The Big Question...F&B or Merch?

will they ask if i've had food and bev experience before the program? becuase i've not had any, but i have had merch experience.

 

I've got friends who've done F&B without any experience and they got on fine, i guess it would help but i dunno if its crucial?

 

So at the beginning as an F&B you get the usual 6,70-6,80$ ?
And later (when you're in service) 6,70-6,80$ plus tip ?

 

no once u are in service u get about $3 per hour plus tips. dunno the exact figure but its not much

 

Guess the tips make up for it tho yeah? I've heard crazy rumours about the amount of tips,lol

 

$20000 is a lot!!!!!!!

 

i heard it takes time to go in the server, true??

 

yeah,i heard that its usually 3 months before you can go into server - but if you learn your menus fast im sure you can get in a lot quicker (i hope to be a server within 2months!) x

 

lol i hope,too ;D

 

It can take 2 months or uo to 10months. You shouldn't go there to get into service and make the big money, cause it'll just ruin the whole experience. It's not nice when everyone at f&b is fighting to get into service first. If u get early into service be happy, if not than it's still fine.
You are not going there to make money, you go there to have fun and make tons of friends.

Chrissi

 

thats ture
rule nr.1 not be jealous

 

yeah of course not,i just meant that id like to get into service as quick as i can - i prefer being in a service position and the extra cash id make in tips would come in very handy,as im sure it will for all of us!!!! ;D

 

I chose F&B because I studied Hotel & Restaurant managment so its related to my degree... but its up to u... every person have a different reason...

 

A question for Jen or any other Canadians that have done the prgram, can you describe a bit of what each department does in the Canada pavillion. Ive worked in retail the last 5 years so i dont know whether to stick to that or try something else (if I get in that is). Any thoughts?

 

Roughly (Haven't done the program myself but I know a few people down there).

F&B works the popcorn cart (sells popcorn, pop, and beer if I remember correctly) and is an outdoor cart.

They also have various duties in the restaurant which I couldn't even begin to name. None of them are tipped until you get into serving tables. This is where most of the jobs are in the pavilion (F&B).

Merch has two locations (which you rotate between in set intervals, I think 30 or 45 min (those were my Mission Space rotation times)). 1st there is an outdoor cart that sells smaller cheaper items that either have to do with Canada directly or the most out of any of the pavilions (for example hockey jerseys and brother bear merch). It also has leather wristband engraving.

There is also the main merch shop which has two areas. One mostly Roots merch (and some hockey stuff), and the other has more "authentinc"/"crafty" (can't think of the right word) merch such as stuffed animals, and Anne of Green Gables things. They also have imported Canadian candy. I know you ballance your tills at night (at least I assume since the Mission Space giftstore did and you'ld think it'd be the same).

Finally the Attraction is the least staffed area needing only about 5 or 6 people in a day to run. There are (I think) 3 positions in the actual movie area, most if not all involve speiling to the group of guests about the movie. This is scripted. The final spot is Kidcot which basically has you sitting at an arts and crafts table, making masks with kids and stamping their Epcot Passports.

 

sorta putting the cart before the horse here, since i haven't even been interviewed or accepted *fingers crossed*, but does previous experience play into where you work, or is it all luck of the draw?

I've been waitressing from the past 6 years at a higher end restaurant like Le Cellier, making no less than 100 CAN in tips a night... anyways... i def. would like to be in F&B and feel like I'd be bored outta my mind not running my butt off on the serving floor....
I'm hoping that this type of experience is taken into consideration???

Also.. i'm still confused, if you get into F&B do you automatically start at a cart and work your way up... or can you immediately be serving at the restaurant from teh time you get there????

Any feedback would be FANTASTIC!!!!

 

I heard previous occupations were taken into account, not 100% sure tho.

You will automatically start on the popcorn wagon or podium at the restaurant. You'll then move into seating before serving. From what I hear the transition largely depends on your work ethic as well as your drive/ability to learn the menu and speils quickly. Usually takes a few months (3-4) before you get serving though.

 

Jorden pretty much hit it all...

I was in F&B so can't really comment on merch or attractions.

For F&B you start off either on cart, seating, greeting or stocking. Cart is outside on the popcorn/beer cart, seating is, surprise, seating parties in the restaurant, greeting is standing outside and checking in guests as they arrive, and stocking is stocking the bar, sidestations (cutlery/napkins/wine glasses) within the restaurant for the servers. Regardless of where you start, you will be trained and rotated on all four with the possible exception of stocking. It's kind of random as I know a few of us never really got trained on it.

Eventually, hopefully, you go into food running. Depending on staffing levels at the time, you have three days of training and then probably a few shifts actually working and getting tipped out by the servers. Whenever there is room, you'll go in for four days of non-tipped service training, and then, pending you don't suck , become a server. And honestly, if you have an evening shift as a server and make anything less than $200 that's a pretty slow night, depending on your section and obviously experience.

I don't know if previous work experience plays into much. I know some experienced servers that were put in merch and tried to switch over. Lots of ppl that worked in Le Cellier had never worked in a restaurant before.

One thing that throws a wrench into the "order" is the Food and Wine Festival. It's a six-week festival in the fall. Doing that basically substitues cart/seating time and doesn't hold you back or anything once you get into the restaurant. Plus, it's a great way to do something different as seating gets old pretty darn quickly!

Other random stuff, like AmGuard, also gets thrown in. You basically do crowd control during concerts at the American Garden Theatre.

~ Jen

 

hi jen, how long takes it for you to get in the Serv.
I´m from germany, and the ppl told me, if my arv. is in Sep. i will get only 3 month of serv.

 

Start crying Mickey!
I think I said it before, didn't I?!? It's not all about service. Sure it comes handy while in Orlando but u'll have a great life their without the tips as well.
And now u get the worst news ever: I knew ppl who arrived in Sept and just been in Service for 6 weeks total and I also new a few ppl who never got into service
If u want to get into service earlier than other ppl, it's obvious what u have to do: just kiss the ass of the manager!
Just choose the departement which u'll most enjoy.
Of course the pay in f&b is a big plus but never forget which work u have to do in f&b the first few month... carrying beer barrels around, work outside for 11h, smell like sauerkraut after u worked at the Sommerfest, tell every day again and again this stupid speils, have arguments with the perms, carrying food from the kitchen to the buffet and that all day long without speaking to any guests...