Dishwashers: "The craziest are always going to be in the dish pit" | Dish Pigs
Dishwashers: "The craziest are always going to be in the dish pit" | Dish Pigs
From five-star restaurants to dirty dives, the most compelling stories come from the dish pit. Meet three Montrealers who choose to wash dishes for a living. #CBCShortDocs #DishPigs
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In a city known for nightlife and haute cuisine, Dish Pigs tells the untold stories of dishwashers in Montreal. Through intimate first-person accounts and gritty visual storytelling, the film unearths the deeper truths about the working-class economy that lie just beyond the doors of your favourite restaurant kitchens.
Our story focuses on the lives of three eccentric dishwashers, each navigating their own day-to-day struggles while working nights in the dish pit.
34-year-old Shawn began working at Montreal restaurant Le Bremner after a family tragedy left his life in ruins in 2016. Under the guidance of Chef Danny Smiles, Shawn is finally putting his life back together.
We meet 61-year-old Claude, a veteran dishwasher — he’s been working in the restaurant industry for 40 years. Claude spends his free time acting as his neighborhood’s unofficial handyman and helping people in his community with their daily tasks.
Then there’s 26-year-old Ali, a Texas native who came to Montreal to broaden her horizons and introduce Montrealers to a whole style of dancing. Ali has a newfound philosophy on life, thanks to her work in the dish pit.
Performing the tasks no one else wants to do — cleaning nasty messes, scraping remnants of people’s meals into growing garbage, ensuring chefs have what they need to turn ordinary food into extraordinary meals — one has to wonder: who are these restaurant industry underdogs who choose to clean up our mess? And what makes them tick?
Dish Pigs takes viewers past the cultured atmosphere of fine dining into the dish pit, where the wild antics of dishwashers, sous-chefs and chefs are unleashed as life moves to a different rhythm: rinse, wash, repeat.
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The only thing I’m wondering is why they made this video. It’s not like no one knows what it’s like to be a dishwasher.
We are the crazy ones, we are the wingnuts, we are the whack a moles, and it is because of that we get the job done!
I personally like my dishwashing job, I’m the "Unofficial manager" of the dishpit I work in and I have a pretty good krew, and some good chefs to work with…It’s the servers I complain about the most lol.
We get family meal every night, beers on super busy nights, smoke breaks, living wage, hugs from the female chefs, fist bumps from the male chefs and the place I work in now is the first restaurant I ever worked in where the owners make sure to go out of their way to see us in the dish pit to say good night and thanks before they leave.
pot washing is not a good job get shouted at for low pay
Dishwashers do most of the work in damn near all of the restaurants
I’m 17 and I work as a dishwasher at the Summit. We have to clean the dishes (including pots, pans, cutting boards, etc), put the dishes away, take out the trash mop and sweep the kitchen, clean prep tables, clean walk in freezers, clean the drains, and then there times where my coworkers ask for my help even though I already have a lot to do. My job holds up to 1300 people so it gets busy.
i understan Texas girl so much!..i am butcher 20 years working with my mens!…most of the times…we have fun..and customers…love our team..laughing probably 80% of the time!…when you are happy to go to work…you find your spot…there is no little job.. if it makes you feel good…alive…happy…thats the way it should be…i wouldn’t change my place for a job that pay big $$…but…nothing else…everything should matter…money…by a lot…but not everything…
Grossly underpaid for the work you’re expected to put it regularly and no respect. It is definitely a very important part of a kitchen, but there’s a reason why few people make a career of it.
As to everyone saying it pays nothing because anyone can do it, so untrue. You have to have a really good work ethic, the speed, the focus and not get overwhelmed when things get extremely busy.
Blabbley blabble waa waa, woo! all comments rock not! God Bless the ol man.
Dishwasher are paid low in france
I start dishwashing on Friday .. im so nervous
Thank you so much for this interesting documental and I am a dishwasher myself and the only female who does it, so I felt happy when I saw the female employee and her past storyline is interesting
Canada’s official language should be only English. France is in Europe not north America.
I’ve worked every position in restaurants, 5 star to hole in the walls.. and you ain’t legit til you’ve worked in the pit.
I have worked as a dishwasher for UNOCAL 76 and T/A Truck Stops, Old Country Buffet, and I currently work for a mom and pops pizza joint as a dishwasher.
3:55 Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy… oof
I’m currently a dishwasher at the hospital here and I have to say that to anyone out there that wants to be a dishwasher, its not hard. Honestly all you need to do is to not get overly stressed out. Stress is something that will eat you up and make you treat people poorly. Find a way to deal with stress and handle it, be calm and stay focused. And yea the job is very physical but to me the job is not hard.
Wow,I never knew how much they had to struggle to get to where they are today. It must be hard being a dishwasher. Taking orders, washing dishes, going through a quick workflow, It’s hard work. I respect each and everyone who’s a dishwasher.
They are faking it
started at 16, 36 now and still spraying. 🙂 you know a true dish dog if they carry a rag on there shoulder. it’s used to grab hot pans/objects.
I started as a dishie and worked my way up to becoming a sous chef and I have mad respect to my dishies and I make sure I treat them correct because washing dishes is a very hard job specially when the service is so busy. One golden rule to other chefs don’t just throw your stuff in the sink because it is not cool.
I actually miss the place though I used to work at this place called 7th Street Lounge
A fundamental for a dishwasher is organizing cookbooks not just dishes.
*I brought my first laptop* by washing dishes
I’m a Kitchen Porter and i’m 17 funding for important stuff and tbh it’s a good job i’m well paid and iv made hundreds and only working for 3 weeks :))
And then the dishwashing job gets automated!
I work in a restaurant where we are all supposed to do dishes between our other responsibilities. I like how we all share the burden but they do get out of control sometimes!
Dishwasher should be averaging like 13 to 14 an hour as a dishwasher they should treated with the most repsect.
I think everyone should be a dishwasher at least once in their life cause if you haven’t been one you won’t understand the hard work it is. It’s underpaying and you at the bottom of the totem pole where you work. I was a dishwasher for 3 years. It’s wear and tear on your hands and legs. I’d get bad hand cramps.
I got a job working in a fancy brewery/restaurant as a dishwasher..I start tomorrow and I’m excited..I worked as a dishwasher in my teens and at 20 ..I will be 39 soon and honestly I love the hard work
i’m a k.p in a hotel-restaurant, its a very busy job but i love it, among all the jobs iv’e had its the only one that has taught me anything close to a work ethic, work quick, work hard.
claude says he cant sit still 5 mins later hes meditating
Love this! People don’t realize a kitchen is a team! It’s only as strong as it’s weakest link so it benefits everyone to be working hard. We need to be worried about how our job level effects others not ourselves. You realize that and live like that and you get a richer life in general. You can get anywhere in life without hard work.
The Work that Dishwashers do is severely underpaid and disregarded. FOH Tips should be equally distributed with the BOH including dishwashers/busboys and line cooks in all restaurants. Most restaurants do not work in this way.
Real dishwashers dont use machines
Why is that girl practically naked
What an amazing doc
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for watching and for your likes! We’re Endorphin Films – the makers of Dish Pigs – and we wanted to let you know that unfortunately, our dear Claude has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His friends and colleagues started a Go Fund Me campaign to help cover some of his bills while he undergoes treatment, as he can’t keep up with the demands of his job at this time.
If you’re interested in support his cause, please check out his Go Fund Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/taling-care-of-on-soccupe-de-claude-chalifoux
Many thanks!
I have to wash dishes, cook food, and keep the whole kitchen clean myself getting paid 7.50 a hour and on top of that I have to close the kitchen by myself it’s so stressful
Is that girl billie ellish? XD
CBC is putting out some badass documentaries, better than Vice these days
I want a job as a dish pig any were I have 16years experience just a chance to provide for my family
How is she getting away with that shirt? I have no problem people wearing whatever they want but you really need a full short sleeve shirt in a kitchen.
I used to do that the reason I stopped not because the dishwasher is because of employees was always trying to play the boss everything else was cool if the other employees would have mind their own business I would have been cool or if I would’ve had some help on very busy nights cuz sometimes they have me doing a three-man job it was a challenge at times.
My job is very overwhelming but Im depending on it is helping though
Former dishwasher i did it for almost 10 years before i had my child.
I know all about this career. I’m a renowned restaurant dishwasher in the northeast Ohio area and have been working in the culinary field for 15 years. I just wish they had an "Iron Dishwasher" competition on Food Network as they do an "Iron Chef". I’d be all in on that, especially for some prize money. But, "the craziest are always in the dish pit" lol, what a joke title to this video! The segment on the young woman; a college degree in philosophy, dances and enjoys her hobbies in her spare time. That’s far from crazy. She does what makes her feel happy and relaxed, all the while getting the benefits from being a hard worker and having a good work ethic. That’s the opposite of a crazy person. What I like about this video though, is it shows behind the scenes that restaurant dishwashers are real people too, going through real people human things in life, just as anyone else out there. Only difference is, some people just chose to be a "dishwasher" as a job career. As long as they are somewhat happy doing it, take pride and joy in their work, I don’t see anything wrong with it.