What does a dishwasher do in a restaurant?
You pre-rinse plates and pots, push racks through the dishwasher and lay out clean cutlery and glasses for the dining room. It is the most common entry job in a restaurant.
No experience neededFlexi-jobs & student jobs in a restaurant
A restaurant runs on two moments: lunch and the dinner service. Around those hours, restaurants in Flanders look for extra people at the host stand, on the floor and in the dish room. As a student you can work up to 650 hours a year at reduced social contributions; as a flexi-jobber, on top of your regular job. The app shows the services near you and you pick which ones you do.
Part of Hospitality
A lunch service in a restaurant
What does a lunch shift in a restaurant look like?
A lunch shift usually runs from half past ten to three. You set up the dining room, eat with the team and then work one service that peaks around one o'clock. Click a moment to see what you do.
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You put placemats on the tables, fold napkins and lay out glasses and cutlery. On the board by the door you write up this week's set lunch. If you start in the kitchen, you wash and chop the vegetables for the soup and the dish of the day.
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In many restaurants the team eats together before the doors open. The chef runs through what is on the menu, which dishes contain nuts or gluten and what is nearly sold out. Those are the questions guests will ask you later.
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At noon office workers come in who need to be back at their desks by one. You seat them, bring water and bread and take the order straight away. The set lunch moves fast, so the kitchen gets a lot of identical tickets.
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By quarter to one the room is full and plates come back in waves. At the dish station you rinse them, push racks through the machine and lay out clean cutlery for the floor. If the dishes fall behind, the kitchen runs out of plates within fifteen minutes.
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The last guests are still having coffee while you clear around them. Then you reset the tables for the evening team, restock the bar fridge and mop the floor. Around three your shift is over.
Common roles: Runner (dinner service), Commis de rang (weekend lunch), Commis chef (before service), Dishwasher (until the kitchen closes), Host (6 to 9 pm), Takeaway assistant (friday evening).
Which student jobs can you do in a restaurant?
What does a dining room assistant do?
You put water and bread on the table, clear between courses and reset tables. You work alongside the waiters and get to know the dining room step by step.
Friendly and easy with peopleWhat does a kitchen assistant do?
You wash and chop vegetables, prepare sauces and garnishes before service and help plate up at the pass. The chef tells you what goes on each plate.
Follow hygiene rules, you learn to chop in the kitchenWhat does a host or hostess do?
You welcome guests at the door, check their booking and show them to their table. When the room is full, you note who is waiting and keep track of the table plan.
Speaking languages is a plusWhy work in a restaurant?
A restaurant works in short services around lunch and dinner. That makes a shift easy to fit into a week of classes or another job.
Fits your day off
If you work four days a week, your day off often falls midweek. A lunch shift of a few hours fits right into it.
Learn how kitchens work
You start on the dishes or as a runner. After a few services you know how the pass works and you get to help plate.
From bistro to pizzeria
Every place has its own pace. A pizzeria is fast and loud, a fine dining restaurant serves more courses to fewer guests.
No late nights
A lunch shift is done before the afternoon is over. Your evening stays free for studying, sport or family.
What do you earn as a dishwasher or dining room assistant?
You will not find an amount here, because the minimum is indexed every year and depends on your age. This is how your pay in a restaurant is worked out.
The hospitality pay scale
Restaurants fall under PC 302, the joint committee for the hotel industry. That scale applies to dishwashers, kitchen assistants and dining room staff.
Under 18?
Your minimum rises with your age. If you are 15, 16 or 17, your minimum as a student worker can be lower than that of a colleague aged 18 or over.
As a flexi-jobber
You get at least the minimum flexi wage for hospitality, plus flexi holiday pay. A restaurant may pay more.
Sundays, tips and the app
On Sundays and public holidays hospitality adds a supplement per hour. Whether the tip jar is shared with the kitchen is up to each restaurant. The hourly wage is listed with every shift in the app.
Do you work in the restaurant as a student or as a flexi-jobber?
| Student worker | Flexi-jobber | |
|---|---|---|
| Condition | You are a student and at least 16, or 15 if you have finished the first two years of secondary school. | You have a job of at least 4/5 elsewhere or you are retired. |
| Hours cap | 650 hours a year at reduced contributions. Above that you pay normal social contributions. | None. Your flexi pay is tax-free up to 18,440 euros a year, pensioners have no cap. |
| Deductions | Only a solidarity contribution of 2.71 percent. | No social contributions for you. |
| Dinner service | If you are 16 or 17, your shift ends at 11 pm at the latest. If you are 15, at 8 pm. From 18 you stay until the kitchen closes. | You stay until the kitchen closes, with no extra restriction. |
| Weekday lunch shift | Possible outside class hours or during the holidays. | Fits on your day off if you work 4/5. |
All the rules for 2026Rules checked on 7 October 2026.
How to start
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Step 1
Apply
Pick a shift in the app and tap apply.
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Step 2
Get accepted
The business picks you and your contract is ready.
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Step 3
Clock in
Arrive on time and clock in through the app.
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Step 4
Work your shift
You work and break when it's allowed.
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Step 5
Get paid
Clock out, your pay follows within days.
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For shifters
A student job in a restaurant without a fixed schedule
- Pick a lunch or an evening that fits your week
- See the venue, the task and the finishing time upfront
- No experience yet? Start as a runner or dishwasher
For businesses
One person short on the floor or in the kitchen?
- Post a shift for lunch or the dinner service
- Runners, commis chefs and dishwashers nearby respond
- Contract and declaration go digitally, per shift
Frequently asked questions
From what age can you wash dishes in a restaurant?
As a student worker you can wash dishes from 16, or from 15 if you have finished the first two years of secondary school. At 14 you are still too young, even for a short shift. If you are 16 or 17, your shift ends at 11 pm at the latest. If you are 15, at 8 pm. Dishwasher is often the first job in a kitchen, because you need no experience for it.
Is washing dishes in a restaurant hard work?
It is physical work. You are on your feet the whole shift, it is hot and damp around the machine and at the peak the plates come back in waves. Sturdy shoes with a non-slip sole help. Between the waves you have quieter moments to scrub pots and tidy away racks. After a few services you know the rhythm of the kitchen and it gets easier.
What does a runner do in a restaurant?
A runner takes the plates from the kitchen to the table, so the waiters can stay on the floor. You quickly learn the table numbers and the order of the courses. It is a good first shift if you have never worked in a restaurant.
Do I sometimes work in two blocks, lunch and evening?
That happens. Some restaurants look for someone from 11 am to 3 pm and again from 6 to 10 pm, with a break in between. Every shift lists the start and finishing time, so you see upfront whether it is one block or two.
Do I need to know a till system or ordering app?
Not to get started. Many restaurants send orders to the kitchen via a tablet or handheld, and you usually get an explanation at the start of your shift. Add the systems you have used to your profile; it helps the venue choose.
When do restaurants need the most people?
On Friday and Saturday evenings, on Sunday lunchtime and around Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Christmas and New Year. Venues with a terrace run more lunch services in summer. Many restaurants are closed on Monday and Tuesday.
Can I keep the tips?
Each restaurant decides that for itself. In some places everything goes into one pot that is shared between floor and kitchen after service; in others the floor keeps what is given at the table. Feel free to ask on your first shift.
Ready for your first shift in a restaurant?
Download the app as a shifter or register your business for free.