehow I always ended up assigned to section D. I didn't mind working that section but it wasn't as lucrative as being assigned the three booths in section A.

On slow days, the manager would send someone home early. One morning, I served five people and earned $24.75 in tips before I was sent home. But $12.75 of that money came from one generous customer. He's a regular so he would've tipped one of the other servers just as much. I just got lucky that he sat in my section that day. After this, I realized how much luck and generosity impacted my bottom line.

To be fair, when I averaged out all of my earnings I made more than expected — but it still wasn't enough

When I started at Waffle House I was verbally told I'd never make less than $11.50 per hour, but I made an average of $14.24 an hour overall. Either way, Waffle House is only legally required to make sure I earn $7.25 per hour. That $7.25 minimum wage hasn't changed since 2009.

I made more than I thought I would, but not enough to continue using my time to serve there. I used the cash tips I earned from Waffle House — around $500 — to make a payment on my credit card. Had I stayed at Waffle House long enough to pay off the full balance, I probably would have had to work every Wednesday until November. That's not too bad for someone working once a week to pay off a debt — but I don't think I could live off that type of income full-time.

My final paycheck at Waffle House was only $5.16

Serving might seem like an easy job but it isn't. The process requires more than just taking an order, communicating it to the cook, and serving it to a hungry customer. It's about creating an experience. Good servers connect with their tables in much the same way good doctors connect with their patients.

Our society is very transactional, but it's hard to put a dollar value on experiences. My last Waffle House paycheck was $5.16. Earning a livable wage as a server shouldn't come down to the luck of who sits in your section and the generosity they're willing to bestow upon you.

The wages offered by companies like Waffle House aren't the wages being set by the market

I thought the $2.92 minimum tipped wage was standard for servers — but it's not. After scrolling through the jobs section of Craigslist I discovered local restaurants in my city that offer a much higher base pay — plus tips.

I realize now, the low wage at Waffle House is the byproduct of a low-dollar business model. For a meal to be inexpensive, the labor to prepare and serve that meal must also be inexpensive. Even if Waffle House wanted to offer higher wages, I'm not sure they'd be able to raise their menu prices to compensate for it.

After my last shift, I crunched the numbers and realized the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. I'm better off using my time to look for new writing and consulting opportunities than working for tips at Waffle House. I texted the manager that hired me to let him know I was done and wouldn't be coming back. Money is an important part of work, but I'd argue time is even more important.