Friday The 13th...JUST What I Need!

Hey, I've been LIVING Friday the 13th for over eight months...what's one more day?

Just got home from one of the craziest shifts I've had in quite a while. It was insanely busy (a good thing) but with the remodel and a lot of young servers on the floor, we went down like the Titanic. The team work ethic was quickly lost and most of the servers were only waiting on their OWN tables instead of looking at the whole picture and expediting the tickets in order.(NOT a good thing)

I kind of...well actually "Really' went off on a few of them and called them out when they weren't carrying their weight. But for Pete's sake, I had a five table section and an additional ten top and still managed to run food and help out every one else...and I'm almost 50!

The ten top I had was a night mare. Ten red necks out to celebrate "Bubba's" birthday. I worked it with another server who is my age. Every one was happy at the table except the one guy drinking (DUH) and his lovely (not) wife. When I took the checks out, the A hole at the end of the table "Mr. Unhappy" took out his cell phone and called the restaurant to ask for the manager. It took him three times to get through to my manager who was running around like crazy trying to keep some semblance of sanity in the dining room. He said he refused to pay the 18% gratuity that we had added (It's printed in the menu for groups of more than seven) and that it was the worst service he had ever had. WHATEVER!

I had already closed out all the checks but his and had to go back and delete all the payments and have the gratuity removed and re run all the checks. The people at the other end of the table said that was totally unnecessary and that they felt fine with the service and the 18%.

You know me...with my PHD in BS. I told the happy end of the table that someone had called from the table on their cell phone and complained to the manager about my service and that I was in a LOT of trouble for giving bad service and just wanted to make things right. They all cooed and oohed and aahed about what a great server I was and that the one guy didn't matter. They asked to see my manager again, but since I wasn't in any trouble at all (my manager knows an idiot when he sees one) I just apologized more than necessary and played my pity card. One older man shoved a five in my hand and the other couple left me a five as well. The A hole filled out his charge slip with 00000 in the tip spot and his sister next to him followed suit. So I split a ten dollar tip with the other server on a $170.00 tab. You know sometimes you get to the point where you don't really even WANT their money if they are going to be such an ass.

I turned around to see my other table being seated with a couple that I absolute detest waiting on. They are nice enough people but they make Meg Ryan in "When Harry Met Sally" look like a pussy cat when ordering. I swear this is not an exaggeration...

"We want two chicken breasts char grilled as an appetizer with extra celery and extra ranch and wing sauce on the side..I believe they ring it in as boneless wings. Then I want the salmon also char grilled with veggies with more than extra snow peas, they never put enough in the medley. I want my salad to be all romaine with tomatoes slices instead of diced tomatoes and onion slices. Then I want an order of just yellow squash, no zucchini and an extra order of mushrooms. I want sweet tea with the lemons on the side and he wants no lemon at all. We need honey for our butter that comes with the bread and some to go cups for our tea."

These people ask for me when they come in, so I guess I am doing something right or either they are trying to see how far they can push a waitress before she explodes. They need separate to go boxes for each entree and to go ramekins for all their many sauces. I made sure it was specifically as they wanted and they left me a $7 tip on a $60 tab. Maybe I should start screwing up some crap where they won't ask for me! But you know, at least they are nice and pleasant. Maybe they are just cheap and would normally leave a five whereas since they like me so much they leave me seven dollars.

All in all it was a profitable night for me, even with not getting tipped on two tabs from "Bubba's" table I walked out after four hours with $154.00 in my pocket and a headache the size of Russia.

Tomorrow is Friday the 13th.

I say "BRING IT ON."

At least after that shift I get a day off after 13 days straight. Unless I pick up Saturday night, which I am contemplating...that will put me at 20 in a row...maybe I should quit counting!