Category: Beloved Co-workers
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Blurred Lines
Three girls: One with a new baby who was desperately sought, and who is now loved equally as much as she is driving her parents crazy with incessant crying. “Some days I wonder, what have I done?” says this new mother. One is recently divorced, her young marriage gone bad in the usual way that…
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Cheers and Chocolate to My Friend
We share a birthday. You always tell everyone that I am older than you, “By a few hours.” Our kids have been friends pretty much forever; our daughters since age three. We lost touch. We got back in touch just recently. You came to visit me here. I will never forget that. I sent you…
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Stare of the Iguana
“Hey, when we have guests in the dining room, maybe it’s not such a great idea to read the paper.” Blank stare. “Okay,” said the server with a puzzled, you-hurt-me-by-saying-that look. “Hey, when we have guests in the dining room and we are still open for lunch, maybe you should keep your apron on and…
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‘Tis the Most Wonderful Time…
* Today marked the busiest lunch ever, I think, for my restaurant. Working it were several veteran servers, one newbie, me, and my daytime assistant who can also work the floor as backup help. We rocked. We really did. I thanked everyone, personally, for getting it done and making us all look like we’d done…
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I’m Back with the Best of What I Can Get
Random Guest Compliments: “I love the food here.” “The scenery’s not bad either.” “Yeah. I definitely come here for the scenery.” Should I be offended that I am considered scenery? In my way, I am. In my way, I am not at all. Work Friends: “Hey, RG, you look incredible, baby, as always. What’s up?”…
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So Busted
Damn them to hell. Damn their concerned puppy-dog expressions. Damn all line cooks who care. “RG, those fries are cold and old.” “So, I’ll eat them. I am starving.” “RG, no. Enough.” Enough? “I’ll make you a nice salad, like I did yesterday,” said the younger of the two. Enough what? “Yeah, you liked it,…
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You Oughta Know
Dear workaholic Owner who took me in as a feral stray and made my life so comfortable that I decided to stay on as a fat house cat, Thank God you are home. Seriously. I realize you need a break every now and then. And I hope you enjoyed it. But, who the hell was…
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You Gotta Try…
“RG, are those your friends sitting on 72?” asked one of the servers. “Yep, in from Philly for the weekend,” I said, shoving menus into the slots behind the podium. We have hired two hosts, and my multiple weekly doubles are numbered, but not quite over. “Are you getting off early to be with them?”…
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One Potato, Two Potato
This could have been the post about the lunch shift from hell–the shift when a loaded tray of beverages gets dumped on the most easy-going of our regulars, who tells you and everyone that he is fine and almost jokes about it, then cancels his large dinner “because of the incident.” This could have been…
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Stone Crabs-in-a-Barrel Days
In my previous life, as many of my readers know, I worked for a magazine as a writer and managing editor. THE Editor, my boss, adored me as an employee for the first year. I worked long hours, got the magazine back on its monthly publishing schedule, and fretted over every tiny detail. During that…