"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