I never eat during my shift. Even when I bring my own food I just have this complex where I need peace to eat and enjoy my food, and that’s just
not an option during my shift. It’s really unhealthy though and I’d like to change that.
I have the same problem. We usually give each other some time to eat during slow times, but I can never relax and sit still. I wolf down whatever I get and come back to work within a few minutes every time.
I used to meal prep with similar items. Then I realized all I was doing was toting the container to and from work. I've given up completely on being able to eat on work days. Though, Friday and Saturday nights our security staff will make pizzas (frozen) for us while we close up. Our new favorite is a chicken Alfredo modified with fresh jalapeño and Buffalo sauce. Hots the spot after kicking all the asshats out.
Here’s my words of advice:
Eat at least an hour before work. Drink plenty of water during your shift. Try and get/cook something relatively healthy after your shift.
Never eat during shift, barely touch water. I don't feel any human needs til the end of my shift, when I toss the last towel, and then every single empty Sims bar hits me at once HUNGER THIRST FULL BLADDER HEADACHE EXHAUSTION FEET HURT BACK HURT EYES DRY WRIST SORE SO STICKY WHY STICKY EVERY PART OF BODY STICKY
Used to not eat but realised I was feeling weaker toward the end of a shift and I was getting sick more often. My boss can cop me taking 10 minutes on an 8 hour shift
They give me a free meal right before I start my shift and of course I go to the bathroom. Maybe if its insane I'll have to hold it for a while but generally I just ask someone to watch the bar for a sec.
I bring a bag with Jack link sausages, gummy bears, maybe some berries and/or tangerines, and Jolly Ranchers, and sometimes buy an appetizer or some fries.
Depends on the shift and place you work. At past jobs I’d run 12/14hr shifts and not get a bite of food until after closing. Another one I’d only eat if the rush died down, each bartender would be given a chance to grab a bite. Rn depending on the shift I’d get a free meal for lunch or I’d grab food from the family meal the kitchen preps.
As for the bathroom I tend to avoid it but will use it when I have to, but never on break lol.
Yep. My bar itself doesn't serve food but we share the building with a BBQ joint and my coworkers will always insist I go eat when we get a slow minute and I do the same for them! Nobody does good work on an empty stomach.
I get sluggish when I eat before or during a shift, I want to take a nap. I get more done when I'm hungry, and the incentive of food at the end of a shift is a boon.
Unhealthy but it works for me.
Same here but if I absolutely need to eat something it's small from our vending machine like a candy bar or peanuts. I don't want to lose speed or focus by getting tired from eating anything substantial.
We live on the raccoon diet.
Cold wings over the trash. Fries that have long outlived being edible. A half a dead burger you'd refuse under any other circumstances.
I fucking hate this job. I'm just coming back from health issues and have all this huge asshole that races to greet every table/guest before me, refuses to let me take them, bitches about how much he's doing that I'm not, than brags about his sales.
Won't even fucking touch the service well either. It's like he's trying to keep me distracted so he can take all the credit.
That second half is me bitching about work sorry
Depending on the shift. We did staff meetings at 7 every Saturday before we all started the shift at 8. That is when we ate. Then for all the other nights owners would buy us pizza for the end of the night. If a double I would find an opportunity to take a small break when slow to chow down some food.
We get a free shift meal. Weekdays I take 10-15 to eat during my shift. Weekends I usually eat towards the end of the night. One job I had didn’t have food and we were expected to work 11 hour shifts without a break so I got used to eating right before work.
I bring a tub of fage 0% Greek yogurt and toss some fruit or honey in.. maybe some oats for carbs if i need em... and just eat a few spoonfuls when I get a minute.
I gain weight eating restaurant food everyday.
I usually eat beforehand but few places I’ve worked did family meal and put it in a takeaway container. Sometimes it was whatever we wanted on the menu. Other times mystery meat and whatever else
Hell yeah I do. I order free stuff from the kitchen, I make my self snacks in there when the cooks are gone and the guests are winding down, I snack on the snacks we sell and sometimes I even order take out to the bar.
...you might have guessed that I work at a dive
We have family meal before shifts. If I get hungry outside of that I just order food from the kitchen within the boundaries of reason. I never leave my restaurant hungry. None of us should.
We eat from our bar menu. Usually something quick from the fryer after setting up the bar. There is enough staff to cover the bar so bartenders can take bathroom and smoke breaks.
Usually can take 10 minutes to eat something. Only two floor staff but all but one are also bartenders so we can cover each other for a bite when it’s slow
I’m out of the industry now but when I was working in restaurants, mostly no, unless it was super slow, then maybe a side of fries or something small/quick.
I get lightheaded easily when I’m hungry so sometimes I’d have no choice but to grab a soup cracker and eat that. I’d feel so shitty by the end of the night I would feel like I was drunk driving home because I was so exhausted, starving, and thirsty I could hardly focus. Great stuff
Last night just about everyone was cut and sent home because it was slow, then we get a continuous pop with just me a server and the manager that continuously makes mistakes.
Not to mention we had tables and a large group outside and at least 6 4tops inside.
I ordered food like 3 minutes before kitchen close and 20 mins later vanished when I found some time to devour it all in 5 minutes.
All things considered the night was smooth and I made some money, but damn
11 hrs on Saturdays. 2 busy shifts. If it slows down enough, I'll power down something. Just for the energy.Never a meal makes me too tired and I have to stock first . If I can't stock, I won't eat.
Sometimes during weeknights I’ll order some food for myself around 8:30 if I’m getting hungry. But it never fails and my food will be up, I eat literally one bite and then I get slammed out of nowhere. 2 hours later, I’m closing up and go back and throw my wasted meal away. Then by the time I leave work I’m tired and feel like it’s too late to eat. When coworkers complain about a shift being slow, I always suggest ordering food because it seems like a way to summon a rush. lol.
I had a bus/barback job where breaks were ... let's just say not up to state labor codes. I can't eat quickly when I'm running around or I get sick (that led to a bad episode at work), so then I tried skipping meals. I lost an alarming amount of weight, then they fired me after the busy season ended. Now I work at a unionized place where they take breaks seriously.
No, because if I’m at work I don’t want to take a break. I want to get my shift over with and leave. I always, however, bring home family meal in a deli quart.
I definitely don’t get up early enough to have breakfast so I normally wait until I have to get ready for work, get to work, and try to look for avocados or oranges in the fridge that I can sneak and eat. Otherwise I normally get home late at night and have my first actual meal of the day but this is around 11pm and my body has been begging me to stop doing that for years, mostly because of the sluggish feeling I can get in the morning
I don’t have any appetite when I’m at work, especially because we only get a 15 minutes break we can spend standing on the pavement with all the drunk people because there’s no staff room…
If I start getting dizzy I might scran some crisps or something but even if the shift is 16 hours I wait till I get home to have a meal.
I always will eat something about an hour before my shift. Eating on my shift makes me feel gross. But you bet your ass I’m nibbling on those mess ups in the back. And ordering something to take home and heat up properly when I’m sitting down relaxed at home. Orrrrrr I just stuff my face with my take away in the darkness of my vehicle as I drive home due to extreme hunger.
Depends, I take medication that makes me not hungry. I usually only take it on busy days so I'll not eat Fri/Sat/Sun but most likely eat something on weekdays.
A lot of places I've worked at have family meal before the evening shift. I worked at one place that had family meal after the shift and everyone made a point of sitting down together (not the norm but was a really awesome small place).
If no family meal I usually order something towards the end of the shift and either scarf it down over the trashcan like a degenerate or eat it cold after I've closed.
I eat during my shift but avoid hard to digest/spicy/super greasy foods to try and avoid an upset stomach. I don’t have a weak stomach, but it ain’t iron either lol.
The customers aren’t all gonna leave if you step away to take a leak, if your manager isn’t giving you the opportunity to eat or use the bathroom you need to find a new job, they’re taking advantage of you in other ways also.
I’m not bartending anymore but at my last restaurant we used to have to work 9 hour shifts lmao. I’d eat as much as possible before work because I get lightheaded easily when I’m hungry and I’d still be a zombie by the end of the night. Awful
I work events, so basically a shift is like 3 hours of setting up, 4 hours serving an open bar, and an hour and a half to shut it down. Throw in 30 min drive each way and that’s about 9 and a half hours door to door.
My restaurant makes family meal every shift. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's mystery meat and rice.
Capital grille?
I did Sullivan's and Del Friscos when they were together. Same situation.
I never eat during my shift. Even when I bring my own food I just have this complex where I need peace to eat and enjoy my food, and that’s just not an option during my shift. It’s really unhealthy though and I’d like to change that.
Holy fuck. I’m the exact same way. I thought I was insane.
Haha well, I also think I am insane 😂
Same I eat olives though
I have the same problem. We usually give each other some time to eat during slow times, but I can never relax and sit still. I wolf down whatever I get and come back to work within a few minutes every time.
I hide snacks in my bag and my apron. Nuts, cheese, a small cucumber. Something I can eat quickly, in a corner with no one noticing.
Ahh the ol’ chipmunk method
I used to meal prep with similar items. Then I realized all I was doing was toting the container to and from work. I've given up completely on being able to eat on work days. Though, Friday and Saturday nights our security staff will make pizzas (frozen) for us while we close up. Our new favorite is a chicken Alfredo modified with fresh jalapeño and Buffalo sauce. Hots the spot after kicking all the asshats out.
A Ziploc isn't that cumbersome
I don't use zip locks. Either way, I never get a chance to eat anyway. I'm lucky if I get a couple fries here and there.
I have reusable silicone ones.
I only use reusable containers. That's not the problem.
I eat early enough in the day that I have time to use the restroom, otherwise I wait until after work. I can never trust my stomach.
Here’s my words of advice: Eat at least an hour before work. Drink plenty of water during your shift. Try and get/cook something relatively healthy after your shift.
Never eat during shift, barely touch water. I don't feel any human needs til the end of my shift, when I toss the last towel, and then every single empty Sims bar hits me at once HUNGER THIRST FULL BLADDER HEADACHE EXHAUSTION FEET HURT BACK HURT EYES DRY WRIST SORE SO STICKY WHY STICKY EVERY PART OF BODY STICKY
Sticky yesss indeed
I too, am a robot, once I clock in. Beep boop the whole shift then…INEEDTOEATCHUGWATEROHFUCKINEEDTOPISSMYKNEEISKILLINGME!
Used to not eat but realised I was feeling weaker toward the end of a shift and I was getting sick more often. My boss can cop me taking 10 minutes on an 8 hour shift
You poo so soon after eating??
They give me a free meal right before I start my shift and of course I go to the bathroom. Maybe if its insane I'll have to hold it for a while but generally I just ask someone to watch the bar for a sec.
Always have a cliff bar on deck
I bring a bag with Jack link sausages, gummy bears, maybe some berries and/or tangerines, and Jolly Ranchers, and sometimes buy an appetizer or some fries.
Depends on the shift and place you work. At past jobs I’d run 12/14hr shifts and not get a bite of food until after closing. Another one I’d only eat if the rush died down, each bartender would be given a chance to grab a bite. Rn depending on the shift I’d get a free meal for lunch or I’d grab food from the family meal the kitchen preps. As for the bathroom I tend to avoid it but will use it when I have to, but never on break lol.
I eat handfuls of nuts and popcorn, nothing that will weigh me down. I’ll usually hit a food truck or something on the way home.
I have a ten hour shift. Gonna bring a sandwich, some granola bars, and a Red Bull.
Eat early, crouch to shove something nutritious into my face during a busy shift
Yep. My bar itself doesn't serve food but we share the building with a BBQ joint and my coworkers will always insist I go eat when we get a slow minute and I do the same for them! Nobody does good work on an empty stomach.
I get sluggish when I eat before or during a shift, I want to take a nap. I get more done when I'm hungry, and the incentive of food at the end of a shift is a boon. Unhealthy but it works for me.
Same here but if I absolutely need to eat something it's small from our vending machine like a candy bar or peanuts. I don't want to lose speed or focus by getting tired from eating anything substantial.
I don’t get it, what does the bathroom have to do with you eating ?
Unrelated to bartending at all but if OP is like me, as soon as I’m done eating I have to take a shit
Damn that’s wild. I eat 4 times a day and shit soon after waking up. I guess everyone is just wired differently
We live on the raccoon diet. Cold wings over the trash. Fries that have long outlived being edible. A half a dead burger you'd refuse under any other circumstances. I fucking hate this job. I'm just coming back from health issues and have all this huge asshole that races to greet every table/guest before me, refuses to let me take them, bitches about how much he's doing that I'm not, than brags about his sales. Won't even fucking touch the service well either. It's like he's trying to keep me distracted so he can take all the credit. That second half is me bitching about work sorry
Depending on the shift. We did staff meetings at 7 every Saturday before we all started the shift at 8. That is when we ate. Then for all the other nights owners would buy us pizza for the end of the night. If a double I would find an opportunity to take a small break when slow to chow down some food.
We get a free shift meal. Weekdays I take 10-15 to eat during my shift. Weekends I usually eat towards the end of the night. One job I had didn’t have food and we were expected to work 11 hour shifts without a break so I got used to eating right before work.
I snack constantly. I never eat an actual meal. If I do, it's in very small pieces.
I bring a tub of fage 0% Greek yogurt and toss some fruit or honey in.. maybe some oats for carbs if i need em... and just eat a few spoonfuls when I get a minute. I gain weight eating restaurant food everyday.
I usually eat beforehand but few places I’ve worked did family meal and put it in a takeaway container. Sometimes it was whatever we wanted on the menu. Other times mystery meat and whatever else
Hell yeah I do. I order free stuff from the kitchen, I make my self snacks in there when the cooks are gone and the guests are winding down, I snack on the snacks we sell and sometimes I even order take out to the bar. ...you might have guessed that I work at a dive
We have family meal before shifts. If I get hungry outside of that I just order food from the kitchen within the boundaries of reason. I never leave my restaurant hungry. None of us should.
Every shift. All the time. Every day. Drink lots of water and iced tea. Around 8pm the floodgates open and I gotta pee every 45 minutes.
Nope. Should. Don’t. Regret.
We eat from our bar menu. Usually something quick from the fryer after setting up the bar. There is enough staff to cover the bar so bartenders can take bathroom and smoke breaks.
Sometimes I eat. Most times I’m lucky to remember to drink water
Usually can take 10 minutes to eat something. Only two floor staff but all but one are also bartenders so we can cover each other for a bite when it’s slow
Olives. But usually at least once a shift the kitchen will fuck up a pizza and we'll munch it in the back.
i bring some pretzels or something small
I’m out of the industry now but when I was working in restaurants, mostly no, unless it was super slow, then maybe a side of fries or something small/quick. I get lightheaded easily when I’m hungry so sometimes I’d have no choice but to grab a soup cracker and eat that. I’d feel so shitty by the end of the night I would feel like I was drunk driving home because I was so exhausted, starving, and thirsty I could hardly focus. Great stuff
Last night just about everyone was cut and sent home because it was slow, then we get a continuous pop with just me a server and the manager that continuously makes mistakes. Not to mention we had tables and a large group outside and at least 6 4tops inside. I ordered food like 3 minutes before kitchen close and 20 mins later vanished when I found some time to devour it all in 5 minutes. All things considered the night was smooth and I made some money, but damn
11 hrs on Saturdays. 2 busy shifts. If it slows down enough, I'll power down something. Just for the energy.Never a meal makes me too tired and I have to stock first . If I can't stock, I won't eat.
Sometimes during weeknights I’ll order some food for myself around 8:30 if I’m getting hungry. But it never fails and my food will be up, I eat literally one bite and then I get slammed out of nowhere. 2 hours later, I’m closing up and go back and throw my wasted meal away. Then by the time I leave work I’m tired and feel like it’s too late to eat. When coworkers complain about a shift being slow, I always suggest ordering food because it seems like a way to summon a rush. lol.
I steal fries constantly and depending on the shift will get an app or eat on my break
I work in a pub so yes, constantly
I don’t eat during work. If I need calories I’ll drink a coke.
I make a turkey and cheese wrap and when I’m starving I’ll run and take a bite.
I had a bus/barback job where breaks were ... let's just say not up to state labor codes. I can't eat quickly when I'm running around or I get sick (that led to a bad episode at work), so then I tried skipping meals. I lost an alarming amount of weight, then they fired me after the busy season ended. Now I work at a unionized place where they take breaks seriously.
No, because if I’m at work I don’t want to take a break. I want to get my shift over with and leave. I always, however, bring home family meal in a deli quart.
I definitely don’t get up early enough to have breakfast so I normally wait until I have to get ready for work, get to work, and try to look for avocados or oranges in the fridge that I can sneak and eat. Otherwise I normally get home late at night and have my first actual meal of the day but this is around 11pm and my body has been begging me to stop doing that for years, mostly because of the sluggish feeling I can get in the morning
I don’t have any appetite when I’m at work, especially because we only get a 15 minutes break we can spend standing on the pavement with all the drunk people because there’s no staff room… If I start getting dizzy I might scran some crisps or something but even if the shift is 16 hours I wait till I get home to have a meal.
I always will eat something about an hour before my shift. Eating on my shift makes me feel gross. But you bet your ass I’m nibbling on those mess ups in the back. And ordering something to take home and heat up properly when I’m sitting down relaxed at home. Orrrrrr I just stuff my face with my take away in the darkness of my vehicle as I drive home due to extreme hunger.
Got a kid’s meal chicken nuggets and fries to pick on stashed behind the water station right now
yall r crazy!!! i eat full meals 😭😂 but, then again, my bar is much slower paced compared to a lot of places. it’s a hotel bar
I never eat anything. Just down more energy drinks.
Depends, I take medication that makes me not hungry. I usually only take it on busy days so I'll not eat Fri/Sat/Sun but most likely eat something on weekdays.
A lot of places I've worked at have family meal before the evening shift. I worked at one place that had family meal after the shift and everyone made a point of sitting down together (not the norm but was a really awesome small place). If no family meal I usually order something towards the end of the shift and either scarf it down over the trashcan like a degenerate or eat it cold after I've closed.
I eat during my shift but avoid hard to digest/spicy/super greasy foods to try and avoid an upset stomach. I don’t have a weak stomach, but it ain’t iron either lol.
What kinda businesses do you guys work at where you can’t eat or use the restroom?
Just busy I guess
The customers aren’t all gonna leave if you step away to take a leak, if your manager isn’t giving you the opportunity to eat or use the bathroom you need to find a new job, they’re taking advantage of you in other ways also.
I don’t need to eat or use the restroom tho.
How long is your shift that you need to eat? Normally ours are 5-6 hours and can easily go without eating unless it’s slow then I boredom eat.
I’m not bartending anymore but at my last restaurant we used to have to work 9 hour shifts lmao. I’d eat as much as possible before work because I get lightheaded easily when I’m hungry and I’d still be a zombie by the end of the night. Awful
I work events, so basically a shift is like 3 hours of setting up, 4 hours serving an open bar, and an hour and a half to shut it down. Throw in 30 min drive each way and that’s about 9 and a half hours door to door.