Do You Know What You’d Like to Drink?

Friday night in September, I was working at my local restaurant, Lethal Pizza. Linze, the owner, has a son that plays on the football team. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL during preseason therefore Luke is unable to play the rest of the season. But he is team dedicated and goes to all the practices, games, and team nights. When I arrived at work Linze informed me that the whole football team would be coming in around six-thirty and I should probably set up the table now. So I put tables together enough to fit about 15 people and then left a booth available just in case. I put out utensils, plates, ketchup, and salt and pepper. Soon the boys started pilling in, and it got loud. Once everyone was seated I brought over menus and took drink orders. When I tell you nearly every single boy got Mt. Dew I knew I was in for a treat. Only two boys got water and Luke got a virgin Strawberry Daiquiri. After multiple trips to get the football team their drinks, finally everyone had a drink in front of them. This meant I was ready to take orders or start them off with an appetizer but I was wrong, Cam had already downed his Mt. Dew and was asking me for a refill. Then I glanced at the table and realized Athens, Adler and Snoop were all practically done with their Mt. Dews. So I grabbed their cups, refilled them then went back. Lo and behold more people needed a refill. This was a never ending cycle.

Finally, everyone had drinks and was ready to order. Most people got a burger but few decided to share a couple of pizzas. Do not worry Cam got crab ragoons and nachos as a starter. Our nachos are huge and could be a meal for two people, feeding two as some would say. Not only did I have to work on the boys’ table but I also had other tables in the restaurant to help. It was just Linze and me. Linze was working at the bar helping the bar folks and getting my drinks for me while I sat people and took their orders. Being patient is the only thing that I hoped these customers would have because coming in and seeing a table of 15 loud boys, a small restaurant, with one cook working his butt off in the back. It was a constant back-and-forth between me and the bar because people were drinking their hearts away that night. I was really starting to get stressed out and practically losing my mind, not because there were a lot of people but because I have so many things to do at once. I wanted everyone to have great service and felt terrible that people were waiting for food and drinks. Thankfully, everyone was super understanding and told me I was doing a great job. Being patient and acting unfazed creates a peaceful environment for others too.

Featured Image: “‘Mama’s’ Restaruant in China” by Surfing The Nations is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

Image: “Stress Reduction Kit” by programwitch is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.