Work

WORK

"When I first got a job at the age of 16, I was told by my father that if I didn't find a job he would find one for me. So food service was good for me."

Karen on an Olive Garden Vacation

Choosing a job in the food service industry seemed to be the best option for Karen.

- It was convenient

- The hours were flexible

- The employers were flexible with workers under the age of 18

This may explain why Karen has worked at the Olive Garden for over three years, still working in the food services and loving it.

Karen's first job was at Burger King, on Grand Central Avenue here in Elmira , where she worked for 3 years. Karen reminisces about her most memorable uniform: " The polyester Burger King uniform. With the elastic waist pants, and it was basically a smock that zipped up the back."

The many uniforms that Karen has worn, has given her tolerance towards things she can't control "In general I don't mind wearing a uniform."

Karen's favorite job was working at Denny's. She worked from five at night until sometimes 7 in the morning. She dealt with what she called the dinner people, and then the "bar shift- the entertaining people who came in after their evenings at the bar."

During these "bar shifts," she broke up many fights and served as both waitress and bouncer.

Karen felt respected at Denny's by the people who came in and "would specifically ask for me on a regular basis." She also enjoyed the group of coworkers because they had: "a really good, strong, comradery. We could handle just about anything that came in."

During the bar shifts, Karen didn't abide by the dress code, unbuttoning extra buttons on her blue oxford shirt, in hopes of receiving more tips from the inebriated customers.

Bad Experiences:

One night while working late at Denny's, Karen dealt with a customer who always came in drunk. He and his girlfriend had a very violent relationship. "Whenever he would come in drunk I would end up calling the cops because he was beating up his girlfriend in the restaurant or directly outside the doors. I've had to break them up several times."

This is nothing new to Karen, in her many years working in the food service industry, she dealt with fights often.

"I've broken up many fights during the bar shift at Denny's"

Karen left Olive Garden for three months and worked at Applebee's, but did not enjoy it. She learned though this experience that the Olive Garden was the place for her.

Links to Places Karen Has Worked:

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