Flexible, allowed me to keep a job while my college hours were not forgiving
Pros
If you are a closing server you can make GOOD money in season. The staff I worked with, as well as management, were generally very friendly people. The company is very customer-service oriented, we were allowed and encouraged to go the extra mile to really give your guest an above-average experience, including getting a order of fries from a neighboring restaurant for a finicky kid (and will bend over backwards to make up for any kind of error that detracts from the guests' experience). My location did hire management from within so there was a high amount of camaraderie, and then fraternization was mostly non-existent except for cases like preexisting friendships.
Cons
Patio shifts are almost always worthless, especially since they keep the patio open almost year-round. Slow periods of the year can be very hard to get through. Good backwaits can under compensated, and therefore makes them hard to retain. Lunch is hardly worth working if you are not closing. Too much work and time in the restaurant for the $20 or so you will make on the average lunch. You have to be 18 to work here, (I believe this is one reason the backwaits turn over so fast, you can't survive on those wages unless you still live with your parents or have good serving shifts as well). Family-style dining (each food items served on a separate dish and guests have individual dishes as well) can make for a LOT of dishes to bus, pre-bussing can be hard since the dishes are pretty heavy. Overpriced novelty food can make it harder to create regulars.