Server
Serve Up Summer Memories at Pancake Chef Restaurant
Imagine starting your day with the smell of fresh maple syrup, hot coffee, and golden pancakes sizzling on the griddle — while outside your window the Mackinac Bridge stretches across sparkling blue water. That’s an ordinary morning at Pancake Chef Restaurant in Mackinaw City, Michigan, one of the most beloved family restaurants in the Great Lakes region.
We’re looking for energetic, friendly university students to join our team as Servers for the Work & Travel USA summer-to-fall season. If you love meeting people from all over the world, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and want to earn real money in tips, this is your American summer.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Greeting guests with a warm welcome and seating them comfortably
- Taking food and beverage orders accurately and entering them into our POS system
- Serving delicious pancakes, breakfast classics, burgers, and homemade specialties
- Checking in with guests to make sure everything is perfect
- Refilling drinks, clearing tables, and resetting your section quickly
- Processing payments and handling cash and card transactions
- Keeping your work area clean, stocked, and ready for the next rush
- Working as part of a supportive team with servers, hosts, cooks, and managers
Why Mackinaw City?
Mackinaw City sits at the very tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, right where Lake Michigan meets Lake Huron. It’s a classic American summer town: fudge shops, lighthouses, sunset boardwalks, and the world-famous Mackinac Island just a short ferry ride away — an island with no cars, only horses, bicycles, and Victorian charm.
In your free time you can kayak, swim, cycle the shoreline trails, watch giant freighters pass under the Mackinac Bridge, or drive to Sleeping Bear Dunes and the Upper Peninsula. Autumn brings spectacular fall colors, making the late-season weeks some of the most beautiful of the entire year. Best of all, Mackinaw City is packed with international Work & Travel students every summer, so you’ll make friends from dozens of countries within days.
Pay & Benefits
- $5.49 per hour (Michigan tipped-employee wage) PLUS tips — tips are where servers really earn, and our busy tourist season means steady, high-volume shifts
- 40 hours per week guaranteed, with the possibility of extra hours during peak weeks
- Employee meal benefits during shifts
- Long season: summer through fall — more weeks means more earnings
- Free on-the-job training — no restaurant experience required
- Employer experienced with international students and J-1 participants
- Real hospitality experience for your CV plus a huge boost in spoken English
What We’re Looking For
- University students aged 18–25 with valid J-1 Work & Travel sponsorship
- Conversational English — you’ll be talking with guests all day
- Positive attitude, big smile, and genuine friendliness
- Ability to stay on your feet and move quickly during busy shifts
- Reliability, punctuality, and a strong team spirit
- Flexibility to work mornings, weekends, and holidays (breakfast is our busiest time!)
- Willingness to stay through the full season, ideally into the fall
Ready to Flip Your Summer Into Something Amazing?
Positions at Pancake Chef Restaurant fill fast every season because of the strong tips and the unbeatable location. Apply today through your Work & Travel USA agency and spend your summer serving smiles on the shores of the Great Lakes.
About Michigan
Michigan's Great Lakes shores, Mackinac Island and resort towns make for a classic lakeside summer. Students work in island hotels, resorts and restaurants surrounded by beaches and forests.
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