I work in an Institutional Kitchen myself as a Dietary Aide. I don’t persay do the dishes, I usually work on the clean side or scraping, but I can say a Good Porter (Thats our Dishwasher) makes or breaks how well our kitchen works. Its hot, wet work, but its not horrible at all once you get your own "System" going.

Unfortunately, We lost our Porter a few weeks ago and its not the same [:(]

850 People, Holy Shnikes. We put out about 110 Trays/Meal…

Respect and good food (not scraps) is very important. I hug Nikki every day and shake her husband’s hand every day, well, sometimes a hug for him too. Zman and I went to Long Island and I brought back T-shirts for their grandkids in Argentina. It’s a nasty job but when you’re treated with respect, it’s tolerable.

In retrospect, dishwashing was the best job I’ve ever had. The parameters are wonderfully defined. All you have to do is hustle and everyone loves you. The job itself is incredibly important: no one else can do their jobs well if the dishwasher isn’t doing his job well. You’ll get wet; your hands will probably smell a little, but it’s gratifying to help keep the kitchen humming.

I also think that you can be a kind of barometer of good cheer. You will interact with just about everyone, front and back, during the day. If you are cheerful, in the middle of all that muck, everyone else just might feel the impetus to cheer up a little as well.

Lastly, all that steam and warmth is good for you, keeps the joints lubricated and your complexion youthful. Have fun and buy yourself some good shoes, you’ll need them.

From the sound of things, I think you could do well. It certainly isn’t a glamorous job. You do not have to call yourself a dishwasher. You could refer yourself as a kitchen technician, working to keep the whole operation functional.
But considering that it has good union pay, benefits and is closed for holidays, I would take the job myself. Most real restaurants cannot offer any of those…
Many dishwashers will learn how to prep food and frequently move on to the pantry/salad position.

I started out as a dishwasher and went up from there. In fact, there were times when the dishwasher did not show up and I would do the job instead of giving the assignment to one of the line cooks. I wanted to demonstrate that I was not above the job.

As it is a government operation you may have truly functional and properly working equipment. So what if they do 850 people in 2.5 hours? You have an 8 hour shift to get the job done….

===but the manager that interviewed me seemed leery of my not having prior restaurant experience.====

I wonder if he is concerned that you will try to find another job in your previous field?
I have been working in a kitchen with a dishwasher who used to drive big rig trucks. Lost his license. He is very dependable, adaptable and does everything from the dishes, mopping floors, prepping food and more. Great guy….

One other thing, I truly believe that the dishwashers do need to be treated with respect. I always considered it important that they ate well.
Good luck,

mark

Nothing wrong with a dishwasher position, especially if it’s a gov. job with decent pay and benefits!! No restaurant experience is needed…you’re not cooking or catering or prepping. It’s washing dishes for heaven’s sake. I have a husband and wife team from Argentina (they’re in their 60’s) that kick some serious arse when it comes to dishwashing and cleaning. They don’t speak English and they never complain.

Been there, done that and have the t-shirt. Differences are my pay sucked, no benefits and got fired when they got the chance to hire a guy just out of prison for even less money.

Work is kinda fun however.

Well Pogo to get a real perspective on your situation you will have to wait untill Fieldthistle comes down from the Mt., but untill that time it’s only a speedbump on the highway of life. Good luck. Chow Jim

dont worry, its easy. just a bit hot….like working in hell….
from my experience… its a job that doesnt require much skill, or even english. last corp place i worked at, i hired a crew of haitians to run the dish pit, and bus. they are very dedicated, and hard working. i caught them eating scraps off the plates, so i decided to feed them a good meal when they came in every day. maybe save them from getting sick. point is, they didnt speak a word of english, but they could wash them dishes…