Server income in Reno (to rent, college, camping)

[savvyrie]

We have some family up there in Reno and we've been thinking about heading west! Right now in DFW my husband makes about $800-1200 a week as a server at a fine dining restaurant.

Are there any servers in the area working at a similar level that can comment on expected income?

[ChrisMT]

If I remember correctly, Texas allows less than minimum wage for servers as they consider tips part of regular income?

In Nevada, you will make at least minimum wage which is now $9.75-plus tips. My daughter served in Texas while in college and considers Texans big tippers compared to tourists and locals in Nevada. She still makes hundreds/week in tips plus regular pay bartending/serving part-time in Nevada at a medium priced restaurant to pay for extra classes.

The cost of living is higher in Northern Nevada than in the Dallas area and it might be challenging to find a great job with so many lay-offs here from COVID. Texas is fully open now I think, whereas Nevada still has restrictions on restaurant capacity. There is also a housing shortage here that can make it difficult to find a suitable place to rent or buy. Rent is considerably higher here, or it used to be... not sure how expensive Dallas has become in the last few years.

[savvyrie]

Thank you for that information! I hadn’t thought about the server wage question. Yes servers minimum wage is 2.25 here. I think housing is getting crazy everywhere right now.

[ChrisMT]

As capacity limits increase, northern Nevada restaurants face staffing shortages...

This is a local article about the need for restaurant staff, including high-end establishments.

I just can’t get the link to post correctly right now (out camping), but the article is on KRNVnews4 in Reno.


MOD EDIT: I think this is the link to that story.

[savvyrie]

That is very interesting. I’m going to show that article to my husband. Thank you!