Value opinions here - anyone ever worked as dishwasher?

[laird215]

Hey -
I'm 52 and in a position now where I need some income but not too much.   There is a senior living facility (a nice, upscale one - retired doctors, univ. profs, etc) about a quarter mile from my house.   They are advertising for a part time dishwasher.

I retired from accounting a year ago and worked during 2014 in a city grounds maintenance job.   On winter layoff presently.   I liked the job and can go back to it in April but love the idea of walking to work.  I also like that the dish job is some weekends, evenings - I like time off during 9-5 hours.

How is the work?   I googled "what dishwasher job like" and got a lot of discussion in various forums.   Mostly negative but I also think most people are "complainypants" to use a term from this forum.   Would like perspective from MMM.

Thanks!!

[DesireeD]

I have owned a restaurant and currently volunteer as a dishwasher for a charity sometimes. I think it's all about your attitude. Are you washing dishes so that you can pay your rent? Do you enjoy working hard, scrubbing pans and being wet. Or, do you just want a bit of cash and something to do. Understand why you want to do it and you could enjoy it a lot. If you have to do it to live, you might resent it and not enjoy it.

[The Borgs]

I worked most jobs in a hotel when I was younger, dishwashing in my opinion has a fair bit going for it as a job. You tend not to be micromanaged, it's a job that is eventually "done" and you can tell (rather than pushing a boulder up a hill), there's generally no need to interact with customers and you generally don't have to dress in either a silly uniform or corporate wear.

Downsides would be that it tends to get hot and humid, it can be a bit of a workout, the smell of food remains can put you off food (though that can be an upside for your waistline) and it's pretty mindless (that said, like many jobs there's a sense of pride in doing it well).

With a choice between most kinds of retail and customer service positions or dishwashing, I'd choose the dishwashing. Many people seem to find this sort of position demeaning, if I go to work though I go to get paid and work to suit me. I can find other things to do that give me fulfillment. In my area in Australia I'd be paid the same working in a high pressure office sales position as dishwashing, and those dishwashing tend not to be asked to do unpaid overtime.

[Peacefulwarrior]

I guess it depends a lot on your personality and values. Personally I'm owner of a pretty succesful company. People suck up to me in meetings very often. Stuff like that can pretty easily make for a nasty ego. I kinda like cleaning my home on the weekends. On my knees scrubbing my floors and hurting my knees. Reminding myself that I'm nothing speciel, just a humble human being doing what is necessary. I could totally see myself taking something like a dishwasher job down the road when I'm FI, just for the sake of keeping a healthy value system and outlook on life and myself, and being of service to others.

[Monkey Uncle]

The first job I got right after I turned 16 was washing dishes and doing cleanup at a meat market/catering business.  After a few weeks, I switched to bagging groceries at a local store.  I considered that an improvement.  I'll second what the above poster said about everyone else dirtying everything in sight and then throwing it at you to clean up.  Don't dare fall behind.

Also, consider the ergonomics of the situation.  If the height and depth of the sink aren't just right, you could mess up your back.  No offense, but you're no spring chicken.  A 20 year old might get away with abusing his back for a few years, but folks our age need to be a little more careful.  ;)

[2527]

It was my first job. 

Pros:  You are left alone, you can see your progress, you get some physical activity.

Cons:  It is dirty and smelly, and you are at the bottom of the food service pyramid. 

You can give it a try, and if you don't like it, you can quit.

[Flynlow]

To those suggesting you're on the bottom of the pyramid, remember the OP said this is a senior living facility, not a regular restaurant.  The rules are probably quite different there.  During college my dad worked as a dishwasher in the campus cafeteria.  He enjoyed it, I think many of the cons people listed were negated by being a campus/cafeteria-style facility. 

Also, as Peacefulwarrior suggested, a little manual labor is good for us all.  Helps keep the ego fit and trim :). 

[rocketpj]

I have done it a few times over the years, usually bridging between 'real' jobs (e.g. finish a season in the woods, 4 weeks until new job starts, might as well make a couple bucks).

I actually enjoyed it far more than I should have.  It is very easy to just wash dishes for a few hours.  I still enjoy it at home (don't tell my wife).

If you are looking to get out of the house and want to meet some people while making a buck or two, you could do worse.  Just don't expect anything from it beyond a few bucks.

[MayDay]

My SIL is a chef for an upscale assisted living place. I say she's a chef but actually she does everything for the meal, from prep to clean-up. She likes it and the benefits ate good (for food service) including perks like being allowed to use the pool and gym at the home.

[Rezdent]

Don't underestimate the physical demand of the job.  Go easy on yourself if you aren't used to hours on your feet on hard flooring while remaining in almost perpetual motion.  It is a physically demanding job.  I did it as a teen but not sure I could pull several consecutive shifts in the first few weeks nowadays.  My feet would be killing me until l got used to it again.

[G-dog]

I used a commercial dishwasher during a culinary school class.  Depending on how large the center is, and if they are doing any real cooking there, you may be dealing with pans and utensils much larger than you would see at home. These can be havy and hard to manage when wet and soapy.
Watch out for wet slippery floors. Seriously!
Check out whether you are washing by hand, or pre-cleaning for the industrial dishwasher.
Unlike a restaurant, likely all the food is prepped in advance, served, and then it it clean up time. In a restaurant they need a consistent flow of clean plates, utensils etc. so this job may not have the same time pressure to clean.

[ChrisLansing]

I worked as a dishwasher when I was younger.    I worked in Restaurants and also did a few months dish washing in the Navy.     

It's just work, and you don't seem to mind working.    It doesn't seem that your "status" is bound up in what kind of job you do.    You need/want the money and you'll be able to walk to work.   

A retirement community probably (though not necessarily) has scheduled meal times, meaning you can anticipate demand and anticipate when you'll be done.    In restaurants you get "slammed" when it get's busy and it's not always possible to predict the demand or when you'll be done.         

You'll probably rinse plates, put them on a rack, and send the rack through the machine.    It might be automatic - a conveyor belt, or it might be manual - lift the door, slide in the rack, wait for the timer, remove the rack, repeat.     It's unlikely you'll wash dishes in a sink, though pots and pans might be scrubbed in the sink (then sent through the dish machine for sanitizing)

You'll get wet.   You'll want some sort of rubbery apron.   Rubber gloves are a good idea too.   I always wore gloves and that allowed me to soak pots/pans in very very hot water, which made the gunk come off faster.   You'll want shoes that can get wet w/o letting your feet get wet.     Did I mention that you'll get wet?   

Watch out for knives in the bus tray.   Watch out for broken glass too.     

You'll probably have to be able to lift 5 gallon buckets of detergent/sanitizer to feed the machine.   

The best dishwashers were always the guys (few if any gals in that job) who were working their way through college (like me)   They just concentrated on the job and getting it done, and doing it well.    The guys who had no future plans beyond dish washing were usually the worst, always involved in petty job site "politics" etc.    A guy like you, retired from accounting, doesn't have to prove anything, so you'll just concentrate on the job.   

It's usually quite hot and humid in the dish room.     

Stack like with like - coffee saucers on coffee saucers, dinner plates on dinner plates.    You'll be dumping/scraping garbage off plates/bowls.    Every piece of silverware you handle has been in other people's mouths, so again - Rubber Gloves! 

Personally I think I'd prefer the grounds maintenance job, but if you save a lot being able to walk to work, the dish job might be better financially.   

Did I mention you'll be getting wet?   

[penguins4everyone!]

I worked at a cafe in high school and we all took turns washing the dishes.  There would be five of us behind the counter, and whenever one of the bus tubs got full one of us would grab it and run to the back and push them through the automatic dishwasher.  I actually really liked doing dishes, and when the customers got annoying we would kind of compete for who got to escape and go do dishes.  It was a reasonable amount of dishes, the worst thing that you would come across is like maybe peach debris destroyed by a toddler.  It was mostly coffee cups and plates that had like a muffin on them.   We would also have top 40 hits blaring, so that was fun, and you could shoot the shit with whatever cook was back there that day.  I worked at a summer camp, and the dishwashers were all a bunch of 17 year olds that had a hell of an efficient system with one of those conveyor dishwashers, and they had a grand old time.  (they were also without their parents for the entire summer at a beautiful camp with lots of other horny kids their age, so that might not be an energy that one can necessarily re-create)  In college I worked in the kitchen, and the "dish pit" was hot, smelly, poorly ventilated, and filled with a pretty depressing group of what appeared to be ex-cons. 

So, mileage may vary?  I'd want to see the space, ventilation, coworkers before I decided if it's something I would want to do again.  I, like a lot of desk-monkeys, get nostalgic for a hard days work on my feet, when in reality a lot of people go to college for the privilege of sitting in a desk all day.  Probably best not to romanticize being on your feet all day too much.  And dishwasher at 50 is a LOT different than dishwashing as a spring chicken, so that's a good thing to keep in mind.  If you have any sort of mobility issues or recurring arm/back/wrist/neck injuries whatsoever i do NOT think it's worth it.

[MBot]

A buddy of mine did graphic design and eventually became a good tattoo artist. Along the way, he worked as a dishwasher.

He hated it so much he eventually drew up and got a "Death Before Dishwashing" tattoo (a riff off the "Death Before Dishonor" tattoos).

I'm sure having the choice to do something else and seeing if the ergonomics work for you are two major factors that could be different.

[3Mer]

I had a PT job as a dishwasher when I was a college student.  It was at a condo complex for retired U of M professors.  I got paid more than minimum wage and got a free (gourmet) meal.   It was a perfect PT job at the time.

[Goldielocks]

I spent some time at a hospital food service area, which served 100 long term residents (long term care) and 60 acute care in patients, and a cafeteria.  Think large scale food prep with meals on trays in carts, etc.   85% of the work was trays and dishes and wipe down of carts.

All jobs were valued in the hospital "care" industry, and I did not see the "low peon" attitudes, seems like real, decent, work that most people doing were between 35 and 50 y.o.

I have washed dishes part time too (part of other duties though).

1) I liked it.  - mostly prerinsing / loading commercial washer... fast paced is nice.
2) I would not want to do it for more than 4 hours
3) ergonomics of set up are critical, and watch for slippery floors.
4)  Very physical, but less so than say, hauling and chopping wood. -- Except large pots / pans that need to be trough soaked are a killer to lift and scrub.     I woudl not have wanted to do more than 4 of these a shift.
5) Too warm  and humid is kinda nice in canada compared to cold and wet.   
6) Likely add in duties like mopping floor or helping to lift large bags of food (flour, etc).

[MrsPete]

I've been a dishwasher.

I liked washing the tableware.  I don't mind getting my hands dirty or scraping food off plates, and I like sorting the types of dishes, running them through the commercial dishwasher, and putting them away.  It's a mindless job, and -- yes -- there's pleasure in seeing a job well done and trying to do it faster. 

I did not like washing the big pots and pans.  I am not quite 5' tall, and I dislike standing on my tip-toes reaching down into a deep, deep commercial sink.  I dislike scrubbing the same pot for 15 minutes because something's baked on.  I dislike being wet around the middle all the time. 

Positives: 
- You won't take work home with you.  Ever.  When you're done, you're done.
- You'll probably get a free meal each evening.  (My daughter worked as a server in an upscale retirement home, and she enjoyed the food.) 

Negatives:
- This type of work environment often includes middle-aged people who are qualified to do nothing but food service, and they can be toxic personalities.  They can also be rather negative towards people who've been to college (sometimes thinking that anyone who's worked in a professional job has "had it easy").  This was why my daughter ended up leaving her job -- her direct supervisor was a very bitter person who seemed to enjoy making comments about my daughter being a spoiled college girl to the other full-time staff.  Lots of negativity, and my poor little 17-year old had trouble dealing with it. 
- You'll go home physically tired, wet, and a bit smelly.  Unless you have a shower available at work, meeting people after work or stopping at the grocery store isn't realistic. 
- It'll be tough on your feet, legs and back.

Things to investigate:
- Do they want you JUST to wash dishes, or will you also be responsible for other jobs like filling ice buckets or filling a tea-and-coffee station? 
- What are you end-of-the-evening expectations?  Though you may be a dishwasher, you'll probably be expected to sweep up at the end of the evening, mop once a week, or whatever. 
- Will they provide you with rubber-soled shoes and a uniform? 

[Capsu78]

Just reading this post brought up smells of my fraternity dishwasher equipment from the mid 70's! 

[robotclown]

I worked as the dishwasher at a senior living facility.  (A couple actually.)

It is much more organized than a typical dishwashing job, because the meals are served at a certain time.  So, there's a huge amount of dishes at 630/1230/530 (or whenever), but you know it's coming, and you know how many there's going to be.  Not like a restaurant, where the rush could occur whenever, people can show up right before closing, etc.

The duties include more than washing dishes.  Filling water, setting tables, helping a little with meal prep, other simple tasks like that.  However, if you are organized, you will have a ton of spare time.  I spent about 3 hours of the 8-hour shift on break, and nobody cared because I was always way ahead of schedule.  When people would fill in when I took a day off, they were not nearly as organized, and still had an hour or so of spare time.   There's a set amount of work, and a set amount of time, and few surprises. 

Most of them will offer you a meal, as there's always leftovers.  As mentioned, there are some toxic personalities the gravitate to places like that, but you're not 17, so you should be able to brush them off.

[solon]

When I worked as a chef at a restaurant, my boss told me a good dishwasher was worth his weight in gold. They work hard, they're covered in food and filth, and most of them quit after a week. He told me when the dishwasher went on break, I was to make him anything he wanted on the menu, including steak, lobster, etc. It was kind of fun being able to reward somebody like that and seeing their eyes light up.

[James]

I would go talk to them and find out more about the job. Like others have said, it can vary a lot, so you need to find out more about this dishwashing job. I have washed dishes at two different camps and at a school, it can be satisfying, but also repetitious. If you can have camaraderie with a group you enjoy being with I could see it being a great part time job, very low stress and satisfying. And if not you can always leave the job, it isn't like they will spend a lot of time and money training you.

[Lia-Aimee]

My mum worked as a part-time dishwasher for several years in her 50's as a "spending money" kind of job.  She really enjoyed it, although a big part of it may have been due to the fact the head chef was her neighbor and close friend, and that it was only in the summer months with a guaranteed EI cheque during the winter.

[Zikoris]

I used to work in a large hospital kitchen and I imagine a nursing home would be quite similar. We had around 700 patients eating for each meal,  so the only way to so that is assembly-line style. There was a conveyor belt leading into a massive dishwasher, several people in a row along it, each person had their own job - one person pulled cutlery, another grabbed any cups, someone else dumped garbage. Honestly, it was probably my least favourite job that I ever did because of how fast we had to work, how gross it was (patients barfing on their trays, etc), and how hot the whole place was from the gigantic conveyor dishwasher. It wasn't that bad though, and paid decently.

I think it would be much better in a smaller facility.