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AnimaSola3o4
August 16th, 2008, 01:24 AM
I may be getting a job shortly that deals with food. Not cooking, but maybe serving. I'm excited, but I'm worried that my hair might hinder me.

This is the scenario I see playing out in my head:

Someone finds a two and a half foot long red curly hair in their food. Yeeeeeeah.... there's really no denying that or pinning it on someone else! I'm pretty much obviously guilty if that happens.

So even though I'm not cooking, should I wear a hair net? I'm not worried about how it looks really, though people might question why I'm wearing it. Even the cooks don't usually wear them there, they just wear hats.

But servers don't wear hats. My other options are ponytails, but even that won't keep my hair under control, because the tassles can break and fall. So that leaves me with buns, which would need to be secured with a scrunchie, because my ends are too thick to secure it without.

Or it leaves me with some sort of hairstick/fakkare/fork type style. Which I find that I take them down and re-do them more often than necessary. So that alone would make it difficult to avoid touching my hair.

If I could actually get this braiding thing down, I'd be happy. The other day I did a double french braid, and it was beautiful. I really don't understand how I can do that, but I can't do one simple braid down the middle of my back. :shrug: I'm sure that the pigtail type double braiding is easier for me because I just bring them to the side over my shoulder and braid.

Then there's the issue of my short under layer, which causes problems no matter what I do! french braids loosen up at the nape because of it.

I mean, I know that sometimes hair gets in food, it's not 100% preventable, but usually it's a little short hair that can remain totally anonymous. :eyebrows: But my color and length kind of make that impossible.

FYI when I worked there before, my hair was just past shoulder length, so I wore it in a ponytail.

Suggestions? Experiences?? Advice?

manderly
August 16th, 2008, 01:49 AM
How about a snood? It's basically a pretty hairnet :D

rhosyn_du
August 16th, 2008, 02:46 AM
In part, it's going to depend on what the requirements of the establishment are. When I was working food service, some places were fine with a ponytail or snood for servers, and some required braids or buns. Before making any decisions, be sure to get the exact requirements of wherever you'll be working.

During the time I waited tables, my hair grew from APL to just past waist. I always liked braided pigtails or french twists. The twists had to be redone a few times during the day, but I always just re-did them in the bathroom and then washed my hands a couple times, just like the standard post-bathroom hand washing protocol called for.

Finoriel
August 16th, 2008, 08:06 AM
Iīve worked in the catering-business for quite some years while studying. In many different positions, everything from table service, to bar tender, to bouncer, as well as in the organisation team for parties, concerts and sport events with catering. None of the restaurants, pubs, night clubs or arenas would have accepted hairnets, snoods, bandanas, caps, hats or other personal accessories on staff which works visible for the guests. Kitchen people, yes sure, but not for serving. For serving it was required to look clean, wear proper clothes, not smell (no body-odour, no ashtray-aroma or unbrushed teeth, neither parfume or smelling deodorant) and have your hair contained in some sort of updo, like braids, ponytail or bun as soon as it was long enough to put it up. Any head covering, if there was one required, was worn by all people working there as it was part of the uniform and handed over with it.
But then that might be different from location to location. Best is to just ask what your boss wants and to look up the paragraph in your contract about clothes/hair/jewelry. When you like to get the job, show them that you are interested and willed to adapt.
When serving food or drinks you usually carry it in a way which should make it impossible to put any hair into the glass or on the plate anyway. :wink: Not carrying the plates like Quasimodo with your body leaned over them, breathing and sniffing onto the meal, spittle on it while speaking and having your thumb on the steak to hinder it from falling into the dirt, again. :p Eww!
So do not worry too much over hair in the soup. Itīs been roughly 5 years for me in the serving business and I never managed to smuggle in a hair into the guests food or drinks.

Smokie
August 16th, 2008, 11:27 AM
I waited tables with hair anywhere from BSL (when dry no less) to a chin length bob (also when dry). I learned my first shift when I went in wearing a ponytail what the rules for my restaurants were. "I love your hair! But it needs to be bunned, braided, or in a snood." Those are the exact words from my trainer. I worked everywhere from low-end 24 hour diners to a five-star breakfast place in a four star hotel (odd, that). Rules remained the same. Can't say that I, or any other server I encountered ever wore a snood, but it was always bunned or braided in some fashion for work. The bob was often short enough to leave down, but it got too hot mid-shift and I'd stretch it back into a pony-ball (wasn't really stubby with the curls).

At the time, I hadn't cut my bangs and couldn't stand the look of myself in a bun, so I'd do a looped pony with the ends fanned out over the top of my head (intentional halo!) more often than not. At your length, you may want to start a cinnabun and leave the ends fanned, secure with scrunchie. After my chop, once my hair had grown enough to be braided at all, I often did two french or english braids. Those got warm also, but were great for in wintertime working overnights (yes, it gets cold at night in Texas) when I would put on a hat to dash outside for a smoke.

Now I think I'd wear more actual buns. I was constantly terrified of my hair falling into food (curly and red here too!) so I would do constant shed-checks in the back (not near the kitchen, by the breaktable) and in the restroom. Always washing hands after unless my next trip to the front was to pre-bus/bus a table. You'll learn all about the "I wash my hands 50gajillion times a day, look how dry and cracked they are" side of waiting tables I'm sure.

If your income will be primarily tip-based, you do want to look good. Sad to say it, but on days I wore a skirt or tighter pants and actually bothered to put on some makeup and make my hair perfect, I made a good deal more money. Read: $40 on a busy Friday night in baggy pants and no makeup, then $160 on a not-so-busy Saturday night in a skirt with red lipstick. Big difference. I bothered with makeup a lot waiting tables.

Erm.. Sorry about the giant post. But yes. Bunned, braided, in a snood (check with management for snood rules). Could also hairnet a ponytail (think they make clear ones) and it not be too obvious. Looped ponytails are good. Shed checks in the bathroom for looser styles. Any bun that feels secure (if it will fall down before needing to be redone, don't wear it). Look pretty (Which you already are).

And above all, good luck!

ETA: Forgot to mention the off-the-collar rule. That's how I got away with wearing it down with the bob. Most management is okay with braids hitting your collar (high, braided ponytail or two low pigtail braids for instance), but if loose hair is resting on or draping past, you're generally in for trouble.

kwaniesiam
August 16th, 2008, 11:57 AM
My older sister worked in food service for a while and she had BSL + hair at the time, usually she'd wear a bun. Maybe you could put a dancer's hairnet just over the bun to contain it all and then scrunchie over top, using amish pins or the like to secure it?

yogachic
August 16th, 2008, 01:03 PM
I was a waitress with bsl length hair, and I would wear french braids. Had to after the boss complained about my hair in a ponytail. She said when i went to turn around, it slapped others in the face in the kitchen. She pretty much demanded I only wear it in a french braid for work.