Why I Worked Two Shifts in a Restaurant
This past weekend I worked two shifts at Assaggio in downtown Seattle. If you’ve ever visited DevHub, odds are we’ve taken you there.
Side note: DevHub board chairman stopped by.
Why?
It was 4 or 5pm on a Friday, and I didn’t want to just go home, watch movies, scroll on my phone. I don’t have kids. Work slows a bit on weekends (though never really far from my core). I’m also not drinking right now—so could I enjoy the company of others while also delivering value? I figured, why not work?
I’ve always been curious about restaurant life. After two nights, my respect for hospitality pros is sky-high. And yet, despite the crash course, I still have zero clue. What I do know is that it left me wondering what role—if any—I’d want in hospitality’s future.
Takeaways:
Brute force entrepreneurship can get you to $5–10M in revenue in any industry.
To grow beyond, it’s not more “ideas”—it’s people, in the right roles, with real leadership.
Consumers are shifting fast—gluten-free, Apple Pay, online reservations, vegetarian menus, less alcohol. Hospitality has to adapt.
I encountered the wildest cross-section of humanity—CEOs, newlyweds, first dates, families, sports fans, regulars, tourists, drunks, artists.
The staff let me into their world. I prepped with The Bear and Bourdain, but really, what I got were moments. And those were enough.
The “high” after service. Not tired. Energized. Wanting to tell every micro story. Makes me wonder if that sticks—or fades—with time.
Most guests were great (we turned the place over 5x per night). Even the feisty 2% were fun.
Dinner out is still a tradition. But here’s what I wonder: with rising prices, smartphones, AI, meal kits, and delivery—will we still sit in restaurants, bars, hotels a decade from now? Who even is the customer?
I don’t have the answer. I just know I’m more curious than ever about hospitality, humanity, and what comes next.