A Miami steakhouse server’s secret to making ends meet in one of America’s least affordable markets

Stefany Serna is not without worries: a slowing local economy, saving up for the future, and a cost of living that seems to be endlessly increasing.

But a major concern for many other Miami-area residents — paying for housing — does not keep Serna, who works at a high-end steakhouse in Coral Gables, up at night.

Thanks to an informal connection to her landlord, the costs for the home she shares with her partner are below market prices.

“We lucked out with the rent,” Serna said.

It’s emblematic of an advantage many in Miami’s large Cuban population enjoy. Miami-Dade County’s average household size is about 2.8, compared with the national rate of 2.5. While that may seem like a small difference, it reflects a greater tendency among Cuban Americans to live in multigenerational households, thereby providing larger informal support networks.

Serna said Miami Springs, a small upper-middle-class city just north of Miami International Airport, is a place where everyone more or less knows each other.

Although she’d never been formally introduced to the landlord, she recognized him and his wife from having worked in local restaurants.

“The town is small, and when you grow up here like we did as well as his wife and him, you see the same people,” Serna said.

Primary source of income: Serna made about $55,000 in salary from waiting tables last year, but that figure does not include tips, which help cushion their household’s spending.

She said her salary has gone up every year, in part through building sweat equity at the establishment.

“It’s me being able to sell — being a server versus just an ‘order taker,’” Serna said. “It helps if you get into knowing the menu and are able to offer suggestions, knowing wine.”

Unfortunately, her skills have run headlong into economic realities: Miami’s economy is experiencing a noticeable slowdown following a boom during the initial phase of the pandemic. Miami-Dade’s unemployment rate has surged from 1.4% in January to 3.1% in July — an acceleration that has only previously occurred during recessions.

“Right now, it’s not looking so hot,” Serna said.

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