Working At A Hookah Lounge

[mathuv]

OK, so let me start off by saying I was planning on working at a hookah lounge this summer... im rethinking that now. basically the lounge i go to is taken care of by a guy and his brother. One guy starts early and his brother comes later. So i was there yesterday..puffing away with one of the brothers (the early guy) when the place starts to get fuller..and fuller.. and people start placing orders so he gets to work, whilst i smoke his hookah.. then all of a sudden i see him dump a packet of QLs on the coal starting tray (a metal ashtray with 1 lit QL for the others to light on) and he starts looking worried... i go and see huge clouds of smoke coming out of the ashtray so he asks me to fan the coals.. thats where the night began, huge orders all night, from fanning coals it became starting up hookahs, cleaning them, lighting and replacing coals, taking orders and bringing back empty hookahs.. hectic shit. i thought.. hey why not i wouldnt mind doing this all summer, i like it.. but then when he told me his shifts were from 8pm to 5am... i just decided i should rethink this.. anyways all in all, its a hectic job and gets harder as it gets later (we had a huge order for 15 people at one point, not to mention we had to carry the hookahs around a crowded club full of armchairs left right and centre) i guess if the pay was good i'd consider it but i dno... 8pm to 5am seems long dont you think? im sure someone like mushy can confirm tht its busy shit. by the end of the hour i worked i was going round asking people for asprin Edited April 19, 2008 by mathuv

[Ralleac]

I've never thought of it as a dream job due to the hectic atmosphere you described. Prepping your own hookah can be relaxing. Prepping 10, 20, 30, or more hookahs in one evening would just suck.

[teq]

I don't know if you've had similar past employment, but that is typical of job that's heavily based on customer service.

If you think that's bad, imagine running an entire movie theater(10 screens) with a single staff member on duty. I used to have to manage that -- everything from running the projectors to making popcorn. That was about 200 people every half hour between me and an usher whose only job was to sell tickets and popcorn.

8PM to 5AM is only nine hours of work, which would mean an hour of overtime or a required hour lunch if you worked in the US. Also, you'd have to be 18 years old to work there in the US.


A few other things to consider are the fact that the amount of complaints you have to deal with are probably very minimal(which, again, is rare for customer service gigs) and that, while the work is probably fast paced, the time goes by a lot quicker once you get into the routine.

Your body learns to adjust, like mine did when I was pulling an average 12 hour shift every night.


But I wonder why they don't use natural coals from a fire pit... seems like it would save a lot of time with less carbon monoxide.

[Johnny_D]

I think teq and Ralleac are both right.

It's going to piss you off hookah's fast I would imagine. After spending a night fast paced and packing/cleaning hookah's I don't think I'd want to see one every again.

However if it's the only work you can get then do it - You might be able to offer folks a better experience because you know what todo with hookah. You may be able to get the owner to start importing better coals and tobacco enhancing both your clientèle and your own smoking choices.

It's going to be fast paced and hectic - but it's also a way of making a few $$$'s. Gotta take the rough with the smooth brother.

JD

[oolatec]

Try working in a high-volume 3 star steakhouse in Chicago.

[r1v3th3ad]

I'm trying to get a summer job in a hookah lounge back home and then one for the semesters up here...
...thats not bad hours. I used to work weekend graveyard for Eat N' Park Friday 5pm-6am Saturday, Saturday 5pm-6am Sunday...every weekend I pulled 26hrs + my shifts throughout the week, adding up to 50 hrs

it will probably make you sick of hookahs to an extent, as stated above

[mathuv]

please guys, im not trying to make this into a "hardest job" thread

I think teq and Ralleac are both right.

It's going to piss you off hookah's fast I would imagine. After spending a night fast paced and packing/cleaning hookah's I don't think I'd want to see one every again.

However if it's the only work you can get then do it - You might be able to offer folks a better experience because you know what todo with hookah. You may be able to get the owner to start importing better coals and tobacco enhancing both your clientèle and your own smoking choices.

It's going to be fast paced and hectic - but it's also a way of making a few $ s. Gotta take the rough with the smooth brother.

JD

well as far as experience goes, one guy trusts me and the other doesnt. i dont think they would import better stuff, the oldest brother is a hard headed libyan who wont even let me take off the windcover, let alone pack my own bowl. the youngest (and coolest ) one lets me do fuck all and gives me free bowls, as long as his brother isnt around.. first time i heared a libyan say "fucking cunt!" (referring to his brother) and i also got to witness an argument over the phone between them, good shit

Oh and they charge 10 euros a bowl for nakhla with some weird QLs.. a box of nakhla sets you back 5 euros MAX here, they import their stuff from egpyt so its cheaper ($60 KMs..ftw) so im assuming theyre making a profit so they pay cant be that bad.. also i asked them where they lived and the rent is pretty high in that area..so yeah, i think its a decent pay.. maybe only to them because theyre brothers though. Edited April 19, 2008 by mathuv

[mushrat]

"A dream to some...A Nightmare to others!"

Ya, running a hookah lounge does take some of the fun out of smoking. But I still enjoy the job. I get to sit and talk to customers when I have time, get to introduce new people to their first hookah, get to talk to people who are visiting from out of state or out of country, and best of all, I get to hear people talking among themnselves on how much they like the place etc. All of which makes the long hours, the mess, and the occasional Idiot worth while.

But you gotta be having fun. If you aren't, go get a job someplace else because as said above, it's hectic, dirty, and can take all the fun out of sitting and smokign with friends when you are off.

[Victim026]

My GF and I both quit after working a summer due to how crappy it really was. We were both working 6pm-4am with no breaks because we were understaffed, and I maybe got to smoke once a week if I was lucky because I was always either working or sleeping. It's really not all it's cracked up to be, now ownership might be different(I wanna open my own place), but not by much. I think it'll be way more fun when I actually own the place myself.

[mushrat]

My GF and I both quit after working a summer due to how crappy it really was. We were both working 6pm-4am with no breaks because we were understaffed, and I maybe got to smoke once a week if I was lucky because I was always either working or sleeping. It's really not all it's cracked up to be, now ownership might be different(I wanna open my own place), but not by much. I think it'll be way more fun when I actually own the place myself.

Naw...I mean, you get to look around and go "cool, i own this joint." but when you are just and employee you come, you work, and when your shift is done you are done. As the owner not only are you working you ass off during business hours, you have to add the stress of keeping up your stock, supervising your emplyees (mine require very little supervision, often tell me to sit down and get out of the way while they crank out the hookahs. ) dealign with permits and insurance and all the other goodies that take up a lot of the times you aren't even IN the store...

Then again...you can look around and go.."cool, it worked." to yourself now and then...

[mathuv]

there is a certain sense of satisfaction though, getting recognised when you're out and taking pictures with random hot italian girls

[r1v3th3ad]

there is a certain sense of satisfaction though, getting recognised when you're out and taking pictures with random hot italian girls

hook a brothaman up?

[jordanneff]

Yeah, those hours aren't too bad. I used to be graveyard shift stock boy at a local supermarket. Started at 11pm got off at 7:30am.
I was always on my feet, and aside from breaks never had a minute to stop and sit down.

At least with a hookah lounge it dies down a bit after midnight, at least the ones Ive been to have. If I worked at a hookah lounge though I'd work the earlier shift. I went to one at like 6 in the afternoon just an hour after it had opened and it was dead. I was talking to the girl that worked there and she was saying it doesnt really start up until 7:30-8, and even after that its not horrible.

You could've just hit a really busy night at the busiest time.

[Scoop]

i helped out a hookah bar i used to frequent a few times. did coal duty, packed hookahs and did waiter on separate occasions.

id never work there as my job. understaffed, overcrowded, disorganized....it was bad.

low pay, high stress, no thanks.

[mathuv]

there is a certain sense of satisfaction though, getting recognised when you're out and taking pictures with random hot italian girls

hook a brothaman up?

come down here

i helped out a hookah bar i used to frequent a few times. did coal duty, packed hookahs and did waiter on separate occasions.

id never work there as my job. understaffed, overcrowded, disorganized....it was bad.

low pay, high stress, no thanks.

ye i help out, dont work, i do all that in exchange for free bowls Edited April 19, 2008 by mathuv