I probably haven't mentioned on here that I got another job - well maybe I have. Yes, a third for this particular summer. I haven't talked about it much because so far there's not a lot going on. I got hired a month ago and I've worked maybe six days. Four of which were training.
In the last two weeks I was scheduled a mere two whopping days. Which hardly promotes learning when someone is new. I was told to pick up shifts if I want more hours - that's all fine and dandy except they deny my requests to pick up shifts. Yeah - score.
So with a mere four hours a week I was getting rather fed up. I brought it up a second time tonight and have been told that I am scheduled more than that for this coming week. That I am needed and they want me to stay - a number of people have quit, are taking leave, are sick, etc. Which I have to admit made me a little sad - I was kind of wanting to throw in the towel. I kind of hate being a server. It just isn't what I thought it would be... or want it to be... or maybe I just don't want to deal with the public and wanted an excuse to just say forget it. I mean I have other jobs - I don't need to be this busy really. The idea of saving money just sounded like a good idea. Though, saving money is never as easy as one might think it is, is it? Bills and unforeseen circumstances pop up - and then the savings is gone. Story of my life.
I'm not totally sure how long I'll stick with this gig. Frankly, I was just concerned about being able to pay my bills for July and August - which I pretty much already have covered. Anything more than that was just a bonus. Wistful thinking that maybe one day I'd be able to afford living on my own. The way I saw it - if they didn't want to give me more hours I don't really need them. They needed me - they're the ones who supposedly needed workers. I have two jobs that will keep me more than covered no matter what I choose to do with the Summer. I was just hoping to have a night/weekend job if I had to sub again this coming year. Another back-up plan. If there's one thing about me it's that I have back-up plans for everything. I can't remember a time where I was without a job that wasn't completely by choice. Basically Senior year of college because my internship took precedence and the semester before that I was taking 26 college credits which isn't even technically allowed... I kind of cheated my way in using independent study courses to reach that number of credits.
Anyway - It's a server job at a local restaurant. You know a big, fancy chain that belongs to a corporation. So in theory it keeps us busy because it's essentially brand recognition. I'm not sure if chains are better or worse when it comes to attracting specific kinds of customers. Probably 50/50.
My first night on my own went relatively well. I could have been faster (if it weren't for the blasted computer system). I could have been a little more knowledgeable about what to ask customers about their meals - you know if only I had every blasted thing memorized (I still don't have everything memorized in case you were wondering). I mean it was my first night there was still so much more I needed to learn. Heck, I am still learning - some coworkers say they still learn new things. A customer wrote "very slow" on top of my ticket. I kind of wanted to die. It was embarrassing. I didn't mean to be slow. I just got four tables sat at the same time and that table wasn't in my section. I kind of forgot about them... and they took forever to decide they wanted to pay. They kept not being ready. At a certain point it's easy to forget them after the fourth time I check to see if you're ready to pay and you're not I just feel like a pushy asshat. So I let you be...and forget. They still didn't stiff me, though. They were quite nice despite the time failure on my part.
Tonight was just my second night. I didn't forget a table. I was beginning to remember more and navigate the computer system a bit better. I was more knowledgeable about the menu and the sides. I can do most of the basic computer functions on my own, but every once in a while there are still things I have trouble putting in. It's pretty ridiculous trying to navigate the hieroglyphics that is the stupidly abbreviated items in the computer system. If the abbreviations actually made sense the computer systems would be a piece of cake... unfortunately an English Major didn't design the computer system for our restaurant.
However, I should note that keeping this job is definitely in danger of reminding me how much I actually hate people as a whole. Don't get me wrong - I get along well with people and rarely have any kind of problem at all interacting with people. In fact, they never know how much I hate people. No one ever does. I love being around people, but not in a public service environment. You get the lowest of the low in people that pop out of the wood work. You just get the worse kinds of people in the world in any public service job. And frankly I'll take hangin' with kids any day than dealing with grown adults who know better than to treat people like they're less than human.
You get customers that are just stupid. Customers that are just rude. Or both. For example I was given a table that another server had already greeted and taken their order - the first one I got of the night. They ordered an appetizer and allegedly didn't know that it was an appetizer as in, "they didn't know they had to pay for it". I removed it for them. They had no other problems. They got their food. They got drinks. They were taken care of in a timely manner. Separate tickets were put together with no problem. All of the tickets stiffed me completely. What? Yeah. No reason they should have. No complaints towards me - nothing. No idea. Just apparently tipping isn't always done - even if you have a server that isn't a dick to you.
Then you get other tables that play with you the whole time. Joke about any and everything that leave you laughing and teasing them back. God - this table made me so happy! They were funny, witty, sweet, teasing me about any and everything (Yeah, I'll take a box - And is there a limit to how many boxes we can take? I need boxes to ship things in and figure I'll just recycle ones from here I steal. Me: Well, the post office doesn't accept styrofoam boxes - they have to be cardboard. Them: What? That's dumb, what about the styrofoam peanuts? Me: Those have to go in the cardboard boxes. Them: There's always a catch!). They left me their card in case I ever needed anything from them and their business. I told them I'd go bug them at work to pay them back. Left me $15 tip. You never know what kind of table you're going to get.
Apparently my manager talked to a lot of my tables and he says I'm being too hard on myself. That no one had any complaints and they all were quite happy with me. I need more confidence. To be fair - with a whopping two days under my belt how am I supposed to be confident in this job? Especially because I kind of hate it. I hate all my new jobs though, to be fair. I think I just really hate change and everything new. Until it becomes less new and then it seems okay.
It's a job with lots of multitasking and having to run around like a chicken with your head cut off. I always feel behind and held back. The computer system is mostly what makes me feel held back and behind. I feel like I can never enter items fast enough. I can never work fast enough. Ideally I'd like to clone myself and have two of me running around. Or maybe if I could just get away with never having more than three tables at a time - like a lot of restaurants. Having more than that and I feel like I'm losing my mind. I mean I do it, and apparently do it well... I'm just not up to my own standards. Forever the perfectionist when it comes to myself.
I wouldn't say it's hard... it just takes a lot of patience and knowing the stupid computer. I guess it's just that I don't know how to feel about the job yet. It's new and it is just stressful and I wasn't expecting stress to be a big part of this job. Plus, I hate making mistakes and I feel like I do that on accident sometimes with this job. I miss my old food service jobs. I miss my old coworkers, and my old manager.
I think working food service (which I didn't think I'd ever have to do again) makes me nostalgic about my college days. I miss my coworkers. I miss the people I met there. I miss actually getting to cook the food. I miss the shenanigans we got into at work. Maybe it's just that I'm new, but I don't have that kind of thing going with anyone yet.
Almost there - maybe. I got pegged in the arm by a ramaken that was being tossed in the kitchen's dish pit while I was dropping off the dishes from my tables I finally got time to buss. I wasn't expecting it and the girl looked horrified and embarrassed she hit me. I was laughing because her reaction, that moment I needed a distraction, the whole scene was perfect. I was there in that moment just cracking up. The girl responded, "I don't know whether to call that a goal, home-run, or hole-in-one!" I just smiled, "Home run. I'm definitely giving you a home run". We laughed and moved on. She seems nice - I tend to like her.
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