Let the Valentine's Day Massacre begin! I walked into work at ten thirty and the phone was already ringing off the hook. Reservations for tomorrow and reservations for today. We open the doors at eleven and in came a ten top of "Little Ole Blue Hairs" ready for some lunch and wine. Then a fourteen top came in the door followed by table after table after table.
The owner was on line cooking, only assisted by two Latino cooks, a male who is pretty new and a female who has been with us long enough that we can almost understand her now. Her favorite saying when we are busy is "Hokay, Take it Heasy!" His son was due in at one.
During the middle of the lunch crush I went to fill up a glass with water and noticed it wasn't coming out very fast. I needed four waters and after filling two glasses the water simply stopped coming out. I went to the hand sink and turned it on and the water just dribbled, then just stopped. I went to the coffee maker and tried the hot water spigot we use for hot tea. Same deal. As my Latino friends would say. "Aqua no mas."
I peered back through the cook line where Len, the owner was trying to put out thirty plates of food at once and said "We don't have water."
He screamed back (He's def a crazy Italian) "What do you think I can do about it right now? Go find Barb!" (His equally crazy wife) I found Barb in the office and relayed the message. By now we had about six more tables go down and as Murphy's Law would have it...everybody wanted a glass of water.
Len (the owner) was fighting his own battle on the other side of the cook's line, a language battle. He was yelling out orders as to what he needed. What he really needed at that moment was to be fluent in Spanish. The male cook, Jesus (that would "Hey- Seuss" in English) was trying to keep up and little Carmen was doing her best as well. Of course Murphy's Law kicked in again and every ticket had special instructions. Yes I needed two Eggplant sandwiches but they didn't want it on Ciabatta bread, they wanted it on flatbread. Len was trying to explain the difference when his fuse blew. (It's a short fuse anyway) I bet I heard the word "Flatbread" yelled at least fifteen times before we had to turn the music in the dining room up.
Hey-Seuss was doing his best and think he was glad he didn't completely understand everything Len said, although they were mostly just four letter words.
I was on the other side of the cook line, which is a narrow window we peer through at the cooks with a new server beside me. Once again Murphy's Law ...me and a new server on a day like this. Not only that but he is a religious zealot compared to Len. He said quietly to me, I think I'll just go back out front." I wanted to say "Run Forrest, Run!" but just said "That's a good idea, it'll all blow over."
It didn't blow over. It blew up. It was a water main break down the street and every one lost water which encompassed most probably almost one hundred places of business.
Barb came back into the kitchen to peer back through the cook line window and deliver the news. She said "We have to close."
By this point, Len was in "Capt. Wild Bill Kelso" mode. "NO we DON"T" he screamed..."It could be back on in five minutes, get this food OUT of the window, we'll recover and power through!"
By this point, Hey-Seuss and Carmen were beginning to wonder if America was really that great after all and hoping maybe one of the tunnels back home was still open. My new co worker seemed shell shocked and I simply began to laugh.
Here's the thing. I work for a family owned business. They don't have corporate back up. This restaurant is their life and their life was on the line today. The owner, Len is ten years older than me and works a minimum of ninety hours a week, and most probably thinks of this store in his sleep...which can't be much.
The water came back on before I left for my break, we were closed for maybe thirty minutes.
I went to the bank and gas station and saw the crews digging up the water line. It was ten guys standing around a hole with hard hats and a shovel while one guy operated a back hoe. (Classic)
I zoomed home and cooked some Hamburger Helper for the kids and went back to work. Now the night shift was there. I told Kory, another cook who had just come on that he missed a crazy lunch and he asked why? I said ask 'Hey-Seuss." He asked Jesus (Hey-Seuss) how lunch was and my buddy (we used His name a LOT today spelling it with a "J" and a few added expletives) blew out his breath and said "Not Heasy."
One more shift and we are done til Mother's Day. It was crazy, it was fun to laugh about after the fact. It's just the way it works in the restaurant world. I slapped the owner on the back when I left on my break and said "We're giving you a new nick name...FLAT BREAD!"
In the words of my Latino friends..."O Mi Dios"
Len was totally "Wild Bill Kelso" He was fighting through and determined. He was crazy and deranged. He scared everybody in the place but the crazy Bast made it happen. If there is one thing I can say about Len, he's nuts but seems to love me and that's a good spot light to be in.
Til next time...ALGODON!
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