We're Engaged!

First order of business: the latest Blog Carnival is up over at Raging Server! Thanks Ribeye!

I really wanted to post yesterday, but I ended up closing, so it didn't happen.

My Hot Topic for yesterday was rotation. I really do not understand rotation in our restaurant. Scenario: The restaurant's full and we start accumulating a wait. I'm not really sure what happens, but eventually we end up holding four-top tables to push them together for the large parties that are waiting...even though we have a decent small-top wait as well. We seat the big-tops, crash the kitchen, and we're still on a small-top wait. The rotation needs to be moderated. We are a restaurant made for speed, and I have learned that "flat-seating" the kitchen is accepted and expected. It's weird. Personally, if the hostesses had half an atom-sized brain, they could probably figure out that they are controlling the flow of the entire restaurant. But they don't know a thing. They bend everyone over for two hours every night, we recover, and do it all over again the next day....gluttons for punishment I guess.


Today was a horse of a different color...I was in the first section, which usually = $$$ but the moron hostesses thought that seating me with one-tops for my first two tables was a good way to start a semi-busy Thursday lunch. I didn't really let it bother me 'cause people were flocking in, and I thought turnin' and burnin' would be easy. If only the breeze lasted longer...it definitely wasn't that busy, and even mid-shift was lame.

It was a fine day, one through which classic stories are born: Our establishment is full of windows--floor to ceiling--today, one of our hostesses saw a man take the garbage from his car and throw it into the parking lot. I was standing by the front door when he entered, and she said: "Excuse me sir, I need to talk to you. Our establishment is filled with windows, and we saw you take the trash from your car and throw it in our parking lot. Now it has blown everywhere, and will be someone's responsibility to clean. Next time, could you use the trash cans provided?" The guy was dumbfounded...and foreign...but he did apologize. I'm sure he was embarrassed too--the girl he was with met him at our establishment...she had no idea he was such a litterbug! I gotta say, I am ultra-proud of our hostess!


There is one peeve I have about the day, but, of course, I need to give a preface...On Saturday afternoon, I was scheduled to work at 4, but I went in about 50 minutes early, to get food. We don't have a break room, so we typically take one of the tables in the back two sections, and it becomes a server table. No big whoop. Well, the MOD (manager on duty) was in a "tood" (having an attitude and in a mood) and, even though the back room was EMPTY, he told us he was opening up all the sections in the back, and we would have to eat in dry storage!...something about us taking someone else's table in someone else's section. The back was EMPTY...I just had to say it again...Anywho...that same manager was working today, and, granted, it is a Thursday versus the Saturday I spoke of, but I want to point out that our back room was jam packed today. Interestingly enough, I see a hostess popping a squat at one of the tables in the back room. I couldn't believe it, really. Saturday, empty back room, make everyone go eat in dry storage...Thursday, packed back room, let hostess eat in someone's section, at someone's table--oh, yes, my friends, one more glorious addition to my list of inconsistencies within my current establishment. I didn't really let it get to me...I blew it off my shoulders, through to the ink, down into the pen, onto my little list, into my pocket, and onto my blog.

While I'm griping, I might as well add to the list in my previous post: Advice for Patrons

9. When I come back to the table a few minutes after the food is delivered, I am not doing it to piss you off at the start of your meal, but really to make sure that what's in front of you is what you truly wanted and desired when you ordered from me. It's really for your own good. If I don't check back, and I don't find out within the first two bites that your burger is medium as opposed to rare, how will I ever fix it for you? My point is, my coming to check on you is a direct invitation for me to get you whatever you need... don't be shy...I know people freeze up around their server, but please, for the Love of all that's Good and Holy, please don't NOT tell me what you need, only to turn around 30 seconds later and ask a passing server. That makes us angry.

Finally, a little bit of Karma. Late-night, last night, me and Bitchy Accomplice headed to the local Denny's to people-watch, get into a lot fight, save Denny's from mass destruction, and spread a little cheer. Denny's is a shit hole...at least the one we strolled into at 2:00 last night (this morning). Bitchy Accomplice and I had only been there minutes before a seven-top of ghetto kids strolled in. They were obnoxiously loud and rude...the way they acted in public would have put their mothers' to shame. And the poor server. He was tryin' to get their order right, but they were the question-askin-while-needin-a-refill-drinkin-extra-napkins-more-lemons-for-my-water-there's-a-hair-somewhere-can-I-get-a-free-meal-ghetto-ass-mother-fuckers that kept changing shit...how ridiculous. One fat bastard had three different plates of food in front of him...insane. The table from hell left right before we did, so I took a gander at the tip...$3 on one table $2 on the other...so $5 on what was probably a $50 or $75...right?? Either way, it had to be more than $30--I just knew he got jipped, so I threw another $5 on the table. I didn't wait to see him find it...I'm sure he was smoking something out back by that point...unless he ran screaming from the restaurant, which is always a possibility. I just hope no one took it...especially the guy who was our server...he sucked! What should I expect, really, it was 2 a.m. Either way, I look at it as good restaurant karma--there is a difference.

Double tomorrow....wee!