Who's done my job?
It's 6:30, and I'm in the weeds. Table 10 put me there. It's only a two-top, but it's obvious that these people haven't waited a table in their lives, much less done a job that requires anything more than filing/collating skills. They have me running back and forth to the kitchen for random things, and they expect everything right now.
I'm working the "green" section, which is the quirky section on the south side of the restaurant right next to the door. It's situated right next to the customer waiting area, which ensures that every hungry person is watching you and your tables like a hawk, waiting for the next opening. People often request it, which can make it a bit of an ass kicker section during dinner rushes. On most floor charts it constitutes two booths, two normal tables, two small bar tables, and one big bar table, for a total of seven tables. The easiest sections to work are the ones that are 100% booths and tables, since the dinner crowd sits at them. They like things slow paced and tend to be easy to please. They tend to like to be left alone most of the time, and tend to all show up at one time.
The bar tables, on the other hand, are completely different. This is where the younger crowd sits. They order lots of booze and are a fast paced bunch. Instead of the booth people that are easily numbered and tracked as guests 1, 2, 3, and 4, the bar people like to sit wherever and not inform you that others will be coming or leaving. It's not uncommon for one person to pay for the first round of drinks, leave, then have another stranger or three show up to the table to meet their friends. Suddenly your beautiful and carefully worked plan is in ruins, and guest 9 is in the #2 spot, guest 3 wants to have guests 5 and 7 on his bill (and all of them have since moved around when guest 4 came back from the restroom), guest 8 wants to order an appetizer on guest 2's tab, and guest 1 wants another beer (and is obviously not fit to do so).
For me, the hardest sections to run aren't the ones that are totally bar tables, but rather the kind that I'm working now. The combination sections. The way that I think and work sections involves seeing a pattern. Six dinner tables in one area is easy to work because they're easy to visualize and keep track of mentally. However, six tables that are spread out over the restaurant and all have different dynamics are much more difficult to discern a pattern from. This might not make much sense, but to people that don't do this job, it probably won't.
And that's the point that I'm trying to make. Most customers that I have in my sections are oblivious to the actual work that goes into keeping a section running smoothly, especially on a combination section like "green." They think that all I do is take food orders and give refills. They think that I'm capable of bending the space-time continuum and working their requests immediately when they ask them. What they don't realize (or look around and see) is that the three tables I just walked past on my way to their table have just asked me for things too.
Let me lay this out clearly: When you come into a restaurant during a big dinner rush, you must be patient. I understand that everyone's inflated senses of self entitlement and "me first" attitudes can get in the way, but those need to be left at home. If you ask me for something and it's been less than 5 minutes, please don't remind me with the "can I have my ketchup/tabasco/A1/frilly girly drink?" line, implying that I forgot about you. Trust me, I do this for a living. You're simply #7 on a long "to-do" list in my head, and you need to act like an adult and be patient. Now if it's been a while and it looks like I'm not too busy, feel free to kindly remind me. I'm human and do forget things at times. However, 9 times out of 10, the customer is a self-entitled idiot.
I'm working the "green" section, which is the quirky section on the south side of the restaurant right next to the door. It's situated right next to the customer waiting area, which ensures that every hungry person is watching you and your tables like a hawk, waiting for the next opening. People often request it, which can make it a bit of an ass kicker section during dinner rushes. On most floor charts it constitutes two booths, two normal tables, two small bar tables, and one big bar table, for a total of seven tables. The easiest sections to work are the ones that are 100% booths and tables, since the dinner crowd sits at them. They like things slow paced and tend to be easy to please. They tend to like to be left alone most of the time, and tend to all show up at one time.
The bar tables, on the other hand, are completely different. This is where the younger crowd sits. They order lots of booze and are a fast paced bunch. Instead of the booth people that are easily numbered and tracked as guests 1, 2, 3, and 4, the bar people like to sit wherever and not inform you that others will be coming or leaving. It's not uncommon for one person to pay for the first round of drinks, leave, then have another stranger or three show up to the table to meet their friends. Suddenly your beautiful and carefully worked plan is in ruins, and guest 9 is in the #2 spot, guest 3 wants to have guests 5 and 7 on his bill (and all of them have since moved around when guest 4 came back from the restroom), guest 8 wants to order an appetizer on guest 2's tab, and guest 1 wants another beer (and is obviously not fit to do so).
For me, the hardest sections to run aren't the ones that are totally bar tables, but rather the kind that I'm working now. The combination sections. The way that I think and work sections involves seeing a pattern. Six dinner tables in one area is easy to work because they're easy to visualize and keep track of mentally. However, six tables that are spread out over the restaurant and all have different dynamics are much more difficult to discern a pattern from. This might not make much sense, but to people that don't do this job, it probably won't.
And that's the point that I'm trying to make. Most customers that I have in my sections are oblivious to the actual work that goes into keeping a section running smoothly, especially on a combination section like "green." They think that all I do is take food orders and give refills. They think that I'm capable of bending the space-time continuum and working their requests immediately when they ask them. What they don't realize (or look around and see) is that the three tables I just walked past on my way to their table have just asked me for things too.
Let me lay this out clearly: When you come into a restaurant during a big dinner rush, you must be patient. I understand that everyone's inflated senses of self entitlement and "me first" attitudes can get in the way, but those need to be left at home. If you ask me for something and it's been less than 5 minutes, please don't remind me with the "can I have my ketchup/tabasco/A1/frilly girly drink?" line, implying that I forgot about you. Trust me, I do this for a living. You're simply #7 on a long "to-do" list in my head, and you need to act like an adult and be patient. Now if it's been a while and it looks like I'm not too busy, feel free to kindly remind me. I'm human and do forget things at times. However, 9 times out of 10, the customer is a self-entitled idiot.
posted by Brent at 7:38 PM
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