easter feasts

It's easter, a crazy time of year in hospitality.
It occured to me today that we're open every day of the year. and I work all of the difficult ones.

We had several functions (alternate drop), which made me laugh. If you've ever been in a room full of people that have never hear the word 'no', you would understand immediately the problem this poses. You serve veal or chicken - most likely, whatever you place in front of the next person - is absolutely NOT what they want. So despite ordering 50 veals, 50 chicken, most people don't want chicken. they want the veal.

I might get a promotion in the next week or so, and it's pretty scary now I've taken on University again, more hours, more people to say 'yes, of course' to... I think I have a better understanding on many things than quiet a few other people - I could do well.

The whole world closes down this time of year, anzac day - easter... Public holiday friday, saturday, (Sunday), public holiday monday and tuesday. and no supermarkets are open, it sucks.
I need food.

Staff Ups, Staff Downs

The staff are basically all similar to me, jaded, human and each with their own problems. A couple of weeks ago our boss mysteriously failed to turn up for work, and a younger more excited manager was "filling in". We were all told he was on sick leave for a few weeks - stress leave I assumed. The rumous started spreading about the sous chef that was just sacked for drinking a lot on the job, the excuse had been made that she was sick before the truth came out.

I then decided he had been given the sack due to his lack of team leadership and failure to keep revenue up.
A few days later we were told he was no longer with the company. No surprise to us, maybe he was caught doing something inappropriate - security cameras are EVERYWHERE... maybe he resigned for other reasons. We'll never know.

I enjoy being around the new manager, he's exciting, encouraging, and eager to be there as a hands on manager. He's exactly what we need when feeling down-trodden and abused.

Last week the staff numbers seemed lower than usual, but I wasn't paying much attention. The word among the staff was that one guy had been sacked for stealing money. He was still on the rota, and it turned out he was still employed two nights a week - because he was only stealing from him collegues, not from the company. I worked with him Friday and Saturday, not realising none of the other staff had ignored him the whole evening. I didn't feel angry towards him, I figured he was obviously given another chance to prove he's willing to change. He's human, doesn't get many hours, has a family to support. If I was desperate perhaps I might have done something similar. I spoke with him, I was polite and thankful when he helped me - at the end of the night he thanked me - I think for talking to him more than anything.

My Complaints to the chef

I am not surprised by complaints anymore, it's a normal part of an evening shift.
The meals are good, from many of my overseas and interstate travels - they are very good...
But not what the commoners here expect.
I mainly work in an Italian themed restaurant, our chef is VERY Italian, the food is simple and fresh and I like to call it rustic.
People here assume real Italian food is heavy, complicated and believe pizza hut is authentic.

And I am constantly amazed at the ignorance of diners. I may have co-owned a restaurant, and had some great food and wine experience, but I still assume most people know the basics.
I consider my knowledge quite normal, and not much above average...
I think it's normal to know how to pronounce Gnocchi, not as Ga-notchee, as 50% of people say.
Or Porcini, a mushroom usually dried, and tastes really yummy when rehydrated and put into risottos. Most people ask if it is a type of meat, pork in particular.
Dozens of people are amazed we dont have garlic bread on the menu, but don't realise it's not Italian...

I get to work (usually early) and dread walking in, we are always understaffed, and unprepared for the onslaught of customers, and more often than not end up waist high in people competing to order. I take my work far too seriously to just let it all wash over me.

We currently have a feature show that has been in the casino for 4 months, and offer a Dinner/Show package, for early diners to make it out in time to see the show at 7:30pm. Unfortunately guests are not told we open early specifically for that purpose, and arrive so late that they don't have time for their meals. It's a two course set menu, and imagine if 50 people arrive late, with only an hour to be fed... the kitchen goes into melt-down to prioritise these late-comers, and more often than not the stress created gives the whole restaurant a nasty atmosphere, like something out of Ramsays Kitchen Nightmares.
The staff are fed-up and disatisfied, the customers are vowing never to come back and it's really only the surface of the craziness.

Seen & Believed

I watched recently a special features program at the end of Oceans 13.
The Oceans series, remade for the 2000s, Vegas, the lights, the money, the opulence... I guess many people dream of being involved in that world, it seems exciting and elite.
I am involved, but I am involved at the lowest, most over-looked level there is...
I'm a waitress.

I work in a casino, and every evening witness the money, the snobbish behaviour, the bitches and the cosmetic surgery - and wonder why each day I go back to be treated like dirt by these people that could buy the casino with one months paycheck, but lack any ounce of human decency, or style.
And here's my journal. The characters, the tears, the joy and the incredible behaviour that people with money get away with...