Hello, y'all. Hope you are enjoying this awesome spring weather!
Instead of venting today, I want to talk about the people who have actually made my day.
Last summer, a older man was seated in my section. He told me he was waiting for his family. He ordered a martini and two starters. When his family arrived, they ordered drinks and one more starter. I swear, our smoked salmon dip is almost as addicting as Diet Coke for some people. Anyway, they were super friendly throughout the whole meal, not to mention they all ordered high priced steaks and a rack of ribs for everyone to share (which results in a lovely bill).
Because I have the ability to have a conversation with anyone, I was working my magic at their table. I had a beach trip coming up, and I figured since they were a nice family, maybe my charisma would impact my tip! So, I started talking to his daughters....it was obvious that they were "daddy's girls." They were in college, and we casually chatted about rush because they were both in the same sorority....BINGO. So am I. However, one of them had a serious illness. (I had NO idea until a few weeks ago.) Overall, it was easy-breezey and actually pleasant....I dropped them bill, said my good-bye speech and hoped for the best. That was it. The hostess came to clean the table and set up for another round.
You see, when hostesses clean the tables after the guests leave, they fold the receipt and write our names on it. Well, this particular hostess came straight up to me with huge eyes and said, "How much should a person tip on $209?" (That was the price of the bill). Normally I would just double the tax and say about $50. She asked me to guess how much they left me. Usually, when we play this game, the answer is either A) nothing or B) not enough.
So I guessed $40...she said "higher." $50? "Higher." $70? "Higher." $100? "Bingo." Who the heck would leave a $100 tip? I was elated. I knew I charmed them and all...but I didn't expect such a generous return! It's safe to say that I didn't stress too much about tips for the rest of that slow Wednesday night.
Now, a few weeks ago, a woman was seated in my section during a busy lunch. She was waiting on her brother. When he arrived, I knew instantly that it was the selfless tipper. I didn't know if he remembered me, so I didn't say anything. I debated on telling him thank you or even hugging him when he left....but at the end of the meal, he found me instead.
He explained to me that one of his daughters was very ill when I waited on them in the summer. Their entire family thought I was so kind and friendly when I was talking to them, especially when we were talking about sorority stuff....which is weird because I could go on about that for days since it was my life for four years! Anyway, she was struggling with brain cancer. He said I brighten their evening with my personality and interest in their lives.
It's amazing how little things can go such a long way. Now, that huge tip really doesn't seem so important. And neither do the generous ones he leaves me every time he comes in and asks for me. What's important is that kindness, friendliness or even a simple smile has the ability to make someone's day. Every time I think my days as a server couldn't get any worse, I remind myself that there are people in the world with bigger problems than mine.
Always at your service,
86 sense
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Monday, March 14, 2011
Check out other service industry blogs...
I have included a few service industry blogs that I find entertaining, and unfortunately, true. Although my stories are a bit "G-rated" and not too harsh, these people have no filter. One thing I have learned from these blogs is that there are people out there who have it worse than I do at times!
http://www.igotstiffed.com/
*This is one so funny, but again, has no censor! I submitted my blog to them, and hopefully they will post it. If not, I am going to comment like crazy on other storys...while always including my link :)
http://waiterpay.com/blog/
*More informative rather than enteraining. This is geared more towards service industry workers rather than those who just like to laugh.
http://waiterrant.net/?p=1597
*This is just one post; however, if you go to the homepage (http://www.waiterrant.net/), read the archives. Obviously, this blogger got a book deal out of his stories. Ah, the power of social media!
http://www.stuckserving.com/
http://www.stainedapron.com/
Oh, and for the record...remember my Valentine's Day drama? Well, this past Saturday I worked six hours, not 15 hours, and made more than I did on Valentine's Day. See something wrong with this? Much love for people with restaurant etiquette.
Also, is the new font color and style easier to read on your computer? Please comment!
Promise to update soon. I am buried under mounds of research, midterms and laundry.
Always at your service,
86 sense
http://www.igotstiffed.com/
*This is one so funny, but again, has no censor! I submitted my blog to them, and hopefully they will post it. If not, I am going to comment like crazy on other storys...while always including my link :)
http://waiterpay.com/blog/
*More informative rather than enteraining. This is geared more towards service industry workers rather than those who just like to laugh.
http://waiterrant.net/?p=1597
*This is just one post; however, if you go to the homepage (http://www.waiterrant.net/), read the archives. Obviously, this blogger got a book deal out of his stories. Ah, the power of social media!
http://www.stuckserving.com/
http://www.stainedapron.com/
Oh, and for the record...remember my Valentine's Day drama? Well, this past Saturday I worked six hours, not 15 hours, and made more than I did on Valentine's Day. See something wrong with this? Much love for people with restaurant etiquette.
Also, is the new font color and style easier to read on your computer? Please comment!
Promise to update soon. I am buried under mounds of research, midterms and laundry.
Always at your service,
86 sense
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Look out, World.
Lately, the weather has been awesome! It's cool, sunny and perfect for dining outside. And most importantly, it is the perfect weather for crawfish! So, last night my friend and I decided to head to a popular restaurant for a few drinks and some hot, boiled crawfish.
This is besides the point, but it is relevant to this story...
If you follow me regularly, you be wondering what "86 sense" means. Well, in the restaurant world, when something is "86'ed," it means we are out of it. Conversely, when something is "68'ed," it means we have it again. Just some quick restaurant lingo for those who might be confused. Therefore, my name represents all of the people who lack common sense when dining...as well as my state of mind while serving these people in hopes to get on their level and truly understand them.
Anyway, the theme of our dining experience last night was definitely "86 sense." Here is the play-by-play...
Dressed in running shorts, t-shirts, hats and tennis shoes, we walked into the restaurant ready to eat some crawfish. We walked up to the hostess and asked to be seated on the balcony. She said it was full; however, before we walked in we assessed the situation, and there were clearly four open tables. So, she goes upstairs to look. When she comes back down, she tells us that there are tables but no chairs because others had taken them. Also, I should mention that there were five hostesses.
Knowing that there was availability, we asked if we could just go up there and look for ourselves...and we were so nice the whole time. I am not sure what part of this statement was hard to understand, but they looked like someone asked them to solve an impossible math problem.
Walking away, we just giggled about it because it was so awkward because they were literally so dumb. Guess you just had to be there to understand these girls. Next, we walked out on to the balcony and had 4 tables, like I suspected before, with...wait for it...
Chairs. That makes the first "86 sense" experience. Then, our waitress comes.
No "hi girls, how are y'all?" or "what can I get for you tonight?"...she just walks up and asks "So, are y'all just gonna chill tonight?"
"86 sense" experience number two.
Do I look like a girl who comes to a restaurant to "just chill"? No, I am dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with every intention of pigging-out...and it is obvious like I like to eat!
We ordered our drinks, and when she returned we ordered. This is how it went:
Me: "Yes, we want the mozzarella sticks, then we would each like the crawfish."
Server: "OK, so two mozzarella sticks, and two crawfish?"
Me: "No, we want one mozzarella and each want crawfish."
Server: "Oh yeah, that's whats up!"
"86 sense" experience number three.
Seriously? I know this is a casual place, but come on, girl. Be mindful of what you say to your guests...you never know who you are serving.
Well, after about 15 minutes, no cheese sticks! They are listed under the appetizer section, and we figured she knew her menu. Since my friend and I are both servers, we didn't want to be those obnoxious women who flag you down from across the restaurant...so I somehow managed to catch her attention as she was walking by in her constant state of confusion.
I told her that we wanted it as a starter...since it was listed as one. She played it cool and managed to get them within the next minute. Before we could take a bite, there she was, holding our crawfish. Keep in mind that our table was about two feet by two feet, and we have no room for our feast. All we could do was laugh it off.
"86 sense" experience number four.
Thank goodness she had one thing going for her: refill efficiency. Before I ordered, I rethought my decision because I didn't want to be stuck sucking ice cubes while eating crawfish. The things she would ask us and her actions were just comical. And after our responses she would always say, "Good. Great." It was so funny.
Then came time to split our checks. I was nervous. We told her to split the appetizer and dessert between the two of us. She split everything in half....but put them on the same ticket:
1/2 cheese sticks
1/2 cheese sticks
1 crawfish
1 drink
Last time I checked, two halves make a whole, right? "86 sense" experience number five.
Probably won't ever go back to that location, unless I want to be entertained by bad table side mannerisms. From the rude and blind fleet of hostesses, to the ditsy and scatterbrained server, the whole dining experience was like being punked. Thank goodness the crawfish were good.
Usually, if people lack the "book smarts," they can usually fend for themselves with common sense. As for these hostesses/servers, they lack both. Look out, World.
Always at your service,
86 sense
This is besides the point, but it is relevant to this story...
If you follow me regularly, you be wondering what "86 sense" means. Well, in the restaurant world, when something is "86'ed," it means we are out of it. Conversely, when something is "68'ed," it means we have it again. Just some quick restaurant lingo for those who might be confused. Therefore, my name represents all of the people who lack common sense when dining...as well as my state of mind while serving these people in hopes to get on their level and truly understand them.
Anyway, the theme of our dining experience last night was definitely "86 sense." Here is the play-by-play...
Dressed in running shorts, t-shirts, hats and tennis shoes, we walked into the restaurant ready to eat some crawfish. We walked up to the hostess and asked to be seated on the balcony. She said it was full; however, before we walked in we assessed the situation, and there were clearly four open tables. So, she goes upstairs to look. When she comes back down, she tells us that there are tables but no chairs because others had taken them. Also, I should mention that there were five hostesses.
Knowing that there was availability, we asked if we could just go up there and look for ourselves...and we were so nice the whole time. I am not sure what part of this statement was hard to understand, but they looked like someone asked them to solve an impossible math problem.
Walking away, we just giggled about it because it was so awkward because they were literally so dumb. Guess you just had to be there to understand these girls. Next, we walked out on to the balcony and had 4 tables, like I suspected before, with...wait for it...
Chairs. That makes the first "86 sense" experience. Then, our waitress comes.
No "hi girls, how are y'all?" or "what can I get for you tonight?"...she just walks up and asks "So, are y'all just gonna chill tonight?"
"86 sense" experience number two.
Do I look like a girl who comes to a restaurant to "just chill"? No, I am dressed in shorts and a t-shirt with every intention of pigging-out...and it is obvious like I like to eat!
We ordered our drinks, and when she returned we ordered. This is how it went:
Me: "Yes, we want the mozzarella sticks, then we would each like the crawfish."
Server: "OK, so two mozzarella sticks, and two crawfish?"
Me: "No, we want one mozzarella and each want crawfish."
Server: "Oh yeah, that's whats up!"
"86 sense" experience number three.
Seriously? I know this is a casual place, but come on, girl. Be mindful of what you say to your guests...you never know who you are serving.
Well, after about 15 minutes, no cheese sticks! They are listed under the appetizer section, and we figured she knew her menu. Since my friend and I are both servers, we didn't want to be those obnoxious women who flag you down from across the restaurant...so I somehow managed to catch her attention as she was walking by in her constant state of confusion.
I told her that we wanted it as a starter...since it was listed as one. She played it cool and managed to get them within the next minute. Before we could take a bite, there she was, holding our crawfish. Keep in mind that our table was about two feet by two feet, and we have no room for our feast. All we could do was laugh it off.
"86 sense" experience number four.
Thank goodness she had one thing going for her: refill efficiency. Before I ordered, I rethought my decision because I didn't want to be stuck sucking ice cubes while eating crawfish. The things she would ask us and her actions were just comical. And after our responses she would always say, "Good. Great." It was so funny.
Then came time to split our checks. I was nervous. We told her to split the appetizer and dessert between the two of us. She split everything in half....but put them on the same ticket:
1/2 cheese sticks
1/2 cheese sticks
1 crawfish
1 drink
Last time I checked, two halves make a whole, right? "86 sense" experience number five.
Probably won't ever go back to that location, unless I want to be entertained by bad table side mannerisms. From the rude and blind fleet of hostesses, to the ditsy and scatterbrained server, the whole dining experience was like being punked. Thank goodness the crawfish were good.
Usually, if people lack the "book smarts," they can usually fend for themselves with common sense. As for these hostesses/servers, they lack both. Look out, World.
Always at your service,
86 sense
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Seriously?
What will they think of next?
Read this article...let me know your thoughts!
http://taintedgreen.com/green-gadgets/ireplace-restaurants-dump-printed-menus-and-staff-for-ipads/000938/kr-13
Always at your service,
86 sense
Read this article...let me know your thoughts!
http://taintedgreen.com/green-gadgets/ireplace-restaurants-dump-printed-menus-and-staff-for-ipads/000938/kr-13
Always at your service,
86 sense
Server in the City: No love for Valentine's Day
Server in the City: No love for Valentine's Day: "Although I promised to update Monday night, the mental and physical state of exhaustion simply wouldn't allow it. After a 14 hour work ..."
No love for Valentine's Day
Although I promised to update Monday night, the mental and physical state of exhaustion simply wouldn't allow it. After a 14 hour work day, I just wanted to:
The morning started off with a positive server meeting, followed by a wonderful cupcake breakfast! And cupcakes didn't end at breakfast. Whenever we had a chance, we were eating pounds of candy, brownies, cupcakes, and our managers even made us pizzas for lunch. Also, whenever we seemed sluggish, our managers broke out cases of Monster energy drinks as a pick-me-upper. If all this junk isn't enough to make someone feel sick by the end of the night....the clientele did.
I get it. It's a dim-lighting, semi-dressy, nice restaurant. It's a tad bit pricey, romantic and an ideal choice for a special evening. It's no wonder why we were on a wait until 10:10...even though it is plastered on the door that we CLOSE at 10:00.
What I don't get is how so many people can lack so much COMMON SENSE. It's somewhat scary. Let me explain how something works. Believe it or not, server's don't work for free. Shocking, I know....sorry if I caught some of you off guard. Actually, 3% of your bill goes to hostesses or server assistants. Therefore, if you choose not to tip your server, we are actually paying for you to eat while working for less than nothing...literally.
This is how it works. We get paid $2.13 an hour....and the last time I saw a paycheck was...never. Since we have to claim tips for tax purposes, we leave with cash after every shift. It's hard to explain, but basically, the $2.13 an hour is like leverage...if you don't make what you should have based on your total sales...the $2.13 factors in to make up for it.
What my rant breaks down to is that fact that Valentine's Day sucks if you are in the service industry. The goal of every person on the floor that night was to make money. In order to make money, you have to deliver...from the service to the mood created at the table in order to make a special evening. I delivered. My co-workers delivered. The guests...did not. It became a joke. When people left the table, we would play a guessing game... "how much do you think you got?" Answers ranged from zero to around $4. You were considered lucky if you got anything over $5. I was grateful whenever I got anything. I did not treat any table different from the other...who am I to judge?
Unfortunately, around 9:00 p.m., my job just became comical. I was done. I was care-free about everything because it simply was not worth my time. I did my job to the minimum and attempted to make the evening special for people, but by then, I just didn't care...because this is what I was dealing with:
1. It's Valentine's Day. You are on a date. You are in a restaurant. You are going to talk on your phone during the entire meal. Not only are you on your phone, but you are talking on an ear piece...and you look good.
*Classic. That's the way to make a woman feel special. Well my friend, you might be wondering why I haven't approached your table yet. Who am I to interrupt your conversation? You can just stay parched until your important conversations finishes.
2. It's Valentine's Day. You are on a date. You are so into your date. You think y'all should sit on the same side of the booth. You want to cuddle. Now, y'all make-out. Ultimately, you want to make this super awkward for everyone around y'all.
*Super uncomfortable. Get a room. Or here is an even better idea. Stay home. Order take-out. Cook a nice meal. Overall, I am going to end up boxing your food because you cannot keep your hands off of each other. Save your time and money...and spare me the awkward experience.
3. It's Valentine's Day. You order a tropical drink...at a restaurant with one of the biggest wine selections in the area. Man, the bartender forgot the umbrella for your drink. No festive umbrella, no tip for my server.
*Sorry, mam. We must have ran out of umbrellas when we ran out of frozen drinks. Oh wait, we never had either.
4. It's Valentine's Day. You want two shots of Patron. Two more please. Twoooo more please. Now, you seem too drunk to order...and too broke to tip.
*Didn't know people wanted to party hard on Valentine's Day. I have sympathy for your date. If I was her, I would be insulted. Obviously, he has to get hammered in order to enjoy the evening. Is the really that bad of company? Who does this?
5. It's Valentine's Day. You get drinks. You get appetizers. You get expensive entrees. Of course, you get dessert. Overall, you rack up a pretty high ticket. You "stiff" your server. How nice of you!
*Theme of the night. My lowest ticket of the night was $57.63. Several tickets reached over $130. If I was tipped at all, it was about 4%. Great effort to make your Valentine feel special...your server, not so much.
Here is the final breakdown... (drum roll, please....)
Valentine's Day 2011 Stats:
Number of times I wanted to quit on the spot: 12
Number of times people wanted to quit on the spot: 23
Number of times people actually quit on the spot: 1
Hours worked: 14
My personal sales from 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m: $1600
Tip share (taken out of my sales): $48
State tax: 9%....do the math. Double the tax and that turns out to be 18%. Wow. Simple knowledge. Use it.
If every table tipped the standard 18%: $288
If every table tipped me 20% (which is the norm at this restaurant): $320
What I walked with that night: $180
*And I was one of the lucky ones...
It's ironic that a holiday based on love can fill people with so much anger! Now, with you as my witness, I vouch to not work in a restaurant by next Valentine's Day. So, hurry up internships!
Apologies for the preaching. venting, complaining, whining, math lessons, etc. I promise I DO enjoy my job... people can be great. I guess the reason why Valentine's Day was awful is because the great people have common sense..which makes them great. :)
Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Always at your service,
86 sense
- Sit in silence.
- Indulge in one, or four, bottles of pinot.
- Soak in a bubble bath.
- Sleep until next week.
- Black out the entire day.
The morning started off with a positive server meeting, followed by a wonderful cupcake breakfast! And cupcakes didn't end at breakfast. Whenever we had a chance, we were eating pounds of candy, brownies, cupcakes, and our managers even made us pizzas for lunch. Also, whenever we seemed sluggish, our managers broke out cases of Monster energy drinks as a pick-me-upper. If all this junk isn't enough to make someone feel sick by the end of the night....the clientele did.
I get it. It's a dim-lighting, semi-dressy, nice restaurant. It's a tad bit pricey, romantic and an ideal choice for a special evening. It's no wonder why we were on a wait until 10:10...even though it is plastered on the door that we CLOSE at 10:00.
What I don't get is how so many people can lack so much COMMON SENSE. It's somewhat scary. Let me explain how something works. Believe it or not, server's don't work for free. Shocking, I know....sorry if I caught some of you off guard. Actually, 3% of your bill goes to hostesses or server assistants. Therefore, if you choose not to tip your server, we are actually paying for you to eat while working for less than nothing...literally.
This is how it works. We get paid $2.13 an hour....and the last time I saw a paycheck was...never. Since we have to claim tips for tax purposes, we leave with cash after every shift. It's hard to explain, but basically, the $2.13 an hour is like leverage...if you don't make what you should have based on your total sales...the $2.13 factors in to make up for it.
What my rant breaks down to is that fact that Valentine's Day sucks if you are in the service industry. The goal of every person on the floor that night was to make money. In order to make money, you have to deliver...from the service to the mood created at the table in order to make a special evening. I delivered. My co-workers delivered. The guests...did not. It became a joke. When people left the table, we would play a guessing game... "how much do you think you got?" Answers ranged from zero to around $4. You were considered lucky if you got anything over $5. I was grateful whenever I got anything. I did not treat any table different from the other...who am I to judge?
Unfortunately, around 9:00 p.m., my job just became comical. I was done. I was care-free about everything because it simply was not worth my time. I did my job to the minimum and attempted to make the evening special for people, but by then, I just didn't care...because this is what I was dealing with:
1. It's Valentine's Day. You are on a date. You are in a restaurant. You are going to talk on your phone during the entire meal. Not only are you on your phone, but you are talking on an ear piece...and you look good.
*Classic. That's the way to make a woman feel special. Well my friend, you might be wondering why I haven't approached your table yet. Who am I to interrupt your conversation? You can just stay parched until your important conversations finishes.
2. It's Valentine's Day. You are on a date. You are so into your date. You think y'all should sit on the same side of the booth. You want to cuddle. Now, y'all make-out. Ultimately, you want to make this super awkward for everyone around y'all.
*Super uncomfortable. Get a room. Or here is an even better idea. Stay home. Order take-out. Cook a nice meal. Overall, I am going to end up boxing your food because you cannot keep your hands off of each other. Save your time and money...and spare me the awkward experience.
3. It's Valentine's Day. You order a tropical drink...at a restaurant with one of the biggest wine selections in the area. Man, the bartender forgot the umbrella for your drink. No festive umbrella, no tip for my server.
*Sorry, mam. We must have ran out of umbrellas when we ran out of frozen drinks. Oh wait, we never had either.
4. It's Valentine's Day. You want two shots of Patron. Two more please. Twoooo more please. Now, you seem too drunk to order...and too broke to tip.
*Didn't know people wanted to party hard on Valentine's Day. I have sympathy for your date. If I was her, I would be insulted. Obviously, he has to get hammered in order to enjoy the evening. Is the really that bad of company? Who does this?
5. It's Valentine's Day. You get drinks. You get appetizers. You get expensive entrees. Of course, you get dessert. Overall, you rack up a pretty high ticket. You "stiff" your server. How nice of you!
*Theme of the night. My lowest ticket of the night was $57.63. Several tickets reached over $130. If I was tipped at all, it was about 4%. Great effort to make your Valentine feel special...your server, not so much.
Here is the final breakdown... (drum roll, please....)
Valentine's Day 2011 Stats:
Number of times I wanted to quit on the spot: 12
Number of times people wanted to quit on the spot: 23
Number of times people actually quit on the spot: 1
Hours worked: 14
My personal sales from 11:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m: $1600
Tip share (taken out of my sales): $48
State tax: 9%....do the math. Double the tax and that turns out to be 18%. Wow. Simple knowledge. Use it.
If every table tipped the standard 18%: $288
If every table tipped me 20% (which is the norm at this restaurant): $320
What I walked with that night: $180
*And I was one of the lucky ones...
It's ironic that a holiday based on love can fill people with so much anger! Now, with you as my witness, I vouch to not work in a restaurant by next Valentine's Day. So, hurry up internships!
Apologies for the preaching. venting, complaining, whining, math lessons, etc. I promise I DO enjoy my job... people can be great. I guess the reason why Valentine's Day was awful is because the great people have common sense..which makes them great. :)
Enjoy this beautiful weather!
Always at your service,
86 sense
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Best wishes...
...to those braving the hour waits at restaurants across town tomorrow. It's Valentine's Day for those who forgot! And sorry to the those who didn't want to be reminded.
We have been gearing up for the one of the biggest weekends in the service industry. Thankfully, I was just scheduled to work a double on Friday. I missed the giant Saturday and Sunday rush due to a wonderful weekend in the "Big Easy!" Anyways, I will be back on the floor tomorrow for a dreadful 13 hour shift. I am anxious to see how the turnout will be considering the holiday is on a Monday!
If Friday night's shift foreshadowed anything about Monday's shift...BRING.IT.ON. People were great. Tips were great. Service...well of course, nothing less that excellent. As for Monday, I am trying to think positive; however, I imagine I will see a lot of:
1. "let's sit on the same side of the booth and make this completely awkward" people
2. "out of their element" people....which is expected on Valentine's Day
3. "wine/food experts"...who are really not experts in the least bit...just trying to impress their date
4. "I will have the filet, well done"...if that doesn't kill me enough, they ask for ketchup and BBQ sauce!
Tomorrow night, I will be sure to provide you with a few interesting stories about the most dreaded day in the service industry. Hopefully, I missed the brunt of the storm while I was wining and dining! I will keep y'all updated with stories from the trenches tomorrow night; thus, my mood will most likely be extreme, so look forward to a comical post.
Also, for those of you in a Valentine's rut, you might find these few suggestions helpful...
If you're out to eat tomorrow...be a sweetheart on Valentine's Day! While your server is waiting on you and your Valentine...he or she is missing out on time with his/her Valentine...or missing out on contemplating what's wrong with himself/herself while getting lost in a few cocktails.
Enjoy your day! Always at your service,
86 sense
We have been gearing up for the one of the biggest weekends in the service industry. Thankfully, I was just scheduled to work a double on Friday. I missed the giant Saturday and Sunday rush due to a wonderful weekend in the "Big Easy!" Anyways, I will be back on the floor tomorrow for a dreadful 13 hour shift. I am anxious to see how the turnout will be considering the holiday is on a Monday!
If Friday night's shift foreshadowed anything about Monday's shift...BRING.IT.ON. People were great. Tips were great. Service...well of course, nothing less that excellent. As for Monday, I am trying to think positive; however, I imagine I will see a lot of:
1. "let's sit on the same side of the booth and make this completely awkward" people
2. "out of their element" people....which is expected on Valentine's Day
3. "wine/food experts"...who are really not experts in the least bit...just trying to impress their date
4. "I will have the filet, well done"...if that doesn't kill me enough, they ask for ketchup and BBQ sauce!
Tomorrow night, I will be sure to provide you with a few interesting stories about the most dreaded day in the service industry. Hopefully, I missed the brunt of the storm while I was wining and dining! I will keep y'all updated with stories from the trenches tomorrow night; thus, my mood will most likely be extreme, so look forward to a comical post.
Also, for those of you in a Valentine's rut, you might find these few suggestions helpful...
- No reservations? Luckily, there is an app for that: http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?pid=159
- For those of you slackers who forgot to make a reservation and have no hopes in getting one, here are a few tips to either: 1. get you out of the dog house or 2. seem like you actually planned something: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/HealthyDietGoals/Heart-Healthy-Valentines-Day-Tips_UCM_322023_Article.jsp
- For those of you who are still sticking to your "Eat Right" New Year's Resolution (cheers to you...shame on me), explore this site for helpful dining out tips: http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/NutritionCenter/DiningOut/Dining-Out_UCM_304183_SubHomePage.jsp
If you're out to eat tomorrow...be a sweetheart on Valentine's Day! While your server is waiting on you and your Valentine...he or she is missing out on time with his/her Valentine...or missing out on contemplating what's wrong with himself/herself while getting lost in a few cocktails.
Enjoy your day! Always at your service,
86 sense
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