Service/Restaurant Professional: Is Boulder a Good Spot (Denver: home, salary)

[notreadyfortheshow]

I'm in the early stages of planning a move and Boulder is on my initial list of places under consideration.

I am a restaurant professional with a lot of high-end experience. Is Boulder a good fit for that? I'm used to being able to sell at least $1500 on all but the slowest nights.

Thanks for any answers!

[Sobe Itsavized]

Honestly I would say Denver fits that bill better than Boulder in regards to just the numbers of "high-end" restaurants. That's not to say Boulder doesn't have any but you'll find more workplaces like that in Denver given the area and who actually works, lives, and eats in Denver. You would think given the average home price in Boulder they'd have more restaurants like that but not from what I've seen compared to Denver.

[Hipchik]

Denver would give you many more opportunities.

For a relatively small town (pop. ~100,000) Boulder has some nice high end restaurants but obviously it cannot compare to the Denver metro area (pop. 2.8 million).

[LostSailor4326]

As someone who relocated from the northeast to Denver, soon to be moving to Boulder, and has been in the restaurant biz for 12 years, Denver will most def give you more possibilities. Just check out the COL compared to what you think you're salary could be. I probably wouldn't be out here if I wasn't splitting rent.

[notreadyfortheshow]

Originally Posted by LostSailor4326

As someone who relocated from the northeast to Denver, soon to be moving to Boulder, and has been in the restaurant biz for 12 years, Denver will most def give you more possibilities. Just check out the COL compared to what you think you're salary could be. I probably wouldn't be out here if I wasn't splitting rent.

What sort of money are we talking about in high-end in Denver? I make about $1000-1200 per week in California, but it is very hit-or-miss, more so than anywhere I've lived.

Also note that that $1000-1200 includes paychecks. Because the minimum wage is $10 here, my checks are usually $100 per week. So we're talking about $200/shift or so. Is that doable in Denver?

[LostSailor4326]

Currently, I am a manager in a fast-casual style place and get paid a salary.

Here is a link I found that might be pretty useful for you...
https://www.reddit.com/r/Denver/comm...w_much_do_you/

There are a ton of restaurant jobs out here, but the majority of them don't pay all too well. Not sure how difficult it would be to get into a higher-end one and if you would be making CA money out here.

Also, check CLs ads just so you can have an idea of what you'd be looking at.

[Zeppelin0129]

Originally Posted by notreadyfortheshow

What sort of money are we talking about in high-end in Denver? I make about $1000-1200 per week in California, but it is very hit-or-miss, more so than anywhere I've lived.

Also, note that $1000-1200 includes paychecks. Because the minimum wage is $10 here, my checks are usually $100 per week. So we're talking about $200/shift or so. Is that doable in Denver?

As a former server at a high-end restaurant in Denver, that is doable. I worked five nights a week and was averaging $200-$300 a night depending on the time of year.

Something that was very different for me is, in my experience, most of the smaller local places are tip pools. At first, I wasn't a fan, but it ended up being for my benefit. Cuts down on the issues of being concerned what section you happen to get assigned and fosters a more familial work environment.

I will say it is difficult to get into most of the restaurants you make good money in. I was hired at my restaurant through a personal connection.