Most laid-off SF tech workers aren’t qualified for this $50 dishwasher job

Summary

Phong Nguyen, executive chef of Vietnamese restaurant Pho de Nguyen in San Francisco, had long struggled to hire dishwashers. On Aug. 30 he posted on Instagram: dishwasher wanted, $50/hour including tips, “must be faster than me.” The post went viral — 87,000+ views, 350+ DMs — and he’s now holding open interviews.

Key points:

• The job: Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. — the busiest shifts, demanding stamina and experience. Nguyen has worked the dish pit himself for about 15 years.
• Pay context: SF minimum wage is $19.61; dishwashers typically top out at $22–23/hour, so $50 is far above market.
• Why he can afford it: Business is booming — sales doubled last month, up to $10,000 on the busiest days, ~400 customers daily. The Sixth Street location opened April 2025 in the former Turtle Tower space.
• Laid-off tech workers applying: Noticeably more over the past year, but most lack restaurant experience — “most are not qualified.” He wants “athletes” and is done being a stepping stone.
• His take on the labor market: Bay Area restaurant turnover is inherently high. People with stable, simple lives and rent to pay stay longer; those jumping from tech tend to treat it as a transition.

Nguyen holds an economics degree from Sacramento State; his wife Jeannie Ho owns the restaurants (the name is a play on “for the win”), with a second location in San Bruno.