Yesterday's San Francisco Chronicle had a fantastic story about the economics of paying restaurant personnel. That Bay area's independent restaurateurs have it really tough, with server wages tagged to the city's minimum of $9.14/hour and extensive benefits mandated by the city. Good for servers, but not so good for cooks, according to the article. Line jockeys end up with very low pay in one of the most expensive cities in the US.
Part of the problem has to do with the expectations of culinary school graduates, which I wrote about a few months ago. Even without massive school loans, though, making it in the shadow of the Golden Gate on $15 an hour is almost impossible. Around these parts, the pay is about the same, but benefits are meager at best. Working in a kitchen is a tough life all over.
This article appears in Nov 7-13, 2007.