Adrenaline junkies.........

I discovered a long time ago, that those of us who work in the restaurant industry, and stick around for a number of years, are in fact adrenaline junkies. Why else would we stick around? You go to a job, knowing that within an hour or so, you’re gonna be running your ass off…..3.…2.…1.….Blast off!


On a busy night, once you get going…….you have no time for anything, but to focus on what you are doing….and then what seems like half an hour later, you’re done and it’s time to go home. Time flies when you’re having fun! At least for some of us……we all handle the pressure in a different way.

There are the old seasoned pros who take everything in stride…..know how to economize their time, do many things at once, thus minimizing their trips to the kitchen or service bar.

Us old ones, are having fun….we can still carry on a conversation in passing, joke around with each other and talk in jest about the idiots at table 55, and still focus on what we are doing.

It’s those who have less experience that are the fun ones to watch, and they all handle the stress in a different manner……One guy used to freak out as soon as he got his first table…. “I CAN’T TALK RIGHT NOW I HAVE TO GET 2 GLASSES OF WINE AND A BREAD BASKET!!!!” My advice for him is to either indulge in some pharmaceuticals, or go into a another line of work before he gives himself a heart attack. (He was about 40 years old)

One of the younger girls will lose it right after greeting her first table. We assume she is saying hello to the table…..and the next thing you know she is stomping through the kitchen…."I hate this place! I don’t want to be here!” So you feign concern and ask her what’s wrong…..and she tells you, “They asked what the soup of the day was!” How dare they! My advice for her is either to indulge in some pharmaceuticals or go into another line of work before she gives herself a really early heart attack.

And then there are the ones who totally confuse themselves, because they are still learning how to get organized, take everything anyone says very personally, and end up in tears by mid-shift. My advice for them is the same as the previous two, but not because of the risk of a heart attack, no, this group is at risk of a total mental breakdown. My advice is to get out now, lest you short circuit your brain too many times and end up being a greeter at K Mart.

But, we are all still here, because we are adrenaline junkies.