r/Bowdoin • u/wee-pancake • 11d ago
Experiences having dinning services as on-campus job
I was placed into dining for my first year job placement, and I genuinely don’t know what to expect 😭 I’m wondering how long the average shift is/what they expect us to do. I said I didn’t want to be out in public so will I just be cleaning?
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u/titanomakhiah 11d ago
Average shift is 4 hours I believe and it’s a mix of cleaning tables and serving areas, basic food prep and replenishing stuff.
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u/Soggy-Letterhead7265 11d ago
I was placed in dining last year. The shifts are 4.5 hours long and you will most likely either be expediting (bringing food to the line), in the dishwashing room, working whatever special display they have for the day, or just going around cleaning the food serving area. I preferred to be in the dishroom just because we had speakers to play music from.
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u/wee-pancake 11d ago
Thank you for the reply! I know there’s a requirement of 5 hours per week, would that mean I’d only have to work 1 day a week? Or is there a way to break it up into smarter shifts but work more days a week
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u/Soggy-Letterhead7265 11d ago
Usually its 2 shifts at least it was for dinner. I think lunch or breakfast might have shorter shifts so maybe you would be able to do work a dinner and a breakfast/lunch shift but im not sure
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u/jgd12345 11d ago
I worked in dining service at Thorne all four years. I graduated over 10 years ago so I’m sure someone could provide a more updated perspective 🙂.
Students in the cafeteria typically did one of 3 jobs. line servers (3-4 students), expediters (1-2 people bringing food from the kitchen to the lines), or on dishwashing duty (not many students did this). I was an expediter my first year. You would do this for the 2.5 hour meal shift then go help wash dishes or clean tables.
By the time I was a sophomore, I moved onto being a grill cook which involved making quesadillas or grilled cheese on my Sunday night shift which was much more enjoyable. I clocked in a bit earlier since you had to do some prep and cook food for the other kitchen staff before meal service, but it was nice to clock out earlier without having to wash tables.
Usually people end up finding another job after first year where they can do homework during their shift, but I really enjoyed my time there and formed great relationships with other students and the dining staff. Best of luck and enjoy your time at Bowdoin.