There are times when people have legitimate complaints about things in restaurants. If you order a steak well done and it comes out rare, that’s a legitimate complaint….or vice versa….you order it rare and it comes out well done. We don’t like when this happens, but it is a situation that is easily remedied…..we cook you a new one. If something isn’t as hot as it should be, we can heat it up. But if you eat everything, and damn near lick the plate….don’t tell us after the fact, that there was something wrong, and expect to get it for free. There is no honor in trying to scam your way to a free meal. Take a little responsibility for your own actions…you ate everything. You accepted the meal as was.
In the same vein…..we had a group of 14 the other night. They were all paying separately. The server offered to split up the checks for everyone, but they said that wasn’t necessary….they would all just chip in what they owed…..they could figure it out.
At this point in time, the group accepted the responsibility for payment in this method. When all the cash was gathered, it was handed over to the server, and told her it was all set, no change was needed. Done deal.
When payment is made in this method, oftentimes people will throw in a few dollars for extra gratuity. We are grateful for this, and thank you.
So how is it, you have the nerve to call back three days later and tell us you overpaid by $40.00? If this had been a charged transaction, it could be easily traced. If all had written checks, again it could be easily traced. But everyone threw in some cash. If you didn’t count every dime before you handed it over, then that’s your fault. The responsibility falls on you. How did you come up with this figure of $40.00? Did you call the other 13 people 3 days later and ask them exactly what they threw in? And if they added some extra gratuity, did you take it upon yourself to decide this wasn’t necessary? Are you going to split it evenly and give everyone $2.85 back? Or is it going into your own pocket?
So, whoever you are, you got $40.00 back. I don’t know where it’s going….(maybe no one else in your group knows about this)….but I know where the $40.00 came from…it came out of the pockets of the servers. The three of us that worked our asses off that night, ( also had a party of 8, a party of 9, and a dining room full of people) had to pay it back, so essentially we worked your party for nothing.
There are times when it is very hard not to be cynical…..but we must always remember, what goes around comes around.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
A wide variety of topics for a slow night.....
Sometimes you have to just enjoy the slow nights and take them for what they are.
First Deb, the singer dropped in. We put out all of our table tents for our next Double Take Impersonators Show. She told me about a possible addition to our show, and the people she could impersonate. She also told me about a woman she ran into who owns a golf club, and is interested in having us do our show there. Very exciting stuff for us! So we had some soup, sat at the empty bar and talked. If it was busy, we would not have had this opportunity.
Shortly after she left, a couple I knew from the restaurant I worked at for 25 years stopped in. He was a customer there, she was one of the wait staff. I always enjoy their company, we always have a ton of things to talk about. They have an interesting story…they were both in unhappy marriages for well over 20 years….discovered each other…and although it was a slow road…they are now together, and their happiness is palpable. What a joy to be around!
Considering the overall slowness of the night, I figured that was it for the evening…and then about 15 minutes another couple came in. I have only seen them once before, don’t even know their names. A show came on the television about the royal wedding that is to take place tomorrow. They were watching it…..I started watching it with them. The gentleman commented that perhaps they should take the money being spent on this wedding, and use it for a good cause.
We were wondering just how much money was being spent. We learned that security alone, would cost 32 million dollars. Incredible! We watched and learned….we saw how much pomp and pageantry this would involve…how much tradition went into these events. They could probably wipe out hunger in a third world nation for the amount of money being spent so two people could get married on the world stage.
Oh, and then I learned a little about large parrots. (I got curious when they mentioned their doggie bag of leftovers was for the parrot.)
So, a slow night indeed…..but salvaged by conversation…..on a number of topics I never would have expected to talk about.
First Deb, the singer dropped in. We put out all of our table tents for our next Double Take Impersonators Show. She told me about a possible addition to our show, and the people she could impersonate. She also told me about a woman she ran into who owns a golf club, and is interested in having us do our show there. Very exciting stuff for us! So we had some soup, sat at the empty bar and talked. If it was busy, we would not have had this opportunity.
Shortly after she left, a couple I knew from the restaurant I worked at for 25 years stopped in. He was a customer there, she was one of the wait staff. I always enjoy their company, we always have a ton of things to talk about. They have an interesting story…they were both in unhappy marriages for well over 20 years….discovered each other…and although it was a slow road…they are now together, and their happiness is palpable. What a joy to be around!
Considering the overall slowness of the night, I figured that was it for the evening…and then about 15 minutes another couple came in. I have only seen them once before, don’t even know their names. A show came on the television about the royal wedding that is to take place tomorrow. They were watching it…..I started watching it with them. The gentleman commented that perhaps they should take the money being spent on this wedding, and use it for a good cause.
We were wondering just how much money was being spent. We learned that security alone, would cost 32 million dollars. Incredible! We watched and learned….we saw how much pomp and pageantry this would involve…how much tradition went into these events. They could probably wipe out hunger in a third world nation for the amount of money being spent so two people could get married on the world stage.
Oh, and then I learned a little about large parrots. (I got curious when they mentioned their doggie bag of leftovers was for the parrot.)
So, a slow night indeed…..but salvaged by conversation…..on a number of topics I never would have expected to talk about.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
The "Eds"
This is an excerpt from my book, “The Bar Wench From Hell”…….
Although Ed is not as popular a name as Bob, we have several examples. We have Brain Dead Ed, Good Looking Ed, Polack Eddie and Ed the Talking Horse. Good Looking Ed and Polack Eddie are self-explanatory. Let me tell you about the other Eds.
Brain Dead Ed was also known as Up-Side-the-Head Ed, when we were in a bowling league. Up-Side-the-Head Ed used to wear his hair in a “Fro” so every time someone got a strike, we hit Ed up-side the head. That name died out with the bowling league, and shortly thereafter he received his new moniker, Brain Dead Ed. For some reason this particular one stuck.
Brain dead Ed got that handle when he was having a discussion with one of the the waitresses one night, about nursing, of all things. The waitress he was debating with was a nursing student at the time, and Ed was not. It would appear to the trained observer, or any moron passing by, that they were not in agreement on a certain medical issue. I would definitely give the nursing student the upper hand, having immersed herself in the subject day after day for a few years. But Ed was more stubborn and didn’t feel that any classes or training gave ANYONE more knowledge, about anything, when he was certain he was right.
Sensing that the discussion was pointless, the waitress/nursing student proclaimed Ed to be brain dead, and hence, the name Brain Dead Ed stuck. You would not believe how quickly it caught on.
Unlike Brain Dead Ed, we did not refer to Ed the Talking Horse as such, when he was in the room. It started out as “Mr. Ed,” the name given to a certain talking television horse, but anyone younger that us might not know who we were talking about, so we became more descriptive (and we didn’t want to insult the real Mr. Ed) Ed became Ed the Talking Horse. It fit. He would sort of bob his head when was talking and say “Wweeelllllll nnnooooooowwwwww,” (whinny it like a horse). Although if I remember correctly, to his credit, he did not snort.
Several people also likened him to the other end of the horse.
Although Ed is not as popular a name as Bob, we have several examples. We have Brain Dead Ed, Good Looking Ed, Polack Eddie and Ed the Talking Horse. Good Looking Ed and Polack Eddie are self-explanatory. Let me tell you about the other Eds.
Brain Dead Ed was also known as Up-Side-the-Head Ed, when we were in a bowling league. Up-Side-the-Head Ed used to wear his hair in a “Fro” so every time someone got a strike, we hit Ed up-side the head. That name died out with the bowling league, and shortly thereafter he received his new moniker, Brain Dead Ed. For some reason this particular one stuck.
Brain dead Ed got that handle when he was having a discussion with one of the the waitresses one night, about nursing, of all things. The waitress he was debating with was a nursing student at the time, and Ed was not. It would appear to the trained observer, or any moron passing by, that they were not in agreement on a certain medical issue. I would definitely give the nursing student the upper hand, having immersed herself in the subject day after day for a few years. But Ed was more stubborn and didn’t feel that any classes or training gave ANYONE more knowledge, about anything, when he was certain he was right.
Sensing that the discussion was pointless, the waitress/nursing student proclaimed Ed to be brain dead, and hence, the name Brain Dead Ed stuck. You would not believe how quickly it caught on.
Unlike Brain Dead Ed, we did not refer to Ed the Talking Horse as such, when he was in the room. It started out as “Mr. Ed,” the name given to a certain talking television horse, but anyone younger that us might not know who we were talking about, so we became more descriptive (and we didn’t want to insult the real Mr. Ed) Ed became Ed the Talking Horse. It fit. He would sort of bob his head when was talking and say “Wweeelllllll nnnooooooowwwwww,” (whinny it like a horse). Although if I remember correctly, to his credit, he did not snort.
Several people also likened him to the other end of the horse.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A Murphy's Law Monday..........
I had to work Monday lunch (I’m usually off on Monday’s) so I asked to be scheduled as the opener, so I could be first off after the lunch rush was over. Ahhh…..the best laid plans…..can get so totally screwed up by Murphy’s Law.
Before I even left for work I got a text from the other server who was working lunch, she felt like crap and wanted to know if she could be first off. Okay, it’s horrible to have to work when you’re sick. Along with the two of us, there were also three other servers scheduled to work a memorial luncheon. So I popped off a text to one of them, asking if they would cover the last couple of hours in the dining room. No answer. Okay, I’ll just talk to him when I get there.
As I’m driving to work, I get another text from the server who’s sick saying, “Never mind, too sick, called off.” Uh-oh, that limits my choices. Annnnd….upon arrival, I find out the reason I never got an answer to my text from the server working the luncheon, is that he too, called off. Salvaging the better part of my Monday is looking bleak.
If you have 10 people working, and 2 call off, the rest can pick up the slack. When there are only 5, and 2 call off, it’s crunch time. But it went okay, the dining room wasn’t too busy, and the number of people at the luncheon was smaller than they told us it would be.
I had glanced at the reservation book for the evening, expecting to see nothing. Wrong! I looked at the schedule…..the first server who called off sick was scheduled for the evening shift. Now this is really looking bleak! Of the 3 of us, one was already working a double, so of the two of us left, someone had to work tonight. In order to still salvage a couple of hours to run some quick errands, I played “Let’s make a Deal.” “I’m gonna blast off for 3 hours, you two figure out who’s gonna stay and cover the dining room, I’ll be back for the evening shift.” All agreed.
As soon as I walked in the door…..the rush began. Who knew a Monday could be so busy! Three hours went by like 15 minutes. Not such a bad day after all!
Before I even left for work I got a text from the other server who was working lunch, she felt like crap and wanted to know if she could be first off. Okay, it’s horrible to have to work when you’re sick. Along with the two of us, there were also three other servers scheduled to work a memorial luncheon. So I popped off a text to one of them, asking if they would cover the last couple of hours in the dining room. No answer. Okay, I’ll just talk to him when I get there.
As I’m driving to work, I get another text from the server who’s sick saying, “Never mind, too sick, called off.” Uh-oh, that limits my choices. Annnnd….upon arrival, I find out the reason I never got an answer to my text from the server working the luncheon, is that he too, called off. Salvaging the better part of my Monday is looking bleak.
If you have 10 people working, and 2 call off, the rest can pick up the slack. When there are only 5, and 2 call off, it’s crunch time. But it went okay, the dining room wasn’t too busy, and the number of people at the luncheon was smaller than they told us it would be.
I had glanced at the reservation book for the evening, expecting to see nothing. Wrong! I looked at the schedule…..the first server who called off sick was scheduled for the evening shift. Now this is really looking bleak! Of the 3 of us, one was already working a double, so of the two of us left, someone had to work tonight. In order to still salvage a couple of hours to run some quick errands, I played “Let’s make a Deal.” “I’m gonna blast off for 3 hours, you two figure out who’s gonna stay and cover the dining room, I’ll be back for the evening shift.” All agreed.
As soon as I walked in the door…..the rush began. Who knew a Monday could be so busy! Three hours went by like 15 minutes. Not such a bad day after all!
Monday, April 25, 2011
Working yet another holiday.......
I remember when I was a kid….pretty much every place was closed on Easter. What was the point in being open? Everyone was getting together with family and friends to share a big meal. But things certainly have changed. Many don’t have time to put a big holiday gathering together…or simply don’t want to. So, they go out to eat their feast. They come in two’s, four’s, eight’s, groups of fourteen etc.
Everyone seems to be in a jubilant mood….even the staff. We look at the reservation list, and know we are going to be busy. It’s one of those days where we know we will all make some money, and we should, we had to give up our holiday so those dining with us can enjoy theirs.
We are pretty much running from open to close….not to mention the additional time it took to prep for the day. We want everything to go as smoothly as possible.
No one can predict what menu item is going to sell more than another…..but we do our best to prepare for this…and if your reservation is at the end of the day, and you find we are out of something….well, life as we know it will not cease to exist. If you were dining at someone’s house, your choices would be severely limited compared to what we can offer. So if you find we are out of a couple things, and you decide to play stubborn child and tell us “Now, I don’t want anything!” Really?!? You can’t choose from the other 30 items that are offered?!? Did no one ever teach you that the universe does not revolve around you? (At this point I’m thinking whoever raised you should probably be slapped)
So go ahead, cut your nose off to spite your face…act like a child….you can decide to ruin your own day, but you’re not gonna ruin mine.
See, those of us who are working, are doing just that, WORKING! We accept the fact that we have to work holidays, we make our plans around them. You, on the other hand are sitting down with family and friends at a time you chose. So instead of acting like a stubborn child, you need to get over your own selfish wants, look at the big picture and appreciate the most important fact, that you are gathered with the people you love.
p.s. Once again, if some of the words are underlined, I do not know why, the computer seems to have a mind of it's own. I don't know why this is happeneing, nor in my limited computer skills, do I know how to fix it. (Maybe these are only showing up on my computer)
Everyone seems to be in a jubilant mood….even the staff. We look at the reservation list, and know we are going to be busy. It’s one of those days where we know we will all make some money, and we should, we had to give up our holiday so those dining with us can enjoy theirs.
We are pretty much running from open to close….not to mention the additional time it took to prep for the day. We want everything to go as smoothly as possible.
No one can predict what menu item is going to sell more than another…..but we do our best to prepare for this…and if your reservation is at the end of the day, and you find we are out of something….well, life as we know it will not cease to exist. If you were dining at someone’s house, your choices would be severely limited compared to what we can offer. So if you find we are out of a couple things, and you decide to play stubborn child and tell us “Now, I don’t want anything!” Really?!? You can’t choose from the other 30 items that are offered?!? Did no one ever teach you that the universe does not revolve around you? (At this point I’m thinking whoever raised you should probably be slapped)
So go ahead, cut your nose off to spite your face…act like a child….you can decide to ruin your own day, but you’re not gonna ruin mine.
See, those of us who are working, are doing just that, WORKING! We accept the fact that we have to work holidays, we make our plans around them. You, on the other hand are sitting down with family and friends at a time you chose. So instead of acting like a stubborn child, you need to get over your own selfish wants, look at the big picture and appreciate the most important fact, that you are gathered with the people you love.
p.s. Once again, if some of the words are underlined, I do not know why, the computer seems to have a mind of it's own. I don't know why this is happeneing, nor in my limited computer skills, do I know how to fix it. (Maybe these are only showing up on my computer)
Friday, April 22, 2011
No Need For Coffee!
I worked the lunch shift yesterday…busy enough to keep us moving for a couple of hours. Then I had a couple of hours off, and had to be back at 4:00 for my bartending shift. As I was driving back to work, just before 4:00, all I could think about was having a cup of coffee when I got there. I was feeling pretty sluggish. A couple of minutes after arriving, the host asked me if I would pick up a table. The guy that was supposed to be working was feeling really sick…one look at him and I knew he had to go home. So I took the table, not like there was really a choice, I was now the only server there, even though it was a bartending shift.
I figured that it would get me a few extra dollars, because the Thursday bar crowd is usually pretty sparse. Next thing I know, in comes a table of six, a table of two, a single diner, and then another table of two….all within a couple of minutes. I looked around, okay, time to go from low gear to high gear, and I’ve got about 15 seconds to do it.
I totally forgot about the coffee, because the adrenaline kicked in. Cool, all I’ve got to do is make it until 5:00, when the next server will arrive.
5:00 came and went, and no one showed up. Oh shit! Another table! Good thing the adrenaline is already flowing…gotta kick it up another notch!
Just as I was about to go into overload, the server scheduled for 6:00 showed up. Whew!
The manager was about to take a table of five. Even the busboy, who was already zooming around was ready to pick up a table.
So we powered through the night….as predicted, the bar crowd was small, I had time to take care of them also.
Gotta love those nights when 3 hours have passed and it felt like 15 minutes! Who needs coffee? (Although I am drinking mass quantities of it right now)
I figured that it would get me a few extra dollars, because the Thursday bar crowd is usually pretty sparse. Next thing I know, in comes a table of six, a table of two, a single diner, and then another table of two….all within a couple of minutes. I looked around, okay, time to go from low gear to high gear, and I’ve got about 15 seconds to do it.
I totally forgot about the coffee, because the adrenaline kicked in. Cool, all I’ve got to do is make it until 5:00, when the next server will arrive.
5:00 came and went, and no one showed up. Oh shit! Another table! Good thing the adrenaline is already flowing…gotta kick it up another notch!
Just as I was about to go into overload, the server scheduled for 6:00 showed up. Whew!
The manager was about to take a table of five. Even the busboy, who was already zooming around was ready to pick up a table.
So we powered through the night….as predicted, the bar crowd was small, I had time to take care of them also.
Gotta love those nights when 3 hours have passed and it felt like 15 minutes! Who needs coffee? (Although I am drinking mass quantities of it right now)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Coupon Scammers......
Have you ever noticed all the fine print that is on coupons nowadays? “No to be used with any other offer”……”One coupon per table”……“No split checks”…..”Not valid on holidays”……These are all printed on there for a reason……because many people are unreasonable.
We had a couple with their two kids come in the other night…..they asked the hostess if they could use two coupons, she didn’t think so, but wasn’t sure. This is NOT a yes. So at the end of their meal they presented the server with a $10.00 off coupon. Okay. Then after she took the $10.00 off, they magically found a $40.00 coupon and wanted to use that one also. NO!!!!! (Common sense would dictate that you use the $40.00 coupon.) Now all of a sudden they wanted to speak to the manager…..all of a sudden it was the worst service they’ve EVER had!
Good parenting job going on here…. Way to go….all you’re teaching your kids is how to try and scam someone…..and when you don’t get your own way you resort to lies about your server. There are only about 14 servers here, we all work closely together, and we all know what type of service everyone gives. If it had been a server who was new, I may be inclined to believe a small portion of what you claimed, but not with the one you had!
People try and pull coupon scams all the time…..they pretend it doesn’t say “No split checks”….before they even order they tell you they want separate checks….then, later in the meal, they pull out this coupon they “forgot” about…”Can I use this for my meal?” “Yes, but then I can’t give you separate checks.” “Why not?” “Because it says so on the coupon.” “Well I don’t see why you can’t.”
I know you don’t understand…..(and it’s not my fault that no one at your table seems to have the capability to do simple math.) So you push the issue….if you’re that afraid that you may pay a nickel more than someone else at your table, maybe you shouldn’t be dining out with them.
Oh, and for the parents who are teaching their kids to scam and lie…..you’re probably part of the gene pool that should never have been allowed to reproduce.
We had a couple with their two kids come in the other night…..they asked the hostess if they could use two coupons, she didn’t think so, but wasn’t sure. This is NOT a yes. So at the end of their meal they presented the server with a $10.00 off coupon. Okay. Then after she took the $10.00 off, they magically found a $40.00 coupon and wanted to use that one also. NO!!!!! (Common sense would dictate that you use the $40.00 coupon.) Now all of a sudden they wanted to speak to the manager…..all of a sudden it was the worst service they’ve EVER had!
Good parenting job going on here…. Way to go….all you’re teaching your kids is how to try and scam someone…..and when you don’t get your own way you resort to lies about your server. There are only about 14 servers here, we all work closely together, and we all know what type of service everyone gives. If it had been a server who was new, I may be inclined to believe a small portion of what you claimed, but not with the one you had!
People try and pull coupon scams all the time…..they pretend it doesn’t say “No split checks”….before they even order they tell you they want separate checks….then, later in the meal, they pull out this coupon they “forgot” about…”Can I use this for my meal?” “Yes, but then I can’t give you separate checks.” “Why not?” “Because it says so on the coupon.” “Well I don’t see why you can’t.”
I know you don’t understand…..(and it’s not my fault that no one at your table seems to have the capability to do simple math.) So you push the issue….if you’re that afraid that you may pay a nickel more than someone else at your table, maybe you shouldn’t be dining out with them.
Oh, and for the parents who are teaching their kids to scam and lie…..you’re probably part of the gene pool that should never have been allowed to reproduce.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Powering Through a Cluster #&%$.....
Due to the random nature of the restaurant business, a cluster @&*$ can happen at any given time. Take last Sunday for instance…..we had three parties booked. According to the schedule, the kitchen would be pumping out the food for these parties in 30 minute intervals. Okay, that’s do-able. Then one party shows up over and hour early….throws the whole schedule off. Now they’re trying to cook for two parties at once, something is bound to go wrong, and it did. But we’re human, and we do our best to make it work. If you were one of the four who had to wait an extra 7 minutes for your food, don’t take it personally, we don’t know you, we’re not out to get you, we don’t like these snafu’s any more than you do. You’re gonna get fed…… chill out and show a little human compassion.
A tray of food with 4 dinners on it got dropped the other night. No one does this on purpose. Not only does the one who dropped the tray have to suffer massive amounts of embarrassment, but even greater is the agony that one goes through when they have to run to the kitchen and tell them they have to remake the entire order, asap. Oh, and let us not forget the severe dismay of the boss at seeing 4 dinners, wasted on the floor. So once again….you’re gonna get fed, chill out and show a little human compassion. Your selfish anger doesn’t compare to all that the server is going through right now, while still trying to maintain a sense of decorum and power on with their job.
Let’s look at this scenario……You’re a table of 4.….you haven’t decided what you want….another table of 4 is seated next to you……I get their drinks and now they are ready to order. Okay, I’ll take their order, then I will get yours….but everyone at your table wants to play 20 questions….you send me to the kitchen with all sorts of inane requests…so to save time, I will grab the salads for the table who knew what they wanted (by the way they just flat out ordered….no questions, no special requests, and yes, people do order that way) ask the cook the necessary questions for your table…..stop and enter the order for the no fuss table on my way back to the dining room…..drop off the salads….okay, this table is all set for now….come back to your table with all the answers…..finally get your “rewrite of the menu” order. Meanwhile the food has been started for the other table.
Upon seeing that the no fuss table has received their entrees before you have, you now ask “Why are they getting their food before us? We were here first?!?” Now it’s my turn to show a little human compassion for people that should probably not be allowed out in public.
P.S. I dont' know why certain words in this post are underlined.....I guess it's just the random nature of computers.
A tray of food with 4 dinners on it got dropped the other night. No one does this on purpose. Not only does the one who dropped the tray have to suffer massive amounts of embarrassment, but even greater is the agony that one goes through when they have to run to the kitchen and tell them they have to remake the entire order, asap. Oh, and let us not forget the severe dismay of the boss at seeing 4 dinners, wasted on the floor. So once again….you’re gonna get fed, chill out and show a little human compassion. Your selfish anger doesn’t compare to all that the server is going through right now, while still trying to maintain a sense of decorum and power on with their job.
Let’s look at this scenario……You’re a table of 4.….you haven’t decided what you want….another table of 4 is seated next to you……I get their drinks and now they are ready to order. Okay, I’ll take their order, then I will get yours….but everyone at your table wants to play 20 questions….you send me to the kitchen with all sorts of inane requests…so to save time, I will grab the salads for the table who knew what they wanted (by the way they just flat out ordered….no questions, no special requests, and yes, people do order that way) ask the cook the necessary questions for your table…..stop and enter the order for the no fuss table on my way back to the dining room…..drop off the salads….okay, this table is all set for now….come back to your table with all the answers…..finally get your “rewrite of the menu” order. Meanwhile the food has been started for the other table.
Upon seeing that the no fuss table has received their entrees before you have, you now ask “Why are they getting their food before us? We were here first?!?” Now it’s my turn to show a little human compassion for people that should probably not be allowed out in public.
P.S. I dont' know why certain words in this post are underlined.....I guess it's just the random nature of computers.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Over-staying your welcome.......
I worked a wine tasting dinner last night. Overall, they’re pretty easy to work…everyone is having the same meal….everyone is having the same wine…no orders to take….pretty smooth sailing.
Now, if at the end of the evening……if four of you want to stay and drink more wine…mind you, EVERYONE else has left….you need to take a hint (but obviously you can’t)…it’s time to go! The last thing we want to do is have our time wasted by having to sit and wait for you to finish drinking wine. If you work a nine to five and job, and at 5:00 someone told you that you had to sit watch someone else do paperwork for an hour, and not really get paid for it, I don’t think you’d be too thrilled about it.
There is such a thing as over-staying your welcome. Oh sure, we’ve heard it before…”What the hell! They’re getting paid to be here!” No we’re not. The $2.65 we make per hour is all eaten up by taxes. (Not to mention the fact that $2.65, were we to see it, doesn’t even buy a gallon a gas) People have no problem spending money on themselves, but are mortified at the thought that they should leave any extra in the tip.
It gets to the point that we don’t care how much fun you’re having….you’ve become the obnoxious guest that wouldn’t leave. Except for you, the room is empty, the entire restaurant is empty…and still you sit. I have often wondered what the thought process is that makes people so self-centered and inconsiderate as to think the rest of the world can just wait on them. After all, (and many seem to forget this) we servers are people too. We have lives outside of work….and you’re keeping us from them.
Some may read this and get all indignant (sometimes the truth hurts) and come up with many excuses for their selfish behavior. And they always will. Consideration for others doesn’t seem to be part of their genetic make up. They’ll defend themselves by saying “You didn’t tell us it was time to leave.” Don’t throw your lack of common sense back on us.
Now, if at the end of the evening……if four of you want to stay and drink more wine…mind you, EVERYONE else has left….you need to take a hint (but obviously you can’t)…it’s time to go! The last thing we want to do is have our time wasted by having to sit and wait for you to finish drinking wine. If you work a nine to five and job, and at 5:00 someone told you that you had to sit watch someone else do paperwork for an hour, and not really get paid for it, I don’t think you’d be too thrilled about it.
There is such a thing as over-staying your welcome. Oh sure, we’ve heard it before…”What the hell! They’re getting paid to be here!” No we’re not. The $2.65 we make per hour is all eaten up by taxes. (Not to mention the fact that $2.65, were we to see it, doesn’t even buy a gallon a gas) People have no problem spending money on themselves, but are mortified at the thought that they should leave any extra in the tip.
It gets to the point that we don’t care how much fun you’re having….you’ve become the obnoxious guest that wouldn’t leave. Except for you, the room is empty, the entire restaurant is empty…and still you sit. I have often wondered what the thought process is that makes people so self-centered and inconsiderate as to think the rest of the world can just wait on them. After all, (and many seem to forget this) we servers are people too. We have lives outside of work….and you’re keeping us from them.
Some may read this and get all indignant (sometimes the truth hurts) and come up with many excuses for their selfish behavior. And they always will. Consideration for others doesn’t seem to be part of their genetic make up. They’ll defend themselves by saying “You didn’t tell us it was time to leave.” Don’t throw your lack of common sense back on us.
Monday, April 18, 2011
A Glitch Filled Weekend.......
It can’t be smooth sailing all the time…..(I don’t even know why we expect it to be) so I suppose it’s better to get all of the glitches out of the way in one weekend…or so we would hope.
I got to work Saturday at 4:00 p.m……..to find that a tornado had passed through the bar. Great. There was a party that was booked for the early afternoon…..there were originally 3 servers scheduled to work it, but the number of people dropped (big surprise there) so they decided to let one server go home. Okay…..well, they let the wrong one go. She was the only one who knew how to pour drinks. This group drank a lot, was staffed with 2 rookies, who don’t even know what glasses the drinks go in, let alone how to pour them.
Bottles were strewn all over the place…….every empty surface was covered with glasses with various amounts of liquid in them There were even glasses stacked up on the floor…apparently these were the mistakes. There were glasses piled up in the sinks…. 3 bottles of Bloody Mary mix were scattered about, all semi used. The giant jar of olives was sitting open….you get the picture….it took me 30 minutes to clean up, before I could begin to set up for a Saturday night.
One of the rookies had to work the floor and was already taking tables when I got there…..the other one left. Said he forgot about cleaning up his mess. Not an acceptable excuse.
Sunday…got there at 12:30 to work a party that was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. They started arriving at 12:45. Not good. On top of that…one of my co-workers on this party was 45 minutes late. By the time she arrived, all the guests were there.
We scrambled around to get everyone a beverage. When you’re over an hour early, don’t flag me down and tell me you’re ready to order. We’ll get to that, when we get to it. You may be ready….but there are some who still need beverages. And because you’re over an hour early, we weren’t able to get 95% of our set up done…so we have to run twice as far to get you anything.
DON’T eat everything on your plate and then tell us it was cold and you want it taken off your bill! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
DON’T eat half your food, request to have the rest boxed up to go, and then ask to have it taken off the bill for some inane reason! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
For the four of you who were served last…..hey, shit’s gonna happen. I know you don’t understand this, but we can’t send in 60 orders an hour ahead of schedule, while the kitchen is working on kicking out another order for a party of 50... (Who stuck to their schedule).....and not have any glitches.
On the plus side…..the server who left me the super mess behind the bar the day before…well, he got to do my clean up today.
I got to work Saturday at 4:00 p.m……..to find that a tornado had passed through the bar. Great. There was a party that was booked for the early afternoon…..there were originally 3 servers scheduled to work it, but the number of people dropped (big surprise there) so they decided to let one server go home. Okay…..well, they let the wrong one go. She was the only one who knew how to pour drinks. This group drank a lot, was staffed with 2 rookies, who don’t even know what glasses the drinks go in, let alone how to pour them.
Bottles were strewn all over the place…….every empty surface was covered with glasses with various amounts of liquid in them There were even glasses stacked up on the floor…apparently these were the mistakes. There were glasses piled up in the sinks…. 3 bottles of Bloody Mary mix were scattered about, all semi used. The giant jar of olives was sitting open….you get the picture….it took me 30 minutes to clean up, before I could begin to set up for a Saturday night.
One of the rookies had to work the floor and was already taking tables when I got there…..the other one left. Said he forgot about cleaning up his mess. Not an acceptable excuse.
Sunday…got there at 12:30 to work a party that was scheduled for 2:00 p.m. They started arriving at 12:45. Not good. On top of that…one of my co-workers on this party was 45 minutes late. By the time she arrived, all the guests were there.
We scrambled around to get everyone a beverage. When you’re over an hour early, don’t flag me down and tell me you’re ready to order. We’ll get to that, when we get to it. You may be ready….but there are some who still need beverages. And because you’re over an hour early, we weren’t able to get 95% of our set up done…so we have to run twice as far to get you anything.
DON’T eat everything on your plate and then tell us it was cold and you want it taken off your bill! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
DON’T eat half your food, request to have the rest boxed up to go, and then ask to have it taken off the bill for some inane reason! NOT GONNA HAPPEN!
For the four of you who were served last…..hey, shit’s gonna happen. I know you don’t understand this, but we can’t send in 60 orders an hour ahead of schedule, while the kitchen is working on kicking out another order for a party of 50... (Who stuck to their schedule).....and not have any glitches.
On the plus side…..the server who left me the super mess behind the bar the day before…well, he got to do my clean up today.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Huh? What? Friday Again?
Okay, it’s Friday…my favorite day of the week, and I have about 130 things on my mind. The other bartender will be off tonight, so I’ll be a solo act behind the bar….that’s cool. Pretty much all stocked up, since I didn’t have anything else to do on Wednesday, the slowest night ever. Oh! Last night I had more people at the bar than we had in the entire restaurant on Wednesday! Great conversations about nothing important, a lot of fun!
I’ve gotta go to work and wait tables for the lunch shift, so I’m trying to get this done in a hurry…just babbling.
Oh! Yesterday the boss showed me a new wine he ordered. He was telling me how popular it is with all the young people. Young, meaning like the 20 somethings. He kept emphasizing this point. He was all excited about his new discovery! “Okay.” That’s all the enthusiasm I could muster up. Has he not noticed that the average age of our crowd is over 50? By this age, most people are pretty set in what they drink, they’ve been drinking it for years, and aren’t likely to jump on some band wagon with a bunch of 20 somethings. All I see is another case of wine gathering dust. Oh well, not my money.
Our crowd drinks what I would consider to be pretty normal stuff, nothing gimmicky……just your average Jack Daniels and coke or Bacardi and coke….scotch and water, some Martini’s (mostly the normal variety, with gin or vodka)…however, there is a big enough variety of flavored liquors behind the bar, that if you give me a flavor, I can make you a drink. (I just make them up)
Gotta go now, time to get ready for work…..have a great weekend!
I’ve gotta go to work and wait tables for the lunch shift, so I’m trying to get this done in a hurry…just babbling.
Oh! Yesterday the boss showed me a new wine he ordered. He was telling me how popular it is with all the young people. Young, meaning like the 20 somethings. He kept emphasizing this point. He was all excited about his new discovery! “Okay.” That’s all the enthusiasm I could muster up. Has he not noticed that the average age of our crowd is over 50? By this age, most people are pretty set in what they drink, they’ve been drinking it for years, and aren’t likely to jump on some band wagon with a bunch of 20 somethings. All I see is another case of wine gathering dust. Oh well, not my money.
Our crowd drinks what I would consider to be pretty normal stuff, nothing gimmicky……just your average Jack Daniels and coke or Bacardi and coke….scotch and water, some Martini’s (mostly the normal variety, with gin or vodka)…however, there is a big enough variety of flavored liquors behind the bar, that if you give me a flavor, I can make you a drink. (I just make them up)
Gotta go now, time to get ready for work…..have a great weekend!
Thursday, April 14, 2011
The Slowest Night EVER........
So how do you keep yourself busy on the slowest night ever? Of course you don’t know it’s gonna be the slowest night until you live through it. The Red Wings were on television last night, it’s the hockey playoffs, and we are not a sports bar. We’ve had busier nights when there was a blizzard going on!
I started by stocking all the glass ware. Filled the hanging wine glass rack to capacity…then noticed someone had stocked a bunch of really small rock glasses that we very seldom use….dead shelf space, so I “unstocked” them…put ‘em in a rack and shoved them on a bottom shelf in the back room. Okay, that killed 15 minutes, and I wasn’t setting any speed records.
Liquor, check, all stocked up, can’t fit anymore on the back bar…..wine….same thing, brought up a ridiculous amount of bottles…..beer, now there’s something I can play with for a while…..(hey, I know this is boring, but just imagine how my night was) ….so here I am bringing up beer by the six pack, just to make more trips and kill time. There are waaaaay too many brands, some of which I’ve never sold….we’re just trying to sell those out and get rid of them……which of course sounds really stupid after telling you there are some I’ve never sold…..maybe we should “surprise beer night”…..I close my eyes, reach in the cooler and pull one out, you get it for a dollar. I’m gonna run that by the boss. Or maybe for fun I’ll just do it.
Okay, I’ve managed to make it to 6:30. Oh shit! It’s only 6:30!?!?
Thank God, Deb, the singer came in….we started planning or next DOUBLE TAKE IMPERSONATORS SHOW….then we went on a treasure hunt to find where someone stashed our poster…..thankful again, this time for the fact that it’s a big building and it took us about 10 minutes…..(Is it 7:00 yet?) OH! Let’s have something to eat! That’ll kill some time!
Ya know, this trying to stay busy, is a lot harder work than actual work.
The server, the busboy and myself finally sat down to watch the hockey game. It was at this point the boss told us to go home. Whew!
I started by stocking all the glass ware. Filled the hanging wine glass rack to capacity…then noticed someone had stocked a bunch of really small rock glasses that we very seldom use….dead shelf space, so I “unstocked” them…put ‘em in a rack and shoved them on a bottom shelf in the back room. Okay, that killed 15 minutes, and I wasn’t setting any speed records.
Liquor, check, all stocked up, can’t fit anymore on the back bar…..wine….same thing, brought up a ridiculous amount of bottles…..beer, now there’s something I can play with for a while…..(hey, I know this is boring, but just imagine how my night was) ….so here I am bringing up beer by the six pack, just to make more trips and kill time. There are waaaaay too many brands, some of which I’ve never sold….we’re just trying to sell those out and get rid of them……which of course sounds really stupid after telling you there are some I’ve never sold…..maybe we should “surprise beer night”…..I close my eyes, reach in the cooler and pull one out, you get it for a dollar. I’m gonna run that by the boss. Or maybe for fun I’ll just do it.
Okay, I’ve managed to make it to 6:30. Oh shit! It’s only 6:30!?!?
Thank God, Deb, the singer came in….we started planning or next DOUBLE TAKE IMPERSONATORS SHOW….then we went on a treasure hunt to find where someone stashed our poster…..thankful again, this time for the fact that it’s a big building and it took us about 10 minutes…..(Is it 7:00 yet?) OH! Let’s have something to eat! That’ll kill some time!
Ya know, this trying to stay busy, is a lot harder work than actual work.
The server, the busboy and myself finally sat down to watch the hockey game. It was at this point the boss told us to go home. Whew!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
When Help is Actually a Hindrance.......
Don’t you just love it when someone (the boss) decides to help you out, but in reality are a pain in the butt…..and are actually slowing everything down because they don’t know what they are doing and they only thing they manage to accomplish, is to be your way.
What’s even worse is when they can’t take a hint. I remember one particularly busy Friday night….I was working the service end of the bar. I had to run to the kitchen for a moment…came back to find several servers lined up at the service bar….okay….I can take care of this is a couple of minutes…however the boss decided he had to help handle it. There is not room for more than one person at the service bar…ever. As he stood in a most inconvenient place, I was trying to work around him….kept telling him “I’ve got it.” For a man with a pretty good command of the English language, this one phrase didn’t seem sink in. In the time it took him to find one bottle, I could’ve poured 8 to 10 drinks…if he’d only get out of my way.
The other night he decided to stand and talk to some folks…you got it…he stood at the service end….and again was in the way. He was standing right in front of a rack that held all of the back up bottles…..”Excuse me, I need to get there.” Immediately to his right, on the floor was a five gallon bucket. I use this to dump the ice out of the container I just used to shake up a drink. (We serve a lot of Martini’s, so this happens a lot) “Excuse me, I don’t want to splash you.” “Excuse me, I have to empty this again.” “Excuse me, I need another bottle.”
After saying “Excuse me” far too many times…..I decided he could stand there at his own risk. If got splashed or bumped, it was his own fault for not moving. What I really wanted to do was empty the contents of the mixing cup down his leg.
How can someone who thinks he’s so on top of things…be so oblivious to what is happening a mere foot away?
What’s even worse is when they can’t take a hint. I remember one particularly busy Friday night….I was working the service end of the bar. I had to run to the kitchen for a moment…came back to find several servers lined up at the service bar….okay….I can take care of this is a couple of minutes…however the boss decided he had to help handle it. There is not room for more than one person at the service bar…ever. As he stood in a most inconvenient place, I was trying to work around him….kept telling him “I’ve got it.” For a man with a pretty good command of the English language, this one phrase didn’t seem sink in. In the time it took him to find one bottle, I could’ve poured 8 to 10 drinks…if he’d only get out of my way.
The other night he decided to stand and talk to some folks…you got it…he stood at the service end….and again was in the way. He was standing right in front of a rack that held all of the back up bottles…..”Excuse me, I need to get there.” Immediately to his right, on the floor was a five gallon bucket. I use this to dump the ice out of the container I just used to shake up a drink. (We serve a lot of Martini’s, so this happens a lot) “Excuse me, I don’t want to splash you.” “Excuse me, I have to empty this again.” “Excuse me, I need another bottle.”
After saying “Excuse me” far too many times…..I decided he could stand there at his own risk. If got splashed or bumped, it was his own fault for not moving. What I really wanted to do was empty the contents of the mixing cup down his leg.
How can someone who thinks he’s so on top of things…be so oblivious to what is happening a mere foot away?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
For the Accessory Challenged.......
I’m gonna go off on a fashion rant today (As if I have any business doing that!) but let’s have some fun with it.
We often pick on Tommy, who we have labeled as being “Accessory Challenged.” He oftentimes dresses in all black or navy blue. Hey! It’s safe! And since the lounge is more dimly lit than the rest of the restaurant, it’s hard to tell which color he’s sporting on any given day. Not that it matters.
He tries to claim that he is wearing an accessory, a wristwatch. I keep telling him that a watch is far too utilitarian to be considered an accessory. Unless you’re a woman and are wearing a watch that looks more like a bracelet than a watch. But I recommend that Tommy not go down that road.
At our Impersonator Show last week, Tommy was in the audience, and I decided to do a little lesson in accessorization. (That may not be a word, but it is now) I pointed out how I accessorized my basic black dress with a blue and green cut glass brooch (which I borrowed) and some blue and green crystal earrings (also borrowed) and finished it off with some blue suede heels. (Again, also borrowed) I went with the blue suede heels because one of the young fashion divas I work with told me if I wore black shoes, I would look like I was going to a funeral.
Back to Tommy…..After explaining my accessories, I also explained that he could NOT borrow these items, and that he should probably not go down this road either. So what did Tommy learn? I’m guessing not a darn thing! LOL!
However I am recommending that he take another walk on the wild side and integrate that touch of beige to his wardrobe, like he did a few weeks ago when he boldly added a beige sweater to his black slacks and shirt.
We often pick on Tommy, who we have labeled as being “Accessory Challenged.” He oftentimes dresses in all black or navy blue. Hey! It’s safe! And since the lounge is more dimly lit than the rest of the restaurant, it’s hard to tell which color he’s sporting on any given day. Not that it matters.
He tries to claim that he is wearing an accessory, a wristwatch. I keep telling him that a watch is far too utilitarian to be considered an accessory. Unless you’re a woman and are wearing a watch that looks more like a bracelet than a watch. But I recommend that Tommy not go down that road.
At our Impersonator Show last week, Tommy was in the audience, and I decided to do a little lesson in accessorization. (That may not be a word, but it is now) I pointed out how I accessorized my basic black dress with a blue and green cut glass brooch (which I borrowed) and some blue and green crystal earrings (also borrowed) and finished it off with some blue suede heels. (Again, also borrowed) I went with the blue suede heels because one of the young fashion divas I work with told me if I wore black shoes, I would look like I was going to a funeral.
Back to Tommy…..After explaining my accessories, I also explained that he could NOT borrow these items, and that he should probably not go down this road either. So what did Tommy learn? I’m guessing not a darn thing! LOL!
However I am recommending that he take another walk on the wild side and integrate that touch of beige to his wardrobe, like he did a few weeks ago when he boldly added a beige sweater to his black slacks and shirt.
Monday, April 11, 2011
We're not your babysitters.....
Let’s start by looking at the layout of any given restaurant…..since every restaurant wants to fit in as many tables as they can, any open spaces are usually called aisles. Common sense dictates that these are for easy access to any table, for both the customer and the people who work there. Should you run across a wide aisle way or open space, these are usually high traffic areas. They are not designated playgrounds, nor are bar stools to be considered jungle gyms.
Across from our service bar is a coat rack, and it is also the entrance to the lounge….so this would be considered a multi-purpose area. Again, not playground.
We had a large group of about 80 in the main dining room for a memorial luncheon on Saturday afternoon. Two members of this group, who were about two and six years of age, were using this area by the service bar as a playground. These two little girls were running, (yes running) in circles. I was waiting for them to get dizzy and fall over. At least then they would’ve sat in one place.
In close proximity to where they were running, was a staircase, that goes down. I kept an eye on them, mainly because no one else was, in case they got to close to the stairs. Which they did. So when the two year old got to close to the stairs, I barked out an order. “NO! Get away from the stairs!” She did so immediately. (Where are her parents?) You may think my actions were not politically correct, and I don’t care. I’m not about to stand there and try to reason with a two year old. I’ve got a job to do, and no where in the job description does it mention babysitting. However I can not with good conscious stand by and watch a small child set themselves up for a horrendous fall down a long flight of stairs.
A few minutes later I had to run into the kitchen for a minute…..when I came out, I saw that these two small children had discovered the jungle gym bar stools. (Had I seen them climbing up on the bar stools, I would’ve again barked “NO! You can’t climb on those!”) As I was walking towards them, they were in the process of climbing down, and the younger took a bit of a tumble. Just at this moment, the mother of the older child was coming around the corner….the younger child started crying as she hit the floor. Just after the she started crying, another mom appears, I’m assuming this is the mother of the younger child…..she glared at the older child and demanded to know what happened. Nice job, Mom, you’re right on top of things.
So for all you politically correct parents who think we shouldn’t bark at your kids to keep them out of imminent danger……shove it. Get off your lazy asses and watch your kids!
Across from our service bar is a coat rack, and it is also the entrance to the lounge….so this would be considered a multi-purpose area. Again, not playground.
We had a large group of about 80 in the main dining room for a memorial luncheon on Saturday afternoon. Two members of this group, who were about two and six years of age, were using this area by the service bar as a playground. These two little girls were running, (yes running) in circles. I was waiting for them to get dizzy and fall over. At least then they would’ve sat in one place.
In close proximity to where they were running, was a staircase, that goes down. I kept an eye on them, mainly because no one else was, in case they got to close to the stairs. Which they did. So when the two year old got to close to the stairs, I barked out an order. “NO! Get away from the stairs!” She did so immediately. (Where are her parents?) You may think my actions were not politically correct, and I don’t care. I’m not about to stand there and try to reason with a two year old. I’ve got a job to do, and no where in the job description does it mention babysitting. However I can not with good conscious stand by and watch a small child set themselves up for a horrendous fall down a long flight of stairs.
A few minutes later I had to run into the kitchen for a minute…..when I came out, I saw that these two small children had discovered the jungle gym bar stools. (Had I seen them climbing up on the bar stools, I would’ve again barked “NO! You can’t climb on those!”) As I was walking towards them, they were in the process of climbing down, and the younger took a bit of a tumble. Just at this moment, the mother of the older child was coming around the corner….the younger child started crying as she hit the floor. Just after the she started crying, another mom appears, I’m assuming this is the mother of the younger child…..she glared at the older child and demanded to know what happened. Nice job, Mom, you’re right on top of things.
So for all you politically correct parents who think we shouldn’t bark at your kids to keep them out of imminent danger……shove it. Get off your lazy asses and watch your kids!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Chemistry of People.......
For the most part, people go out to be sociable. Sometimes they travel in packs, other times in smaller groups….it doesn’t matter….it’s the interaction that I find so interesting. Take the other night at the show for instance….like I said before, our tables seat 10. So I may put together a group of 4, and 3 groups 2. Here’s the cool part, there will always be someone at the table who gets the conversation going, or will introduce themselves, and before you know it, the whole table is buzzing with conversation! I watched this happen at all of our tables the other night. For starters, they all have one thing in common, they came to see a show.
“Have you seen this show before?” “No, but it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun!” We were at one in Chicago a number of years back….” “Oh, were you visiting or are you from Chicago?” And they’re off and running…….
“I’m glad this starts at 7:00, I have to go to work in the morning, but I didn‘t want to miss the show.” “I’m retired, I don’t have to worry about that.” “What did you do? Where did you work?” And now a new table is off and running……
Last night at the bar, an old friend came in…he sat at the end of the bar…after a few minutes, I told him to come and sit at the other end and talk to my friends. A good time was had by all.
By virtue of human nature, some are talkers, some are listeners, and somehow it all works out. There are times when you may have to get the ball rolling with an introduction or a tidbit of information, but it really doesn’t take much……”Helene and Larry used to do a comedy show in Chicago!” “Really?!?” Someone will bite and ask a few questions, and another conversation has begun.
All people want is a little basic human interaction… or a kind word…..and we’re all capable of that.
“Have you seen this show before?” “No, but it sounds like it’s going to be a lot of fun!” We were at one in Chicago a number of years back….” “Oh, were you visiting or are you from Chicago?” And they’re off and running…….
“I’m glad this starts at 7:00, I have to go to work in the morning, but I didn‘t want to miss the show.” “I’m retired, I don’t have to worry about that.” “What did you do? Where did you work?” And now a new table is off and running……
Last night at the bar, an old friend came in…he sat at the end of the bar…after a few minutes, I told him to come and sit at the other end and talk to my friends. A good time was had by all.
By virtue of human nature, some are talkers, some are listeners, and somehow it all works out. There are times when you may have to get the ball rolling with an introduction or a tidbit of information, but it really doesn’t take much……”Helene and Larry used to do a comedy show in Chicago!” “Really?!?” Someone will bite and ask a few questions, and another conversation has begun.
All people want is a little basic human interaction… or a kind word…..and we’re all capable of that.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Another Opening, Another Show.....
We had our second “DOUBLE TAKE IMPERSONATORS SHOW” last night. Another blast! No two shows are ever exactly the same…we threw in some ad lib stuff…great fun!
I was standing off the side with two of the servers while “Madonna” was singing. We were swaying to the music…the next thing you know she walks over to us, tells the crowd we’re her back up dancers…so we danced behind her for a minute. People in the audience were all nudging each other…”Look over there!” They loved it! That was a totally unplanned moment.
Demographically speaking, we had an older crowd last night. I realized a little way into the show, that their nodding of their heads, was the geriatric equivalent of be-bopping in your seat. They may not all know who Lady Gaga is, but they love her!
We like to incorporate the servers into the last number…..last time we had them walk out to front, so we could tell everyone their names, they dance with us for a few bars, then go into the audience to get everyone dancing . This time they made a great entrance….they came in through the main doors to the room, and down the 7 steps, in single file, wearing sunglasses. Totally cool! We added a little choreography this time before they went out into the audience. I was amazed at the number of people who got up and danced with us! We had people 80 years old and more, up dancing! It’s great to see people who know how to have fun, no matter how old they are!
So the phone cameras were snapping pictures right and left, (we encourage this)…all the men were eating it up when “Cher ” sang to them…..they were singing along with “Karen Carpenter”….and Marilyn Monroe had them mesmerized.
It’s fun to have fun, especially when you can get everyone involved. The more the merrier……
I was standing off the side with two of the servers while “Madonna” was singing. We were swaying to the music…the next thing you know she walks over to us, tells the crowd we’re her back up dancers…so we danced behind her for a minute. People in the audience were all nudging each other…”Look over there!” They loved it! That was a totally unplanned moment.
Demographically speaking, we had an older crowd last night. I realized a little way into the show, that their nodding of their heads, was the geriatric equivalent of be-bopping in your seat. They may not all know who Lady Gaga is, but they love her!
We like to incorporate the servers into the last number…..last time we had them walk out to front, so we could tell everyone their names, they dance with us for a few bars, then go into the audience to get everyone dancing . This time they made a great entrance….they came in through the main doors to the room, and down the 7 steps, in single file, wearing sunglasses. Totally cool! We added a little choreography this time before they went out into the audience. I was amazed at the number of people who got up and danced with us! We had people 80 years old and more, up dancing! It’s great to see people who know how to have fun, no matter how old they are!
So the phone cameras were snapping pictures right and left, (we encourage this)…all the men were eating it up when “Cher ” sang to them…..they were singing along with “Karen Carpenter”….and Marilyn Monroe had them mesmerized.
It’s fun to have fun, especially when you can get everyone involved. The more the merrier……
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Unnecessary Parties........
There was a birthday party scheduled in one of the big rooms, last Sunday. I’m not sure how many people were there, I peeked in, the room was pretty crowded. There were kids running all over the place, which is usually loud enough in itself….but acoustically speaking, this room is the worst…..so all the noise seemed amplified as it bounced around the room, just like the kids.
See, this was an over-sized birthday party for a one-year-old. They brought in a popcorn machine, a sno-cone machine and a cotton candy machine. There was also a clown doing the face painting thing…..and again, kids running all over the place.
To say the least it was very hectic, and I was very glad that I was not assigned to work this particular event. However, Nate, who was working the dining room with me, had to run down and help out with the cotton candy machine for a few minutes. None of us have ever worked a cotton candy machine, as it is not a regular menu item. When Nate came back upstairs, he told me I missed the whole fiasco. Apparently there is an art to making cotton candy. He learned that once it started spinning the sugar around, you had to have the paper cone in there ready to catch it, or it went all over the place. His first attempt was not very successful, and I knew that he was not exaggerating due to the fact that he had cotton candy in his hair.
I also knew that some of the kids had escaped and found their way upstairs when I spotted a used cotton candy cone on the floor in the lounge.
I forgot to mention that the room is which this party was being held, also has a bar, and it was a pretty busy area.
So who was this party really for? The one year old is NEVER gonna remember it!
See, this was an over-sized birthday party for a one-year-old. They brought in a popcorn machine, a sno-cone machine and a cotton candy machine. There was also a clown doing the face painting thing…..and again, kids running all over the place.
To say the least it was very hectic, and I was very glad that I was not assigned to work this particular event. However, Nate, who was working the dining room with me, had to run down and help out with the cotton candy machine for a few minutes. None of us have ever worked a cotton candy machine, as it is not a regular menu item. When Nate came back upstairs, he told me I missed the whole fiasco. Apparently there is an art to making cotton candy. He learned that once it started spinning the sugar around, you had to have the paper cone in there ready to catch it, or it went all over the place. His first attempt was not very successful, and I knew that he was not exaggerating due to the fact that he had cotton candy in his hair.
I also knew that some of the kids had escaped and found their way upstairs when I spotted a used cotton candy cone on the floor in the lounge.
I forgot to mention that the room is which this party was being held, also has a bar, and it was a pretty busy area.
So who was this party really for? The one year old is NEVER gonna remember it!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Setting the bar high........
When I talk about setting the bar high, I’m not talking about the one you belly up to. I’m talking about that what we strive for. That unseen line we draw in the air and aim for. Is it a foot off the ground? If so, then what you’re too lenient on yourself. You need to draw it higher, and when you pass it, you need to make it even higher yet. Never stop raising it higher and higher. We are all capable of things we may never have thought possible….mostly because we never tried…or never tried hard enough.
I have an old saying posted on my wall…..”Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off of our goals.” I first saw this on a giant poster that was hanging on the wall of an elementary school. We all need to think hard about this…..look back at the obstacles that we allowed to block our path, without really trying to find a way around them, or over them, or just crashing through them. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” If everything was easy, we would never learn new things or grow. “A lot of things would’ve happened sooner, if someone had said YOU CAN, instead of YOU CAN‘T.”
What this is all leading up to is, I’d like you to meet a dear old friend of mine, who is the personification of all the above sayings. He’s had far more, and greater obstacles (some of which I just found out about last week) placed in his path, than the average person…but he overcame them all, in a major way.
Please got to www.youtube.com and enter Daniel Warren. Then click on “Meet Daniel Warren - A Man, his music: Tragic and Triumphant.”
I dare you to tell this doesn’t move you in some way. We all need a little inspiration (or a lot) from time to time. Let this inspire you to raise the bar.
I have an old saying posted on my wall…..”Obstacles are the things we see when we take our eyes off of our goals.” I first saw this on a giant poster that was hanging on the wall of an elementary school. We all need to think hard about this…..look back at the obstacles that we allowed to block our path, without really trying to find a way around them, or over them, or just crashing through them. “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” If everything was easy, we would never learn new things or grow. “A lot of things would’ve happened sooner, if someone had said YOU CAN, instead of YOU CAN‘T.”
What this is all leading up to is, I’d like you to meet a dear old friend of mine, who is the personification of all the above sayings. He’s had far more, and greater obstacles (some of which I just found out about last week) placed in his path, than the average person…but he overcame them all, in a major way.
Please got to www.youtube.com and enter Daniel Warren. Then click on “Meet Daniel Warren - A Man, his music: Tragic and Triumphant.”
I dare you to tell this doesn’t move you in some way. We all need a little inspiration (or a lot) from time to time. Let this inspire you to raise the bar.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Anatomy of a Friday Night......
I didn’t know until I got to work Friday night, that Ann Marie, my fellow bartender, (we both work Friday night, take care of the bar, the service bar and do some tables) wasn’t gonna be there. I knew she was going on vacation, just didn’t know exactly what day. That’s okay, I’m a solo act, but will not take any tables.
The Happy Hour crowd starts wandering in. At one end of the bar are two women, we’ll call them Ginger and Maryann. They came in to relax, listen to the music, have a bite to eat and a couple of drinks. At the other we had part of the nightly Happy Hour group…..one guy reminds me of the Skipper, the professor (retired) was present, the Howell’s were at a soiree, so they were absent….and Gilligan was MIA as he had wandered into a different bar for the evening. (We knew this because the Skipper had called him)
The middle section filled in with a friend of ours, who also brought a few friends.
We’re off and running.
The tables were rapidly filling up…the servers were rushing over to the service to get their drink orders….sometimes it’s difficult to hear them call me, between all the conversations going on in the room and the music and singing, their voices just blend in with the din, so one day Nate reached up and rattled the hanging wine glasses…..it was a noise different from anything else, so I heard it. That’s when we decided that the rattling of the wine glasses would become the international signal for “Hey! We need drinks down here!” (It works)
The middle section, which now included a couple I have known for 20 years, decided to become the back up singers for the evening…so Deb obliged them and sang songs they could be a part of. Oh, not a huge part…just enough to have fun…like Petula Clark‘s “Downtown.” Deb: “When you’re a lone and life is making you lonely, you can always go…..” Group: “DOWNTOWN!” You get the gist of it.
The lounge was on full tilt boogie all night. What a blast! What more can you ask for?!?
The Happy Hour crowd starts wandering in. At one end of the bar are two women, we’ll call them Ginger and Maryann. They came in to relax, listen to the music, have a bite to eat and a couple of drinks. At the other we had part of the nightly Happy Hour group…..one guy reminds me of the Skipper, the professor (retired) was present, the Howell’s were at a soiree, so they were absent….and Gilligan was MIA as he had wandered into a different bar for the evening. (We knew this because the Skipper had called him)
The middle section filled in with a friend of ours, who also brought a few friends.
We’re off and running.
The tables were rapidly filling up…the servers were rushing over to the service to get their drink orders….sometimes it’s difficult to hear them call me, between all the conversations going on in the room and the music and singing, their voices just blend in with the din, so one day Nate reached up and rattled the hanging wine glasses…..it was a noise different from anything else, so I heard it. That’s when we decided that the rattling of the wine glasses would become the international signal for “Hey! We need drinks down here!” (It works)
The middle section, which now included a couple I have known for 20 years, decided to become the back up singers for the evening…so Deb obliged them and sang songs they could be a part of. Oh, not a huge part…just enough to have fun…like Petula Clark‘s “Downtown.” Deb: “When you’re a lone and life is making you lonely, you can always go…..” Group: “DOWNTOWN!” You get the gist of it.
The lounge was on full tilt boogie all night. What a blast! What more can you ask for?!?
Friday, April 1, 2011
The Social Butterflies.....
We’ve all heard that saying, “Six degrees of separation” …….I believe in reality, it’s much less than that. Take the other night for instance, my sister was sitting at the bar having dinner with a couple (Karen and Tom) that I have known for years….they were having a great conversation. Then Jim (a social butterfly) ended up talking to them….I heard someone mention coaches, from local high schools, and before you know it, we had a circle of information that kept going round and round.
Turns out that Jim, knew the athletic director at the high school where I was the president of the athletic boosters club for five years. My sister also knew this man. Then Karen mentioned that her nephew was one of the football coaches at another nearby high school. It suddenly dawned on me that I knew this same coach through my neighbors! Then a light went off in my head…..I told my sister that this coach was also our old neighbor on the street where we grew up!
I also knew Jim from a few years back when I was in the title business….and that spawned another conversation about people we knew in common.
We have a book club that comes in for lunch once a month. (I have a book, how convenient) I gave them a copy of my book, one of the women recognized my last name….she used to work with my step son.
Oh! Back to Jim for a moment……we all laugh when he asks someone (out of the blue) “Where’d you go to high school?” But that seemingly innocuous question can provide a wealth of information. It tells us where you grew up…usually leads to how old you are…conversations flow to “the old neighborhood”…and so on and so forth.
So YAY! For the social butterflies, their gift of gab makes the world a smaller place.
Turns out that Jim, knew the athletic director at the high school where I was the president of the athletic boosters club for five years. My sister also knew this man. Then Karen mentioned that her nephew was one of the football coaches at another nearby high school. It suddenly dawned on me that I knew this same coach through my neighbors! Then a light went off in my head…..I told my sister that this coach was also our old neighbor on the street where we grew up!
I also knew Jim from a few years back when I was in the title business….and that spawned another conversation about people we knew in common.
We have a book club that comes in for lunch once a month. (I have a book, how convenient) I gave them a copy of my book, one of the women recognized my last name….she used to work with my step son.
Oh! Back to Jim for a moment……we all laugh when he asks someone (out of the blue) “Where’d you go to high school?” But that seemingly innocuous question can provide a wealth of information. It tells us where you grew up…usually leads to how old you are…conversations flow to “the old neighborhood”…and so on and so forth.
So YAY! For the social butterflies, their gift of gab makes the world a smaller place.
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