In a Server's shoes

3am and 8 whole bananas later…

...I'm really into bananas these days....

       Tonight was probably the most intense night I have ever had as a hostess.  We had a packed out house (I work part time in a semi-upscale restaurant downtown) both inside and outside on our patio, a total of about 120 people.  Then it started to rain, and when I say rain I don’t mean a little drizzle or even a steady dripping, it was pouring HEAVILY.  We had to move everyone inside, re-set tables faster than humanly possible and somehow MAKE ROOM for 40-50 people inside.  Lots of waiting, lots of complaining, and several “It’ll be about 10-15 minutes more” and glares later, we managed to fit everyone from the outside inside our already crowded place.  One table of 14 kept saying they were in a rush to catch a show and wanted their check asap........and split 14 ways (each with his or her own drinks and appetizers), really?    Another table apparently thought it would be ok to yell and be rude to our manager who did nothing wrong (Poor sweet Micah, he’s not only one of the best managers I’ve ever worked for but one of the most genuine and kind people I have ever met in my life) over something that was really not worth getting angry over, because clearly at this point we were doing the best we could after an unexpected slaughterhouse of rain that forced everyone inside making the place pretty crowded.  People were demanding impeccable service, and we were doing our best to deliver.  If you’re not very familiar with the service industry, keep in mind the following:

1.     A host/hostess IS NOT A SERVER, they do not take drink/food orders, bring your tab, or have authority to give discounts

2.     You are not your servers’ ONLY table, so be patient when things like a sudden downpour force sudden changes

3.     TIP WELL, most places do not pay minimum wage hourly for servers (In Nashville servers make $2.13/hour + tips, so basically their income is based off of your tips—suggestion: tip at least 20% of your total bill)

4.     Servers are not slaves, if you need something ask politely; being rude is never pleasant.

5.     If you’re splitting a check KNOW that it will take a little longer to do the itemizing, so expect to wait a bit, especially if you have a big group, and even more especially if the split is not EVEN.

6.     Don’t make a mess on your table, touching half eaten food is gross, so lets try and keep it on the plates.

7.     Most importantly, BE NICE. Please.  It just makes things better because you never know if there are things going on that are causing someone to break apart in subtle ways.

It’s on nights like these that I realize a gym membership is unnecessary, and having gloves and/or hand sanitizer would be great.

I'm exaggerating.  A gym membership needs to be got. haha.  I'm going to apply next month at the Y. :)

Weird discovery, but my palette has become increasingly happy to horseradish sauces.   Horseradishsauces, say that five times fast. 

I wonder if fried bananas dipped in horseradish sauce would be tasty?....well, frying would require too much work over the fire, having to heat oil, which usually ends up on my face...so...it will remain just that...a thought.

Oh and one more quick random note:  these lovely chaps are by Imogene + Willie, a nashville local store where everything is made on site. :)  Very pricy, but very chic and classy.  I'd say one splurge would definitely be memorable if you're in town.

JmeGrey