Tweet
I worked for a few weeks at a restaurant on third (it was known when I started I'd only be around a couple weeks because I'm moving for college, they just really needed someone on third and I'm friends with the managers) I have since left the position, but I did get quite a few stories in my short time there. It amazes me some of the things that happen on third, and I thought now that I'm done with it, I'd come here and make a master-rant of all the things that stuck out to me.
Background
At this particular restaurant, third shift is one server/one cook, with the server usually female and the cook always male, so there's never a woman working alone at night. So it was usually just me and one other employee.
In which every 3rd shift customer gets high
A group of teens came in that were just so obviously high that it was hilarious. One guy could barely even hold a conversation, and his friends had to order for him. (I actually had many, many customers that their friends had to order for them) They left their.. paraphernalia, we shall say, behind the menus, which I then found when I was wiping the table. I called the cook over to deal with it. In my short time there, I also found a tic tac box with narcotics in the menu caddy, and a bunch of cigarette butts as well. I'm just glad I never found any needles lol.
I also had someone come in who was pretty messed up, and had to negotiate their order with them. I spent a good hour just trying to figure out what they wanted. They'd tell me one thing, then tell me something different, and when I would ask which one they wanted, they'd say yeah. And then tell me something else.
In which I almost cried
My first day working there I was on first shift, for training, and we got very very busy that day. I barely knew how to work the computer system at this point, and was having some trouble putting orders in. So this one guy comes in, his waitress never goes over there (we worked in sections) so another waitress went over there and set him up and I wound up taking the order. I go back, ask someone for help putting it in the computer, get that figured out, and hang the ticket. A few minutes later, it's still hanging, and I realize the cook is missing. I pull another waitress, we're both running around looking for the cook, and finally find him out back unloading a truck with the manager. We get him in and working on the food, and about that time, the guy who's order I took comes up and starts getting mad at me, demanding to know what the hell was taking so long. I start trying to explain, because I get it, he shouldn't have had to wait, but he cuts me off talking about how ridiculous this was and blah blah blah, and two other servers step in between him and me (I mean, he was getting pretty aggressive) and explain that we were very busy, that a truck had just come in, and that I was still on training and was not his waitress and that they were sorry for the wait but he shouldn't be yelling at me about it. So then he starts yelling at them. I was on the verge of tears with this one.
In which I say something I shouldn't have
So, I had a regular customer who always came in and got a coke, and would just sit there for hours drinking his coke. He was very quiet, very polite, never any issues. One night I go out to smoke during my break, and he comes out with me and we're just talking while we smoke. Completely innocent. Then a truck with a group of people pulls in and he looks over and says that's his ex-girlfriend (everyone in this story was about the same age as me, btw). She walks over after a minute like "I know yall are over here flirting and such, but I'm going to interrupt!" And all I'm thinking is crap, this girl is going to start something with me at my job because I was talking to her ex. So I just sort of pop out with "I'm not into guys!" And they're giving me these shocked looks and now I'm thinking shit, I shouldn't have said that at work. But then when the two guys who heard me say it relay it to the girl, she becomes as sweet as can be and they all wound up being my best group of customers for the night. One of them even left me a $15 tip on a $20 ticket.
In which I almost punch a customer
I saved the best for last, in my opinion. This happened the last night I was working there, and I was actually on second shift, which I'm very happy about because this story could have gotten worse if there hadn't been other servers. A group of about 40 year old men are all hanging out eating, and they call me over there and ask for my name (I never got a nametag, being temporary) and I tell them, and they start making jokes about how management needs to get on handing out nametags because they don't like having to call their servers 'girl', pretty lowkey joking stuff. Then one of them starts saying he could just call all of us female servers herpes. Yeah, he said that. I give a half smile and excuse myself, and later when I'm running food, I feel someone come up behind me (way too close) and put their hands around my waist, sort between holding my waist and grabbing my ass, and I whirl around with my fist raised, and it's the herpes guy. He blinks at me, lets go, and sits down very quietly. Later when I pass the table, having handed it over to one of the older girls to take care of (I'm 19, by the way, and also that's what I meant about being glad I wasn't the only server) he stops me and is suddenly very polite with the I didn't mean anything by that earlier, and I'm just like it's cool. And walk away. Seriously? What the hell, guy? I mean, really, did he expect any other reaction besides me raising my fist? He's just lucky I caught myself before I swung. I almost didn't.
I worked there for, like, three weeks. I'm almost scared to think what would have happened if I would have been there for a permanent job.
Background
At this particular restaurant, third shift is one server/one cook, with the server usually female and the cook always male, so there's never a woman working alone at night. So it was usually just me and one other employee.
In which every 3rd shift customer gets high
A group of teens came in that were just so obviously high that it was hilarious. One guy could barely even hold a conversation, and his friends had to order for him. (I actually had many, many customers that their friends had to order for them) They left their.. paraphernalia, we shall say, behind the menus, which I then found when I was wiping the table. I called the cook over to deal with it. In my short time there, I also found a tic tac box with narcotics in the menu caddy, and a bunch of cigarette butts as well. I'm just glad I never found any needles lol.
I also had someone come in who was pretty messed up, and had to negotiate their order with them. I spent a good hour just trying to figure out what they wanted. They'd tell me one thing, then tell me something different, and when I would ask which one they wanted, they'd say yeah. And then tell me something else.
In which I almost cried
My first day working there I was on first shift, for training, and we got very very busy that day. I barely knew how to work the computer system at this point, and was having some trouble putting orders in. So this one guy comes in, his waitress never goes over there (we worked in sections) so another waitress went over there and set him up and I wound up taking the order. I go back, ask someone for help putting it in the computer, get that figured out, and hang the ticket. A few minutes later, it's still hanging, and I realize the cook is missing. I pull another waitress, we're both running around looking for the cook, and finally find him out back unloading a truck with the manager. We get him in and working on the food, and about that time, the guy who's order I took comes up and starts getting mad at me, demanding to know what the hell was taking so long. I start trying to explain, because I get it, he shouldn't have had to wait, but he cuts me off talking about how ridiculous this was and blah blah blah, and two other servers step in between him and me (I mean, he was getting pretty aggressive) and explain that we were very busy, that a truck had just come in, and that I was still on training and was not his waitress and that they were sorry for the wait but he shouldn't be yelling at me about it. So then he starts yelling at them. I was on the verge of tears with this one.
In which I say something I shouldn't have
So, I had a regular customer who always came in and got a coke, and would just sit there for hours drinking his coke. He was very quiet, very polite, never any issues. One night I go out to smoke during my break, and he comes out with me and we're just talking while we smoke. Completely innocent. Then a truck with a group of people pulls in and he looks over and says that's his ex-girlfriend (everyone in this story was about the same age as me, btw). She walks over after a minute like "I know yall are over here flirting and such, but I'm going to interrupt!" And all I'm thinking is crap, this girl is going to start something with me at my job because I was talking to her ex. So I just sort of pop out with "I'm not into guys!" And they're giving me these shocked looks and now I'm thinking shit, I shouldn't have said that at work. But then when the two guys who heard me say it relay it to the girl, she becomes as sweet as can be and they all wound up being my best group of customers for the night. One of them even left me a $15 tip on a $20 ticket.
In which I almost punch a customer
I saved the best for last, in my opinion. This happened the last night I was working there, and I was actually on second shift, which I'm very happy about because this story could have gotten worse if there hadn't been other servers. A group of about 40 year old men are all hanging out eating, and they call me over there and ask for my name (I never got a nametag, being temporary) and I tell them, and they start making jokes about how management needs to get on handing out nametags because they don't like having to call their servers 'girl', pretty lowkey joking stuff. Then one of them starts saying he could just call all of us female servers herpes. Yeah, he said that. I give a half smile and excuse myself, and later when I'm running food, I feel someone come up behind me (way too close) and put their hands around my waist, sort between holding my waist and grabbing my ass, and I whirl around with my fist raised, and it's the herpes guy. He blinks at me, lets go, and sits down very quietly. Later when I pass the table, having handed it over to one of the older girls to take care of (I'm 19, by the way, and also that's what I meant about being glad I wasn't the only server) he stops me and is suddenly very polite with the I didn't mean anything by that earlier, and I'm just like it's cool. And walk away. Seriously? What the hell, guy? I mean, really, did he expect any other reaction besides me raising my fist? He's just lucky I caught myself before I swung. I almost didn't.
I worked there for, like, three weeks. I'm almost scared to think what would have happened if I would have been there for a permanent job.
But I hate drama, so that's always kind of been my immediate out from any situation like that. I didn't even think about how I probably shouldn't be saying that at work before I said it.
Comment