Slinging hash
I have served, cooked, bussed, washed dishes, and tended bar. I appreciate good service when I get it because I understand that it is a hard job. Difficult in the best circumstances and homicide-inducing in the worst (check out WaiterRant – for a view from the other side of the apron). Restaurant culture is a microcosm of so much of the rest of life that L (who has done her time in food service) and I have long said that everyone should be forced to spend a year serving, cooking, whatever. It will teach you humility, patience, and the art of revenge. I want to kill anyone that says "how hard is your job" to their server when someone drops the ball in a restaurant. And it is always the front of the house that takes the abuse when the staff is in the weeds. Preface complete, I take you to yesterday:
So L., baby J., my brother A., and I took my dad to dinner last night for his birthday. We went to Fellini's, which in west Norfolk, is something of a neighborhood institution. Casual, great pizza, pasta and salads, and funky enough to have nude photo portraits in the Men's. As we settled J. into his highchair, L. realized that the baby food was not warm enough and asked if our waitress could throw it in the microwave for a bit. She eagerly complied. Dinner moved on and we fed J. crackers, baby food green beans, and diced chicken. Some of which actually made its way into his mouth. Most, it seemed, landed on the floor, the chair, him, and the table. At the end of the meal, I tried to clean up the mess as best as I could without use of a broom, dustpan, sponge and mop. Needless to say, my family had pretty much destroyed this woman's station. I thanked her for a job well done, apologized for the mess, and tipped her well.
As we walked out, my thoughts moved to 'Waiting', the movie we had seen the week before. If you have ever served food, this movie should hit home.
‘Waiting” is the story a bunch of miscreants that serve the customers of Shenanigans, a theme joint complete with zany signs and a working stoplight on the wall. I will provide no spoilers for the movie, but I highly recommend it to anyone that has ever put on a happy face for assholes that don't appreciate your work or expect you to act like a thankless slave for the duration of their sitting. And it clearly drives home the lesson to every schmuck that has needlessly harassed, hectored, or mocked someone in a position to feed you. You never, ever fuck with the people that serve you your food.
And to everyone else, take care of those that take care of you.
posted by joestrummerlives at 10:01 PM
1 Comments:
This more a parent tip than a blog comment, just the same -I too have done more than my fair share of "food service" and thought you might find a use for this one.
One evening, when the idea of cooking, cleaning dishes, and being Mommy was more than I could face after a full day of work, I opted for a meal out with my infant. I chose a place I could more than afford, but that still had plates. When we sat down I turned to my waitress and asked her to "Please bring me ten spoons" When she did I explained that I was a tired Mom that evening and that for every spoon I did not have to pick up during my meal I would add $1 dollar to her tip. She assured me that was not necessary – I assured her it was.
Every five minutes or so I would hand my daughter a spoon, she would play with it and then –you know this game– she would throw it to the floor. I would coax some more food into her and then hand her another spoon.
Consequently, it was one of the more pleasant meals I had eaten with my child during that stage of life. We both ate; neither of us cooked, cleaned, or had to duck under the table even once for a spoon.
The waitress tip was double the cost of my meal that night…and 10 years later I am here to say that was money well spent.
8:32 PM
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