just moved here
Establishment: a notorious one, according to this site
Location: Downtown
And I got offered a serving positiong at a fine dining place. It’s five days/week, and in addition to serving, he said I’d be in charge of ordering wines. Sounded great, but then I was told I’d be on a $575/month salary, tho I’d make up for that with a substantial amount of tips. Seems believable enough, but that low salary thing has me wondering, esp with the addition of wine ordering, is this just a way to get someone to do extra work that’s essentially unpaid? (and in Oregon, aren’t all waiters supposed to get minimum wage?)
I suppose I should also say that the main reason I’m suspicious is that there were a long list of terrible reviews about this particular boss on this site, like saying they try to make staff work off the clock. (I’m leaving out the restrnt’s name, cause I figure if the owner read this, it’d be too obvious who’s writing the post. tho maybe it’s obvious already… whatev)
Comments
Sounds like Eleni’s, she needs a BIG CHUCK NORRIS ROUND HOUSE TO THE HEAD TYPE OF WAKEUP CALL. Seriously, the other local business owners she meets with once a week, or so she says, need to confront her about it also. To be associated with her in this type of forum knowing her business practices and not say anything about it is almost like condoning what she does. Come on people, don’t be intimidated to stand up for whats right. We need each others help.
That’s completely illegal. Granted in this economy it’s hard to be choosy, but I’d report the owner to BOLI stat. Serving and ordering wine are not “exempt” functions, so the salary issue is immediately off the table. Plus salary has to exceed minimum wage.
BTW, are you aware that Oregon is NOT a tip credit state AND we have the highest minimum wage in the country. This is a very shady, very cheap person
Eleni’s has a reputation for a high turn over rate. Can imagine why {sarcastic inserted here}…..this last week her Sellwod store is in search for a Sous Chef and line cook. And servers and BOH staff at their NW place. How she has been able to operate stable restaurants is beyond me. A note: One needs to be tolerant of certfiable delusions to be in her employ…….
Like someone else said, we’re not a tip credit state. You have to be paid a minimum of $8.40 an hour for every hour you work. Your tips cannot be applied to your salary to meet the minimum wage requirements, so if you’re being paid $575/month you can only work 68 hours a month (about 17 a week). This work includes any ordering, side-work, etc. Check out http://www.pdxrwa.org for workers rights info, including links for how to contact BOLI and legal advice
Since you just moved here, I would go ahead and take the job just so you can meet all the vendors (there are nearly 50+ wine wholesalers in PDX) and make those awesome connections that are typically hard to come by in this town. Tough it out, take COPIOUS notes about the hours that you work vs. what you are paid, and once you leave for a better opportunity, you can file a claim with BOLI for back wages if it works out to where you made less than min wage. Good Luck!