Work this week
has been strange. I'm the back half of a 6-day week. Surprisingly, it hasn't been as stressful as I thought it would be. Last night and tonight we were closed for private parties. Last night was a sorority banquet, mostly older ladies, a few of them with their husbands. My church secretary was there. They were scheduled for 60, but only 58 showed up. Thank goodness it didn't rain, because we had to seat 10 of them outside-- restaurant only holds 40. Most of the smokers volunteered to sit outside. They had a set 4 item menu, which made things very easy as far as ordering was concerned. Brian tended bar for the majority of the time. Price was $15 a person including non-alcoholic drinks, tax, and gratuity, which meant only $2.50 per waiter. Tracy left & called Mel to come in, which further cut into our tips. We needed her, though. 2 people couldn't have handled it. Lots of people did order wine & beer & mixed drinks, and Brian took out $.50 out of each of those, so that bumped us up a little. After their dinner, the ladies had some sort of ceremony and memorial service, which took FOREVER. Mel & Brian & I sat in the back while that went on for the better part of an hour. When they left, we bussed tables & went home. We left the resetting for this afternoon.
Oh, and I think Giuseppe finally called S&D about the tea machine. It was brewing cold; the heating element must have been busted. We had to make tea in the coffee maker and then dilute and sweeten as needed. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.
Tonight was a much more unpleasant experience. It was a bowling league banquet, 38 people, and it was every man for himself, so everyone could order whatever they wanted off the full menu (We don't even own 38 menus!). Very confusing. Splitting tickets at the end kinda sucked too, trying to figure out who had what, remembering drinks and who was together. It ended up being a debacle, as Brian said. We started putting in orders as soon as people were ready, even if the tables were half-filled. That was easier (I suppose) for Giuseppe in the kitchen, but it got confusing for us in the dining room. Eventually everyone ended up with their food relatively happy. Some of the customers were not very nice. There was one lady who was unpleasant from the beginning, but she ended up being downright rude & hateful about her pizza. Maybe she didn't like her food, but she said, "You at least could have browned the meatballs before you put them on the pizza" like it was my fault that it wasn't cooked to her liking. I don't prepare the food, so don't be mean to me about it. All I can do is talk to the chef. I guess she needed someone to lash out at, and I was standing closest at the time. Makes you wonder what has happened to people in their lives to make them so bitter and mean. It's sad, in a way. Once my anger subsided, I felt bad for her, but why, in her misery, does she feel she must make others miserable and that she has the right to do so? I fear that I may have been a bit short with her, as my patience was wearing thin. I eventually left & refused to go back to her table again, as I was afraid that I'd say something nasty. It's hard for me to bite my tongue, and Brian is better at handling rude customers with issues. I feel that there's really no call to be nasty to people, especially strangers, for no reason or even if you have a reason (easier said than done, and sometimes I am the shining anti-example). As a general rule, the majority of customers are pleasant with a few exceptions, but this night more people seemed unhappy than normal. I was so glad when they left. And Brian and I were left with only $45 each for our troubles. Some people definitely didn't tip, and the majority must've tipped at somewhere WAAAAY under 10%.
Let me preface this rant by saying that I do make pretty good money for the amount of time I work, so I can't really complain. I wouldn't be making that kind of money for that kind of labor many other places.
-BUT-
Since becoming a waitress, I have a major chip on my shoulder about tipping. Let me preface this rant by saying that I do make pretty good money, so I can't really complain. Nowadays, 15% is the absolute MINIMUM you should tip, even if the service was horrible. 18% is good if you are a bit more generous, and 20% if you feel you got stellar service. The majority of our clientèle is well-to-do, so we're used to seeing >20%, but mostly 18-20% minimum. Occasionally we'll see 10% and below, which really sucks. Now when I go out, I make a point to tip AT LEAST 20% (Plus, I know all the kinds of bullshit that waitstaff have to put up with from customers, the kitchen, and their employers. Call it empathy or solidarity if you want.). See, our employers are allowed to pay us less than minimum wage because we make tips, so obviously tips make up the vast majority of our income. Last time I checked, nobody could live on $2.48 an hour. So keep that in mind next time you go out to eat. 15% minimum, even if you got shitty service. Please don't take it out on your server by leaving a dollar bill on the table on a $48 tab (I've seen it happen.). If you feel like the service was sub-par, tell the server. If they continue to be rude, take it up with the manager. They'll fix it right quick. The last thing they want is an unhappy customer.
Brian was telling Giuseppe how gorgeous his new coworker at his other job is. I don't know why, but it bothered me a bit to hear him go on & on about it (and about how she wasn't wearing underwear today). I know I'm not that attractive and have resigned myself to that fact (there are more important things in life to worry about), but I hear them talking about beautiful women all the time. It's almost like they're rubbing it in. Unintentionally, of course, I'm sure they don't even think about what they're saying, really. I suppose I'm just being WAAAAAY too sensitive to unrelated comments and overheard conversations, but it's kinda discouraging. I try to be "one of the boys" and take the comments in stride, but it gets difficult sometimes. I guess there's not really anybody out there for me.
I got my state income tax rebate today. Yay, money. I need it.
I've been doing some shopping lately. I've dropped 2 sizes since last summer, so I've needed to replenish my wardrobe. Mostly I bought basic pieces that will go well with anything, like tanks and tshirts in solids and some denim shorts and capris and a black shirt, but I did get a couple of fun dresses & tops. Most of my stuff is from Old Navy and JC Penney. I got some new dress shoes in black, white, and brown, and I got some black espadrilles on sale at Rack Room for $12. I'm waiting on a mail order from Penney's; it should be here early next week. It was a $150-ish order, and the shipping was $19-ish! That seems high to me. Oh well.
I've also ordered lots of cosmetics too. I've always considered makeup a hobby, but lately, I'm devoting more time to it. There is so much inspiration to be had on the Aromaleigh forums and on youtube. While I normally stay loyal to my beloved Aromaleigh, I needed some items and colors that they don't offer, so I strayed. Stay tuned for the haul entry which I will write as soon as I publish this one. Gosh, I don't mean to sound so materialistic.
Oh, and I think Giuseppe finally called S&D about the tea machine. It was brewing cold; the heating element must have been busted. We had to make tea in the coffee maker and then dilute and sweeten as needed. Hopefully it will be fixed tomorrow.
Tonight was a much more unpleasant experience. It was a bowling league banquet, 38 people, and it was every man for himself, so everyone could order whatever they wanted off the full menu (We don't even own 38 menus!). Very confusing. Splitting tickets at the end kinda sucked too, trying to figure out who had what, remembering drinks and who was together. It ended up being a debacle, as Brian said. We started putting in orders as soon as people were ready, even if the tables were half-filled. That was easier (I suppose) for Giuseppe in the kitchen, but it got confusing for us in the dining room. Eventually everyone ended up with their food relatively happy. Some of the customers were not very nice. There was one lady who was unpleasant from the beginning, but she ended up being downright rude & hateful about her pizza. Maybe she didn't like her food, but she said, "You at least could have browned the meatballs before you put them on the pizza" like it was my fault that it wasn't cooked to her liking. I don't prepare the food, so don't be mean to me about it. All I can do is talk to the chef. I guess she needed someone to lash out at, and I was standing closest at the time. Makes you wonder what has happened to people in their lives to make them so bitter and mean. It's sad, in a way. Once my anger subsided, I felt bad for her, but why, in her misery, does she feel she must make others miserable and that she has the right to do so? I fear that I may have been a bit short with her, as my patience was wearing thin. I eventually left & refused to go back to her table again, as I was afraid that I'd say something nasty. It's hard for me to bite my tongue, and Brian is better at handling rude customers with issues. I feel that there's really no call to be nasty to people, especially strangers, for no reason or even if you have a reason (easier said than done, and sometimes I am the shining anti-example). As a general rule, the majority of customers are pleasant with a few exceptions, but this night more people seemed unhappy than normal. I was so glad when they left. And Brian and I were left with only $45 each for our troubles. Some people definitely didn't tip, and the majority must've tipped at somewhere WAAAAY under 10%.
Let me preface this rant by saying that I do make pretty good money for the amount of time I work, so I can't really complain. I wouldn't be making that kind of money for that kind of labor many other places.
-BUT-
Since becoming a waitress, I have a major chip on my shoulder about tipping. Let me preface this rant by saying that I do make pretty good money, so I can't really complain. Nowadays, 15% is the absolute MINIMUM you should tip, even if the service was horrible. 18% is good if you are a bit more generous, and 20% if you feel you got stellar service. The majority of our clientèle is well-to-do, so we're used to seeing >20%, but mostly 18-20% minimum. Occasionally we'll see 10% and below, which really sucks. Now when I go out, I make a point to tip AT LEAST 20% (Plus, I know all the kinds of bullshit that waitstaff have to put up with from customers, the kitchen, and their employers. Call it empathy or solidarity if you want.). See, our employers are allowed to pay us less than minimum wage because we make tips, so obviously tips make up the vast majority of our income. Last time I checked, nobody could live on $2.48 an hour. So keep that in mind next time you go out to eat. 15% minimum, even if you got shitty service. Please don't take it out on your server by leaving a dollar bill on the table on a $48 tab (I've seen it happen.). If you feel like the service was sub-par, tell the server. If they continue to be rude, take it up with the manager. They'll fix it right quick. The last thing they want is an unhappy customer.
Brian was telling Giuseppe how gorgeous his new coworker at his other job is. I don't know why, but it bothered me a bit to hear him go on & on about it (and about how she wasn't wearing underwear today). I know I'm not that attractive and have resigned myself to that fact (there are more important things in life to worry about), but I hear them talking about beautiful women all the time. It's almost like they're rubbing it in. Unintentionally, of course, I'm sure they don't even think about what they're saying, really. I suppose I'm just being WAAAAAY too sensitive to unrelated comments and overheard conversations, but it's kinda discouraging. I try to be "one of the boys" and take the comments in stride, but it gets difficult sometimes. I guess there's not really anybody out there for me.
I got my state income tax rebate today. Yay, money. I need it.
I've been doing some shopping lately. I've dropped 2 sizes since last summer, so I've needed to replenish my wardrobe. Mostly I bought basic pieces that will go well with anything, like tanks and tshirts in solids and some denim shorts and capris and a black shirt, but I did get a couple of fun dresses & tops. Most of my stuff is from Old Navy and JC Penney. I got some new dress shoes in black, white, and brown, and I got some black espadrilles on sale at Rack Room for $12. I'm waiting on a mail order from Penney's; it should be here early next week. It was a $150-ish order, and the shipping was $19-ish! That seems high to me. Oh well.
I've also ordered lots of cosmetics too. I've always considered makeup a hobby, but lately, I'm devoting more time to it. There is so much inspiration to be had on the Aromaleigh forums and on youtube. While I normally stay loyal to my beloved Aromaleigh, I needed some items and colors that they don't offer, so I strayed. Stay tuned for the haul entry which I will write as soon as I publish this one. Gosh, I don't mean to sound so materialistic.