Smiles!

The new place is fun! I feel like I'm in a video game, actively playing the game. Its a lot of fun! I'm glad I'm enjoying the newness of it, but I hope it doesn't wear off and get old any time soon.

First day!

First day on the new job went smooth :)  I think I'll be able to catch on to this job pretty quickly. Lots of side work and closing work, but nothing I can't handle. Plus I have an interview for a place even closer tomorrow! We'll see how everything works out....

Bow Ties are Cool!

...

There are some days when it seems the hosts don't know how to do their job... this was one of them. The random seating patterns... just do what the computer tells you and think about how long its been since you sat that server!

I walked by a man drinking his wine, from the wine glass, but with two cocktail straws. It was so cute!

Well, bitter sweet leaving this place today. Orientation for the new restaurant tomorrow! I'm excited for that!

done

Tuesday double. Usually a pretty laid back day. I started out in the bar. That got a little pop! But I only had four tables and made maybe $10. Yesterday and today I've gotten some funny men at my tables, real jokesters. Today the guy was just joshing about the lottery, he wanted me to bring him the winning ticket! Yesterday the man told me that I seemed real smart and he wanted me to help him with a problem: he was driving on one of these Florida roads when a crane flew right in front of the car. He didn't have time to stop and so he hit the bird. The bird rolled right over his car and onto the car behind him, breaking that car's front window. Well, that car was a sheriff's police car. The officer was livid, he pulled the man over and wrote him a ticket for flipping him the bird. ...

Talking about being livid, tonight sucked. I balled like a baby I was so upset we ruined a little girl's birthday. Her parents got livid after it took so long to be sat, it took forever to get the food out, they wanted all their desserts to go so that took forever. The food that came out the first time was over cooked. I felt so horrible for this family. A manager gave them a $30 gift card, which they used, but still ended up paying another $30 for this horrible birthday celebration. We ruined the poor girl's birthday!

What makes it worse is that this happened right after I got a huge complement from another guest telling my manager how awesome I was and starting an applause for me with his party of six (oh yes I was blushing!).

At the end of the night, while I was doing my side work, I heard about one of our servers leaving. He was scheduled a double today too, but he didn't come back from his break. Then I finally get to talk to the manager who does the schedules. I told him to take me off next week's schedule because I got a new job. I hate to do that to them. The last thing he said was that he lost two server in the same day, they can't hire them fast enough. That sucks! I feel horrible for the gm, she came to a crumbling restaurant and now its just falling to pieces around her. 

I feel a since of freedom now that I quit this job, and at the same time I feel really bad for not sticking to it and helping make it better. Though, I don't think I really could and I'm not giving my best service at this place, its not possible when others aren't doing their job. I think its for the best. No more driving in traffic, no more stressing out (at least not to the same intensity), and I get to start new, make new friends!

That was my last double at this restaurant!!!

My feet hurt

Today my pointless lunch shift turned into a double shift. Lunch shifts are pointless for me because its a 45 min drive to work in traffic, usually I make $40 on a lunch and that fills my gas tank. But today one of my team members forgot to ask off for a wedding and needed it covered. I don't want to be at this place any more so it took some begging and a bribe: he paid me $10 to take the shift.

There was a bunch of parties today. I was on three of them! Everyone of my guests seemed to love me today though. Except for one table this morning: I felt so bad for the kid they dragged in with them! This lady was so bitchy she didn't like the price of the meal, which I told her ahead of time, and she wanted to speak to a manager... I solved the problem myself, but when I stopped by to see how they were doing the man was lecturing the kid about going to college. Granted, the kid was probably in high school and that's the time he should be thinking about it, I wouldn't waste my money on it if I could do it again. I wanted to take him to another table to eat and just be in peace!

The way they were seating us tonight was frustrating, like they didn't know how to do the damn job. There was a party of 8 ladies celebrating a couple of birthdays that I was on and as we're getting the cake out they seat me another 8 top to take by myself! Luckily I had an awesome service partner tonight who was able to close the party out for us while I started my next one. (We were a great team tonight!) My party loved me since he did that and I was able to turn my focus to my other party. 

Apparently the gm has enlisted some of the trainers to try and bring up the the attitude at this restaurant though they've been getting some pretty harsh attitude back about it. I'm glad she's trying to do something! I still can't wait to get into my new restaurant.

Oh it was so nice to walk out those doors tonight! While warm and windy, it felt like freedom! The moon behind the palm trees was a nice visual to remind me that I moved to paradise.

I know this is horrible quality (I took it with my cell phone) but it gets the idea a cross:
palm trees with the moon shining though the clouds behind them.

Saturday double shift.

Just like it sounds: busy, chaotic, and frustrating.  The morning wasn't all that bad, busy wise. I only got a six minute break in, and the only reason I got that is because we have to be on break to order food, so I did that and then clocked right back on.

Nothing to exciting happened tonight. Just happy to be out of here soon!

New job!?

Had an interview at a new restaurant this morning! The manager I spoke to seemed to love me! He seemed to really want me on the team and wanted to set up a second interview as soon as possible. The GM is supposed to call me sometime today, and he was hoping to get that interview in tomorrow. I'm super excited just for the fact that I like feeling wanted.

It was a little odd though, when I was walking out of the restaurant a guest stopped me and asked if I was looking for a job. She told me about her gas station down the road and wanted me to apply. In my mind those are two very different jobs. I wasn't rude of course, but a... no thank you lady!

I lost it (almost)

(Written March 11, 2014)

Yesterday I got a call from one of my managers.  He left a message asking me to call him before my shift.  When I called him back he tells me there was a message left in the office saying "no more" telling him to call me, not to come in for my shifts the next couple of days (a dinner shift and a double) and that I need to talk to our general manager (GM).  When I asked him why he replied "Well, I was hoping you could tell me!?"

To me, that sounds like I'm fired.  I can't go to work and make money to pay my bills and I have to talk to the GM...

So, to the job board.  My fiancé went online and found a position open at a closer to home restaurant. We go in, turn in my resume and score an interview. Then I head across the street to the mall where I talk to a manager who really seemed to like me.  Fill out their application online and score another interview with them. Go me (with the help of my wonderful fiancé)!

I call the GM today and she insists that I come in and talk to her.  I asked her over the phone if I was fired, and she says "Well, I don't know yet." That's very reassuring. Though I would like to know if i'm fired or not before I make the 45min drive to have a 5min conversation about me being booted out.

I get to the restaurant, having called before hand to let the GM know I'm on the way, and she has me wait in the lobby for about 25min before she finally comes up to talk to me.  That allows time for me to get further pissed off for having drove all the way out there.  I almost walked out.

Our conversation was somewhat productive.  She wanted me to stay, or rather she wants "this to work out."  I already knew we were short people in the restaurant and she shouldn't be letting go of anyone.

She wanted to talk about the night of my last post, Sunday.  She wanted my view of what happened.  I explained that I was having an off night, that happens from time to time.  And I told her that I knew I was making mistakes and I thought my biggest mistake that night was forgetting about that appetizer.  She agreed with the manager that was working that night, because that guest was having problems from the get go I should have asked my other tables to wait while I cashed her out. Though she seemed surprised to hear that the only things that I needed comped that night (food etc. given to the guests for free because the restaurant staff messed up) was a chicken dish that was undercooked and (apparently this counts) a gift card given to the lady that was extremely impatient.

I also went on to tell her about the issues I was having with management:
•The new busser that is being over paid as a manager. I understand when he is defended as a busy body, needing to do things an keep himself busy, but if that is what he's doing then why can't he help us keep things stoked? Why is he only helping bussers?  He could even help the kitchen as well, but no, he is only helping bussers. And no, I don't care that the last restaurant he managed was a buffet, that is not what this restaurant is and he needs to adjust for that.  The last straw came for me when I was actively using a tray to pre-buss tables and he walked off with the tray!
•Playing favorites.  This particular manager that I was working with Sunday night plays favorites big time.  She has her select group that she likes and protects (in a way) from warnings and write ups, then the rest of us she hangs out to dry.  I was only observing this and thinking about what side I might have been on for her, but after this, taking about $160 out of my pocket by not allowing me to work these past couple of days because she decided to write me up for having to comp an undercooked chicken and give a gift card... obviously I'm not liked.
•The stress they put on all of us, but especially one manager who wrote me up and told me (I'm paraphrasing of course, this is not what he said, but it is how he made me feel after that meeting) the next time you mess up, you're fired.
•The simple fact that this place is not managed well.  We have a new GM so I am understanding of the transition period, but the managers below her should be able to run the restaurant by now.
•And how unprofessional the management is at this restaurant!

By the end of the conversation she decided to take me off Friday nights and Saturdays, our busiest times because she thought I couldn't handle doing the job. And told me that she will talk about the good points I brought up to the appropriate people. She also said I need to be more responsible for what is happening because I have "not an excuse.... but, a... reason I guess" for everything that's going wrong.

I'm very welcome to any interviews and job openings that come my way. This place is not going to get any better like this. And having a manager out to get me fired: not interested in sticking around. Thanks though.

Not my night.

You can ask my fiancée, I've been a bitch all day, and some of my coworkers noticed. No real reason for that other than I didn't sleep well. All night I've been dropping things, forgetting everything, and just feeling over it. Most of my tables tonight weren't much help with this either. One bitch decided that she had waited for over fifteen minutes to be greeted, when I had a seven top, a four top, and then her single. She flagged me down and asked me to get her server. I was getting the soup and salads for my seven top when she was sat and my service partner said she was only there a couple of minutes before I came out. So fine, I was on top of everything and very prompt for her meal. When I picked up her check I explained that I had to get refills for my seven top and get hot food out for my four top and I will have it ready in my pocket when she sees me again.  I was dropping the hot food at my four top when she got up and found my manager. Who then got her check from me and gave it to the guest. Later my manager came to me and told me that I was in the wrong and should have asked my other tables to wait while I cashed her out. This lady left me nothing for a tip, so I got to pay for her to eat tonight. I also for got an appetizer for a table, their food came out under cooked, and they tipped me decently. They were understanding, thankfully.  Though my manager still got pissy with me for the incident.  However, my last tables were awesome! One was celebrating a birthday and another on was full of smiles and laughter. I loved it :)

This place is a joke

This place is just a bad joke, its not funny any more and I can't keep fake laughing at it.  We ran out of soup bowls. One of our primary foods we sell, comes as a side to all out dishes. And we ran out. No one was in the dish pit washing dishes. ... on a busy Saturday.

On a happier note: one of my guests stiffed me on a $70 check... they were so kind, said how great I was, then left me nothing.  That's not the happy part. The happy part was when they called in and apologized! They tried to get the manager to give me a gift card or something, but.... yeah.  It was sweet how apologetic she was and nice of her to call!