For anyone who’s ever worked in a restaurant as a server, bartender, busboy or cook…or anyone who works a fast paced job, for that matter…..it’s a great feeling to know when you’ve been pushed to the limit, and pulled it off. That’s how the holiday season works.
Friday was an absolute blast! See, we pulled in another bartender…. One of the nearby bars recently closed suddenly. The bartender from there, who was obviously now unemployed, is a friend of the cook, and asked if we needed any extra help over the holidays. Since we are short staffed right now, the answer was yes! So on Friday and Saturday night, there are two of us, and we get half the tables in the lounge. Since her bar recently closed, she got in touch with all her regulars, and they have been showing up on Friday and filling the bar. (I’m trying to drag them in after a seven year gap) Works out perfectly. On Friday nights, she takes care of the customers and I work the service bar.
We had parties going on in seven of the eight banquet rooms…one was a group of 85 who were drinking their brains out, because it was a company party, and it was all paid for by the boss.
So you start moving and pouring at lightning speed…..you get in your zone….you feel like you’ve got 8 arms…..the servers are all in sync with you….there are 5 of them clustered around the service bar….Whattya need? 2 Merlots! I need one too! A glass gets pushed forward…. You get all 3 poured at once….iced glasses appear on the service bar… Whattya need? 2 Bacardi and coke….make it 4!, 2 more glasses get pushed forward…I don’t bother to read the tickets the printer spits out (it doesn’t print half the drinks anyways) it’s quicker just to shout it out to me….and so it goes…for hours….
One server looked at me and said, “You’re all business tonight!” “Yes I am! Whattya need?” Man, we really rocked it out!
I haven’t worked like that in 10 years! What a trip! At the end of the night, I got to have a little private smile to myself…..”Damn, I’ve still got it. Not bad for an old broad.”
But it wouldn’t have happened that way without all my kick ass co-workers.
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