The $100,000 waitress

A while back, for a piece on high-paying jobs that don’t require a university degree, our writer spoke with a waitress who earned a six-figure salary. I actually know the woman who she was referring to in that story, and I thought that the details of earning $100,000 serving tables would merit further exploration.

So last night I sat down with Katie, the highly-paid waitress to talk about her career and working in the hospitality sector. Because she talks about revenue that she didn’t pay taxes on – I’m only going to refer to her by her first name.

What did your very first waitressing job pay?

My very first waitressing job was at a jazz club called Gate 403 and I probably made about $45 a night. I started to make good money when I tended bar at a night club called Whisky Saigon. There I often made upwards of $400 a night. I was only working part-time, though.

How did you get hired at the establishment where you were able to bring home the six figure salary?

It’s a high end hotel bar. I had always wanted to work there. The manager who I knew somewhat from a former club job actually called for my roommate at the time, asking her to come in for an interview. When I told her about it, she wasn’t interested. So I turned up instead. There is a lot of competition for jobs like these, but I told them, “You have to hire me. You won’t be sorry. I will work really hard for you. I really want this job.”

I think they could see my motivation. I had to do three different interviews, but in the end I got the job.

Explain how you made $100,000 as a waitress? How much was your actual salary?

My actual salary was $10 an hour. The rest is tips. I would be bringing home between $4,000 and $6,000 a month, usually just in piles of cash in my pocket at the end of the night. Sometimes I would make my rent in one shift. So I wasn’t actually making $100,000 – but because most of my income was not taxed, I was earning the equivalent of what a six figure salary would be after taxes.

My mother would comment that serving tables was ‘beneath me,’ but she had been a teacher for 25 years, and I made considerably more money than she did.

How much did you declare and pay at tax time? Did you ever get audited?

I declared my salary and about 10% of my tip revenue. I was never audited, but I have a friend who was. He was fined $10,000 for unpaid taxes. The really high-end places that we were working are targets for audits. They know we’re making a lot more than we claim.

Part of the reason taxes weren’t so much of an issue for me is that I was paying off a hefty student loan at the time. One night, one of my regulars asked how much I had left to pay off. I told him there was just a couple of hundred left. He gave it to me in cash and said it was on him.

You’re obviously very physically attractive. How much do you think your looks contributed to the tips you make?

Not that much. I wasn’t the prettiest one there by any means, but I was usually able to make more than most. Plus it’s just the vibe of the place. The bartender, a 70-year-old man, made more than any of us.

So what allowed you to out-earn your coworkers? What sets an average server apart from a $100,000 one?

It’s the desire to be good. I wanted to earn a lot of money, but I also really wanted to excel at this. I love the idea of being amazing at something. And serving a large crowd of demanding, high-end clients is incredibly hard. People would order things that weren’t even on the menu because they’re wealthy and entitled. Maybe a little bit spoiled. So I spoiled them. You want rosé and we don’t have it? I’ll call a neighboring hotel and get it for

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=4204076&forum_id=2#37800988)