"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
>I know a few of you must have, at one time or another, in one capacity or
>another, worked in a restaurant. Or even run a restaurant.
>
> I'm about to write a "book". Skip over the post if you don't want to read
> it 
>
> I actually didn't mind being a server. I was young, 20 or so. I had
> worked as a retail sales clerk for a couple of years. I quickly grew
> bored with straightening racks of clothing and picking up crap in the
> dressing rooms. (One time it literally *was* crap. Some woman had used
> the dressing room as a "changing room" for her baby. She left the dirty
> diaper on the floor. You might want to leave your shoes on the next time
> you try on clothes in a store.)
>
> So I got a job as a server. I'm talking about Red Lobster. Boo and hiss
> if you like. Back in the day it was owned by General Mills. They offered
> medical benefits just like the retail job. Anyone working 20 hours a week
> got major medical coverage (which wasn't true if you worked 20 hours -
> part time- in retail). The tips (this was pre tip-tax days) easily
> brought my weekly earnings up to and often exceeding minumum wage.
>
> Sure, I ran into the occasional jerk customer. I still remember one guy
> rather vividly. Friday night, the restaurant was slammed. Everyone was
> in the weeds. This guy couldn't fathom there were other tables seated
> ahead of his party (of four). They had only been sitting there for about
> 5 minutes, they had their water and I'd put in the drinks order at the
> bar. (The bar was slammed, too.) This guy was getting belligerent. I
> headed him off at the pass. I asked the manager to stop by his table and
> comp their drinks before he pitched a major hissy fit. (The guy looked
> like a frustrated middle-management type who thought he could lord it over
> the lowly waitress.)
>
> Most of the customers were nice. I had numerous "call customers" (waiting
> for the smartass remarks...). Those are people who ask for a server by
> name and are willing to wait a few minutes for a table.
>
> I could carry six plates without a tray if necessary. Five were stacked
> up my arm (napkins underneath of course). They were oval ceramic plates
> with an edge on the bottom so they wouldn't slide apart. Hard to
> describe. I carried the 6th plate in my right hand and set that one down
> at the table first. (Servers also needed to know how to tell which person
> ordered what. None of that "Uh, who had the ?" Marking the info on the
> ticket based on the table seating was very helpful.)
>
> It's hard work, waiting tables. As was alluded to in the
> surcharge/auto-tip thread (thanks for the fun, nb!!) there is a lot more
> involved than just taking an order and bringing food and drinks to a
> table. It is the servers' responsibility to make sure the food comes out
> of the kitchen as ordered. Pre-bussing tables (remove soup and salad
> plates to clear the way for the entree). Refilling water, coffee, tea.
> And who makes the coffee and tea? The servers, of course.
>
> There's sidework in the kitchen. Keep the salad station filled, running
> back to the cooler to get more salad green mix (which was freshly chopped,
> by the way, I saw the guys prep it). Also back into the cooler if the
> station was running out of a particular salad dressing. Had to keep them
> filled. In my day, servers did a lot of work in the kitchen area and
> customers had no clue.
>
> Then there's sidework when your section is closed. Those salt & pepper
> shakers don't fill themselves. The servers clean the tables and chairs.
> And... rolling silverware. (Some servers would pay others to roll their
> 50 - or whatever the count was for that night - just so they could get out
> of there 30 minutes earlier.)
>
> It was interesting. I worked with and met a lot of interesting people.
> Would I do it again? I don't think I'd have the energy. Or the patience
>
>
> Jill
I never did because I had friends who did and I knew all the work they did.
I didn't want to do that! I did work once and only once as a dishwasher at
our church. Got paid $50 for two hours of work so wished I could have that
job all the time but my friend who was the minister's daughter had it. I
just filled in for her once when she had something else to do.
I did have to fill in at the deli when I worked at K Mart. Not quite
restaurant work and I can say that I did not like it. The Icee machine
liked to spew sticky stuff on me and I hated scooping the ice cream.
Luckily that wasn't something I did very often.
I did occasionally have to help cook breakfast for all of the employees, and
at one point that was about 200.
Just got an e-mail from a former coworker that said all K Marts and Sears
will be closing at some point during the next 3 years. They simply won't
renew the lease. My former store is closing in March. I sure hope I can
still get my pension! Looks like I am going to have to try to get it early
which wasn't what I wanted to do. Now it makes me wish I had taken that buy
out that they offered me a couple of months ago. But it's too late for that
now!