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About three weeks in at my new job (waiter in a fairly stuck up hotel), I'm having possibly the worst day ever. This is before I even GET to work
Firstly, I was hungover. Yes it was my fault. But I was generally NOT in the mood. All other students will sympathise with me here.
Second, it was PISSING it down. Meaning I had to get a taxi instead of walking. Which meant spending money, and I was late because there was traffic
Thirdly, Because I was late (10 minutes) I was stressed and on edge.
OK
So I get in, make my apologies etc. And then get told that we're hosting a function in the upstairs room. Which isn't too bad, it's the sort of thing I did at my other job, and less hassle than proper waiting. Usually.
So I'm downstairs getting drinks for people upstairs, and this bloke comes in. He looks like Hugh Hefner's british cousin - bright orange, silver hair, cream coloured suit. He was my first SC of this group. They were a SG in general. He comes to the bar:
Me: Good evening sir, are you dining with us tonight?
SC1: Hi good evening. We're staying in the annex and we had to walk from the annex in the rain to get from the annex where we're staying because us and some other people in the annex have a large dinner booked. Did I mention we are staying in the Annex?
Me: Ah yes you're from *Group*?
SC1: Yes, we're staying in the annex
Me: Okay, well we've got a room set aside for you upstairs, so if you'd like to follow me?
SC1: Well that can't be. I clearly know more about the organisation of this place than you and I believe that this group of 25 is going to fit into this restaurant which is already full. Also, we walked from the annex. The misinformed receptionist we talked to after walking from the annex told us we were down here
Me: Oh I'm sorry about that but you are in fact upstairs. Some others in your party are already here having drinks. If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to them
SC1: Ok, but we HAVE already walked from the annex
So we head upstairs, which for them meant going back outside (fortunately it had stopped raining - for me I mean, they both had umbrellas!). When I brought him his drink he was extremely unhelpful and I had to actually tap him on the shoulder before he realised a 6'2" waiter with a very full, heavy tray of drinks was stood next to him. Eventually they sit down to eat.
Each member of the group had pre-ordered starter, main and dessert. Which was ok, except WE didn't know who had ordered what.
Nor did anyone else.
Seriously, we'd bring out 3 very heavy plates of food each, then stand there like morons announcing "Salmon, who ordered the salmon?" [We couldn't yell out like I can at my other job, a sports bar, we could barely speak]
Eventually, the person we were standing behind would, after a minute, be told "Geoffrey, you had the salmon didn't you?" At which point they would whip round like "Oh yes of course, I was the salmon. I hope the cramp in your hands doesn't make you drop this plate on me"
They were similarly clueless when it came to clearing their plates.
When the starters came out, SC2 showed her face. She was a big, heavy-set black woman, and the only member of the group who didn't drink. I'd clocked this, but when serving the wine, I asked her. She declined, so the next time around, I skipped her out. Naturally, she didn't care. No, I'm sorry, she DID care. She thought it was very rude, even after I explained that I realised she didn't drink and therefore would not want wine. [I've had people in the past repeatedly refuse coffee, or wine or whatever, eventually writing rude signs so I stop asking. If in doubt, I ask once, then stop]. After she got her starter, she asked for salad dressing. I complied, which was quite tricky and involved me getting trapped in a walk in fridge for a few minutes. When the mains came, she had turkey, and asked for cranberry sauce. When offering in to her, she span round and knocked it out of my hands, all over the white jacket of the one nice customer there. I was fucking mortified by this, naturally, offered my apologies and to dry clean it for him etc etc. But SC2 decided it was my fault.
SC2: That was your fault you clumsy moron
Me[Upset, and now very angry]: I'm very sorry, I should have been holding it tighter, I didn't expect your hands there.
SC2: I'm a bitch who made a mistake and am taking it out on you
Me: I'm sorry even though it was clearly your fault yet I can't say that because I need this job
Happily, this bit had a happy ending
After the nice customer (NC) got back from the toilet cleaing himself up, he sat down and caught the tail end of the argument. As I was walking away I heard this:
SC2: Sorry about the idiot waiter, he should have been more careful
NC: Well doreen, you did flail your arms a bit, how was he supposed to know that was going to happen?
SC2: Well he's a clumsy moron, he should have held it tighter
NC: I hope you weren't this rude to him, the poor guy looked very upset
SC2: [Guilty] Well...not THAT rude...
I was out of the room by this point, but as the group were leaving, SC2 comes up to me:
SC2: I'm sorry I was a rude, ungrateful and stroppy cow, I hope I didn't annoy or upset you too much. I hope this apology will go some way to making you feel better about the fact that no-one left a tip because we're all tight bastards
Me: Oh that's ok, large functions NEVER tip even though it needs twice as much work, the apology will be very useful in buying food next week
The team downstairs, in comparison, made £15 each in tips. Which is a bloody good night. I hate functions
Firstly, I was hungover. Yes it was my fault. But I was generally NOT in the mood. All other students will sympathise with me here.
Second, it was PISSING it down. Meaning I had to get a taxi instead of walking. Which meant spending money, and I was late because there was traffic
Thirdly, Because I was late (10 minutes) I was stressed and on edge.
OK
So I get in, make my apologies etc. And then get told that we're hosting a function in the upstairs room. Which isn't too bad, it's the sort of thing I did at my other job, and less hassle than proper waiting. Usually.
So I'm downstairs getting drinks for people upstairs, and this bloke comes in. He looks like Hugh Hefner's british cousin - bright orange, silver hair, cream coloured suit. He was my first SC of this group. They were a SG in general. He comes to the bar:
Me: Good evening sir, are you dining with us tonight?
SC1: Hi good evening. We're staying in the annex and we had to walk from the annex in the rain to get from the annex where we're staying because us and some other people in the annex have a large dinner booked. Did I mention we are staying in the Annex?
Me: Ah yes you're from *Group*?
SC1: Yes, we're staying in the annex
Me: Okay, well we've got a room set aside for you upstairs, so if you'd like to follow me?
SC1: Well that can't be. I clearly know more about the organisation of this place than you and I believe that this group of 25 is going to fit into this restaurant which is already full. Also, we walked from the annex. The misinformed receptionist we talked to after walking from the annex told us we were down here
Me: Oh I'm sorry about that but you are in fact upstairs. Some others in your party are already here having drinks. If you'd care to follow me, I'll take you to them
SC1: Ok, but we HAVE already walked from the annex
So we head upstairs, which for them meant going back outside (fortunately it had stopped raining - for me I mean, they both had umbrellas!). When I brought him his drink he was extremely unhelpful and I had to actually tap him on the shoulder before he realised a 6'2" waiter with a very full, heavy tray of drinks was stood next to him. Eventually they sit down to eat.
Each member of the group had pre-ordered starter, main and dessert. Which was ok, except WE didn't know who had ordered what.
Nor did anyone else.
Seriously, we'd bring out 3 very heavy plates of food each, then stand there like morons announcing "Salmon, who ordered the salmon?" [We couldn't yell out like I can at my other job, a sports bar, we could barely speak]
Eventually, the person we were standing behind would, after a minute, be told "Geoffrey, you had the salmon didn't you?" At which point they would whip round like "Oh yes of course, I was the salmon. I hope the cramp in your hands doesn't make you drop this plate on me"
They were similarly clueless when it came to clearing their plates.
When the starters came out, SC2 showed her face. She was a big, heavy-set black woman, and the only member of the group who didn't drink. I'd clocked this, but when serving the wine, I asked her. She declined, so the next time around, I skipped her out. Naturally, she didn't care. No, I'm sorry, she DID care. She thought it was very rude, even after I explained that I realised she didn't drink and therefore would not want wine. [I've had people in the past repeatedly refuse coffee, or wine or whatever, eventually writing rude signs so I stop asking. If in doubt, I ask once, then stop]. After she got her starter, she asked for salad dressing. I complied, which was quite tricky and involved me getting trapped in a walk in fridge for a few minutes. When the mains came, she had turkey, and asked for cranberry sauce. When offering in to her, she span round and knocked it out of my hands, all over the white jacket of the one nice customer there. I was fucking mortified by this, naturally, offered my apologies and to dry clean it for him etc etc. But SC2 decided it was my fault.
SC2: That was your fault you clumsy moron
Me[Upset, and now very angry]: I'm very sorry, I should have been holding it tighter, I didn't expect your hands there.
SC2: I'm a bitch who made a mistake and am taking it out on you
Me: I'm sorry even though it was clearly your fault yet I can't say that because I need this job
Happily, this bit had a happy ending
After the nice customer (NC) got back from the toilet cleaing himself up, he sat down and caught the tail end of the argument. As I was walking away I heard this:
SC2: Sorry about the idiot waiter, he should have been more careful
NC: Well doreen, you did flail your arms a bit, how was he supposed to know that was going to happen?
SC2: Well he's a clumsy moron, he should have held it tighter
NC: I hope you weren't this rude to him, the poor guy looked very upset
SC2: [Guilty] Well...not THAT rude...
I was out of the room by this point, but as the group were leaving, SC2 comes up to me:
SC2: I'm sorry I was a rude, ungrateful and stroppy cow, I hope I didn't annoy or upset you too much. I hope this apology will go some way to making you feel better about the fact that no-one left a tip because we're all tight bastards
Me: Oh that's ok, large functions NEVER tip even though it needs twice as much work, the apology will be very useful in buying food next week
The team downstairs, in comparison, made £15 each in tips. Which is a bloody good night. I hate functions
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