An apology and reasons.

I haven’t been able to write very much due to the fact that I’ve been supremely busy, though this not a reasonable excuse for my lack of tracking my days and keeping a public diary.  Now I’m not necessarily blaming it all on waiting tables, having a fast paced life, sleeping in plenty and the gin-tonics I’ve consumed; it’s mostly just me not having enough energy or motivation to write.  There’s been some pretty big events in the restaurant, getting fired, hired, regulars, reviews, rants and so much more.  Now I’m planning to do a crash-course on what has happened to the restaurant and everything else relating it so I’d suggest putting on a helmet, grabbing some popcorn and beer or your favorite glass of chardonnay or cabernet.

 

Fired.

Now remember that bartender?  The one who was an obvious alcoholic and seems to be facing a relapse every moment that she’s serving drinks?  Yes, Ms. Lindsay.  A bartender who has some obvious drinking problems, to the point of keeping drinks to herself while “making” new ones to serve to the owners.  It was an obvious downward spiral, and it was damn near depressing to watch.  Now enter mid February, around the 16th and she misses the shift which she was scheduled for, two hours pass by and the phone rings and un-surprisingly it was from the devil herself.  Lindsay gives a tone of emergency, a sense of panic and lets the owner know that she won’t be able to get to work for that day and not for a solid month.  She informs the owners that her family had checked her in a rehab for her problems, and for what seemed as a twenty minute conversation it all boiled down to her being terminated from her position as a bar tender.  Good riddance as a way of saying “enjoy your life”.  The restaurant has been operating much smoother and it feels so good not to have a crazy go up to you and bitch about her life that no one really cares about.

Hired.

Restaurants hire people as fast as we fire them, it’s nothing new and we’ve hired a new server.  Enter Phoebe, a strange woman whose sense of humour was as strange as eating a hotdog without ketchup and mustard.  She isn’t exactly new to waiting tables though she is to the world of sushi.  Not much is known about this stranger other than the obvious things, she barely knows the menu, she’s actually fun to be around with and everyone seems to enjoy being around her so I’ll try and update this whenever we learn more about her.  The crew goes to play pool and share a couple drinks every Monday and she’s joined us twice, hopefully this number doesn’t get cut short.  Two days ago we hired a new bar tender, server hybrid since our bar tender has to pick up the slack left behind by Ms. Lindsay.  Rob joins the staff and he is now in training, and hopefully faces the same fate as what we hope for Phoebe.

Now I’ve decided to find a new addiction, it involves Neil Patrick Harris and How I Met Your Mother. I blame not writing actually on this show… now I am hooked and find every way possible to watch it, from Netflix on my iPhone  to me sitting at home and this has taken quite an effect on me writing… So I apologize to you, the person who cares enough to read stories of a waiter, someone who’s mildly entertained if at all by the strange stories I tell.  Thank you if you still happen to come across my little restaurant, I appreciate your patronage and would love to see you more, hell even sending it to some people you know or hate.

Thank you so much dear reader, I do appreciate you.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

More than just customers.

The month of February walks by and the first Friday of the month comes in,  what is regarded as Black History Month is actually regarded as the month of lovers, or at least for the restaurants.  I enjoy the chaos that the restaurant brings us, it almost brings a sense of calmness and a point of meditation and that is exactly what we need when we are being slammed.

The moment of panic finds its way, creeping in to everyone in the restaurant, the cooks, servers and hell even the dishwasher and it all goes haywire for about twenty minutes.  Slowly picking up where we all left off, a familiar face walks inside my restaurant.  Regulars of mine walk in, they’ve always came together and sometimes they bring their friends, it is to the extent that I think they are more than just my customers and I’d be lying if I say that I don’t look at them as friends.  They’ve been coming every now and then since the restaurant had opened though it seemed that there was a period in which they didn’t come at all, and today was the day I found out why.

A slender man and his sister walk towards the receiving table of the hostess, they had specifically requested to served by yours truly and that was nothing new, they have been my regular customers ever since I started this job and today was no different.  They’ve placed themselves in my care with so much trust in our relationship that they’d let me order their courses for them.  I had decided to let them know of what is actually being cut fresh and what would make a good first course, off-course they started with what was fresh and it happened to be a new style of Maguro sashimi, followed by a second course of Saikyo Miso Seabass, all was going well and everything seemed to be going the right direction, drinks we’re pouring and cocktails are moving.  It was all a server would want, a table of great people, willing to joke around and people who appreciate your company.

All is going smooth and at the corner of my eye I see a empty plate of what they had for dinner, I thought to myself that it was just fine and I went ahead and suggested them a desert that they have yet to have in my restaurant, needless to say they we’re very impressed.  Dinner service for them was about to end, they took some one more cocktail to share and I hand them the bill.  The bill wasn’t something that would be considered high but part of that was because of their company, they made my night that much better.  I was being skipped on the rotation for some insane reason and people just didn’t seem to be sat in my section, monetary wise I was being fucked in the ass.  Then these people come in, all smiles and with the want to even talk to me and this alone put a smile on my face.  I’ve always enjoyed their company and sure their generosity goes a long way but that isn’t even why I’m happy to see them, this is a point in which your customer becomes more than just someone who pays your bills.

They pay for their tab and end up staying for a little while, we talk and since they often ask what times and days I work and since it does change, I decided to give them my e-mail address and to just shoot me a message and out of sheer enjoyment I let them in on the secret of this blog and actually mention to them the reaction of some people when they read the story I wrote about them.  I told them that it included my whole interaction with them and even with the kid who had changed my outlook on waiting tables, only for them to tell me that that child had passed away.  A rock fell in my heart and I couldn’t help but shed a tear, I wanted to do more but I had to hold myself up, it all seemed so dark and cruel yet I had no way to recollect myself.  I hope all is well for them and I do wish them the best, I’m at the position where I would be willing to do as they ask without the need for gratuity, inside and outside of my restaurant.

If you are reading this my dear friends, I hope that all is well and I hope to see your faces for many more times to come.

I thank you for being so kind, and more so I thank you for being a friend.

Sincerely,

Your friend and waiter today.

 

& for those who have no idea who I’m referring to, this is the blog post about them that I had wrote before.

http://bit.ly/A8uvZL

Thin Mints.

Ah Thin Mints, my favorite kind of girl scout cookies and what better way to support them than to buy a box of cookies for $5 and them only get about $.50, oh the joys of greed.(I’m not really one to talk…)

I served a mom and her little daughter, no older than 10 but no younger than 8. The little girl was wearing a girl scout uniform, it was adorable while her mom was wearing stripper heels, a very tight dress and that was ok to me since the mother was extremely attractive. They decided to take a break from their job of selling girl scout cookies and eat, it was chilly outside and why the hell should they suffer while everyone was pigging out and stuffing their face with raw fish. They aren’t the most knowledgeable of all things sushi so I explained to them the difference between nigiri and sashimi, the difference between the toro and maguro, of sake-toro and sake, all while retaining a relax and friendly composure. They told me that they love salmon and they would be happy with a California Roll and an order of Salmon sashimi so I told them jokingly that I’d let them order that in trade for my favorite kind of girl scout cookies, thin mints off-course and they just laughed and said sure.

I found myself laughing because I could literally devour a box of those in a matter of minutes and that doesn’t help with me wanting to work-out and stop gaining so much weight from the restaurant alone. I serve them their food and they asked for another round of California Roll, I put the order and as fast as a Big Mac comes out of McDonalds, a California Roll comes out almost as fast. The bill comes up and it’s as I expected, not high at all. This didn’t matter much to me as a child doesn’t even matter in headcount because of how little they consume so I present the bill, they put a couple of dollars in and I walk inside the kitchen. While holding two glasses of water for a different table, they are leaving and saying goodbye to me, I do the same.

I walk to the table to clean up and grab the ticket, and in the corner of my eye. I see a box of Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies! I was ecstatic, I wasn’t expecting this at all and for them to actually leave one definitely made my day.

These kind of people show me that, hard work pays off. The little girl was probably out selling cookies all day and was rewarded with California Rolls, to some people that might be nothing but to her it was what she had been wanting. I hope that all this hard work I’m doing will pay off in the long run, but just for the day. I think it already did, all thanks to that little girl.

The next time I see you in my restaurant, you bet that I’ll take good care of you. Free sushi, ice cream and whatever you want.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

Causing a scene

I just got back home and before unpacking anything got a message saying that I have to work the following day and today was that day.  After being out of the loop of the restaurant some things have changed such as a server suddenly being trained to be a sushi chef, a hostess being pregnant and a whole schmuck of other things.  To top that off I was jet lagged like no other and had a stuffed nose and can barely breathe.  I was a man destined for failure today yet I somehow found it comforting to be back in the interior walls of my restaurant, it felt warm, it felt nice, it felt like home.

Barely able to operate I march to my table, with the intent to serve, so vicious that it’ll drop them dead and sure enough I nailed that first table.  I got a 50% tip as a starting point, I mean sure $15 on a $30 isn’t much but the fact that it was my first table made it all the sweeter.  The day progresses and we found ourselves in the middle of dinner service.  Restaurant packed with people and everyone speaking in a tone of liquor and raw fish, it was almost intoxicating even to the servers.  Everyone was so happy and out of the seven tables I was juggling around, four of them we’re my regulars, this night is one of the nights all servers wish to get.  Money is going great, my sales hitting a peak and the only problem I have is one table that is still waiting on their food.  This is where the night takes a turn.

A British man with his wife we’re waiting on an entree.  The woman’s meal had already been taken to her and so did some side dishes for the mans meal.  As I was grabbing the woman’s meal, I saw what I assumed was my dish being almost done.  I rush the meal to the woman and for what it seemed, all was fine.  Fifteen minutes later the meal still wasn’t ready so I apologize to the man and immediately find my way in the kitchen to grab the mans food.  The manager following me with the other things that came with his meal, we act with haste only to be halted by the man saying, “I do not want this, take it back”, “This is the worst experience I’ve ever had” and among other things causing quite a commotion over something so menial, all while his wife finishes off her meal(I know, how classy).  Now don’t get me wrong, I know that 15 minutes is quite some time but I don’t think he took care of the situation gracefully.  Had he not been a jackass he would’ve got taken care of like a king but instead he decides to be a child and actually raise his voice in a dining room full of people.

There are better ways of taking care of a situation like this, and let me tell you, it isn’t to be a fuckin asshole.  I ended up giving them all they had for free, just so I could get them to leave quietly.  No tip, no nothing, just a table that needs to be cleaned and a attitude of bitterness and resentment.  If you ever get in a position like this, please have some decency to act like a human, chances are you’d get free food, alcohol and we both don’t end up hating each other.  Nothing is gained by causing a scene, only loss of respect.

Please take my word on this.  Give us the respect you’d give your wife, mother or loved one and we promise that your stay with us will be as good.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

(Though the man reminded me so much of Gordon Ramsay, because he was British and had nothing good to say about my restaurant…)

 

Flirting

Flirting is a gesture done to get ones attention and hopefully getting to know them better, this includes a date to a movie or even dinner.  To a server flirting is nothing but a weapon, a tool used to get what we need and it isn’t rare that we use this.  Women might have the upper hand in this competition but us guys aren’t too far off.  Today was different because I wasn’t flirting with a woman, not today but instead I was flirting with two men.

A couple walks in with the poise of a runway model, the charisma of a spokesman and the fashion sense of a metro sexual Asian man.  I appreciate good taste in fashion so I immediately thought that this table wouldn’t be bad at all.  I approached them asking what they’d like to drink and they answered me with the need for the most “girly” drinks we had on the menu, now I knew that these men was actually a couple.  I enjoy waiting on gay guys solely because they carry good conversation and they tip very well also, both things that make up a perfect customer.

We chatted and I enjoyed their company and for what it looked like, they enjoyed mine.  I immediately noticed upon their arrival that they we’re both wearing watches that I actually contemplated on buying, a watch from Michael Kors and a watch from Kenneth Cole, man they rocked it so well and I just had to talk with them about it.  They actually even recognized my watch and I was flattered(talk about them doing my job.).  They weren’t from town and they we’re here just to visit and they happened to come across my restaurant so they decided to check it out.

I’m quite sad that I won’t be seeing them often, not only because of the money that they give but for their company.  I enjoy people who like to talk, and actually converse with me(their server).  If in any case you two are reading this, I want you to know that I truly did enjoy your company and I hope to see you again.  I’ll buy you both a drink next time, on me.

And Merry Christmas to you dear readers, I apologize for not having wrote anything on Christmas nor Christmas Eve…  Sorry.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

Holiday Spirit

The days counting down to Christmas is coming to a close and as this time of year comes the snow starts falling down and so does the customers.  Business for a restaurant on the holidays go down significantly and this affects everyone, very much like a trickle down effect.  As I was driving to the restaurant, listening to the radio which happened to be playing Christmas tunes, I saw a homeless man holding a sign that read “Do you believe in Karma?”  This struck me like a damn thunderbolt.  I’m not very religious nor would I fully say that I believed in karma but I somehow found myself giving this man a dollar.  I don’t know why, I’m guessing it’s the Christmas songs.  I got to the restaurant and left my car feeling good, you know that tingly sensation in your body when you feel that you did something good?  I rarely feel that but for today I did.

A man who resembled a Vietnam War veteran came in, holding his wifes hand as they walked majestically towards their table.  I couldn’t help but feel ecstatic that I’d be waiting this mans table.  He was wearing his military service hat and thick rimmed glasses.  I walk over and casually chat with them and immediately got them the drinks they wanted.  The man got a nice cold Kirin Ichiban while the madame decided to get green tea.  They seemed to know their way with sushi, ordering fish in Japanese as if it was their second language, all while keeping their composure. unbelievable I said as I wrote down every single order that the man had.  They have ordered a total of $120 worth of food.  Now I know you might say that in a restaurant like that it is not hard at all to go up that much but when you factor in their age and the things they are about to eat, it gets pretty crazy.

As they eat their meal, all I saw was them talking, staring into each others eyes as if they we’re diamonds, this was beautiful to me.  In a world filled with nothing but pessimistic and loveless souls, the rare occasion that we do see someone who is passionately in love with one another, we are easily reminded of how we are.  I want a life like that.

They hadn’t ate anymore and I decided to run them their bill.  I chat some more and they said that they have to get home because the wife had forgot to bring along some of her medicine, so as they we’re walking away, I couldn’t help but think about them.  They we’re at the door when the man shook my hand, the grip and dominance of a lion immediately surged through my body, I have nothing but the utmost respect for this man and I’m positive he saw, as I shook his hand firmly.

Time to check how much I made, I casually walked over to the table, taking my time and when I got there I was stunned.  They had given me $55, almost 50%.  Incredible, and on the ticket a note was left.  “Thank you for taking care of my wife and I, I appreciate you for recognizing my service and Merry Christmas to you”.  I’d like to say I almost bust into tears but I didn’t.  I held it in and was in complete awe.  Things like this make my job worthwhile, sure there might be plenty of assholes that don’t even bother leaving you a courteous amount but once in a blue moon we come across people who truly understand and appreciate what we do and to you sir I give my kudos.  I hope you have a merry christmas too, and I hope to see you and your wife again.

Have a heart, I was always told by my family and suddenly I remembered this as I read the writings on the ticket.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

Why not sit at the bar?

A question that I really don’t ask often, why not sit at the bar?  I don’t want my customers to sit at the bar because that just means money I’m losing to the person I’m even giving my money to the end of the day.  But there comes an occasional jerk who decides to occupy my precious real-estate and get nothing to eat, no appetizers, no sushi, no sashimi, nothing else other than a simple happy hour draft beer that costs $4.  WHY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WOULD YOU NOT SIT AT THE BAR?  I got a table of two who ordered 2 glasses of Kirin Ichiban on draft, the small size to add on; they we’re given me as their server because they had wanted to sit at a table.  Sure, why not they’ll probably order when their drinks are done, or so I thought.  Roughly half an hour passes by and they are almost done with their beer, I thought to myself “perfect, now they’re gonna order” and when I approached their table “no thanks, we’re still OK.”  What the hell does that even mean?  Why did you not just sit at the bar, the place we’re people generally go to sit down and chat.  Tables/Booths are not meant for your casual drinking, go to a pub for that.  Servers rely on tables to make a living and when one of our tables gets blocked off it makes us mad.  And god forbid you ever come back, we will remember you and we will treat you the same way you treated us, like garbage.

Their total came to about $9 and they decided to be generous and tip me $1.  Take that dollar and shove it up your ass.  I do wonder, there are pubs built and hell my restaurant even has a full bar so what compelled you to sit at a table?  Maybe I just don’t think like a jerk and can’t come up with an answer but one thing I do know, I know better than to disregard and disrespect my server.  I hope you do treat your server with the utmost respect aswell dear reader.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

No shame of any sort

Now having gone back to the groove of things, I’m once again the same exact machine that serves raw fish with the precision of a laser cutter I am once again seeing faces of people that I do not want to see.  Now I’m not talking about people bringing their children nor am I talking about the people who only tip 10%, though I do hate you and would rather you not come in my restaurant but what ticked me off today was seeing someone who shafted me come back.  Not by tipping me 10% or leaving a gigantic mess for me to clean up but someone who didn’t leave a single dime and didn’t even have the courtesy to leave a dollar or two.(previous blog post)

Though this time she wasn’t my table and she happened to be someone else.  When I saw them I immediately rushed to the server who had the terrible fate of being shafted by them and told them how these women completely ignored the social norms and stepped the boundary of being blacklisted.  Now I don’t mean blacklisted as a denial of service but the quality of service will differ significantly.  Oh your water seems to be low and you happened to put a little more wasabi than intended?  I’ll get to you in 10 minutes, that kind of treatment.  In all honesty, we don’t really care if people like this don’t come to our restaurant.  They weren’t gonna spend much money to begin with and they sure as hell don’t care about the person who is taking care of them.  Bad for both the business and the server.

Now you might say, they didn’t have the money to tip because of the hard times and the economy, blah blah blah.  Here is one rule to live by; If you don’t have enough money to tip, then you sure as hell don’t have enough money to eat out.  Stay at your house and eat your TV dinner or call the Thai restaurant to get your pad thai, just don’t eat out and screw someone over.

I have my girlfriend waiting for me as I type this so I’m gonna choose to cut this post a little earlier than usual.  I do apologize(not really…)

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

Invitation

Every now and then you get regulars that almost seem like family to you.  They joke around and act casually without the niceties of public action.  That’s the kind of regulars that I love.  I’ve come to liking a couple, they get internet lingo and they even bring it up in conversations ever so slyly.  They’ve been to restaurant about eight times and all of those I was their server.

Since I love them so much they’ve got so much free shit you wouldn’t believe it, free appetizers, alcohol, sushi, sashimi, you name it, they got it.  I even gave them one of my service industry cards for one of the nearby bars, that give them discounted drinks, free pool and a whole lot of other shit.  Needless to say, our relationship is mutual.  They’ve decided to show some gratitude by inviting me over to their house for a couple of get together, parties and what not.  Most recent one they offered was for Thanksgiving, they asked if I had somewhere to go or if I had plans and they we’re gracious enough to give me a hand, I actually have plans so I won’t be going with them.  Another one though is on December 3rd, they will be throwing one and I again was invited.  Awesome.

Now don’t get me wrong because I still think it’s strange for a waiter to hang out with his customers, I mean there’s gotta be a rule against that somewhere and I’m just not educated enough to not do it.  And if you are wondering, they do tip me over 20%.  Now will it be strange after I meet them outside the restaurant?  Maybe, but this will surely be an experience worth living.

Now I’ll be heading to my parents home to have some turkey.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.

Extremist

Now what I thought would be an easy Wednesday was actually quite easy.  I was in the restaurant for a total of 3.5 hours, my shift starts at 4 and typically ends at 10, though it wasn’t busy at all and I was asked if I wanted to be cut, so I thought to myself, “hey, why the fuck not”.

As I’ve said before the restaurant eats together, meaning that the food is ready once the kitchen finds the time to make it.  Food was served at about 8:45 meaning I had nothing to do until then, so I sat at the bar and talked with my host and my bartender.

A man who had the haircut of a US Marine sits at the bar, orders a Sam Adam Winter Lagger and looks over to me and my host, he engages us in conversation.  This is normal for a bar setting, people even talk across the bar so this was no surprise to both of us but usually the conversations last no longer than a couple of pleasantries.  It got to the point of us talking about his occupation and he went on a talk about how he grew up in a generic trailer thrash home where it was normal to rely on welfare and no one was smart enough to leave that condition, though obviously he did.  He asked my host and I about what ourselves and off-course I’m not gonna spew out to a random stranger what I do and I gave him a generic bullshit answer.  Now he says that he’s been through it all, heartbreaks and seeing a friend of his die in his own hands in war, this man seems to have done plenty.  He did not fail to mention his service in the US Military, as the haircut he had was as true as I thought, he was a jarhead for 9 years and this showed in his physique and the look in his face.

This is where things get heated, my bartender is from Germany, grew up there but finished school here so you can say his family was financially secure, though the Marine seemed to have a less than average family.  My bartender is quite liberal and the Marine admittedly said his political affiliation, he was as republican as Rick Perry is dumb.  Now you can just imagine the spectrum of difference here, completely polar opposites.  His meal comes out and he proceeds to eat whilst having a conversation to the bartender about how lazy generations are getting and they are not getting anywhere in life and only expect hand outs from the Democrats.  Now my bartender is a fairly passive guy but this extremist was not giving him any opening to talk and voice his opinion, everytime he would try to talk this man would voice his in a louder manner while making faces of sarcasm.  Unbelievable.

Now I left and as I was riding past the restaurant, I see the man is still there.  Now I don’t know what the fuck was happening but I was fairly certain that my bartender was getting annoyed.  I feel bad for him, I just hope that it doesn’t affect his tips.

Sincerely,

Your waiter today.