Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-01-2008, 08:38 PM
 
Location: las vegas
10 posts, read 35,814 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

hi...i have been looking into moving from las vegas to a more laid back place to try to simplify...San luis obispo and morro bay interest me lots but i have one concern...im a waitress/bartender and while there are TONS of jobs that pay very well with benefits here im scared that in a smaller town they would have very few restaurant jobs available or that there would be very little business(tips) due to it not being a tourist town like vegas...are there any restaurants/bars (maybe around the college) that are consistantly busy and that would allow me to afford a studio/apt along with my car payment(only debt i have)...if anyone in the service industry has info i would greatly appreciate it...thanks
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-02-2008, 06:03 AM
 
Location: Las Flores, Orange County, CA
26,329 posts, read 93,734,875 times
Reputation: 17831
Quote:
Originally Posted by vdubshani View Post
h.are there any restaurants/bars (maybe around the college) that are consistantly busy and that would allow me to afford a studio/apt along with my car payment(only debt i have).
What does a studio/apt cost? What is your car payment? Health insurance? Auto insurance? Retirement contributions?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-02-2008, 10:16 AM
 
Location: las vegas
10 posts, read 35,814 times
Reputation: 11
from what i can see studios run between $700-$800 and my car is $350...car insurance is $100 in vegas and we have expensive rates...ive never had health or retirement contributions as a server in any other state than nevada because its always been impossible to afford so i would doubt that even tho those are neccessary things to have that i would have then once i left the union restaurant jobs of vegas...im just wondering, is it possible to make $30k as a waitress in a small town like san luis obispo?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-02-2008, 11:52 AM
 
Location: CA
371 posts, read 1,822,636 times
Reputation: 306
Yes, I'd say it is perfectly reasonable to live here on what a good waiter/waitress makes. My wife waited tables for 10 years and put me through college while I went to Cal Poly. She worked at a few nice places downtown. Not the nicest fine-dining places, but places that had good business. She was very good, and always earned terrific tips.

Yes, I'd say it is possible to make 30k+, if you double up on shifts on some days and work full time. However, don't expect benefits. One big thing that will help you in SLO is if you are NOT going to college like all the rest of the servers/bartenders. The owners/managers of the establishments value non-college students and those slightly older, since the students are generally less reliable as far as how long they'll stick around and their schedules. So emphasize that when you start beating the pavement here.

Also, avoid Mclintocks and the new "euro-style ultra lounge" Native (formerly the Mission Grill), as the word was that the former had overly tough managers and the latter has a manager who is a womanizing chauvinist.

Just a few tips to get you started.

This town does have a lot of tourism (i know, not like Vegas); there's a lot of restaurants and opportunities for an experienced server to make it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-02-2008, 11:01 PM
 
Location: las vegas
10 posts, read 35,814 times
Reputation: 11
thanks so much...that is exactly the info i was looking for...makes it sound possible...anyone elso with info or opinions tho feel free to share...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 06:56 AM
 
Location: Whiteville Tennessee
8,262 posts, read 18,480,110 times
Reputation: 10150
Quote:
Originally Posted by grimstuff View Post
Yes, I'd say it is perfectly reasonable to live here on what a good waiter/waitress makes. My wife waited tables for 10 years and put me through college while I went to Cal Poly. She worked at a few nice places downtown. Not the nicest fine-dining places, but places that had good business. She was very good, and always earned terrific tips.

Yes, I'd say it is possible to make 30k+, if you double up on shifts on some days and work full time. However, don't expect benefits. One big thing that will help you in SLO is if you are NOT going to college like all the rest of the servers/bartenders. The owners/managers of the establishments value non-college students and those slightly older, since the students are generally less reliable as far as how long they'll stick around and their schedules. So emphasize that when you start beating the pavement here.

Also, avoid Mclintocks and the new "euro-style ultra lounge" Native (formerly the Mission Grill), as the word was that the former had overly tough managers and the latter has a manager who is a womanizing chauvinist.

Just a few tips to get you started.

This town does have a lot of tourism (i know, not like Vegas); there's a lot of restaurants and opportunities for an experienced server to make it.
Just curious--why avoid McLintocks? That was always a nice place to eat when I lived in SLO. Also, i was trying to remember the name of the bar just south of McLintocks on Higuera where they put my name on the wall for finishing the whole list of beers on a punch card. Anyone remember?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 08:47 AM
 
Location: Central Coast, California
169 posts, read 764,475 times
Reputation: 206
What a claim to fame Lt. Dan!!
I don't know the name of the place, but congrats to you, none the less!!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-03-2008, 10:48 AM
 
Location: CA
371 posts, read 1,822,636 times
Reputation: 306
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lt. Dan View Post
Just curious--why avoid McLintocks? That was always a nice place to eat when I lived in SLO.
My reference was to a server working there, not a customer eating there. It's a good place to eat sure, but the word was the management wasn't too easy to work for. Take it for what it's worth...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2008, 02:45 PM
 
Location: las vegas
10 posts, read 35,814 times
Reputation: 11
i had another question about resturants in san luis obispo...my arm is sleeved up and i dont have trouble getting a job here in vegas with all my tattoos but does anyone know if thats frowned upon or is it a town that appreciates individuality and diversity? also, anyone know anything about arroyo grande? seems like it wouldnt be a long drive to live there and work in slo but time and distance on a map is totally different from drive time in traffic...thanks again
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-04-2008, 02:51 PM
 
Location: CA
371 posts, read 1,822,636 times
Reputation: 306
Quote:
Originally Posted by vdubshani View Post
i had another question about resturants in san luis obispo...my arm is sleeved up and i dont have trouble getting a job here in vegas with all my tattoos but does anyone know if thats frowned upon or is it a town that appreciates individuality and diversity? also, anyone know anything about arroyo grande? seems like it wouldnt be a long drive to live there and work in slo but time and distance on a map is totally different from drive time in traffic...thanks again
My wife commutes to Arroyo Grande; it's about 15-20 minutes.

About your tattoos: I suppose it would greatly depend on what kind of establishment you were applying at. A) What is the style and atmosphere? and B) What do their uniforms consist of? Most nicer places require long-sleeve uniforms, so it wouldn't be an issue anyway. I don't think SLO is any more tattoo-unfriendly than any other town in California.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:41 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top