Partners In Crime

Tonight was crazy. We start with ninety on the books. Which is not SO exciting. Except Manager was sick. No voice, coughing, fever the whole works. He leaves to get some medicine and I get the phone phone call. Jessie is calling to let me know that the Owners are coming in at 6:00. Were booked. I have three tables open that can fit four maybe... Except the Owners are eight. I have nothing. But, there's no saying no. Folding table gets brought out tables are shoved and moved around to somehow make space.

Our 'On Call' server is called in to act as hostess. A job that Manager normally does. But, without the ability to speak that's not going to go so well. His plan is to stay in the dining room until the Owners leave sometime after seven. And people start rolling in. Anita has the booths along the wall which can sit up to six people. I have two booths and the middle tables for the VIP sixteen top. At this point I'm getting good and sick of anything VIP. My two booths are sat immediately. One deuce that isn't drinking. But, the husband went through five diet cokes. And I have a four top. Cocktails, a bottle of wine four courses. Smooth sailing.

Then Anita gets slammed. Her three turned into a six. Her four was late her other six was early and there's a five top that swears they made a reservation. So her deuce is moved and her other table is turned into a five. I'm twiddling my thumbs waiting for my two tables to leave I don't have anything else until 7:30 because the VIP sixteen is going to kill me. I'll have no time for anything else. I bring menus and special her six. Run first courses for her other six and five. fire her tables do a wine presentation. Her six top crack a joke that I'm her wing man. I say 'more like partner in crime'. She has Brazilians and is stuck at the table translating the menu into Portuguese. No problem, everything goes smooth as silk. It's awesome, were having a great time.

In walks my sixteen I bring wine menus. This is a great way for me to determine who's the 'top guy' at the table. The one who's determining how much they're going to spend on booze is one of my 'tells'.

I have Grey Goose;cosmo's, gibsons, martinis, on the rocks. Six different kinds of vodka cocktails. and were starting off with three bottles of wine. I get the cocktails on the table and get started with the wine. Lady on the end is tasting the Cakebread Sauvignon blanc. The man on the other end is tasting the Clos Du Val Cabernet. And the older lady is going for the Villa De Borgo Pinot Grigio. They're asking for wine buckets at both ends of the table. No problem. I get the order in and there's Anita behind me. She's over heard they're order to start with four fondues and she's all over it. the burners are on the table and lit. All of the fondue forks and B&B plates are in front of everyone. I get the order into the kitchen. I walk over and the Sous Chef is waving my chit in front of two of the servers at the line.... "see, see!" he says, "this thing is a work of art, this is how it's done!".. whatever, I use my quantity button. Cluster my seafood dishes and my red meat dishes on the chit. This makes the line happy. When the line is happy you can be happy.

Halfway through appetizers they're asking for more bottles. They're wanting another bottle of Cakebread, another Pinot Grigio and a look at the wine list, they change the red wine over to the Berringer Knights Valley. New wine glasses. Half of the Cakebread drinkers are going to red. The other red wine drinkers need new glasses. Every time I noticed a half empty water glass Anita was there. I return with my third bottle of the Knights Valley and my salad plates are cleared and there's Anita getting more bread on the table. My kitchen is building the last five plates and I'm given the go ahead to start running entrees. I prop my map on a sideboard and set down the first plates, I turn around there she is, with plates in her hands. "This filet is Medium rare".

Half way through my entrees when there's finally a slowdown in wine service Anita is getting a new round. Another four and five top go down. And a deuce has questions, and the man needs more vermouth in his Manhattan. I go through her station, fill up waters clear away appetizer plates, go back to the pantry to give a 'fire call' and get her table re-silvered. I get a new four top and sell another bottle of Cakebread.. (this is my wine tonight). I return with the wine and Anita has grabbed Carlos, our busser, and is clearing entree plates. I go two people behind her and start handing out dessert menus.

Finally we're both at a pace when we don't need each other anymore My sixteen top ended with ten bottles of wine. That's ten separate presentations. No wonder I couldn't get to water glasses. It's a bit over a thousand dollars. My tip was 250. Anita is rolling as well. Not one check under twenty percent. I think she made a bit more than I did but not by much. We both carried the other three on the floor. And we get to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again, and the next day.. oh wait, that's Christmas right? Merry Christmas. I wonder if it's going to feel like Christmas at some point? Sure as hell just feels like work so far. Work with a Dozen carolers getting in my way twice a night. I should like hearing Carol of the Bells, somehow. I just want them to move so I can get to my pantry.

Merry Christmas.