Situation gets rough, and I start to panic...

It's not enough, it's just a habit....

Tonight worked in the bar, but in the tables...I "turned and burned" 23 tables in the bar tonight. Exhausting, but the second Saturday in a row where I had the highest ring in sales in the restuarant. I have been here less than a month, and every night the manager on duty looks at my sales numbers and just shakes his head incredulously. Tonight I heard of only one other person over $1000 in sales, and even the head wait was only $950. Tonight, my second Saturday working, I lead the restauarant in sales for the second Saturday in a row. Like I told my wife, in a month I will be running this place. I kind of wonder if I will be a flash in the pan? Wonder if I will slow down a bit...I say it is a matter of this...Every table, every guest, I ask the question, "Do you want to add a lobster tail or 5 grilled shrimp to that steak tonight?" Ask every one of them. VERY few take you up on it, but even if only five or ten do, that is more in sales. Ask EVERY guest which apetizer they want, assuming they are getting one. Most apps are fried or quick grilled, so people love them...Bad for you crap, but man some of them taste SO good. I hock booze, hardcore. When there is one person at the table ordering booze and the other doesn't, ask them (after they order the coke) if they want to make it a double. Not only can you get a grin and increase your tip, but you can also (and so what if you don't) sell a drink and increase sales. I am there the same amount of time as anyone else, and when I am there I prefer to work waiting, tending, doing what is necesary to earn money off of people. I never bitch to the host staff, never harrass the management, and am there to make money. Every person, no matter how hillbillie or ghetto fabulous is greeted the same. "Hello money, sitdown money, what can I get for you to drink, money"

It was a VERY hectic night to work for me though...Waiting tables, you have to wait until the table leaves, wait until it is bussed, and then wait until the host staff seats you. In the bar, it is carry a dish rag, because the MINUTE your table or spot opens up, it is immediately occupied by a new table, handing YOU the trash off of your table/space that was left by that last customer. Makes for a very fast changing of the tables, which in the "biz" terms is called the "turn and burn." One table/spot leaves, and it is immedaitely turned into a new one. It was the second Saturday in a row where I made some really great money! I would like to move into the fine dining area of waiting, or tend bar somewhere crushing busy by the summer...I feel like I am on that road. The amount of cash to be made is important, so we shall see. Also, management is a possibilty. It has also been mentioned to me by the proprieter, so I will keep my nose to the grindstone. I guess that in the end, I just really like to see people have a great time. Management STARTS at $45K minimum, so that is about what I am making, but GUARANTEED, all year long rather than $600 a week over the fall and winter, and over $1000 all spring and summer.

so now for a really quick story: One night Noah and I were bartending at the bar/restaurant one Saturday night, and in comes a group of new FBI Graduates, from Quantico...There were like 8 of them, and they were PARTYING! Drinking heavy, eating our tourist based (beautiful, yet bad for you) deep fried sea-food, and getting rowdy. Noah and I knew how much management hated anyone getting rowdy before like 11pm. Well, our boss who I will cal Mr. Burns, since he could have easily played the real life one from the Simpsons would come running in and ask them to respect the policy of quiet before 11pm. Repeatedly. We responded by giving Elliot Ness and his crew free lemon drops. It was a win-lose situation. In the end, they had between the 8 of them about a $300 bill. (plus like $50 in comped shots) They gathered up their money, and gave us $400, so $100 tip. The leader of their group simply said, JCL, give us just a taste. Bring your boss in here and insult his suit and the cheesy way that he dresses, and we will double your tip!! Well that was all I needed to hear. Our "room" in the restaurant was called the "SunQuest" which was the owners first yacht which sank somewhere (uninsured) in the Carribean. Well the bell from the boat was recovered and was posted on the support beam. It could ring, and it rang LOUD! So I told Mr. Ness to nail it once hard, and that Mr. Burns would be in immediately. He did, and I was right. Mr Burns demanded, "Who rang the bell?!"

I said: "(Mr Burns) they are leaving, and they just left Noah and I a kick ass tip. I told them to go ahead and ring it."

MB: "Well they are leaving now, right?"

Me: "Yup. They are headed out the door. But they wanted to know if you ever bought anything at other than the thrift shops. I told them that between your clip-on suspenders and your cheesy "pleather" belt that doesn't match your shoes, that I doubted that you got it from thrift shops. I was thinking garage sales."

MR: "Are they leaving now?"

Me: "after you answer them..."

MB: "Fuck you!"

They gave us another $100, then asked us where was open til LATE, so we told them to go to Irish Times in DC, and they begged us to meet them there. Noah was early out, and he went down there and met them, I closed and made it out for only a beer, but brought almost all of the closing staff, (including a few hotties off of our closing staff that they were very anxious to entertain) and soon they were buying for every one! We found someone who knew of an "after hours" club "highly illegal" yet astoundingly easy to find IF you knew the right people. They paid there too, and an all around good time was had by all, except for Mr. burns who likely cried into his Dewars and waters!!