Tools of the trade.........

As with most occupations, servers and bartenders also have their tools of the trade….


Who would ever think that a pen was a hot commodity, until you are trying to take an order at a table, and you realize you don’t have one. And what happened to said pen? Well, there were two, but both were left at the last table so they could sign their charge slips. So you excuse yourself for a moment…..run over to the table where the guest check books are sitting…..open them up…only to discover that these particular customers had somehow come to the conclusion that the pens were souvenirs, and took them.

This is why I have 5 or 6 pens clipped to my pocket. I can’t tell you how many idiots think it’s terribly clever when they ask  “Have you got enough pens?”

What’s even more irritating, is when they not only take your pen, but also forget to sign the charge slip.


Another important tool of the trade (depending on where you work) is a wine key.

However, not all servers deem it necessary to carry one…after all, they can just borrow someone else’s wine key. Shortly after I loaned my wine key out a few times…..I discovered it was gone, when I needed to use it. The person to whom I had loaned it to had forgotten to give it back, and I had forgotten to whom I had loaned it to. After losing a couple of wine keys, I hit upon a solution…….collateral……if you want to borrow my wine key, you have to give me something for collateral.. Then I decided that the only things I could accept as collateral were things that would be missed before the borrower left the building. So standard procedure for loaning out my wine key is now to approach me with either your cell phone or your car keys to hand over to me for the duration of the time the wine key will be in your possession, or you ain’t gettin’ my wine key……