Typically I try to accept the normal ebb and flow and craziness of restaurant life. Some nights are crazy, others are slow, and for the most part I know what to expect and can roll with it.
3 months ago the restaurant I work at offered a coupon where you pay a certain amount and then you spend an amount and get a discount, these coupons are all over and a lot of places participate. This particular coupon expires today. People have had 3 MONTHS to use the coupon.
Last night I expected to be a little busier then usual. I walked in and looked at the reservations and at the beginning of the night it "looked" manageable. There were a few red flags. One person in the lounge area. One person who had to wait on the 15 tables plus make drinks for the whole restaurant... We only had 5 servers on the floor and one server in the private dining room. Of the 5 floor servers 1 is new, so while he's a strong server he's not prepared for the 8 table section he was given. Plus I had to ask him to pick up in the lounge area. There were 2 strong servers, and those 2 servers did not have the larger sections. Then I had an average server and my least favorite, least competent server in the back of the restaurant, where the large tables are for large parties.
I had a party of 9 that made the reservation for 6 people because that's all they could make online and they wanted to come in right in the middle of everything that was crashing down at the same time. If you go online and you can't make a reservation for the amount of people and you call the restaurant and you are told a time, then it's highly likely that when they tell you that time they know what they are talking about and know what the situation is for the evening...
I had a phone call from a lady who was sick, had to cancel her reservations over the weekend and had a coupon that was expiring. I'm sorry that you are sick. I'm sorry that you are not going to be able to use your coupon. I am also aware that you have had 3 months to use said coupon. It clearly states you may not place carry out orders with the coupon. I am sorry that my answer is not to your liking but in the grand scheme of things this is not a life or death situation such as you are making it out to be, GET A GRIP!!!
I try very hard to remember that people coming in want a pleasant dining experience. I try very hard to be pleasant and courteous. Last night I went on a wait. I literally ran out of tables and I could not seat people in the lounge because I did not have anyone to take care of them, so they are all standing looking at me. I HATE being on a wait. I well managed front door can handle hundreds of people and should not have to be on a wait. Except when there is poor planning on the parts of other people.
I had guests who had no reservations but had coupons that they had to use before tonight. So they waited. along with my reservations. I can only do what I can do. I was the only hostess last night, I had no help. My manager was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. I knew that freaking out or melting down would serve no purpose and I knew that I could not leave the front to go reset tables. Just because I could get someone seated at a table did not mean that they would receive attention from an already weeded server.
Slowly I was able to get my waiting 7:30, 7:45 and 8:00 tables seated. As the busser would reset a table I would go find the one table and get them seated. I had gone into my system and blocked out all times between 8-9 knowing that if I didn't I was going to be in a bigger mess then was already happening. My 7:30 tables went down before 8. My 7:45 tables before 8:15. My 8 tables went down around 8:15 and my 8:15 tables probably closer to 8:30.
I had an 8pm reservation who was waiting at the door she came to check. In the restaurant where I work you can see all the tables behind me, there were no empty tables. The guest asked what it was looking like to sit down. I politely stated that I would seat them as soon as possible. She made the comment but I want to sit down now. I had to walk away. Had I not walked away I would have said that it would be wonderful to get you seated now and if you want to go sit with another table or at a dirty table then you are more then welcome to do so but I do not have a table that is actually ready for you to sit down at.
Walk in guests, were shocked that I could not seat them on a Monday night. OK while I understand you have a coupon that you need to use your all around poor planning is NOT MY FAULT!!!!! So when you sat and looked at me from 7:30 until 8:15, WHEN I TOLD YOU I WOULD BE ABLE TO SEAT YOU, and I seat you at a table and you give me attitude and say of course "this" would be our table, I had to walk away. Because what I wanted to say is if you would like to go sit at a dirty table or at another table as you can clearly see this is the only available table I have at this time.
I also had to deal with the guests sitting in my least favorite servers section. Because they were all coming up asking to speak to the manager. Because that server is incompetent.
I had the Dr. come in who was shocked that we were so busy on a Monday night. Who decided to be put on the wait list. Who gave me attitude because I had to ask for his last name a second time. It is loud up front. I have at least 10 people all looking at me as they wait for a table. The phone is ringing, and you snap at me because I asked for your name one more time. GET A GRIP.
Normally it's not like last night. Which is a good thing. If last night were normal, I would not continue to work at this restaurant. However, at the very start of the evening I had a conversation with a guy who used to be our head bartender. He now works for a new restaurant with our previous assistant manager. They are talking to me today about their restaurant. I know that it might not be possible. The reason I am able to work where I work now is because I have been given a set Monday,Wednesday Friday schedule and that gives me Saturdays and Sundays. That kind of schedule is tough to promise when you are having to deal with so many hostesses and so many schedule. However, I'm going to at least go talk to them and see what I might be able to work out!
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