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

New Year Same Debt

Hey readers,

It's been a while since I've blogged but...

nothing has really been going on
things have been going well

Those are lies. I enjoyed my break off but came back in the new semester to be completely bombarded with work and readings. It's week two and I am already overwhelmed.

Yesterday was my first shift back at the diner so I've been off for about a month and was so nervous to start back up after being off so long. You lose the flow.

We were short a person so it was only me and another server and of course we got SLAMMED.

I was so overwhelmed and my owner kept yelling at me and I was just on the verge of tears from the start of my shift at 10:00 am till we closed at 3. For my whole shift, the restaurant stayed full and I had to end up telling people to leave after we closed. I ended up making $120 which is like insane for that job but it was just so not worth the stress. I went home and napped for a couple hours because of how mentally drained I was.

I need the money though, I literally don't know how I am going to pay for second semester because my student loan gave me hardly anything this year so I don't really know what I am going to do about it.

I plan on talking to the financial aid office at the university (who deals with the government student loans) and maybe there was an error in my funding or we can come up with a solution.

Overall, I feel a little over worked but life ain't easy.

Forget it Jake, it's China Town

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