Month: July 2006
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The Podium in Pictures
Restaurant Gal and Restaurant Gal Daughter proudly present THE PODIUM IN PICTURES Masterfully depicted as only Restaurant Gal Daughter’s Barbie collection can tell the tale. Disclaimer: Restaurant Gal Daughter’s Barbie collection may not necessarily or accurately reflect the full range of ages, races, and hair styles of the host staff or of the restaurant’s customers.…
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Another Record!
Okay, I know this may be of little interest to many beyond Restaurant Gal Daughter (where are you when I need you at work???), but we broke ALL the records for lunch rushes today–800-plus. I don’t even want to do the math about how many people I talked to per minute between 11 and 2:30.…
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You’re All the Same to Me
“Why is she sending all the black people to this area of the restaurant?” asked one of two women I had just sent to be seated from our other host podium. My counterpart–a black male who is usually a man of many words and sage sayings–was rendered speechless. “Excuse me?” he asked the two women.…
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You Make Me Crazy
Dear mental health professionals who practice in my city: What were you thinking? Are you all sharing a vacation house at the beach this week and forgot to counsel your patients to take their meds while you are away? Yeah, bad idea. Here’s how I dealt with that oversight on your part and all who…
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Summer in the City
As the outdoor temperature sizzled and climbed on Friday, they came in droves through my front door. Every local office worker baking in a suit, every out-of-town tourist sweating in sneakers, and everyone else having a bad hair day in the humidity figured my restaurant was the place to be. I am pretty sure we…
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I’ll Trade You One Ten-Top
One of my managers likens the job I do to working Rubik’s Cube: “Some people can do it, some can’t. If you can’t do the Cube, you probably won’t do well at figuring out the flow of a fast-paced restaurant like this.” Yes, well…. I HATE trying to make sense of Rubik’s Cube. I hate…
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They’re Back!
“Where are the mints?” I stared hard at the stumpy little man asking for–demanding, actually–a breath freshener. People ask for mints all the time. And, an equal amount of times, I take a rather out-of-character, sadistic delight in telling people, “Sorry, no mints.” I grin an evil grin as I say it. Usually, no one…
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Never Judge a Job by the First Day Back After Vacation
I am exhausted. The dogs also known as my feet are barking incessantly. My head is pounding. And it was slow–even for a Monday. There is a place in hell for the first day back to work after a vacation. This is the day you wonder why you ever took the job. This is the…
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Back to Earth
Is there such a thing as too much Vegas? In a word, yes. In a couple of words, yes; but it’s so crazy, you gotta love it. Highlights of the week: My best-sister friend feeling flush enough to book a hotel room we never used at Caesar’s, just so we could access the incredible pool…
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Mama Needs a New Pair of Shoes
The Gal admits it–she needs a vacation. Happily, I take a break around this time every year to meet a girlfriend I’ve known forever. We call each other best sister-friends, because we go back so far (pre getting our driver’s licenses) and have shared some spectacular experiences. Working together in restaurants has definitely cemented our…