Patience in a Kitchen

I work in a small kitchen of a pub. When I first started I was one of two dishwashers and would cook every now and then with the only 3 cooks who were working there at the time. It’s a small kitchen almost like a long hallway with a hot fryer and grill on one side with a big sink and a dishwasher at then end of it. A year and a half later I am working one of every job every other night a week. I will go from cooking on Tuesday to dishwashing on Wednesday and Thursday then switching to utility and serving on Sundays. Sometimes even just cleaning on Mondays.

Lately it has slowed down because we now have 3 dishwashers other than me and 7 other cooks and a owner who is not the nicest person. The worst night I had ever had working I see as the night that I had patience and stayed level headed when one of my coworkers would have lost their mind and quit if they were in my shoes. My work place stays open for most holidays which sadly includes New Years Eve.

I originally had the night off the original person on was the slowest dishwasher and runner for the kitchen so one of my coworkers asked me switch out our scheduled days he would work on my one night that was not an even like karaoke or comedy show night a simple night is what I switched out for what would be the worst work night I had ever been a part of. I will start off by saying I got to work upset after walking in because I had gotten into a car accident the day before so I walked 3.4 miles in 35 degree weather up and down hills. So I was already pretty tired and done with the night. I started off the night with the floor covered in dishes and rags that needed to be cleaned and taken out back. It took about an hour and a half to get caught up while adding that I was continuously getting the waitstaff ice for the customers alcoholic beverages. I walked out of the kitchen around 6 while they were setting up the restaurant for customers.

I walked out of the bathroom after washing my hands and switching over the paper towel dispensers roll. I put the dishes in the bus bucket outside the dish window into the window and started to walk around the bar. The owner of my work place walked up to me in this ugly gold bedazzled suit and grabbed me by my sweatshirt. He had been drinking but thats no excuses to yell at me saying I was going to ruin the night if I didn’t zip up my hoodie, especially because my shirt wasn’t inappropriate or offensive I was wearing the restaurants logo on my shirt and the logo on the back of my sweatshirt so he had no reason to yell and swear the way he did. I walked back into the kitchen and was speeding through all the dishes coming through the window so I constantly had empty sinks and even kept them empty. 9 pm I was just trying to figure out a ride home as we were on our third of a five course dinner service I get a text from my friends in a groupchat that one of them is waiting outside after I said I would either walk home or wait till one when my parents or sister left their New Years Eve parties which is what I would have been doing. I told the friend to go home because I wouldn’t be out for another few hours. I continuously listened to everyone in the kitchen fight and bicker at each other.

I kept working no earbuds were aloud so I was listening to all the drunk old people yelling to song lyrics outside the window. I had the worst headache and I was sweating with the sweatshirt zipped up due to the kitchen getting up to 87 degrees at one point. Around 10, I got asked by my manager to go help a woman I work with in the back get the desert plates ready.

I walked out back and she was yelling and getting angry with the boss about having to put “Stupid lightup tassel thinking on the plate that makes it look even dumber” That’s with all the swearing taken out. She looked at me and said “Oh good, you work on these dumb things.” She proceeded to go outside to smoke as I started working on the plates. The owner walked by me swearing yelling at me not thinking yelling that I shouldn’t be negative and I should just work on it faster. He swore a lot to and made some rude weight comments that made me even more upset with him but instead of yelling or walking out I bit my tongue took a deep breath and got to work setting up the plates as the waitstaff took only two or three at a time. I had to put the tassels in the fondant that was bought day off but also left out of the bag out back and dried up so I had to really push to make them stand up straight.

I finished them all off and went back into the kitchen where I walked into find the dish area looking the same way I came into it work. Floor covered and sinks filled. I quickly rushed and got them caught up while texting my friend asking me to get them because their were many intoxicated drivers on the road that I was not willing to be run over by in 20 degree weather. Right before my friend got me the owner of my work place walked up to me joking that I am out a car and still making rude weight comments while he’s not much better off. I debated on hitting him but I kept my hand down. He tapped me on the shoulder and started to talk to me I had patience listened to him saying sorry for yelling, that’s all he apologized for not the rude comments about the car after I had been in an accident not for the weight comments not for grabbing me by my sweatshirt and getting mad at me in front of people for a simple mistake that I was not informed of. I brought the waitstaff the silverware and kept walking while he talked. I told him I do not wish to speak to him or have a conversation with him even though he is my boss I was upset stressed and tired. I heard a ding and new that was my friend I told my boss to leave me along and that I would see him on Tuesday for work and left. I gave my friend 5 bucks for the ride went home and watched the ball drop on my phone. I patiently waited for that one thing all night because I never get to anymore because I am normally at work when the ball does drop for the past 3 years.

In the end, I learned that patience helps me keep my job.

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