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TikToker Who Made It Big in Restaurants Tells Workers to ‘Hustle Until You Have $10K in the Bank’

A man says restaurant workers have no excuse to be broke, urging them to hustle until they save $10K.

By mitch·3 min read
A weary restaurant worker cleans a table under dim lighting.

On TikTok, Ryan Stannard, known as @ryan_stannard4, tells restaurant workers to stop living paycheck to paycheck. His argument in a new video is straightforward: people in the industry can earn well, he says, if they simply accept control over their own income.

Commenters Push Back on the Advice

Several people shared hard experiences tied to managers, small pay, and workplaces where the mood turned bad. One person said their boss wants them to clean toilets during every shift without extra pay, and then complains about paying them if the task takes a while to finish.

One user observed that the restaurant business can bring in money for some employees thanks to tips, though not all staff earn enough in tips to pay their bills. The note also referenced how minimum wage and tipping customs vary from state to state.

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Finding a Well-Paying Job Is Hard

A reader pointed out that securing a well-paid position in the food service industry is tough right now, noting that “Most people struggle to even find a position in the industry that ACTUALLY either pay well, or is a spot busy enough to make them money,”.

Some Commenters Agree With Him

A single person argued that Stannard may have offered his finest piece of guidance yet. “Might be the best advice he’s given. Although no ones paying their servers to clean toilets. That’s just wherever he worked. but the saving part is spot on. I saved up 11k in one year and I didn’t have to pick up doubles or give up all my weekends,” they stated.

One person offered guidance on ways that restaurant staff might raise their standards and possibly earn more money. “It is genuinely so easy to be one of the better servers at any restaurant. Don’t come into work under the influence whatsoever, trade cuts to close, don’t stand around and talk on shift, make your complete focus your tables and the money you make and you will see how easy it is to rise through the ranks,” was their view.

The Reaction on TikTok

Viewers responded to Stannard’s video in a number of ways. A few people said they agreed with the advice he offered, while other commenters brought up the financial and workplace difficulties that restaurant workers commonly encounter.

The Daily Dot was unable to independently verify Ryan’s claims about earning potential in the restaurant industry. The details in this article are based on Ryan’s TikTok video and the experiences and opinions shared by commenters.

The Minimum Wage Problem

A reader brought up minimum wage and tipping practices in different states, pointing to a wider problem with how restaurants pay their staff. The concern is that workers who don’t bring in enough in tips from customers can fall short of covering what they need to live on.

The Hustle Equation

Stannard’s argument rests on a few key points. He believes workers can improve their earnings by picking up other people’s shifts and working harder to earn more in tips. He said he would rather clean restaurant bathrooms than struggle to pay his bills, and he recommended “hustling” until people have $10,000 in their bank accounts.

The video presents these steps as options available to workers, separate from the broader state of the industry.

“Hustle until you have $10K in the Bank.”

Source material: “Man Says Restaurant Workers Have No Excuse to Be Broke: ‘Hustle Until You Have $10K in the Bank’,” The Daily Dot.

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