Life on the other side

It's been a hot minute. A lot has happened in that hot minute let me tell you.

I know I hardly had readers when I was trying to blog actively so maybe this random blog won't get a view. If that's the case, I'm writing this blog more for me than for you.

I've hung up my pen and notepad for good and let me tell you how much my mental health has been soaring because of it.

Serving is a GREAT way to make money. Truly, that's why it took me so long to walk away from it. You work a couple shifts a week during school, make a bunch of cash and go on with your studies. For me, serving gave me the most anxiety I have ever felt and at points, I wished that my car would go (gently) into a ditch on the way in and I would miss my shift. Damn my good snow tires for never making that a reality (haha).

This summer, I took on a job that was in the field I am going to school for and it just felt so much better for me. There are some people who make a wonderful career out of serving. They like it, they're good at it and it pays their bills. I hated it and I sucked at it. I was constantly feeling inadequate because I couldn't do it and other staff members were constantly annoyed with my smaller sections and I was just so anxious all the time.

I just stopped one day and said 'I need to walk away'. And I did just that. I am finishing up my second chunk of education and I am about to transition into the working world. More importantly, into the field I want to be in.

I am happy to say that I woke up one day and made the decision that the tips weren't worth it for me anymore.

Thanks for the read. I hope you are all doing well and if you're a server, I hope that holiday tipper gets seated in your section soon.

xoxo

- A

PS. It's been over a year since I served a table and I STILL get server nightmares from time to time!

Prankster Prince

My last post was pretty glum but I actually have a funny story about the restaurant today.

So everyone was shocked when we saw a paper posted on the staff bulletin board about a new promo going on that was promoting baked potatoes. This is confusing because we don't even have potatoes in the kitchen. Everyone was confused and annoyed that they would be doing this type of promo. My friend (who is also one of the managers) and I had gotten the message sent to us at the same time of a picture of that post and we thought it was super weird because we don't even have potatoes in stock.

Word got out that this was all a big prank created by one of the managers yesterday. Some were in on it and some still don't know it's fake. It's created a bit of fun in the atmosphere.

My friend had called me and told me that she overheard staff laughing about it and discovered it was fake and I was shocked that the manager would do this. Little did she know that my friends and family know me as the Prankster Prince (shout out if you ever watched the childhood cartoon Recess). I prank everyone. Never would I do something that I wouldn't want done to me but I thought she deserved to have a little taste of her own medicine.

I worked the lunch shift today and it was very quiet so I thought it was a good time to do it. I made sure she could see that I was about to take a table's order and when I finished, I went to her and said

"Hey I up-sold three baked potatoes and I can't find the button on the computer to ring it in"

And she burst out laughing. The bartender didn't know I was lying and they were in stitches thinking that I actually fell for it. She told me to go tell them it wasn't real and they chuckled the whole time I walked away.

I hid for a couple minutes and went back to the manager with watery eyes and started crying saying

"I told them and they got so mad and started freaking out. They asked what kind of management tells their staff about false promotions and they are making a huge scene" - I was full on crying at this point.

She jumped up and said she is going to go talk to them and I could tell she felt SO BAD. Halfway to their table I had to grab her and tell her it was all a huge prank. The whole staff watched the entire thing play out and they were talking about it all day.

Everyone was shocked that I could cry on cue and while I played it cool, I was shocked too.

Hope this made you laugh as much as it made me!

xoxo

- A

Just not cut out for it

So I've been back at my summer place for a week now and I must say, I'm not getting back into the swing of things.

I've been getting extremely overwhelmed and stressed out and tonight I actually had a breakdown in the middle of the rush and started crying in the middle of the kitchen/main side stand in front of all of the staff.

I'm just so frustrated. I have been serving since first year.. which means I've been serving for 4 years now. Mind you, I've served on and off and at a bunch of different places because I move away for school and home for the summers. But I'm still a weak server. At this point I think I've come to terms with the idea that I just suck at serving. Some people can do it and others can't. I'm one that can't. My friend has been serving for maybe two years now and she handles so many tables and gives good service and keeps a cool head. I get 4 tables and I start panicking.

While I know that I don't plan on turning serving into a career, I don't know if I should just walk away from it all-together. Serving is a career for many people and they can make more money than people sitting behind a desk. I'm not blind to the stigma around serving as a career. I commend you if you do this for a living. It takes a strong, smart, collected and quick-thinking person to be able to handle this profession.

I need the money desperately for school but if I'm a weak server, I know I'm a burden for the rest of the staff and that makes me feel shitty. I know how annoying it is to have a weak link and in this case, I'm the weak link.

I hope I figure it out I guess. Thanks for the read. I needed to flush it out because I've been tossing and turning for the last hour going over the stress of tonight's shift.

Hopefully now I can get some sleep and prepare to do it all again tomorrow.

xoxo

- A

Can I get you another refill?

Well I am officially a University graduate!

Wait, when did that happen?

One minute I'm bitching about all of the assignments and exams I have and the next I am writing my last exam ever. Time flies when you're a starving student.

In September I will be starting a College program that's 2 years long so I'm not exactly done being a student. I will be moving to another city (about 2 hours from my hometown) which means a lot of $$$ on rent and tuition.

Which brings me to the main reason why I've written this blog. I am going back to the place that made me start writing a blog in the first place.

As much as I hated the job because of the high level of anxiety, I am really grateful that they took me back with no issues.

Here's to finishing my undergrad and starting a new chapter!

xoxo

- A

Sick sick sick

I had to call in sick today at the diner because I am another victim claimed by the December flu bug going around :(

Of course it is cold and flu season and being stressed with finals, papers and applying to grad schools probably made my immune system non-existent. All you can do is rest, bundle up and drink a lot of fluids.

Next weekend I work Saturday and Sunday so at least I will still be making some money! The diner hasn't been as busy and we have had an extra server on. That's the only reason why I was able to call in sick today. The owner knew we wouldn't be as busy and could spare a server so that's good.

I am continuing to plow through school since I have a cruise to look forward to. I finished my 30 page paper last night that's due on Tuesday. I don't think I have ever handed in an assignment early but man does it feel good!

So I guess other than this nasty cold, I'm doing alright.

Happy holidays, friends. I HOPE the holiday tipper comes your way just in time for Christmas.


xoxo

- A

I've got a guardian angel

Hi friends!


SO a couple of things. I will talk about my shift on Sunday first which was nuts.

So I started an hour earlier and we had an extra person on because my owner knew it would be chaotic due to an event going on at the high school near by. We got slammed but it went smoothly. UNTIL all of the other servers were cut and it was just me.

The way it works at the diner is once it gets quieter, the owner transfers the (cut) servers tables over to the next person and so on. My owner just cut everyone though even though 75% of the tables were other servers and I kept getting new tables. So I had to keep track of whose tables were whose because they still get their tips. I was so weeded. One server didn't even put a tables order in and left and I was so busy I couldn't get to them and find out that they were waiting over an hour for breakfast. My owner ended up finding out. She didn't blame me for anything though, she knew I was left with a huge mess.

I really don't know why we can't finish our tables when we are cut because this system is whack. I'm sure it helps to keep labour costs down and that's important in a small place like this but I think that there needs to be changes in regards to that.

In other news though, I was griping at how poor I am just in time for the holidays and my owner asked me if I could work both days of the weekend (which means she thinks I'm good). So I will be making double the money just in time for the holidays.


My parents told me yesterday that they want to take me on a cruise over my Christmas break so things are looking up for this poor little burnt out student.


Happy (early) holidays my friends,

xoxo

- A

Help me, I'm poor

So as November comes to a close, so does my bank account.


I'm so poor! School has drained me of all of my money

well that and pizza.



I feel that I work the same amount of time that I worked at my old place last year but I just can't make any money! I love the diner but I just don't make enough money!

They asked me to come in an hour early for all of my shifts because they're getting busier so that's good at least!

and with the Christmas season coming up, the owner might need people to work during the week (she usually works alone during the week and only has people during the weekend) so I put my name in so maybe she can give me some more shifts just for the Christmas season.


Is anyone else starting to feel the stress of Christmas?

xoxo

- A

I'm not sorry for being new

Hey readers,

I hardly enjoyed the week off. I spent it procrastinating and stressing about the assignments I have due this week and am now left with that mess to clean up. But that's not what this blog is about. I worked another shift at the diner today, which may be my 4th shift there (I could be wrong). I am still a baby at this place and the menu is huge.

I had a table of 6 come in that looked my age. I was on top of serving them, but when it came to taking their orders, I had to ask other workers the questions that my customers had. I told them that I am still very new (and when I do that, customers are usually super kind and patient) but these people were rude and actually made me feel a bit stupid.

One of the girls who paid for 2 bills didn't even tip me and when it happened, I felt pretty shitty about myself. Obviously they didn't like their service.


And then it hit me.

F*ck you.

Seriously. I'm just a student whose busting her ass in school full time, working and volunteering. I put my all into my job but I am also very new and I know I do my best. So f*ck you if you don't see that while I might not have been the best, I was truly trying my best.

You can keep your 10% tip.


I just don't give myself enough credit sometimes.

xoxo

- A

No, the customer isn't always right

So I worked my first real shift on my own at the diner yesterday and I was sordove surprised to see how things ran.

I have only worked for chains and in the chains, anything the customer wants goes. They can pretty much create their own dishes. Companies just want their customers to be satisfied no matter the strain it puts on employees.

Here, the same rules do not exist. I had a woman ask for one poached egg and an english muffin. I asked the owner how to ring it in and she said she doesn't do that. She said, "the customers can't create their own meals, that's why we make the menu. If she wants that, we have to charge her for two eggs (because it's a menu item) and explain it to her". I was a little surprised that they wouldn't accommodate for her. I just thought when you are a small business, you want to do what the customer wants to make sure you keep getting business.

She didn't end up ordering anything so we essentially lost money from that. At the end of the day, I don't find this to be a big deal. In fact, it makes my life easier because what you see is what you get. I was just surprised to see how it runs that way.

I won't be working for the next two weeks as I am about to get my first break of school and go home for the week so that'll be a nice break!

School is really kicking my butt. I just had a midterm today and have another on Thursday plus a paper due tomorrow!

Hang in there fellow students,

xoxo

- A

One Generous Tip Turned my Night Around

If you have been reading my blogs (or just my last one at least), you know that I am incredibly stressed with work and school right now. I worked a split today and my friend had said she wanted to work tonight to make money. I offered my night shift and told her how swamped I am with homework but she ended up saying she didn't want to take it because she thought it would be dead (AKA she would make no money). I was irritated but let it go. Today is also Canada day (as I am in Canada) and we all sordove expected it to be dead because people usually go away for the long weekend. It was pretty busy! I got a 10 top and three additional tables (which felt like death).

My party was so incredibly demanding and slightly rude when I was not able to bring them their bottomless salads and bread ASAP. I wish some customers would understand that they are not the servers only table. I was trying my best to get everything out because my other smaller tables were trying to pay and get out of there.

Throughout their dinner, the party started to ease up a little and they began being more polite and patient. I think they started understanding that I wasn't being lazy. I was actually very busy and doing the best I could. Their bill came to about $150 and it was on one bill. I had completed his transaction and had seen that he tipped me 25 dollars. Not the best but not the worst. I felt a bit defeated, hoping I would have gotten more.

I had left the table a mess for a few minutes while I tended to some new tables when the host came up to me and handed me a twenty dollar bill. I asked her where it was from and she told me it was from the party. They tipped me 30% (don't fail me now, mental math). I wanted to cry.

I have been so unbelievably stressed these last few days with work and school piling up. I have taken it out on my boyfriend and family and I've just felt so defeated. I am a poor student trying to pay for school and I was so grateful that they gave me such a huge tip.

I don't really know if there is a moral to the story...

- just keep pushing through
- do your best and don't beat yourself up
- love and be kind to yourself
- refill salads 10 times even when you want to scream

I guess all of those work.

I'd say enjoy your long weekend but I am sure you are working every day just like me ;)

- A

Still New? That's alright! You Can Pre-Close This Weekend!

So I think the title says it all...

I just saw the schedule for next week and I was shocked to see that I will be pre-closing one night next weekend. It might be because a lot of people have booked the long weekend off but I still am confused because we all know I pretty much suck at serving. I get stressed when I have 4 or more tables (I know, don't judge me) but the restaurant I am working at is very demanding in terms of refills so I have been told that 4 tables there is like 6 tables in normal restaurants. I think it's also important to note that I have been no later than the third server cut during my shifts so a pre-close seems like a big jump.

Sometimes I wonder why I stick with serving. I hate going to work everyday and feel EXTREME anxiety leading up to shifts. I am a weak server and know it along with everyone else but I keep trying to stick with it. Why do I do it to myself? The money is great and I am a student but at what point will I think my mental health is worth more than a big tip?

Maybe once I graduate and get a job? Who knows! This world is big and crazy and full of surprises.

Thanks for reading this ranty blog,

- A