scam!

I don't know what it is lately, but I am just NOT having good luck with people! First my tips get stolen, now this...

Two guys came in and both ordered waters. I couldn't decide if they were gay or flirting, but either way, they were acting a little strange. When they finished their appetizer and meal they asked to see the dessert menu. We don't really have a "dessert" menu, we just offer cheesecake. I told them the different flavors we offered, and they said they'd think about it...a little strange. When they caught my attention again, they said they'd just share a slice. I ordered it and noticed one guy had gone to the bathroom. A few minutes later, the other guy got the attention of ANOTHER server and told her that they were "just going to the bathroom. Let our server know, because we don't want her to think we left." So, I delivered the cheesecake and thought nothing of it...until 15 minutes later when they STILL weren't back!

Totally planned. Looking back, everything seemed to fall into place. One guy got there before the other, so they arrived separately. They were super nice, even a little flirty. They told me they would "think about" the dessert and told a different server that they were going to the bathroom. AND, they left separately.

I just trust people way too easily--this is a problem I have in life too. I simply overestimate people's character, and unfortunately, I've learned it can end up hurting me in the long run.

Anyway, I guess I've learned my lesson. I REALLY need to keep tabs on my tables--even the sober ones!

-MJ

here comes the...ketchup?

I had never heard the term "marrying ketchup" until I started my work as a waitress. Little did I know, it's actually a universal term! This task is required for every server after every shift. If you've got two half full bottles of ketchup in your section, combine them into one aka marry them.

There is actually a tool called a "ketchup coupler." I refused to believe that it worked until, well, I tried it!

I should have gotten a "before" picture, but I didn't think of it in time. All I can tell you is that the ketchup bottle on top was a little less than half full. The ketchup was being stubborn, and I was tired of trying to shake it out--that's when I decided to give the ketchup coupler a try. And voila! My job made easy!

-MJ

babysitter? i think not.

Two things come to mind when I see a huge family walk in with a bunch of little kids:

1. Yes! They're not going to be here forever drinking because the kids gotta go to bed soon.

2. Get out the mop and the broom, it's going to be a big mess when they leave.

Well, last night wasn't any different. I like when families come in because they're usually friendly and relaxed and there's no hassle of separating checks at the end of the meal. But come on! The mess was RIDICULOUS last night. They had a little baby that ate a grilled cheese--actually, she didn't really eat it. I think she was intentionally throwing it on the ground. Needless to say, little pieces of grilled cheese everywhere. YUCK. And the older children thought it was funny to shred their napkins and get ranch dressing all over the table.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, be a little more aware when you're out to eat with children. I'm a messy eater too, and it's part of my job to wipe down tables after you leave. But if you've got a little one, maybe make sure he/she is actually eating the food. Just sayin'...

-MJ

noodles in a salad?

I just discovered my new favorite salad! the ID is kind of known for their salads, and I'm not a huge salad person but they are SO good here!

This salad is called the Mediterranean. It has romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, feta cheese, pine nuts, angel hair pasta and grilled chicken tossed with italian dressing. SO good. This picture doesn't really do it justice because I had already eaten half of it!

Come in and try it!!

-MJ

"hey guys..."

In my Advanced Media class my professor mentioned that calling a group of women or even a group of men with only one woman "guys" can be very offensive. I told her that I almost always greet my tables with, "Hey guys." She told me that if I ever did that to her she'd probably pull me aside and tell me it was very offensive AND not tip very well.

I've never thought about that before, but I think I'll try an experiment. Maybe for half a night, I'll greet every table with "Hey guys" and later on, I'll be more "politically correct" and see how my tip amount differs.

But I'm curious...would that offend you or any of your friends?

-MJ

rolling silverware

Rolling silverware is one of the most tedious parts of my job, and it's something that no one can skip out on. It absolutely has to be done after every single shift, day or night. The good news is that the closing server is not required to roll because there are so many other duties for the closer to do.

That first picture is just a small portion of what we have to do each night. On a busy Friday night, we could have up to 3 or 4 FULL baskets. We usually roll toward the end of the night, but sometimes if it's super busy, we have to roll so that our current tables have enough silverware! Sometimes I'll have tables ask for silverware when they're eating nachos or chicken fingers or even a sandwich. Not only do I think that's weird, but then it's more silverware to roll at the end of the night!

Until next time,

MJ

bartenders vs. servers

There is a huge difference between bartenders and servers not only at the Irish Democrat, but other places too.

Let me explain...

Servers:

-Paid less hourly (about $4.35)

-Makes more in tips

-Does not make any drinks

-Delivers all food and drinks to tables

-Clears food from tables

-Washes/resets tables

-Rolls silverware

-Extra duties include: wiping down menus, bleaching coffee pots, wiping down high chairs and booster seats (these are set duties assigned according to your shift aka "side work")

Bartenders:

-Paid more hourly (at least minimum wage--raises are possible)

-Makes less in tips than servers (since they sell less food, it's not likely they'll exceed what a server makes on a typical shift)

-Receives 15% of each server's drink sales, regardless of how much they make in tips

-Stocks entire bar with alcohol and ice as needed

-Takes all ToGo orders

-Hand wash ALL glasses (frosty mugs, shot glasses, pint glasses, etc.)

-Refills and makes ALL drinks for servers and customers at the bar

-Splits tips among other bartenders (on weekend nights there are 3 bartenders and on weekdays and nights there are 2. On Sundays there is only 1 bartender because it is less busy)

I think it's important to know the difference because some diners simply don't understand everything that needs to be done. I remember being out to eat with my mom once, and she was complaining that the bartender was ignoring us. I had to explain to her that they probably had a lot more going on than it seemed--making drinks for servers, washing dishes, etc.

A very popular drink at the Irish Democrat is the Irish Car Bomb. It comes with a shot and a half pint of Guinness (an Irish beer). You actually drop the shot glass into the beer and drink the entire thing! Drink it fast or it will start to curdle like old milk!!

-MJ

irish ≠ money

So last night was a new experience for me.

I picked up a shift for St. Patrick's Day thinking, "Oh ya, the IRISH Democrat is sure to be a happening place. I'll make loads of money."

Well, first of all, I was working in the bar which was pretty much a hit or miss. People were hardly ordering food...mostly just appetizers and they were going to the bar instead of their trusty server (that would be me.) So basically, I had people ordering drinks from the bartender and sitting in my section. (a major dining no-no)

So I was already pretty upset about that and then realized around 7:30 PM, that I had hardly any money in my bank.

[What is a bank? Each server is required to keep a "bank" which is where they keep all of their cash, credit card tips, change, etc. At the end of the night, the serving system calculates how much you owe the restaurant, bartender, etc. All that you do not owe is yours.]

WELL, someone stole at least $100 from my bank. At least it happened early enough were I could hide it and keep better tabs on it but basically, they didn't steal from the restaurant. They stole from ME. So, I walked out with $40 and worked 10 hours.

That's $4 an hour.

Positive side? Hmm...there is no positive.

That's all,

-MJ

i'm curious...

Do you like it better when your server writes down your order or does it by memory? Or do you even care?

I almost never write down my orders, unless the party is more than 6. When I first started serving, it was just my goal to be able to do that. I'm pretty good at remembering everything, and I always hoped that by doing this my customers would notice and be impressed resulting in a bigger tip for me. Of course, there have been times when I've messed up but that doesn't happen too often...

So what do you think? The reason I ask is because when I go out to eat, I feel more comfortable when the server writes down what I order so I know he/she won't forget anything. Kinda hypocritical, I guess...

-MJ

i'm only making $4 an hour...

So, this has kind of become a "dining awareness" blog. I don't mean to come off as whiny, but there are just some things that diners don't know. However, I know there are times when servers really are just bad. We'll get to that eventually.

I was the closer on Saturday night. For the Irish Democrat, this means staying until 2 AM. By the time I got done with all of my closing duties (washing coffee pots, wiping down trays, flipping chairs, combining "marrying" ketchups, turning off tvs...) it was 3 AM. Now, I'm not complaining because I definitely made some good money.

The whole night was nonstop! My section was pretty much full the entire night. It's stressful, because sometimes I need a break to get my head together but it makes the time fly.

Now, my "tip" for today is if you're at the bar waiting for a table (by the way, you can still eat at a table in the bar...), do NOT transfer your tab to your server. If I'm waiting on you and bringing you drinks, at least leave me something! I mean, think about it: you're taking up one of my tables and I'm waiting on you, and you're going to transfer your tab to the person that's going to serve you food, leaving me nothing? Not fair. I'm only making $4.35 an hour. That's $3 less than minimum wage in Iowa! In Kansas, where I'm originally from, servers only make $2.13 an hour! Just a dollar or two would suffice; it's not much for you, but it definitely adds up for me, especially if I'm as busy like I was on Saturday night.

After this kept happening, I told a couple that they had to cash out their tab with me before moving to a table in the back. They seemed okay with it, and I was proud of my genius plan. All of the sudden, I look at their table and they're gone. I found them in a small booth and brought them their tab, hoping I'd get a couple of bucks out of the deal. What did they leave me? Nothing. Clearly they missed the point. Obviously, the only reason I wanted them to cash out with me was for their tip. Duh.

Hey a couple of bucks goes a long way!!

-MJ

if ya don't like it, then don't eat it!

So my first night back wasn't so bad. I was on my best behavior all night and I was mostly on top of everything. It was just like riding a bike--it all came back to me.

Well everything was going smoothly until Forbes arrived.

Let me explain. Since the Irish Democrat is not a chain and it's locally owned, we get a LOT of regulars. Some people come in 2 or 3 times a week. It's just a friendly atmosphere.

Let's see there's...

Pat- the slightly creepy but genuinely nice middle-aged man that sits at the bar.

Bob- the super creepy Elmer Fudd look alike that steals all the coasters and tips 50 cents per drink.

Dave- the terribly awkward middle-aged man that will talk your ear off and tell every server how pretty she is.

Foxy- everyone loves Foxy. I mean, he goes by Foxy.

And Forbes- the pickiest man alive. He usually comes in about once a week and has the most specific order. Of course, every single time, he has a complaint. My thoughts? If you're going to complain EVERY SINGLE TIME you come in, how about you stop coming in? One time, he made me reorder his Cheesesteak because there wasn't as much meat as usual...even though the meat comes prepackaged for the Cheesesteak. He usually orders some kind of beefy sandwich and adds sautéed jalapeños, mushrooms and green peppers or something. It changes regularly. The cooks, of course, hate this. Usually the mushrooms aren't sautéed enough, or the fries aren't steaming hot. This time, I made sure to get everything perfect. His complaint? The appetizers came out too close to his actual meal. OOOOOOKAAAAY. However, he did tip me 20%. So, a job well done for MJ.

Now what can you take from this? Pick your battles. Yes, if your food is cold, complain. You deserve to get your money's worth. Now, remember it's not always the server's fault, but sometimes it is. But if the cooks misunderstand your extra modified order, maybe you should just let it slide. Remember, I'm not doing the cooking. The cooks are.

Until next time,

MJ

aaaaand...i'm back.

Hey all,

On August 15, 2009 I officially quit my life as a waitress at the Irish Democrat, a non-chain restaurant/bar located in Cedar Rapids, IA. I was ecstatic. I could not WAIT to walk out the door and never come back. I thought my job as a receptionist at a salon was the job for me. Wrong. $8 an hour? Not so much.

So, I made the difficult decision to come back to the needy customers, the creepy drunk men and the long, mysterious hours of never knowing when you'll finally be off work. However, the money is good. At least $100 a night? Yes, please. Except, I'm only allowing myself to keep $20 from each shift. The rest has to go to my funds for my 8-week trip to France this summer. This is mostly the reason I decided to come back to serving. And, since I have a terrible shopping problem (no, seriously, come check out my closet) I have to give the money to my boyfriend to hide away from me. Otherwise, I'll spend it. I know, what could I possibly want to buy in Cedar Rapids? Well, I can justify ANY purchase

So why is this such a big deal? Well, the managers were a little skeptical to hire me back. I'm already very impatient, but this past summer, I was REALLY impatient. Sometimes I tend to roll my eyes at people, and I really just don't notice. Seriously, I don't. Well, my managers did, and so did my customers. Luckily, they were kind enough to give me a second chance. So, I now have to be on my BEST behavior at all times. We'll see how long this lasts...

At the ID, I go by MJ. So, for this blog, I shall be referred to as MJ. MJ at the ID.

Peace and lots of tips,

MJ