Students are always on the lookout for jobs in order to make a little extra money. Many are in the food industry, working in restaurants, cafés, or ice cream shops. Working in the food industry has its perks, but also its drawbacks. Galileo Press asked students working in the food industry to tell us about their experiences.
Name: Tony Dang
Place: Bao n Boba
Perk: Free milk teas.
Personal Favorite: Matcha Creme Brulee
Fun Fact: Because of working so much, the food and drinks get boring.
Worst Customer Experience: Coming back to say the drink was bad after half was gone
Name: Titus Xiong
Place: Uji Time
Perk: Freedom to go on your phone when business is slow, good hours, free ice cream
Personal Favorite: Chocolate Chip Mochi
Fun Fact: Business is pretty good during the winter.
Worst Customer Experience: Tips were stolen when I didn’t take the $100 bill.
Name: Sean Martinez
Place: Feng Cha Tea House
Perk: 20% off any order, free drinks during shifts
Personal Favorite: Mango Au Lait with boba
Fun Fact: The milk foam cakes are homemade.
Worst Customer Experience: Complaints about no boba when there was boba present.
Name: Mia Fahey
Place: Swensens
Perk: Take home ice cream after shift ends
Personal Favorite: Cookie Dough
Fun Fact: Scooping ice cream makes your arm ripped.
Worst Customer Experience: Getting yelled at because the sundae didn’t look pretty enough.
Name: Kaitlyn Lin
Place: Oracle Park, Juma
Perk: Free food during breaks
Personal Favorite: Garlic Fries
Fun Fact: Hot dogs are reused if they are not sold out by the end of the home stretch
Worst Customer Experience: Restating a long order in different ways that was confusing
Name: Irene Wang
Place: Blue Fog Market
Perk: 25% off merchandise, 50% off deli, free drinks
Personal Favorite: Strawberry Matcha with Oat and Spicy Chicken Panini
Fun Fact: Free refills for employees on any drink purchased.
Worst Customer Experience: Spilling a half gallon of milk on a customer
Name: Winnie Huang
Place: Starbucks
Perk: 30% off drinks, food, and merchandise at all locations
Personal Favorite: Shaken Hazelnut Espresso
Fun Fact: Unlimited drinks if you work at your own location
Worst Customer Experience: Explaining the menu to a customer while the customer proceeds to ask another worker
Name: Savannah Malimban
Place: AcaiR
Perk: One free item to take home
Personal Favorite: Overnight oats
Fun Fact: Family-owned business.
Worst Customer Experience: A lady changed up the entire order on a busy day.
