Well, in the begining, the pay does suck. The hours are horrible. You work when all your friends aren't. We won't even get into the injuries. So why do it? Well...
In the begining, it was a pay check for me. I didn't have many prospects on the job front and needed something quick. A family restaurant was hiring, so I applied and got the job. After awhile, it just felt right. I thought of other fields to work in, but there was always something that didn't seem right. Kitchen staff, lifers, are an odd bunch. It just kind of feels right. Yeah, I would love having weekends off to go out and do things, but when it all comes down to it, I don't really mind not.
Maybe it's seeing the faces of customers smiling and going on about how good their meal was. Maybe it's the fact you never have to worry about going hungry. Maybe I'm just a masakist (horrible spelling) who enjoys the heat, steam, fire and injuries. All I know is I'm happy when I'm there, love what I do because it's me.