Why? Because simply put it was your typical Valentine's Day of lovers in love, a kitchen filled with hate, and a server filled with the anxiety of a bad dream that never ends, only extended further with the entrance of every incoming table.As typical, the night started off fine. Everything was going according to plan--how can it not when you have only about 4 or 5 tables.. When it turns into 15 to 20, things get hectic.. when you have fellow co-workers that don't necessarily pull their own weight it gets a lot worse.
Kitchen was short-staffed but the one cook pulled it off.. at one point she had over 5 lobster tails in one oven along with 15 steaks, 4 flounder dinners, and at least a dozen appetizers. For one person, a few burned crab cakes wasn't a big deal in my mind..
The worst part of the night was the fact that a 100-person wedding was taking place at the same time Valentine's Day dinners were coming out of the kitchen slow and curious..
And just when I felt the night had run its course and the worst was over.. the mashed potato incident took place.
A customer said his potatoes were cold.. which there was a good chance they were due to me not getting them out as quick as I should have.. I brought more out, this time they were steaming.. He said.. "Nope, still cold" as he stuck his finger directly into the middle of the plate..
Ok..
Back to the kitchen, back out again.. This time, he told me, "They're hot, but there's gravy on them." .. Keep in mind there was gravy on them each other time I brought them out..
Ok..
Back to the kitchen, back out.. (About now is when other servers began talking and whispering about ME for not cleaning my table tops off!)
This time when the potatoes came out, he told me he didn't want them .."Done with dinner, don't want them."
I said to him, "You realize, sir, you're doing this whole thing about mashed potatoes, right?" No response.. I felt like beheading him with my serving tray..
But that incident topped off the already hectic night.. The timing was impeccable.
A few nice tables.. and all in all, just another night. Shared by thousands of servers throughout America.
