Six Sneaky Benefits of Working Saturdays

mini German Chocolate Cakes are always a good perk

One of the things I missed the most when switching careers into the restaurant industry was the traditional Monday-Friday work week. Having your weekends coincide with like, um, everyone else, is just convenient. Like when you’re trying to plan a girls weekend and everyone wants to do a long weekend Thursday – Sunday and you’re the outlier pushing for a midweek trip because everyone else’s weekend is the busiest time of the week for you. Ugh.

When I first started working in kitchens, my weekends fell midweek and I worked straight through Saturday and Sunday. At my current restaurant I have split days off, Wednesdays and Sundays. For the most part, working Saturdays isn’t so bad. It even comes with a few perks:

Lighter Commute

When we lived in the city, I didn’t like working Saturdays because the weekends run a slower train schedule, so I’d have to leave earlier just to wait around for the train. Now that we live in the ‘burbs, a Saturday commute is the bees knees. Especially since I leave extra early on Saturday since it’s typically the busiest day of the week. There’s literally no one on the road at 5am Saturday morning. The drive home has people out and about on their errands, but I’ll take that over the zillion school buses I usually get stuck behind during the week. 

Reason to Bail Early Friday Night

I’m just gonna tell it like it is: I’m not in my 20’s anymore. And I love that old lady life, which means my electric blanket, cup of tea, and current book all snuggled up in bed by 9:30. This includes Friday night. If I make plans to head into the city for drinks, casually throwing in that “ugh, I have to get up so early tomorrow” is enough for a sympathetic nod and no worries when I bail on happy hour at 8pm. 

Save Money on Brunch

Brent and I used to indulge on the weekends a little. And by a little I mean everything from drinks on Friday through dinner on Sunday. Working on Saturdays eliminates the option of brunch/lunch, which is helpful for our bank account. It also helps trim down the Friday night tab, since there’s no way I’m closing down the bar when my alarm is set for 5am. Everyone knows Sunday brunch is better, anyway. 

Weekday Errands

If you work Saturdays, hopefully you have a week day off and aren’t working 6+ days a week. Having a week day off is a really sweet perk to working Saturdays. Have you seen the post office at 10am on a Wednesday? It’s nirvana. I can schedule the good appointment times for the doctor/dentist/oil change/etc instead of cramming it in at 4pm after a work day and spending two hours in the waiting room with everyone else doing the same thing. 

No Remorse for a Lazy Sunday

When I had the stretch of Saturday through Sunday off, I remember thinking I needed to maximize all. the. time. I need to see that new exhibit at the Science Museum! Eat at the best restaurant! Drink at the hottest bar! Go for a three hour hike! (okay, that one never happened) Brent and I would jam pack our weekends because we felt like we had to. After working Saturday, I’m usually wiped and I feel no guilt about the occasional lazy Sunday.

Excuse for Opting Out of Boring Plans

Perhaps the best thing about working Saturdays is the built in excuse you have for bailing on any Saturday plans you’re not into. Read: showers. I think I’m finally aging out of my bridal shower days, but heading into prime baby shower territory, which sounds even worse. Thankfully, working Saturdays lets me off the hook with a legitimate reason to RSVP no, instead of feeling bad for making up some excuse.