Saturday, October 25, 2008

cinderella saturday

I want to start out by saying that I love working at the Red Key. Not only is it a fun, social, three-blocks from my home job but the money allows me to do things like travel to Ireland, heat the house and pay the mortgage. I've never once apologized or felt embarrassed about waitressing or working in a bar.

That said, working most Saturdays I've missed my fair share of stuff. This Saturday I felt extra Cinderella-like. I've had the last two weeks off - I really needed to work tonight and I've exhausted my options for getting my shift covered.

Today is the Broad Ripple Music Fest. And I am the music columnist for the Broad Ripple Gazette - hummmm, maybe I should be there. The festival matches venues with nonprofits and two places picked Second Helpings adding another layer of guilt.

I raced around the village seeing as much music as possible before 5:00 and stopping in to the two venues to talk about Second Helpings and to thank the volunteers running those stages. The night turned in to one of those excruciating ones that happen every year or so. Not only did the cool kids and lots of musicians come in, which I typically love, but every yea-hoo in town darkened our door.

The Red Key is a family owned bar - wonderful. I'm not a member of the family - not that I wouldn't be honored to be related to Russel, but I'm not his daughter. A customer tonight argued that point for quite a while tonight. Ugggh, seriously - would I choose Spitznogle as an alias?

I am the waitress and the cook and a lot of times I'm making the drinks too. I've worked at the Key for five years and I've got a bit of a routine. Except no one else was playing with my rules tonight. Gette posted this nice little insight in to the world of waitressing. In my crabbiness tonight I thought I'd expound on her list a little bit.

1. We have a business relationship. I am the employee and you are the customer. I can't give you free drinks or food, it is not mine to give away.

2. Just because I'm waiting on you does not mean that I'm stupid. Waitressing is hard work -not only is it physical but it stretches your brain. I've got all of the drink and food prices stored in there, the location of thirty beers and hundreds of liquor bottles and the recipes of thousands of drink combinations and what glass they are served in, I can do math in my head (two beers + a cheeseburger deluxe+ chips + cashews = $12.25), I remember who is sitting where and most likely I remember what you drank that last time you came in and whether or not you like onions.

3. I'm happy to tell you my name and usually throw it in when I'm delivering your first round of drinks. If you're going to ask me my name it is good manners to offer yours at the same time. Tonight a guy made a huge deal of asking my name and then proceed to call my Lora the whole whole evening, even after his friends corrected him. That same guy whipped a bottle cozy out and wrapped his beer in it. I couldn't tell whether his beer was low without picking it up. I asked him every single time I passed by if he needed another drink. He waited until I'd walked away from his table to shout LORA I NEED ANOTHER BEER as I was waiting on other tables. I never did learn his name, but he was wearing the moniker Asshat while he was there.

4. I'm not standing over your cubicle telling you how to do your job. I'm just saying.

5. If you don't see me for a few minutes chances are I'm cooking your food or taking out the trash. I'm not smoking by the dumpster or eating the last order of potato salad, swear.

I'm out of steam and ready for bed- you're spared any more ranting.

Phew.

8 comments:

Miss Adventure said...

That last order of potato salad is a sacred thing, there...

And is Lora even a name? Laura or Lara maybe. But Lora?

Huh. How about that.

Ralph said...

I probably would have lost it with the guy in # 3. What an________ (yes, this is one of those fill in the blank things)
Ralph

Janell said...

Totally with you on #4. It really bristles me when one of the customers starts a sentence with, "You people need to..." The only thing I hear after that is "yada yada yada because I'm an arrogant know-it-all who thinks I know how to run your business better than you and your bosses do yada yada yada..."

Marla said...

I used to be a waitress long ago! Sometimes it was good, the regular customers are nice. But people do get rude and once my feet start to hurt, I can get very crabby!

Rachel said...

I have never been a waitress and admire those who do it and do it so well. I know that some customers are almost impossible to please (I've heard them!), and that would be a royal pain!

Cliff said...

If comments were tips...this one's a $Twenty.
Sorry about my buddy Ralph patting you on the rear.

Jamie Dawn said...

Lora, could you bring me some mustard and another Coke?
And where's that side of fries I ordered?

Waitresses DO work very hard, and I try to be nice to them. I don't my food spat on.

Courtney bussed tables for a VIP party at her college on Saturday night. She said it was tiring, and she was ready to get out of there. I think she felt some of your pain.

Jamie Dawn said...

Lora, could you bring me some mustard and another Coke?
And where's that side of fries I ordered?

Waitresses DO work very hard, and I try to be nice to them. I don't my food spat on.

Courtney bussed tables for a VIP party at her college on Saturday night. She said it was tiring, and she was ready to get out of there. I think she felt some of your pain.