Sloan Campi here, writing this during one of the busiest days of the year in Monterey County—the Friday before the conclusion of Car Week.
In this week’s print edition, Weekly Editor Sara Rubin penned an opinion piece about rethinking how the events of Car Week are carried out, given the impacts on Monterey County from the point of view of traffic, noise and environmental impacts. Through some informal polling of Monterey County residents, there is a common sentiment in response to the hassles Car Week brings: “It’s good for business.”
While the majority of Rubin’s respondents said they’re indifferent about Car Week, those who work in the hospitality industry endure the impacts to make ends meet.
The sheer number of events—including private parties—brings opportunities for additional work. An invitation-only affair hosted by Maserati at a Pebble Beach vacation home last year, for example, required two bartenders, a barista, cooks and servers for a Saturday afternoon. Other manufacturers held similar events on the same block that day.
But as experience suggests, simply getting to work on time—with traffic and parking—becomes a chore for many.
Last August, Jessica Hawkins was scheduled to work at a Carmel Valley event during Car Week. The event provided hourly shuttles for employees to get from the parking lot to the site. When the vehicle arrived, Hawkins discovered that it seated 27 people. She was 28th in line.
Normally Hawkins could improvise. But Car Week brings increased demand for taxis and rideshare services. While standing on the side of Carmel Valley Road, she managed to hail a ride from some other service workers who happened to be heading in the same direction as her, changing her clothes in the car as she made it to her second job, rounding off a 14-hour workday.
Double-digit hours of working is the norm for several service workers, but many who I talked to would rather not speak on the record about it, because, again, “it’s good for business.”
A glance at advertisements for temporary help during Car Week events suggests that demand for labor is strong: up to $30 an hour for bartenders, $28 an hour for catering staff, $25 an hour for event ushers. (For comparison, the California hourly minimum wage is $16.50, with fast food employees earning $20.)
According to See Monterey, visitors from outside of the county spent an estimated $130 million during Car Week in 2024. For many hotels, the 10-day span is critical to financial well-being.
Another hospitality professional who was willing to share her story, Rachael Kohaut, adds, “Monterey is not a cheap place to live. California is not a cheap place to live.”
The astronomical amount of wealth that descends on Monterey County during Car Week is juxtaposed with those who struggle to live here. “When [people] with multiple jobs are worried if they’re going to lose their apartment, it feels dystopian,” Kohaut says.
Hawkins is a veteran of 16 years in the local service industry and sees pros and cons during Car Week.
“Working in restaurants during Car Week can sometimes be more trouble than it’s worth,” she says, pointing out that earnings from tips end up being comparable to any other time during tourist season. “But when it comes to the events side, I think that’s really where the best money is.”
In several cases, the benefits may not just be monetary.
“It’s really sweet to see peoples’ faces light up when seeing a rare and exotic car parked right on the street,” Kohaut says. “There are some people who are kind and generous and treat restaurant staff nicely, but the general vibe from most is that they’re ‘better than us.’”
When I asked Hawkins if there was anything she wished Car Week visitors would be more aware of while dining out or attending events, she emphasized the importance of patience. Restaurants do bulk up staffing to handle the extra crowds, and those are the people working hard to ensure everyone has the time of their lives.
“Why be upset on vacation?” she asks.