Making Lemonade.....not literally

You’re always going to have those slow shifts, where not much is going on. Instead of dragging yourself around and complaining about it, have a little fun, do something industrious. Time will fly by if you keep yourself busy.

We had one of those nights last night. Just after I got to work, two of the newer servers came into the lounge, sat at the bar and announced they were there to soak up some knowledge. The boss sent them over. (We have no bartender during the day, so the servers have to make their own drinks.) Okay, let’s have some fun with this!

We talked about the basics for a little bit, but listening can get boring, doing is much more fun. So I had them practice pouring martinis using a bottle of simple syrup. They were having a good time, actually we all were. I told them to look through all the coolers, see where the beer and white wine was kept…..juices, fruit, etc., pretend you’re on a treasure hunt. They were both about 19 years old, and let their sense of adventure take over. They looked through all the bottles on the back bar (and there a re a lot!) and were amazed at the variety. “Smell that bottle of Espresso Vodka! It smells great! Then they discovered the “Bubble Vodka,” smells just like bubble gum! Knowing where everything is, is half the battle.

Shortly after we started, another server came in to be trained as a back up bartender. We didn’t have to go over any basics, she already knew those, so we talked about our specialty drinks. The other two servers were more than happy to show her around, with all their new found knowledge. I sat at the bar and let them teach each other.

There was only one guy at the bar last night. (I told you it was slow!) So rather than piss and moan about it, I enjoyed the company of the servers…watched a little “Jeopardy!” It was not an ideal night, but it didn’t have to be horrible either, and it wasn’t. Don’t worry about the slow nights, there will always be a busy one to make up for it.