Totally live!

Many restaurants have music playing continuously throughout the night. It’s usually a cd that plays over and over again……the average length of stay for any given table is usually about an hour, so chances are they will not here any one song more than once. But….if you’re working all night, you will start to hear all the songs repeat. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing…there were always a few songs that really perked me up when I heard them. On some nights you’d find yourself practically dancing down the aisles…and of course other songs would drive you nuts, though it was easy enough to tune them out.


Ah, but live music…. It just creates such an electricity in the air! You can almost touch it….as you go through the door from the kitchen into the lounge, you’re instantly caught up in it….there’s a spring in your step…if you have a free hand your fingers start snapping…sometimes you find yourself singing along…so do the guests…..you notice others enjoying it with a barely discernable sway…..whenever our vocalist sings “New York, New York”….I break out with a couple of high kicks behind the bar….we all enjoy it in our own way. Some guests have even stood up next to their table and relished the embrace of a slow dance……

Our vocalist currently uses cd’s as her back up music….it works…..we all have our favorites, and she sings them for us…

But starting this weekend we go totally live!!!!! One of the best keyboard players I have ever heard (and I’ve been around a while) will be joining her! When this guy puts his fingers on a keyboard, absolute magic happens…..it’s mesmerizing…..what a blast this is gonna be to see two of my favorite entertainers performing together! I can feel the crackle of the electricity in the air just thinking about it! I’m already smiling and swaying, and my fingers are snapping….I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!

AHHHHH!!!!!

My mind is going about a million miles an hour! The holiday season is underway…all in all…Thanksgiving was a blast.


We’re into a time of the year that all restaurants look forward to. We’ve got a ton of parties booked, people come in for a meal with family and friends, everything is festive!

Trying to put together another event. I love putting together events! It is so cool that I work at a venue that makes this possible!

So my mind is racing and I’m having a hard time concentrating on writing this morning. It’s one of those things where you have move fast, ya know, strike while the iron is hot. There is nothing more fun than working a room that rocks. And it’s even better when you can do it with friends!

So for the next couple of days I will be racing around, trying to pull a bunch of loose ends together. But it will be so worth it!

Okay, just got a call, have to get to work on this……sorry for the short blog….talk to you tomorrow!

What a day! What a day! What a day!

I arrived at work yesterday just after 10:00 a.m. The kitchen was an absolute beehive of activity! I have no idea how early the kitchen crew got there. There was food everywhere you looked….Racks of desserts being readied, giant bowls of salads, cheese trays, turkeys, hams, roast beef, a gazillion other things…..it’s 30 minutes to show time.


Then I spotted the 3 huge boxes of donuts! I quickly downed one of those, and deciding it was gonna be a long day, went and got another. (I justified that as energy food.)

I found out that, since the bar was being used as the dessert buffet, it was my job to keep it stocked. Holy guacamole! I barely had time to make drinks!

It’s now 11:00 a.m. Let the festivities begin….I CANNOT believe how much food people were packing away that early in the day! And then they came to the dessert bar…..this huge long expanse of cakes, pies, cheesecakes….probably at least 25 items to choose from, and they’re asking if we have any cannoli. Really ?!? Can we not be grateful for everything that is here?

The bar was covered with white tablecloths…and for the first hour, I tried in vain to keep it nice and neat and clean. After the first hour I gave up any pretense of that. Then I just covered up the messier spots with new platters.

I had 4 stacks of dessert plates at intervals along the bar….when I saw a woman approach with a dinner platter, I thought perhaps she was just perusing the dessert bar before getting into the buffet line. I thought wrong, she was filling it with desserts. Again, REALLY!?!

There was a beautiful carrot cake, sitting on a cake stand, and then someone, in their over zealous attempt to get a piece, knocked it on the floor, upside down, behind the bar.

Another guy decided he only wanted a half of a piece of chocolate cake, so as he was hacking away it, I told him, “No, really, take the whole piece”….. he replied with, “Oh, look at the mess I’m making”… as he laughed, alone. When he was done hacking up the cake, I went around to the other side to clear away the half piece of cake remnants that were crumbles all over the platter.

When the second cake got knocked onto the floor, (again behind the bar) I took away all the cake stands. I didn’t have time to clean it up right away….and then it got all over my shoes when I stepped on it .

When people would leave used dessert plates on the bar, I was thankful that my mother had taught me better manners than that.

On the part of all of us who were working, it was a well choreographed frenzy of non-stop activity. No bowl or pan ever went empty on the buffet line (which by the way, was one of the best and most varied I’ve ever seen) or the dessert bar, with it’s 25 plus choices.

Hey guy! Was it really necessary to bring your beer with you as bought your kids to the dessert line?

Thanks to everyone for giving us all these stories and yet another glimpse into the human condition.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I’m just sitting here with my coffee, pondering the day……got a short while to relax….and then it’s blast off time!

By 11:00 a.m. we will be at full staff, and off and running so 650 people can have an enjoyable meal. We set up the restaurant last night…..I super-stocked the bar…..there are 2 really long tables lined up with chafing pans ready to do their thing, waiting to reveal their treasures…..the bars stools are gone, the bar will be the dessert buffet for the day, (try and stop me from sampling) so as I think about the day to come….(and because it’s Thanksgiving) I must dwell upon that for which I am grateful.

Yes, I have to work, but we’re all in this together. Together, being the operative word here……the people I work with range in age for 17 to 69.…everyone is missing something different today…a family dinner, an out-of-town trip, friends, relatives…..but that aside….we get to share a rare unity…..we work together, sometimes we play together, and today we will team it up and do what we do best, work together. (Together still being the operative word)

We have grown near and dear to each others hearts….put aside the fact that we are working…we still get to spend the day the with people we care about….and for that I am truly grateful.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You're kiddin' me, right?

The first three days of Thanksgiving week are typically slow in the restaurant world. We just sort of plodded along last night….in fact, I had no one at the bar….so I elected to clean out the beer mug cooler….figured that would kill some time….it did…..we’re usually out the door between 9:00 and 9:30. Cool. That means I’d have enough time to scream down the road and catch my son’s stand up routine at the comedy club.


Two late tables came in…but they’ll probably be out in an hour…okay….that’ll be cutting it short, but I can still make it. Then….one of the servers informs me that I’m gonna have some drinkers…..she cashed out a table, but they are waiting for more people…WHAT? They were looking for someplace with music. On a Tuesday night, we’re not it. In fact, in the lounge, where they were sitting, there isn’t even any elevator music playing! They sat there for an hour, not doing anything, not ordering anything……

I had no people at the bar all night, and now this….if I had been busy, I would’ve had a different attitude, but when you’ve done nothing (except for clean out a beer mug cooler) you just wanna cut your losses and go home. There was one other table of two, (who the closing server was cashing out), getting ready to leave…..I didn’t even have a cash drawer all night…why pull one out now?

Then, after sitting for an hour, one of the four at the table in the land of obliviousness saunters up to the bar and orders 3 beers, and informs me that we can start them a tab. Then 4 more people walk in. Without asking, they take it upon themselves to start rearranging tables.

Come to find out…..just to pour salt (and maybe some lemon juice) on the wound, the one who ordered the beers used to work here! She knows the routine! Pardon me, Blondie, but your hair color is showing.

Please don't make our day suck...

For the first time ever, I have to work on Thanksgiving Day. So I go into this with mixed feelings. One part of me doesn’t mind….I mean I made it a lot of years without having to work on the holidays…so I can live with this.


But there will be others who will be quite upset. Some will be missing a nice quiet family dinner, others will be missing a huge family gathering, some will be missing an out-of-town trip, and still others will be missing relatives they haven’t seen in a very long time.

But we press on…..working that day is mandatory…..if you still want to have a job, and no one can afford to lose their job these days.

I can think of gatherings in the past…everyone helped out and brought a dish…and every year many would wonder, “Who ever told Gloria she knew how to make mashed potatoes? She’s brings them every year, and every year they are bland, she doesn’t boil the potatoes long enough, there are lumps in them big enough to choke a horse…” and eventually this becomes a family joke. Or what about the stuffing that is so mushy it oozes liquid. We accept that not everything is perfect.

So we will all be rushing about on Thanksgiving Day, to make sure that all who come in for dinner can have a special day. And we’ll do it with a smile on our face. However, this is one holiday that was meant for all of us. We are all somebody’s kid, or sister or cousin or spouse, etc. You get the picture. If we weren’t there working, you’d have to make other plans. So please don’t make our holiday suck any more than it already does. We’re not robots without emotions or feelings, we’re you. We’re there to make your day. So make ours. Tip us big. After all, what goes around, comes around.

A lot to say on a Monday.....

Last week was exhausting…but you never know what your limits are, until you push it. I put together 3 events that took place in the span of 8 days. The first was the reunion I had talked about….it took weeks of planning and phone calls and emails, texts and facebooking. But I did not do this single-handed…..there are always people who love to rise to the occasion and help out, and you need to let them. No man is an island, we’re all in this together.


Then there was the Cystic Fibrosis fundraiser. Again, I had help…….but I’ve been doing this sort of thing for years….many who want to help are there out of the goodness of their hearts…..they’re not really sure what they signed on for…..all you have to do is explain what you need them to do, and they’re off and running……

I originally thought I could coast through the rest of the week, after the fundraiser was over with…but then came the funeral luncheon at church…..which cannot be postponed until your calendar is less hectic….you have to make the time. Once again, volunteers abound. “We’re here, what do you want us to do.” You’ve got to have it all planned out in your head…so you can assign people different tasks….and the next thing you know, all the little details are taken care of, and you’ve got a well-oiled machine.

Since this luncheon was going to be so large (175 people) I called in a couple of professionals. I left messages with a few people I hadn’t worked with since last April, “Hi, It’s Gretchen, I need your help with something, please call me back.” Two of them happened to be off on Saturday, called me back and said, “Yes I’d love to help, what do you need.” There was no monetary reward in all this…but they stayed from start to finish, and were some of the last one’s to leave. I think this speaks volumes about their character.

So when the opportunity arises where you are given a chance to help out, even if it’s a little inconvenient, just do it. Don’t worry about “What’s in it for me?” Money only spends once, the reward you will reap is the good feeling you will have for knowing you did a good thing and you helped people out. And that feeling will last much longer then the cha-ching of a cash register.

A day off....

Please forgive me for taking a day off....there is too much going on....some things planned, some things popped up that were not planned....and something had to give.  I hope everyone has a great weekend...I'll be back on Monday.

Thank you,

Gretchen

A testament to human kindness....

Last night we had our cystic Fibrosis guest bartender fundraiser. We had a nice crowd, not huge, but nice. In fact we had so many prizes to raffle off, that many left with multiple prizes. Our entertainment was fabulous! A lot of people brought their kids, and when our Lady Gaga impersonator sang, all the girls were standing right next to her and singing along.


Then Carley, my neighbor’s daughter, the one with Cystic Fibrosis, gave a short talk about it, and thanked all those involved, with poise and grace that few twelve years olds possess. All the kids wanted to get involved and helped with the raffle. It had the atmosphere of a block party. Everyone mingled throughout the room….the adults chatting, the little ones keeping each other entertained.

As I surveyed the group, I was wondering how much money this event was going to pull in. I was hoping the crowd would have been larger. It was mostly families with young kids. People who can’t afford to give away great sums of money…we’re from the typical 3 bedroom brick ranch neighborhoods that sprung up after World War II. As the old saying goes, “We all work for a living.”

At the end of the evening, when we counted up the money, I was stunned! We counted and recounted…each time the smiles grew larger….and our hearts were singing with joy! This small crowd of working class people, in an area where we are the poster children for our tough economic times, some not knowing whether their job will still exist next month…truly gave from their hearts.

$630.00 came from this group, plus another $100.00 donated prior to that from someone who was unable to attend, with another check not yet received, from another who couldn’t be there either.

This was an amazing testament to human kindness. As you’ve heard me say before….”It’s always all about the people.”

Short and sweet....

Sometimes things pop up in life, or you have a lot planned, so time is of the essence.


Last Saturday we had our reunion…it was great, we talked about that…and tonight, we are having a Cystic Fibrosis guest bartender fundraiser. My neighbor’s daughter was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis a couple of years ago…..she asked me if we could do a fundraiser….I approached my boss with the idea, and it took him about 2 seconds to say yes. (it’s great when you have a really cool boss). I then asked Debra Jimmerson, our singer if she would consider donating an hour of time to entertain, and again I got a resounding yes! She said she would be here for the duration. Then! She got her daughter, who is also an excellent singer and entertainer to join her! They are also impersonators, and are coming as Cher and Lady Gaga!

Then we got people to donate prizes for a raffle……this is gonna be a blast!

And then, I found out yesterday, that, at my church, we have to put on a funeral luncheon, (I’m half of the committee for that, the other half is on a cruise right now) for 175 people, on Saturday. But volunteers abound!

So it’s a very busy week. If you ever thought that you had lost your faith in humanity….just take a look around you….and you’ll see that there are great people, caring people, helpful people, wherever you look. Don’t ever underestimate your fellow man. As a species, we really rock.

Aisles are there for a reason.....

One of my fellow workers came up to me the other day, in a rather indignant mood, (and rightfully so) and said, “I’ve got a topic for your next blog, there are many seats in the room to choose from, so why does the biggest one in the group have to pull a chair out and block the aisle way?”

I thought, she’s right, that is an interesting phenomena, but perhaps it wouldn’t be politically correct.

So I pondered it a while, and then I did some research. I looked up the word aisle in the dictionary. It stated that an aisle was a passageway between seats. No matter where you go, whether it be a restaurant, a store or a church, just to name a few, they are designed to have aisles. And aisles serve a purpose. They are there so people can move easily about. When an aisle is blocked, movement is hindered or brought to a halt.

When at a crowded high school football, people began to sit on the steps of the aisle way. An announcement was made that they could not sit there, the Fire Marshall had determined that it was a safety hazard. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Please don’t block the aisle.” I’m reasonably sure this applies to everyone.

I was working a coffee and pastry gathering of a local group one morning. It was an informal gathering….everyone was milling about. I was trying to get to a person who was about 3 feet to my left, so I could refill their coffee. However, so many people were blocking the aisle, that I had to go to the right, through the lounge, back through the kitchen, then through a wait station and then back to the dining room to try and find a path from the other direction. Apparently everyone thought it was their God-given right to block the aisle.

So next time you pull out a seat, and block the only passageway to the back of the table, don’t get all upset when you have to pass plates down the table. The choice to block the aisle was yours.

Who says you can't go home......

Everything in life is in a constant state of change….always has been….always will be. But, for a few brief hours, you CAN go home again. That’s what happened Saturday night. The reunion was a huge success! 60 people showed up!!!!!


We were all crammed in at the bar, I brought up extra bar stools, and they were so close together the bar stools were practically touching each other. The old joke used to be, “If you have to use the restroom, you better do it before you sit down, ’cause getting out of the seat ain’t gonna be easy.”

We pushed together a bunch of tables and many squeezed their way around it. Some milled about, wandering at will. EVERYONE had a great time! We were all transported back in time, it felt like it was yesterday. Conversation was endless….laughter filled the room….and there were many, many, many hugs.

What a testament this was to the old adage “The ties that bind….” and 60 people showing up shows how strong those ties were, and still are….but out of everything old comes something new….the two co-workers I picked to work this party with me were magnificent, and we turned into the Dream Team. We worked seamlessly together. We had as much fun as everyone else. The singer was playing to a capacity crowd, and she had a blast. The boss was smiling big time!

After 7 years, I’ve found a new home…and I want to do it all again……some of these people will return, and there will be new ones…… and merriment will ensue……because you must remember, it’s always, always, always about the people.

In anticipation of tomorrow.....

Another week has brought us around to Friday, my favorite day of the week…. However….this week I live in great anticipation of Saturday….Why? (I’m glad you asked) Tomorrow is reunion day. I’ve been to family reunions, and high school reunions, but tomorrow is bar reunion day. It is a reunion of people from the bar where I worked for 25 years. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!


We all used to see each other once, twice, thrice a week, for years. And now, 30 or 40 or 50 of my closest friends will gather one more time.

Ya see, we all have friends, best friends, relatives, acquaintances……but bar friends are different. You can talk about anything (like friends, best friends, relatives and acquaintances) and just be yourself with your bar friends. (Of course the fact that you’re feeding them alcohol is not lost on me)

The shifts used to overlap…meaning Happy Hour would spill over in to the dinner hour, which would flow into the later crowd and so on and so forth. Stopping in the bar was part of the weekly, or even daily routine for many. Some we could even set the clock by, as their arrival time never varied.

It was a magical place and a magical time, and we took it all for granted, until we were no longer there. But tomorrow, tomorrow (sing it, Annie) we get to slip back into the past. Sure, not everyone will remember all the names, but they’ll hear a familiar voice in the crowd, and old memories will flood in….for some it will be seven years since this crowd gathered…for others it will be more.

We’ll be in a different place, a different building, a different bar, but that matters not. It’s the people who matter, it’s always, always been the people. Some will discover that they like this new place and will return and we will build anew. It’s sort of like a club, where membership is limitless. No fees, no initiation, the only requirement is showing up. Newcomers are always welcome.

Walker for the aging waitress....an excerpt from the book

I know this may sound rude, but why should one have to give up the work they love just because they can’t get around as well as they used to? This implement hasn’t actually been built yet, but I’ve got the blueprints, and I’m sure it would be a big hit. Younger waitri may even be jealous And we all know there are some older waitri (btw, that’s the Latin plural of waitress) who could still take better care of a table at a105 years old than some young airhead who can’t spell toast.


Alright, back to the WAW (figure it out). First of all, it would have wheels. I think this is an obvious necessity. One does want the food on the plate when it arrives at the table, so wheels would do away with the clump, clump, clump when walking to the table. It would also have hand brakes, one on each side to avoid going in circles. And of course the tray rack across the top. I have just described the basic model. Now let’s get to the options!

First, we’ll start with the condiment holders. They can be attached either to the front of the walker, or along the sides, depending upon how many are desired. These can hold anything from ketchup and mustard to fresh parmesan and a pepper mill.

The next option is sure to impress your customers! How about a built-in microwave!!! This comes with a complimentary oven mitt, for pulling those hot plates out of the microwave. A less expensive option for insuring the food remains somewhat hot on your trek to the table is a pizza delivery bag. Just lay it on the tray rack and stuff the plates in there. It’ll work. Sort of.

For the safety conscious, and those working under OSHA rules, we can install turn signals, or the flashing light-on-the-pole assembly, which connects to the right front corner. Full height is approximately six feet high. AND…who can resist the sound package that makes that annoying BEEP BEEP BEEP noise you hear when commercial vehicles backup?

I know there’s someone out there waiting to shout “What about the helmet?” Wellll…if you’re still waiting tables and need the WAW, then you know ALL the tricks of creating your own hair spray helmet, so wearing another helmet would just be redundant.

OH! One final options I need to mention is the “battering ram.“ This is for those busy nights when you are speeding through a crowded restaurant and some inconsiderate, oblivious baboon is blocking the aisle, and when you shout “Excuse me!” he just gives you a cursory glance. With the flick of a button, the baseball bat battering ram swings out and hits them in the knees. Heh, heh, heh, this one always makes me smile.

You don't realize you're working out......

Every now and then I have to stop and think about the physical aspects of being a server, and just what type of workout I am getting……


This really came to light when I realized that I’ve been on the pizza diet for a few weeks. I spent many years cooking, and let me tell ya, I am so over the whole cooking thing…..and….. I’m a pizza-holic. So is my son. What it’s been reduced to, is, not what are we gonna eat, but who’s gonna make the phone call. Then I realized that I haven’t gained any weight on this pizza rut of a food regimen… so I took a closer look at my physical activity and began to equate things I do everyday with things that I’ve done at the gym.

First of all, we are on our feet for many hours at a time, usually walking…okay, we’ll call that the treadmill. Now picture walking on the treadmill while holding a 20 pound weight, shifting it in various positions. Next you step off the treadmill, hoist the weight to your shoulder (and you have to keep it level and balanced) walk a little more, you’ve arrived at your destination and now have to do a squat to set it down… .

Now it’s time to graduate from treadmill to Stairmaster….take the same 20 pound weight, again hoist it up on your shoulder and walk a flight of stairs, up or down, it doesn’t matter, because you’re going to be doing it many times. Without realizing it, you’re working you legs, your gluts, you’re core (abs) and back are working to keep you upright, your arms and shoulders are involved…Oh! And let’s not forget the calves, they become hard as rocks.

Let’s set the tray aside and pick up a rack of heavy glasses, that has to be carried with two hands, holding the rack in front of you….that changes the angle of everything and hence the muscles are being worked in a slightly different way.

Try maneuvering a round table, (that is taller than you are when it is on it’s side) around corners and down a couple of steps, and see what muscles come into play. Every time I have to do this I feel like I am in an episode of the old “Lucy” show, and try not to think of the consequences should I lose control and roll it into a freshly painted wall or let it fall onto a tower of glassware or a giant shelf of dishes.

In every good exercise routine, you do reps and sets…..however most people don’t spend 4 hours at the gym, where you pay to use the equipment. In a sense, we’re getting paid to workout. I like to think of it as killing two birds with one stone. (Hey, it works for me.)

Behind the scenes....

If you’ve never worked in a restaurant…there’s a lot more to it than just taking an order and delivering food….


Before the restaurant opens in the morning, someone has to be there early to get everything set up. Mornings, before we open, are actually a pretty cool time to be there, especially when someone brings in donuts. Now, if you haven’t had enough coffee….the first thing you do is brew a pot…nothing smells better than a fresh pot of coffee…sometimes I swear you can get the benefits of the caffeine just from the aroma of the coffee permeating the building…..(take a deep breath all of you coffee drinkers, you know what I mean)

Now, get busy! Polishing a water glass doesn’t sound like much, until you have to polish 80 plus glasses. Everything we need for the day has to be brought out….lemons need to be cut…gotta bring out the cream, make iced tea and lemonade, fill the parmesan cheese bowl, put the butter in a chilled container, get three bus tubs, one for glassware, one for silverware and one for dishes, remember to turn on the bread warmer, stock glassware, tea pots, ramekins, soup cups, table clothes, napkins, straws, to go containers, coffee cups, saucers, water glasses, fill ice bins, polish silverware and roll it into napkins, sample soup (optional), on any given day I usually forget something, so I’m sure I did here also.

It’s not unusual to see the owner vacuuming…again, someone has to do it. There are no little elves running around just dying to do this for us.

After you’ve placed your order, it’s blast off time for your server……we’re the ones who make your salad, ladle up your soup, fill the bread basket and get the dipping oil and/or butter. So please be patient when we arrive back at your with all this stuff, only to see that you quaffed down your diet coke in 5.2 seconds and weren’t standing by your side eagerly waiting to refill it. And why is it that people who drink diet soft drinks, on the average, drink twice as much soda as those who drink regular soda?

Throughout the shift, we are running racks of glasses through the dishwasher, washing, sorting and polishing silverware, and resetting tables. When the lettuce bin goes empty, we have to get another one, when the Ranch dressing runs out, we have to refill it, when the ice is low, (you get the picture), we refill it. And so it goes throughout the day…..if you’re not into multi-tasking, then this wouldn’t be a good fit for you.

When we close, everything that needs refrigeration has to back to the cooler, the bread warmer has to be cleaned out, more silverware has to be rolled, coffee pots need to cleaned, all surfaces need to be wiped down so they look shiny and new, and so on and so forth.

Where are those damn elves when we need them?

I hope to be one of these people someday....

Let me tell you about the table I had yesterday….I realize I may sound a little snarky, but I always try and find a little humor in every situation…..and know that I mean no disrespect, because I really do hope to be one of these people someday……


I had a table of 13 from the geriatric set. We never know what the demographics of a table will be until they arrive…….so, upon arrival of the first one…she informed me that they had spoken to the manager, and he said they could have separate checks. (knew that was coming) I told her that was fine, as long as no one traded seats, since we do it all by a numbering system. She replied that they were too old to move around. Okay, cool, they’ve got a sense of humor about themselves. They had all gone to the symphony and were now regrouping for a meal.

I realized as I was trying to get a beverage order, that the hearing capabilities of this group was not what it once was. I tried bending over and leaning in closer to their ear, as close as possible without breaching any lines of etiquette…..gently tapping them on the shoulder when it was their turn…..(none of which was working by the way) but they were a helpful crowd….one of them would invariably announce from across the table, (while waving their arm and pointing) “Hey Betty! She’s talking to you!”

The first thought that ran through my mind was, why these people bothered to go to the symphony is beyond me, they can’t hear a damn thing, and they haven’t heard ANYTHING I’ve said.

One woman, I think she must have worked in the education field up until a couple of decades ago, raised her hand every time she wanted my attention. She had requested some ketchup and mustard…..so brought them out, each in their own little ramekin…then she raised her hand again, asking for mustard….I gently pointed out the little mustard ramekin, that was sitting next to, and almost touching the ketchup ramekin.

And so it went, maybe a little slower than some other tables from a different demographic would have gone, but God bless them, they are out enjoying life….and I really hope to be one of them some day.

Okay servers, here's your dream table....

Ever have those moments, when you’re trying to get an order from a table, and you feel it’d be easier to do dental work on yourself without benefit of Novocain, then to continue taking this order. And…. No food has even been discussed yet…..


I had 8 older ladies, (a lot of you are groaning already, I can hear you) who were in a room NOT adjacent to the main dining room, at 2 tables of 4, playing bridge. (the groans just turned into an “Oh shit.”) They arrive 2 hours before we open, the boss sets them up with a coffee and tea table, so they can help themselves. Shortly after I get there, he tells me they need menus. So I get the menus…but have to set them on the corner of the table, lest I disturb their card game. I went back a few minutes later….they weren’t ready to order yet….so I wait a few more minutes….go back to the room again….one lady announces she’s ready to order….the rest just mumble, if they even bother to acknowledge that they were spoken to….I tell them I’ll come back when everyone is ready. The woman who appears to be the ringleader informs me they will tell what their numbers are. What?

“We all have numbers, we’ll tell you what they are.

“No, I assign the numbers. We do it by seat numbers, and I’ll tell you what the numbers are.”

“We’re going to be moving around and trading seats.”

Great. So that just rendered the whole seat number thing totally useless.

I bring out silverware rolls, but again have to be careful about where I set them, lest I disturb their game. Bread and butter plates? Like the menus, stacked on a corner of the table. By the time I serve the bread and plates of dipping oil, I am so over this group, that I just set them down in the middle of the table…..on top of cards….save your glares and evil sidelong glances ladies, they’re lost on me.

We finally get to the ordering process….one lady states the name of a salad, I write it down, but then she goes off on a ramble about how that is what she usually orders, blah blah blah…this time she is going to order something different (save your ten minute dissertation for another time, you’ve got 15 seconds to order, or forever hold your peace)

In the short amount of time it took me to get the soups and salads, they had already traded seats. To hell with it…the only thing I can do is auction off the food.

Did I mention they all wanted separate checks? Enough said, you get the picture…..

A ramblin' sort of week.....

It’s great to see a planned event turn into a HUGE success! We had a “Ladies Night Out”, last night. There were over 20 vendors form local businesses. There was wine and food (which always makes any occasion festive) everyone was having fun, buying stuff, many prizes were won…lots of conversation, laughter…


Most of my friends that came, hung out at the bar….they didn’t all know each other before they got there, but they do now……

The next event is a reunion of customers and co-workers from a place I worked at for 25 years….they say you can’t go home again…but you can sure as hell bring a part of the past to the present….can’t wait for this one!

Then we have a fund raiser for Cystic Fibrosis. My neighbor, whose daughter has CF asked if we could do a “guest bartender” fundraiser. The boss said yes. My neighbor will be behind the bar with me…..all that come in, buy a drink and leave a generous tip, which will all be donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Mass emails will go out promoting this event, flyers to everyone at her school, and hopefully a radio spot that morning. We will have Cher and Lady Gaga (impersonators) who are donating their time, as our entertainment!

The day after that we are having a wine tasting….

Damn! I love my job!

When you're in the public eye......

I was speaking with a server, who worked at a restaurant where the Governor of our state occasionally dined. Through word of mouth, (and they say that’s the most powerful advertising venue) we were informed that this particular Governor didn’t “believe” in tipping more than 10%. What a statement to make, whether it be verbal or in writing, such as the bottom line of the charge slip. The statement that makes to all of us in the restaurant industry, is that you think we should work for half the pay. There are thousands upon thousands of restaurant workers in any given state, just barely scraping by, and you think we should earn less? Do you really think that little of this segment of your constituency? How quickly would the Governor try and quiet a movement that suggested they should have their pay cut in half? Or better yet, maybe they should get paid for performance….how much would be earned then?


So for those of you in the public eye (and most of you who are, are there because its where you wanted to be) you must remember that your “cheapness” makes a far greater statement about you, than it ever could about us.

Okay, that’s about as political as I get…….but it brings to mind the old adage, “What goes around, comes around.”

The crowd that plays together......

You know you’ve got a good bar crowd of regulars, when you put on special events, and even people that are not participating show up. They just want to be part of the group. These are the people that you delegate certain jobs to, and then they are a part of the group…especially when there is food involved….sooner or later they will get to see everyone who is participating.


We had Helen, who was extremely helpful in all of our activities. At the golf outing one year, we stationed her at the end of the ninth hole, standing by a bar-b-que, upon which we heated up a giant pot of sloppy joes. We convinced her that standing around a golf course all day would get boring, and this would insure that she got to see everyone, and food, being a popular commodity, proved this to be true. It was fortunate for us that Helen didn’t play golf and had no interest in learning….and it gave her a little bit of a power trip, knowing that all 40 golfers had to go through her to get some food.

Helen’s lack of interest in actually participating in sports was again fortuitous for us when we had our ski trip. This time we convinced her that sitting in the lodge all day would be boring…so we made her the designated photographer.

At the ice skating party, (we rented the local indoor ice rink) we had quite a few extras who chose to watch, so that, combined with the fact that everyone was continuously on and off the ice, left no one lacking for conversation….I think it was a real bonding experience for those watching at the edge of the rink to have the opportunity to point at, heckle and laugh at those of us who fell down.

The biggest draw were the bowling tournaments. No need to designate any duties to anyone. All the extras just did what everyone does at a bowling alley anyways….drink.

Ahhhh Monday morning......

I love Monday mornings! Monday has been my day off for many years now. While the rest of the world is winding down Sunday night, back to bed on time, getting their mind set for Monday morning, the blare of the alarm clock, the beginning of another week…..I don’t have to worry about getting enough sleep…..I can get up when I want to…and like right now…I get to sit back and relax with as many cups of coffee as I want. I get to leisurely plan out my day…it’s mine to get as much or as little done as I want to.


A visit to the gym may be in order, a good workout followed by the lure of a meltdown in the sauna, or a stroll through the grocery store….not having to hurry, not worrying about if I forgot anything. It doesn’t matter what errands I have to run, the stores are never busy…no lines no waiting.

I love it…the rest of the world is scurrying about getting their week in order….I’m sitting back enjoying my coffee…… and because it’s Monday….I’m enjoying it twice as much.

Enough rambling….I think I’ll go get a bunch of stuff done…and then…then I have the option of taking a nap if I want to…or reading…or writing….or whatever strikes my fancy…

So off I go on my Monday adventures…..then I’ll be ready for the rest of the week. Sure, I work the weekends…but it’s a slow ascent through the week that builds to the hyper activity of Friday and Saturday nights….but it always brings me back to Monday …..it almost feels like I’m cheating, like playing hooky from school…..and that makes it even sweeter….ah, blissful Monday!