Last night wasn't my best but still had regulars coming in, asking for me and leaving me 25% tips. I thought tonight would, as Dr. Seuss said "Be your day." It wasn't and got thoroughly trounced. I went in early and had a few good tables, all 20% tippers. (my favorite kind)
Then found out I was on a party with one of my favorite servers, Little Frenchy. She makes me look fat if that tells you anything about her size. She is an absolute delight, with her French Canadian accent and wonderful attitude.
She gave me a French/English dictionary a couple of years ago and use it frequently, especially when sending her private messages on Facebook. I already sound like I grew up in Hooterville but when I try to speak French you can almost see her shudder. She'll shake her tiny head in dismay and say "I USE to think French was such a romantic language. When you speak it...not so much."
That only encourages me to speak it more often! She walks into work and I smile and loudly say "Bon Jour!" She went to leave one night and I waved at her leaving out the back door loudly saying "Arrivederci!" She shook her head and simply said, "That is Italian."
Well at least we work for an Italian restaurant so guess I was half right.
Tonight we had a party of 23, possibly 25 for a retirement dinner. Frenchy had the room all set up while I was snagging my regulars and finishing up a couple of other tables.
Problem was, they booked a party room for 25 people and it holds 25 people. Almost thirty showed up. They wanted to spill out into the dining room but everything else had been reserved. Frenchy kinda looked worried, but I just went back and took over. I told them that's all the room we had reserved and since they were all obviously good friends we'd just squeeze everybody in, it'd be kinda comfy!
It was a tight fit but what could they say? You book a room for thirty on a Saturday night, you get a room for thirty. You book a room for twenty three to twenty five and you get a room for twenty three to twenty five. We squeezed them all in, it wasn't ideal but at least they all had a seat. Dinner went smoothly, all the food came out right, on time and together. They had a cake and we cut and served it.
Then they all started moving around and changing places. Fine idea if it's one check, horrible idea if it's twenty five separate checks.
Frenchy and I had our game plan and even had everyone's ticket separated when we combined the five tables together. This part my be a lot of mumbo jumbo to peeps who aren't servers but is important when combining multiple tables who all want separate checks.
I had this part. It's isn't Frenchy's forte (let's throw in some Latin too) but am used to it. I separated all checks, added a suggested gratuity and Frenchy gave them out.
I was at the computer station with two of the checks running their credit cards when about ten of them came up with their checks in hand wanting me to either change something or get them out quickly.
It quickly turned what the French call "Cauchemardeux" or nightmarish if my French/English dictionary is correct.
Money was passing hands, peeps were handing me money saying "No change" and leaving. Others said they left it on the table and had a line of ten waiting for me to run their credit card.
Trust me...it WAS "Cauchemardeux" and will remember THAT French word for the rest of my life.
All said and done, came up thirty four dollars short when I finally cashed out the party. Didn't matter then, they were all gone.
I'm not saying it was intentional but what I am saying is they made it quite chaotic. One of the people even went up to a server who wasn't even on the party and handed her a credit card. The server ran the credit card under her own server number, when it should have been run under mine.
It was, what we call in the server world a "Cluster Mess" to put it politely.
We should have made ninety bucks with the added gratuity but were almost forty bucks short.
Not Frenchy's fault but mine. I did the checks. Any other server would have been livid with me, or "livide" as they say in French.
Barb helped us out by adjusting our tip out and both made thirty bucks, but wasn't the fifty each we planned on.
Sometimes you roll big and Phat, sometimes you crap out. Tonight we crapped out and I felt terrible for it. I screwed not only myself but one of my favorite co workers. She was absolutely fine with it and thanked me for attempting to do all the checks.
To Little Frenchy, I am so "Mis'erable." In English that means "Unfortunately I dropped the bomb and you went down with me." (if my French/ English dictionary skills are right again)
“Those who matter don't care, and those who care don't matter.”
Thank you Dr. Seuss...My Frenchy still loves me and I love her. Whoever didn't pay or let it fall through the gap doesn't matter. Life is all about Karma and I got me some good MOJO going on.
Doing it again tomorrow, shaking it off and plowing ahead!
Til next time...COTTON
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