Have you ever worked at a restaurant?

I used to be a dishwasher as well. How demanding the job is depends on different factors. There were days where I was working non-stop for 8 hours, whereas the less busier says I had almost nothing to do. Most days I had were a bit of both. If there was a party at the restaurant, you work hard for a few hours, but when the party starts to settle down, I'd often find myself literally doing nothing just waiting for the party to finish. The owner of the place was also the cook and a lot of times we would just chill and talk waiting for the party to end.

I applaud the kid
A 16 year old girl with a gig and a bit of gusto is a good person👍

I started out at 13 pumping gas and stocking grocery shelves after school, I made $3.75 an hour and got a raise to 4 bucks after a year or so…I was the King of 10th Grade (in my head anyway lol)

Having a gig is important, it beats your ass, shapes you up right and you get some walking around money to boot!

Tell that little cousin of yours that she’s on the right path, go get that money kiddo!

One of my first jobs was at Arby's. I seem to recall them opening for business at 10:00am, which meant starting at either 6:00 or 7:00 to properly cook the loaf of roast beef. There were precise directions regarding the oven temperature and duration of roasting; if you cooked it too fast the meat could shrink, which would cut into their profits, or so we were told. Then there were the other pre-opening duties along with this.

That was years ago. I don't know if they still cook it this way these days.

Started out young as a dishwasher/busser for 4 or 5 years, had a short summer gig as a waiter, then prep/linecook for a few more years. Really enjoyed working at some places - others not so much. Learned a ton though and made some great food. I thought it built some great work ethic too. So many people called in so picked up a lot of shifts, worked some really long months at times. Pay was NEVER good though lol

Being a dishwasher is a bit physically demanding - although should be fine for a young person. You need to be fast and quick on your feet and have some good nonslip boots for sure. You will also most likely be in charge of cleaning other areas of the kitchen and maybe some of the front of the house. You may also need to do some food prep for the kitchen staff. There can be some pressure to get dishware to the line depending on how busy they are.

I actually worked at a Darden restaurant grand opening one Summer thirty years ago as a busser but I was actually enlisted to be a dishwasher for a few days due to people quitting. I remember the drain was clogged so the floor was wet and my cheap black server shoes were destroyed by the water on the floor. The plates were really hot and the automated dishwasher emitted fumes and a lot of heat. The job was obviously tougher during busy shifts like Fri/Sat night. There were also some unsavory characters in the back of the restaurant so it may not be the best work environment for a female. I met ex-cons and guys who wanted to fight me. My experiences in the restaurant and on a family farm motivated me to study to avoid manual labor. It could be a good experience as long as she avoids getting knocked up.

I worked in a restaurant where the dishwasher was a young girl and she got along fine. That was a high traffic place as well… I worked at another restaurant that made the wait staff do their own dishes. That was stressful. It was a smaller place but when it was full it could still be very hectic with only 2 staff members. The cook and the server.

Nothing wrong at that age with giving it a try to see what it's like. A lot depends on the work place environment, whether the people in command are reasonable, or just don't care. Unfortunately, having a positive attitude and doing your best doesn't always overcome having crap supervisors and co-workers. But under the right conditions it could be fun and rewarding.
At worst, it may give this person a good reason to figure out what type of career to pursue to avoid being stuck having to take crappy jobs.

I was a dishwasher at a restaurant when I was 13.

We had to wash the dishes, clean the floor in the kitchen and generally keep the entire kitchen clean. I worked from 4 until midnight every Friday and Saturday. Despite being a tough job, I enjoyed it!

I made 1.65 an hour back in 1980. No, it wasn't a lot of money even back then.