Crash and Burn

My ten top didn't show up. Followed by my eleven top cancelling. It was shaping up to be a really shitty night. I talked Javiar into sending Bud home. He said that either Anita or I would be off tomorrow night and I didn't want to go home to sit and do nothing if I could make plans for tomorrow and actually accomplish something. there seems to be a hierarchy on which Javiar disperses time away from the restaurant. Poor Bud, he gets sent home early New Years Eve, he's sent home on New Years day and he's not even scheduled on a Saturday night... Is he not seeing the signs? I'm not telling him. Ginger the newest server gets a day off, Goose as well. It's down to Anita and I. Neither one of us were scheduled a day off. I suppose that means that were the favorites?... However it works. I may or may not work tomorrow.

And then my night starts. I take over a four top for Bud. I get a six top, a five top, two deuces across the dining room due to Old Dog being to busy to handle her station. One of the deuces orders a Jordan Cabernet (nice bottle). The other one wants champagne because they missed champagne last night.. and wants to know if I had any and if I like it?. Why yes, yes I did. With my coworkers.. For the record I hate the stuff. Champagne is right up there with Muscat, Sunny Delight, Smirnoff Ice and Tang. I just hate it... Nice tables, the two deuces, easy tables. good tips.

My six top was great, except the one woman going through four cran and sodas. I hate those kinds of drinks. I have to go through the bar to get them. It's three bucks and free refills.

My five top has vegetarians... Soup as entrees, we don't like this soup. You get the idea.

My other five top is in some kind of a hurry. They were the last to be sat. I'm already running eighteen covers before they show up. And the kids want dr. pepper. For the record, teenage boys and soda? Were talking refill after refill... Kills me.

And then the kitchen crashes. I'm talking crash and burn. The line is halfway exposed to the dining room. So, the sous chef yelling across the line for the two line cooks to verbalize fires back to him Is being heard by my entire station. They can hear him telling the servers to move away from the slide. Nothing is moving out. One of those typical nights where all the tables ran together, it was bad. One of the new line cooks comes up to me and says that the Sous Chef needs to calm the hell down. Yeah, maybe except.... That was my fire you dropped you dipshit!! My table. My hundred and eighty dollar check.

The soda pop five top is asking me for an ETA. I tell them. There is one other table to be plated before you are. That translates into about seven minutes. And I bring more refills.

Did I mention we 86ed on Pork. I had two tables that had to re-order. they both went to entrees that are a faster cooking time. Small things.

I'm on call tomorrow. I took the inventory sheet home with me to hi-light everything we have on our wine list vs. the rest of the property it'll make Javiar's job easier, and to be honest. I don't want to go tomorrow and help. I can do my share in my pajamas at home. Turn it over and maybe catch a movie.

and now for the dirt. Javiar told pantry bitch to 'shut the fuck up' she went home early. Goose told Old Dog that she isn't capable of playing nicely with anybody else. Old Dog has this running joke, all on her own that I ride the broom to work. She says this every night during close. For six months I keep telling her that I'm going to come up with something equally funny to say to her on a nightly basis. she claims that she's a sensitive soul and it would make her cry. I found her stashed dinner salad on top of clean linens in the closet, determined all on my own that that was just weird and took it out where it promptly got ate. She's like one of those pigeons, leaving a trail of shit behind her everywhere she goes. Anita and I cracked jokes about neither one of us 'getting any' for the holidays. Sous Chef is getting a day off tomorrow. chef has decided he needs it. Damn right.

I made and cancelled dinner plans within a three hour period. best friend is annoyed, convinced that I'm never going to get away and she's holding my Christmas present hostage. Next time. I'm starting to worry that nothing much is funny these days. It'll get better, I hope.