...Really?!

Out of all the customers that I serve: kids, grandparents, college students, football fans and church-goers...my least favorite are middle aged women.  

I don't have anything against them except for the fact that they are extremely picky.  They complain the most out of any customer that I get.  Their food is too cold, there dishes are dirty, the light ranch dressing doesn't taste like "light" dressing-you know, stuff like that.  There is nothing wrong with being picky about certain instances when you go out, but I find that middle aged women are more rude about it and I can't for the life of me figure it out.  

SO...getting to my story, yesterday I served a woman like this.  She was actually nice right up until the moment I set the plate of food in front of her.  She had ordered our appetizer sampler, which is a choice of three of our apps on one plate.  As I went to set the plate down, an eggroll slipped off the plate and landed on the table...the CLEAN table.  I apologized for it and she immediately looked up at me and said, "Oh...well I'm going to HAVE to have another one." I looked at her and repeated the question because I thought she was joking!  She was so grossed out that she wanted another one! I picked up the eggroll, which was actually cut in half so she wanted me go back into the kitchen and have me ask the cooks to make her half an eggroll.  I brought the eggroll back set it on a small plate, waited a few minutes and brought the same eggroll out to her...she never even knew the difference. 

 

Managerial Personalities

In every restaurant there is usually a few managers (i.e. kitchen managers, general manager...you get the idea). 

I've concluded, based on my experience and with friends that have worked as servers also, that the managers personalities are similar across the board.  At the current restaurant that I work at I have four managers.  I know what I can and can't get away with depending on who's working.  For example, I know that when the general manager is working (also called the GM) there is no way I can be wearing my nose ring and my shirt MUST be tucked in.  The GM is usually the straight edge type of personality...always follows the rules even if they make no difference otherwise.  They are usually difficult to talk to because they are usually on a power trip and they lack communication skills.  

There is always a manager that is just plain angry about life and these are the managers that you steer clear from and do what they say-if you do this then you should be on good terms with them. 

The third type of manager personality goes to the manager who is always willing to help you, always listens to you and treats everyone fairly.  They can sometimes get uptight but it's the restaurant business so that's bound to happen.  They're not difficult to work with and it's always nice when this is the manager in charge.  

The last type of manager is Mr. Cool himself.  There is always a male manager who is laid back about pretty much everything.  It's great working with them because when they are working the whole wait staff picks up the same vibe and it can make some nights fun to work.  The only drawback to this is that sometimes the staff can get a little too laid back making it easy to get behind which makes you feel busier then you really are. 

 

Tourney Time and Valentine's Day

So this is a celebratory post...this weekend was SOOO busy!  Busy in the most fan-tabulous way ever though.  Customers were generous, I think maybe because Saturday was Valentine's Day and everyone was just feeling the love.  So, here's to me actually liking Valentine's Day for the first time in my life...maybe because people were giving me money and not fluffy stuffed animals and giant boxes of chocolates. 

The Cowboy Burger

I got this true story from a friend of mine who works as a hostess.

I was standing at the host stand one day at work when a server named Jessie came up to me, frantic and pointing to a man that had just collapsed on the floor.

"I JUST gave that man a heart attack! Oh my ...I'm going to get SUED!" she said. 

"Well what do you mean? How did you give him a heart attack?!" I asked. 

"Well he ordered The Cowboy Burger! He ate it...and then collapsed! That burger put him in cardiac arrest and now he's on the floor and I'm going to get sued because I served it to him!"

I just stared at her, knowing she was being irrational.  EMT's were now strapping the overweight man to a stretcher while everyone in the restaurant was looking on with curiosity.  Even though Jessie was over reacting to the situation, she had good reason to.  The Cowboy Burger is our biggest burgers with crunchy onion rings, honey BBQ sauce, jack and cheddar cheeses and applewood smoked bacon. He might have had it coming to him anyway-The Cowboy Burger just pushed him over the edge. 

How to send your food back politely

So you go out to eat and your food wasn't prepared the way you asked it to be...there is absolutely nothing wrong about this it's just the way you go about it.  Try not to make a big deal about it or  make your server feel bad about it.  Usually it's the cooks fault and they weren't paying attention to the way the order was put in.  If you notify them in a polite manner it is never a problem to send food back.  

My Fantasy...

This video is totally disgusting...and awesome!  I would LOVE to do this...I know. I know...but still, just fantasizing about it gives me great joy. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p1dFdlcENQ

Now, I know the video is a bit disturbing but this does NOT happen in real life (the altering of the food anyway).  That customer is spot on though, every once in a while I'll wait on someone like that...messing with their food is only a fantasy of mine that I would NEVER carry out. :)

The Sunday Crowd: Church Goers and Football Enthusiasts

Every Sunday only two types of people come in...you guessed it, church goers and football enthusiasts.  At the particular restaurant that I work at there is a lounge in our bar area where the football fans sit and the church goers usually sit in the dining area...or as far away from the bar as possible.  

Both groups of people come in around the same time, after church and right around kickoff.  The football fans generally order appetizers, their favorite? Buffalo wings. The church folk usually order off the kids menu...for their 18 children that I'm almost positive throw their food on the floor just so they can laugh when they leave knowing that I'll be the one cleaning it up.  Oh, and those 18 children?  They're ALL in high chairs...making it difficult to maneuver around the table dropping off food and refilling drinks.  

The football fans are pretty laid back and easy to take care off though.  As long as their game is on and their beers are full, they are happy.