Monday: Boss 1 is stopped and ticketed by RB police for expired registration (sound familiar!) on a vehicle seldom used. It expired in February!! He plans to spend the day at the DMV as I did a while ago.
Boss 2 discovers his driving license expired on his Birthday in May!!! He takes off in the vehicle with the expired registration (panic ensues) and is told by phone to get off the road before he gets stopped by state troopers. The expired registration is bad enough, but coupled with an expired license he'd be arrested immediately.
Five hours later all is in order. A huge sigh of relief from both bosses.
Then to top off a spectacularly negative day, a brawl broke out during Karaoke that night between 2 redneck gay guys and a straight family. Things got ugly, police were called, one redneck was arrested. You can't make this stuff up!
Tuesday: Dept. of Health visits (three weeks late!) and I do everything according to the book. The inspector is taken anywhere they want to go and two (very tense) hours later there is sense of pride as the restaurant is given a glowing 'thumbs up' for cleanliness and safety.
Wednesday: My day off is enveloped in heavy rains and thunderstorms. With little accomplished, I don't care what happens in the restaurant.
Thursday: Like it or not, I am brought up to date on the hysteria and madness of Wednesday. Rudeness, nastiness, and anger topped the list for what was a very busy day. Glad I missed all that fun.
My Thursday lunch crowd was a happy group, anxious for good food, laughter and awaiting the weekend.
Friday: As I prep for the day staff members arrive in a somber mood. Few smiles and almost no personal interaction. It was only when the bar and wait staff arrive that I learn that there was a sting operation the night before, where a 20 year-old was served at the bar. The offending bartender was arrested. The restaurant was issued a summons and a fine will be imposed after the court hearing. It's a long and sad story.
Note: in a future post I will explain why this is an important issue in Delaware (and no where else!) and why it is important for anyone licensed to serve booze in this state to take what happened here very seriously.
Somehow they make it through dinner and karaoke last night, but not without further incident...the Fire Marshall pays a visit and discovers 2 dining chairs near the fire exit in the rear of the dining room. No fine. Just not a good report.
Saturday: Upon arrival I find certain things out of their normal places, and a few things lying around that do not belong in the place at all. Leaving these things where they lay I get the morning prep work out of the way before the kitchen and bar staff arrive. Turns out everything Friday night was hit-or-miss. Obnoxious people in the majority, and congenial folks in a tiny minority. A night in Hell for everyone - servers and kitchen staff alike. Hey! It's August, after all. What do we expect?
Lunch today was a joy, some new customers dining for the first time (the restaurant having been recommended by a friend) mingled with regular customers having just arrived for their holiday week and dining with us before checking into their lodgings.Cross chatter between tables was the norm. All in all the afternoon went surprisingly well. I worked past my shift and had the chance to work with the night staff I like and admire and who anticipate every need in the dining room which was filling up fast. Loved that! This was also their first time working with me and we got along very well.
I was spent when finally relieved of duty and thoroughly enjoyed my after shift cocktail with another co-worker young enough to be my granddaughter! She's quite an old soul, lesbian, a heart of gold and pretty centered for a youngster of 23 years. Our conversation was very deep and personal so I guess she trusts me enough to talk freely and confide in me. I feel honoured.
Well, this week is over, but not to be forgotten any time soon. Time for dinner and
And so it goes.
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A good post! I always enjoy sharing your adventures in la la land.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the summertime crowd. We have had our share of them at the hotel on the canal too this week. In fact today I had the "pleasure" of working the day shift (hotel full) to fill in for a sick co-worker. This is the last few weeks that the kiddies (also known as "the little darlings") are in with the parents. It's crazy. I won't go into the detail but you can imagine. Lots of screaming and requests for extra pillows.
This stupid decision by the county to cut back on expenses by not sending out reminders for tags and licenses is crazy and is going to backfire on them. I already warned Jim and Big Bob. They didn't know they wouldn't get a reminder. Jim's registration is expiring next month. He thanked my profusely for telling him the "news."
I'm glad you still see the humor in your job and the human comedy. That's the only way you can look at it without going crazy or getting too cynical. I slipped a couple of times this week but self-correctecd myself. Always a challenge dealing with the PUBLIC. The drama, the stress and the rewards. I would have it no other way.
Enjoy your weekend or the day you're off. Only two weeks till Labor Day!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a week! One would almost think that the Man had/has something in for your restaurant.
ReplyDeleteNow the whole week starts again and it should be an easier one. Hope you've gotten a day of rest.
ReplyDeleteARRESTED? I'm looking forward to reading your follow up post on that topic. Entrapment is unfair in my opinion although I get why they do it.