Summer M. waited tables at Ruby Tuesday's for several years. She was a lunch closer six days a week. She averaged about $55 a day.
Then about five years ago she got a job at a private golf course. She worked days and times that were similar to her Ruby's gig, but averaged closer to $90 a day. At Christmas time she got massive tips from a lot of the members and a fat bonus, over $500, from the club. On January 1st of this year she had over $18,000 in the bank.
Every year the club closed from January 1st until the middle of March. Summer mostly took it easy during this time, but Ruby's always let her pick up some shifts while she waited for the club to open again. Things were great until this year when the club didn't reopen.
So she went back to full time at Ruby's. Six lunch closes a week. She was doing pretty well, with all those closing shifts, but the store itself was dying. It closed in November.
But they opened a long-planned new store less than a month later, so Summer transferred there. The new store is doing well at night, but lunches aren't really happening yet. Summer's only averaging about $30 a day and it's not enough.
Her husband, a recent college graduate at the age of 51, works days. Summer wants them to be able to spend their evenings together, but she knows she'll probably have to work some nights in order to make ends meet. The $18,000 is gone. It was mostly spent on a new truck they needed, but Summer admits that they bought a nicer truck than they had to.
Summer is a terrific server, with a great personality and a salty sense of humor. She's got a great work ethic and people like her. She's having a rough time right now, but it'll get better.
Merry Christmas everybody!
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