:: Life on Planet Dan-E ::

:: Sunday, March 30, 2008 ::

:: Server Stories: Thoughts on the New Place ::

It's a good thing that I work with some good people at Swanky Trendy Restaurant because I can't stand some of the drama that goes on here.

It's a complete flip from Seafood Grille in that while I liked working that restaurant, (after two-plus years, i knew how to work that that place like a g-string... I'm talking about guitars by the way) I couldn't stand half of the waitstaff and management whereas at Swank, a good majority of the servers and bartenders are cool but trying to provide good service for my customers can be unnecessarily cumbersome.

Before I go on, I need to point out that I got home at 3am after a needlessly long shift. I was too tired to make dinner so I drank and two bottle of Guinness Extra Stout and a large pour of Jameson's whisky for my dinner (Guinness is pretty much Irish brown bread pureed and fermented... and it's good for you!) so if my spelling, diction, and grammar are more off than usual, well, deal with it. I'm tired of stopping by Gino's Pizza on the way home even though that's the only place open that I can stop by without making a significant detour. (Gino's has great pizza between the hours of 11am and 11pm, where the pizza is fresh but at 2 or 3am, that slice of pepperoni might have been there for a few hours.) And at 3am, I don't feel like cooking anything. So heavy beer and whisky it is.

It's frustrating to work in the sense that while the prices of everything from food, cocktails, and wines are higher, I'm not taking home a commensurate increase than I was at Grille since I tip out a higher percentage than before. I not only tip out to the bar and bussers, I also tip out foor runners and a "floater," whose actual responsibilities I'm still not exactly sure about.

Another point I don't care to deal with: there's been rumors circulating that Swank is going to close sometime in May due to new management. Great. Good to known. Waiters in the know who've been there for several years vs. management who's been there for a few months and I'm getting conflicting reports from both ends.

i'm supposed to find my "real job" by summer anyway so this shouldn't effect me much, if at all, and this certainly beats three weeks of unemployment. But if unemployment is being adrift, I still get the feeling that I was rescued by a sinking ship.

The GM is a prick. Vera, the sweetheart of a manager that I adored, has left to work elsewhere. A couple of hostesses, some waiters, a bartender, and several bussers have moved on since I started. Two more bartenders, including the one that called me "sweet cheeks," have been fired. Even the kitchen staff has been dealing with turnover.

My future isn't here. But I'm lucky to work with people who are nice, fun, and seem to care and I'm relieved that I no longer have to work at the Grille. (And if you're curious about The Hostess, she's pretty much out of the picture. She may be fun to hang out with she's also a colossal flake and I'm too old to deal with that shit.)

At least I know what I need to do.

Labels: career, rants, server stories, waiting

:: Miscellaneous Ramblings by Dan-E at 3:32 AM [+] :: | 0 comments
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