Servers and floats?

[UglyMonsterFace]

Hey fellow servers! I have never worked at a restaurant that uses floats (requires you to bring your own money to provide change for guests). However, this restaurant I might be working for soon will definitely require me to do that. So if you have worked with this system, I'd love tips! Where do you keep your float? What containers/wallets would be safe to keep somewhere and also easy to keep organised? How much cash do you recommend bringing? Please let me know! I've only ever had to get change from the till, so I don't know how this system works! Thanks!

 

[Duzzel]

When I worked as a Server I brought along a small canvas bag with a zipper to keep change and pens in. (I always made sure to get my pens back lol). Think like a large pencil pouch. I also made sure it had my name and number on it.
Since I worked as a bartender on occasion, I kept it by the bar, but out of the way. You can't expect to carry it with you everywhere, so you need to find a specific place to put it and always keep it there.
I'm pretty trusting so I never really worried about it being taken. But be sure to remember it's not just your money in there but also the restaurants.

Thinking back on it, it's a weird system where you expect money to get mixed up, but luckily it doesn't.
Once you have enough to put in there I would suggest a couple large bills (In case someone tosses you a hundred or fifty or something) and around fifteen 1s. Then just a handful of coins. You want to make sure you can break cash down quick, cause otherwise you need to get it from the bar or some other person with a cash box, and that can/will slow both of you down.

Much luck ~

 

[UglyMonsterFace]

When I worked as a Server I brought along a small canvas bag with a zipper to keep change and pens in. (I always made sure to get my pens back lol). Think like a large pencil pouch. I also made sure it had my name and number on it.
Since I worked as a bartender on occasion, I kept it by the bar, but out of the way. You can't expect to carry it with you everywhere, so you need to find a specific place to put it and always keep it there.
I'm pretty trusting so I never really worried about it being taken. But be sure to remember it's not just your money in there but also the restaurants.

Thinking back on it, it's a weird system where you expect money to get mixed up, but luckily it doesn't.
Once you have enough to put in there I would suggest a couple large bills (In case someone tosses you a hundred or fifty or something) and around fifteen 1s. Then just a handful of coins. You want to make sure you can break cash down quick, cause otherwise you need to get it from the bar or some other person with a cash box, and that can/will slow both of you down.

Much luck ~

Thanks for the info! I'm not as trusting as you, I don't believe lol. I was thinking of getting a box with some kind of lock. It terrifies me that someone might steal all the money and then I'd get blamed for it and have to pay it back. And this restaurant is pretty expensive, so I really don't want that to happen haha. But a pencil case sounds more convenient than a locked box lol. Hopefully I can get used to this system quickly! I'm going to miss having a cash register, but that was really annoying when a large table all pays separately, and all in cash, and then the register is busy for a long time. The other servers would be stuck So I guess that eliminates that issue.

 

[Duzzel]

That's a fair point. I mean, the place I worked was a taco place very casual and near a college. But a locked box sounds like a much safer idea haha. You could always just see what other servers do.

And yeah, I always dreaded when a large group paid separately. I was pretty anxious when I was serving, so I had to double check the tickets multiple times before I felt safe bringing back change.

 

[UglyMonsterFace]

That's a fair point. I mean, the place I worked was a taco place very casual and near a college. But a locked box sounds like a much safer idea haha. You could always just see what other servers do.

And yeah, I always dreaded when a large group paid separately. I was pretty anxious when I was serving, so I had to double check the tickets multiple times before I felt safe bringing back change.

Lol yeah I alwayyyys double checked. I have anxiety and I always worried about making mistakes on tables that were all paying separately. There was one time a group of 20+ came in and told me they were paying on one bill, so only one guy was ordering and they were just sharing the food. At the end of the night, all of a sudden they all wanted separate bills, and this dish was to be split 3 ways, and that drink was split two ways, and blah blah blah. Oh god haha. The joys of serving

 

[Duzzel]

Lol yeah I alwayyyys double checked. I have anxiety and I always worried about making mistakes on tables that were all paying separately. There was one time a group of 20+ came in and told me they were paying on one bill, so only one guy was ordering and they were just sharing the food. At the end of the night, all of a sudden they all wanted separate bills, and this dish was to be split 3 ways, and that drink was split two ways, and blah blah blah. Oh god haha. The joys of serving

I have no words.

That's just too much.

 

[UglyMonsterFace]

Ooh, I just found this online: Money box

I think this looks really great for keeping organised! Does anybody use something similar?

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

Depending on the type of aprons you have it's easy to keep it in there, where I worked we had these aprons with big like kangaroo pockets on them and I could keep everything in there, I kept my wallet and my DS and phone in it and never had anything fall out or anything. But if you have a locker or cubby at your new work I would advise keeping it there, and yeah having a lock on it would be a good idea. I probably would keep like $100 in it and replenish it when needed, it will be easy with your tips and stuff to switch it out when you start having all larger bills to replace it with your tips and make sure it stays at $100, but that depends of course on how often you use it, if you find you go through a ton of change in a day, or hardly at all, you could adjust the amount you keep in there accordingly.

 

[UglyMonsterFace]

Depending on the type of aprons you have it's easy to keep it in there, where I worked we had these aprons with big like kangaroo pockets on them and I could keep everything in there, I kept my wallet and my DS and phone in it and never had anything fall out or anything. But if you have a locker or cubby at your new work I would advise keeping it there, and yeah having a lock on it would be a good idea. I probably would keep like $100 in it and replenish it when needed, it will be easy with your tips and stuff to switch it out when you start having all larger bills to replace it with your tips and make sure it stays at $100, but that depends of course on how often you use it, if you find you go through a ton of change in a day, or hardly at all, you could adjust the amount you keep in there accordingly.

Thanks for the great advice! $100 does sound like the safe amount to keep. I would feel pretty paranoid about keeping $1000+ of the restaurant's money in my apron, however. And what if you spilled a sauce down your front and it went on your DS or phone :O Did you keep your float in a wallet, or loose in your apron? I'm just worried that when I grab money out of my apron, some cash or change will fall out and I won't notice.

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

Thanks for the great advice! $100 does sound like the safe amount to keep. I would feel pretty paranoid about keeping $1000+ of the restaurant's money in my apron, however. And what if you spilled a sauce down your front and it went on your DS or phone :O Did you keep your float in a wallet, or loose in your apron? I'm just worried that when I grab money out of my apron, some cash or change will fall out and I won't notice.

Because of how tight we tied the aprons around and with the weight of the stuff in the pocket it held closed, like I said in the other thread it was just a snack shack, but we made coffee drinks and did to-go orders and I had spilled all sorts of stuff down my front and none of it got into the pocket. We didn't have floats though, but if I could keep all that stuff in mine I would thing you'd be able to keep it all in there. And like Duzzel said, you can get one of those cash bags that's basically like a glorified pencil case, and if you get one with two zippers you could always put on a small lock. Or they have ones that come with locks like this. That way it's secure.

 

[UglyMonsterFace]

Because of how tight we tied the aprons around and with the weight of the stuff in the pocket it held closed, like I said in the other thread it was just a snack shack, but we made coffee drinks and did to-go orders and I had spilled all sorts of stuff down my front and none of it got into the pocket. We didn't have floats though, but if I could keep all that stuff in mine I would thing you'd be able to keep it all in there. And like Duzzel said, you can get one of those cash bags that's basically like a glorified pencil case, and if you get one with two zippers you could always put on a small lock. Or they have ones that come with locks like this. That way it's secure.

Ooh that's interesting! A much cheaper option than the money box I was thinking of getting Thanks!

 

[KaydeeKrunk]

Ooh that's interesting! A much cheaper option than the money box I was thinking of getting Thanks!

No problem! And I would probably get a small change purse to put the loose coin in so it doesn't float around in the larger bag.