Dine in or Take out

If there is anyone still reading this...

2009-11-20T13:03:00.001-06:00

I hate it that I've become a zombie blog...maybe that'll change. Until then, check this out Did I Really Just Hear That?.

Wow, it's been a while

2009-05-18T09:38:00.002-05:00

It has been forever since I've posted, mostly cause I'm not waiting any more. So I have to figure out what I'll morph this blog into. In the meantime, check out this blog, Confessions of a Part Time Waitress. It's a good read.

Why Wouldn't This Work?

2009-02-25T09:38:00.002-06:00

So we are going to spend 800 billion on an economic stimulus. But here's an idea, and I'm only half joking when I propose this...why not give every man, woman and child in the US one million dollars? One caveat would be that any overdue debt would have to be paid off and then the individual would get the balance left. That would be around 300 million dollars, not even a dent in the stimulus package. Spit in the ocean, if you will. Right away, all the money spent for unemployment assistance is gone. The banks would be loving it. The car industry would be saved. All kinds of good things would happen, and for a fraction of the cost of the stimulus bill.

So to you economists out there - why wouldn't this work?

New Link

2009-02-24T10:15:00.004-06:00

Can't believe I missed these sites. I've really been a slack blogger lately. Here's a couple sites I found quite entertaining...
Purple Girl and Restaurant Rage.
I'm sure there are more out there that I've overlooked - if so leave me the address in the comments...

Breaking up is hard to do...even if you're breaking up with a job...

2009-02-24T09:58:00.001-06:00

And it gets more awkward…
A few days ago, a call comes in from the restaurant. I let it go to voicemail. I check it, fully expecting either the owner or a manager to have left a message saying something like, “Give us a call so we can talk blah blah blah.” But what I get is a message from a hostess saying the owner asked her to call to get my updated address because my W-2 got returned to them. So I’m like what the fuck? I of course called back when the place was closed and left a message that said nothing more than my address.

I feel like I’m in a weird game of poker or something. It’s like neither side wants broach the subject at hand. And of course now I’m left with the only recourse being my continued silence. If only I were more the type to want to confront things head on…alas I’m not. But I should take this opportunity to change that about myself. And I think I will do just that.

Probably tomorrow

Better to Fade Away than to Burn Out?

2009-02-09T13:35:00.001-06:00

Ah, how long it has been since my last post. So little has happened because, well, I’m not sure but I don’t think I work at the restaurant anymore. How can I be not sure? Well, here’s the scoop:
Last December, with the holidays fast approaching, I put in my calendar with requested days off. Remember, I hadn’t been working all that much, which was fine, since teaching all day and working at night can be grueling, it’s just the money was nice to have. So, I put in calendar requesting time off around Christmas and New Years. All seemed fine – said my “have a good holiday” to everyone on my last shift before the holidays and went on my merry way.
So come the first week of January, I call for my schedule. The boss and managers aren’t there, so one of the servers looks and says she doesn’t have me down for any hours this week. Not surprising since I had been basically going a full week without hours due to my schedule with my kids and work etcetera. So, next week, no hours. Strange, but I leave a message for the manager and/or owner to give me a call. No call. Next week I call and again am not on the schedule (well, my name was, but no hours). So I leave another message as (now suspiciously) no boss or manager available at the moment I’m calling. No call to me.
So I stopped calling. It’s now getting to be mid-February and I’ve not heard a thing. Now I know I could stop down when I know there has to be a manager/owner there, but I have a hard time doing things like that. Plus, I had been thinking about taking a leave of absence/quitting anyway, and is has been soooooo nice not waiting tables.
But it’s just odd, you know? I didn’t have any incidents occur. No arguments. No fallings out. And the co-owner who runs th front of the house is not one who shirks confrontation. Ever. Never. She actually sometimes goes out of her way to look for it, so the idea that she didn’t call and give me what for and fire me, or call and just tell me the deal is frankly a bit disconcerting. Maybe I had powers of intimidation I heretofore had no knowledge of. This opens a whole new world if true! Ah, we’ll see….

Reply All

2009-01-05T12:38:00.003-06:00

This has nothing to do with serving, but made me laugh hysterically.
My office mate says, "Hey, check this out. This is the strangest email I've ever gotten."
Normally, I'm like whatever, because this usually means something not very interesting nor very strange.
He continues, "This mail is a reply to an email that was sent to a bunch of us in this reading group. Looks like she meant to hit reply and not reply all."
My interest was piqued indeed, but still I didn't have much hope.
He reads the email, "It says, 'Julie, you do such a great job organizing these things thanks for your hard work.'"
So far so yawn.
"But the next paragraph says, 'This might sound crazy, but we really want to have another baby. We'll have to go the surrogate route. I was hoping my sister would do it, but she doesn't want to. She hasn't had a baby yet and isn't sure if she wants to. We might find a surrogate through word of mouth. Dan doesn't want a lot of people to know about our plans though. I wonder if the church would have some kind of way for us to advertise...'"

I imagine Dan somewhere yelling "WHAT THE FUCK!" when he finds out about this email that was sent to oh, fifty or so people!

Intriguing

2008-12-18T22:58:00.001-06:00

I stumbled upon this blog recently...although there are only a couple posts, I hope it continues...very intriguing...

Barbie

2008-12-16T11:42:00.002-06:00

I've never wanted a Barbie more than I do now!

The Odyssey

2008-12-15T07:57:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, before the huge mass of cold air blew away my will to live, my kids and I built snowmen in the very packable snow. But we decided to add a bit of a twist and built "Odysseus and his Men in the Cave of the Cyclops." The picture isn't the best because I took it with a cell phone, but you should be able to see that Cyclops has a snowman in his left hand...

Long over due...

2008-12-10T12:36:00.002-06:00

I can't believe I forgot to add a link to this site...Mike the Waiter...It's quite a good site, check it out...

More things no one wants to see...

2008-12-02T13:55:00.000-06:00

A previous post talked about things server's don't want to see...here's some things patrons don't want to see...

* Men at outside tables/bars without shirts. Lets face it, even for chicks, shirtless men near your food just makes you go "eew." At least it should. And yes, I know it's not allowed, but I've worked at places where the "investors" have done things like this. And the dude didn't look good. Not at all. Not to anyone.

* Servers or other employees shoving food in their faces when the door to the kitchen swings open. Seriously. Even if it's food you are allowed to be eating, the customers will think it's coming off their plate.

* Staff members arguing. Seriously, if I want disfunction, I'll stay home.

* Along with arguing, servers who look annoyed that you are there. Even if a server wasn't supposed to have the table, should have left an hour ago, or whatever, this is not the patron's fault. Do your job and shut the fuck up.

* The corollary to the arguing - uproars of laughter. Ok, nobody wants people to not enjoy themselves, but we've all been at places where the servers/staff are more concerned with playing grab ass than getting your food. Do your job and shut the fuck up.

* Misleading menu descriptions. A personal pet peeve for me. If I'm new to a place, I'd like some semblance of honesty. It's not like I'll come back if the food sucks but the menu describes it as being wonderful.

* Tables with six or more loud business types. You just know they will fuck up the service for everyone and under tip the poor server to boot.

* A group of people streaming to the restaurant all wearing name tags. Not a good sign for servers or patrons. Fucked up annoying shit will ensue. Guaranteed.

* Bitchy host/hostesses. Nothing says "this will suck" like a surly first impression. Once again, do your job, smile, and shut the fuck up. Honestly, hostesses do almost nothing, they could at least to nothing well.

Have more to add? Please leave a comment!

Restaurant of the Month

2008-12-02T10:18:00.003-06:00

My place of employment has been chosen by the Wisconsin's tourism division as their "Restaurant of the Month" for December. Here's an excerpt from their site(it's on the right side bar)...
"Have we got a restaurant pick of the month for you, and I don’t know that I was ever so surprised to find such a gem. We were filming for Discover Wisconsin Television, when they told us we needed to check out a place called Christian’s Bistro, a New Orleans-style Bistro in Plover, Wisconsin..."

Finalist

2008-12-01T15:00:00.004-06:00

UPDATE: The voting is closed...thanks to all who voted for my bro. I'll post results when they are available.

So my brother is a finalist in a photography contest...it'd be wonderful if all you wonderful readers would do me a solid and vote for him! See the photo at Outdoor Photographer.

Things you don't want to see at a restaurant...

2008-11-26T11:23:00.005-06:00

As a server and a patron, there are things you don't want to see in a restaurant...
Things servers don't want to see...

* An 8 top that consists of 4 kids or more...honestly, I like kids, I even have kids, but too many at your table is a recipe for heart burn and low tips.

* When waiting on a group that includes adults ranging in age from 30 to 60+, seeing the 60+ people grab the check and insist on paying (including the tip). Seriously, it's not the frickin' Depression (at least not yet).

* Any group that consists of people 21 years old or less where all of them are dressed up in prom/formal clothes. These tables will run you to death and leave a 2% tip (not out of spite usually, but out of ignorance or necessity).

* Any customer whose face looks as if they just came from a lemon sucking contest. Particularly if they are perfectly dressed and coiffed.

* Any one who looks at the menu, checks his or her wallet, then tells the hostess to seat them.

* Really obese people (not just fat, but really, really obese) who order gobs of very unhealthy food with their diet soda.

* The Red Hat old ladies. Holy shit, I mean, they show up in groups of 12 that seem like groups of 1200, all want separate checks and all leave horrendous amounts of coins for their Victorian era tips. The red hats are supposed to be 50 or older, but you'd be hard pressed to find anyone under 65 in our local chapter.

* Coworkers from other jobs. It usually results in a good tip, but most servers I know find it uncomfortable if you aren't actually friends with the coworker. Constant jokes about waiting on them at the other job generally ensue...

More to come...

Putting stuff behind you...

2008-11-25T13:08:00.002-06:00

It was the way they looked when they came in, their posture, their physical interactions with each other, which led me to think they were not exactly on good terms. So when I walked up to the table I tried not to be apprehensive as I rattled off my intro spiel.
“So, would you like something to drink while you look over the menu?”
The woman glumly shook her head no. The man looked as if he were about to order something, then said no thanks.

I returned after a while to take their orders. As I approached the table, I heard them talking.
“So, did you take her to this restaurant?” I overheard her say. The emphasis on the “her” left no doubt as to what that meant.
“No, of course not. Why would…”
His reply was cut off by my approach.

They ordered entrees only and as I was turning to leave he said, “Why don’t you bring a bottle of the house cabernet? Does that sound ok honey?”
“I don’t want anything,” she said.
I stood awkwardly as he looked at her. She refused to return his look.
“Should I bring the wine?” I asked. There is really nothing more uncomfortable than having to be an unintended observer to a situation like this.
“Yes, bring it.”

I returned with the wine, went through the rigmarole of wine service, then left. I brought two glasses, but noticed as I walked by later that her glass stayed dry.

The entrees were served and I checked to see how they were doing. I tried to stay away as they ate. Neither talked much. One time as I passed I saw her looking directly into his eyes as she said quietly, coldly even, “fuck you.”

They man finished his food; the lady still had a full plate. I knew, unfortunately, I would have to go to the table and start clearing it.
This time as I approached, they did not stop talking.
“I thought we put stuff behind us,” he was saying.
“I thought I could,” she said.
I stood for a moment or two, and cliché though it is, those moments seemed like an hour. Finally I reached for his plate and asked if I could take it. He motioned for me to take it.
“Are you still eating?” I asked her. “Or do you want me to box it up for you?
“Just take it. Throw it away.”
In my best fake happy voice I asked if they would like to see a dessert menu – I’m nothing if not professional.
The woman laughed, and for the first time her face lost the cloud that circled it the whole time.
“No. God no.” she laughingly replied.

I dropped the check, took their money and got a decent tip. As I cashed out the check I watched two people leave together and knew I wouldn’t be seeing them together again.

Entertaining Blog

2008-11-19T10:00:00.002-06:00

I've been reading the blog of the Lone Waitress as of late. Very entertaining, check it out.

No Mo Nano

2008-11-11T10:03:00.001-06:00

Well, I've officially given up writing a novel in a month. Why? To wit, I lack the discipline, and more importantly, I was churning out crap. I like the idea of the NANO, but for me, the reality of it not so much...

NANO novel

2008-11-05T13:58:00.006-06:00

I'm trying my hand at writing a novel in a month (well less than that now). Check out what it is all about at National Novel Writing Month.

States of Mind

2008-11-03T12:45:00.001-06:00

So I’ve been working some. Not a lot - other parts of life getting in the way. One thing I’ve found out, the less hours I wait tables, the harder it is to drag my ass in. I think about all the other wonderful things I could be doing, about how I don’t want to deal with assholes, about how I wanted to be waited on for a change.

And yet, once I get there, once I have overridden the initial inertia, I’m glad to be there. I enjoy my coworkers, enjoy doing something relatively mindless, enjoy, of course, the money.

How to explain the paradox? I don’t know. I think it goes beyond just having to get moving and go work. I think it might have to do with a frame of mind shift. If I’m working a lot, I’m in a server state of mind, so to speak. But if I’m working few hours, I’m spending most of my time in a customer state of mind.

And who wants to switch out of that?

I'm always a day late...

2008-10-20T13:25:00.002-05:00

I can't believe they stole my business idea...

New Restaurant Review

2008-09-29T13:58:00.002-05:00

Check out my review of the Flat Top Grill over at Eat Me.

Whaddya Know?

2008-09-29T08:15:00.003-05:00

For my birthday, my ex-wife and kids went with me to a taping of the Public Radio show called "Whaddya Know, with Michael Feldman." It's home base is Madison Wisconsin - I've listened to it since living in NC ten years ago. Well, if you follow this link and listen for yourself, about 30 minutes in you'll hear my 7 year old making his radio debut. Very cute. You can also hear it on iTunes as well.

The 8 Most Terrifying Restaurants from Around the World

2008-09-23T09:10:00.003-05:00

When I read this articleI thought, how can the penis-buffet restaurant be number 8 on the terrifying scale? And seriously, it should be ranked higher than number 7. But once I read the rest of the entries, I realized why the penis palace was not higher on the list. I mean, I couldn't have even imagined a restaurant theme like number 1 on the list. Number 1 indeed!

All true...

2008-09-22T10:27:00.001-05:00

Check out this blog post...it is true.