Actually, for those who missed it the first time I retired from the hospitality industry after 14 or so years.
My section is closed.
Zenster - we seem to have followed similar paths… I sincerely appreciate the compliment…
I started working in this extremely prestigious restaurant when I was 16 (or twenty years ago), I bussed tables and worked in the kitchen for nearly two years. I washed dishes, I prepped foods, I watched the chefs weave their magic. I filled water glasses, served deserts, emptied ashtrays, cleared and set tables, and watched the waiters move like wraiths and satisfy nearly every whim our customers had.
I made great money as even a busperson could make $80 - $100 a night from the 4 waiters and 1 waitress, yes that’s one waitress as the old fashioned Greek I worked for didn’t often hire women. Actually, in all the time I worked for him there was only this one waitress. She was incredible.
When each waiter hands you twenty dollars at the end of the night you knew he was pocketing the other 90% or $180.00… I did the math… that’s $900.00 a week, $3600.00 a month or better than $43,000 a year, most of it tax free. Yep… I wanted to be a waiter in the worst way.
So after two years of drudgery I again ask if I might start waiting on tables, the answer was “no” but I was told I could start bartending. I first had to learn how to make every freaking drink on the planet, learn about every wine we carried and what it went with as well as how to properly uncork bottles and serve the wine. I’d get quizzed on how to make specific drinks. When I finished working in the kitchen or with bussing table I would spend a few more hours behind the bar, watching and learning things backwards and forwards. Only then did I get to bartend.
On my first day bartending we had a party of 300 with an open bar tab. All I could think was that my boss was a fucking sadist and that I was going to crash and burn. He thought this was hilarious and made me squirm by telling me I was on my own. A little while later he joined me behind the bar and I can say I have never seen anyone bartend as well as this guy. He was the master. These people spent the next ten hours drinking everything we had in stock. Seriously. We had nothing left to pour and sold what would have then been $8000.00 worth of beverages.
The dinner tab was a paltry $6000.00.
Eventually I got to wait tables, this is the job one wanted as it paid extremely well, Almost 4000.00 a month was great money then. We took great pride in the fact we provided nearly perfect service in every respect, it didn’t matter who you were, how much you spent, or how much you tipped.
Okay… we’d say bad things about the lousy tippers but we never fucked with their food or treated them poorly, this would have got us fired immediately.
Our boss was a character, his guarantee to every customer was that if they weren’t perfectly satisfied with the food and the service they received they didn’t have to pay a cent. I only remember two instances where people weren’t happy, not only did they not pay but they were invited to come back and have dinner on us. Anything on the menu. Anything from the bar. The Greek took his reputation very seriously.
Not knowing that a desert contained nuts would have fallen under the “the customer wasn’t happy” guarantee and would have earned you the wrath of the Greek because you evidently didn’t know your job. A small thing like not setting a table properly would cause his head to split right down the middle and flames would burst from his eye sockets. People who demonstrated that they didn’t know their job were usually culled from the ranks pretty quickly.
I ended up as the Maitre’d and in six years our staff turnover was nearly 0, for all his faults the Greek was one hell of a good employer and a great teacher.
Maybe one day I will open my own restaurant… you’ll be amazed at the wait staff who will remain invisible until called for. Your waiter will know everything there is to know about the meals on the menu and if there’s something special you want just ask. It will be their pleasure to make sure your every dining whim is satisfied. Don’t bother asking to have your water glass refilled because it will never be empty, ashtrays will always be clean. Plates will appear and disappear as you delight in the marvels my chefs will prepare for your enjoyment. The deserts will drive you to unheard levels of gourmet ecstasy…
And if there’s nuts in the brownies, my staff had damn well better know it or heads will fucking roll!