Michelle's Monumental Moments of 2012

I might not be a full time waitress anymore (that in itself is very monumental to me), but I don't know what my next blog is going to be yet so I'm just posting this here.

New Year's resolution=get this blog back on track!

Anyways, here's my recap of the year.

 

Michelle’s Monumental Moments of 2012

1. Ringing in the new year in downtown Orlando- the streets were blocked off, making room for partiers. There was confetti, flashing lights, and loudness. Lots of my good friends were out that night. And it was warm, so we got to wear flashy dresses.

2. Visiting Brett and Connor in Kansas City- I got to see some good friends while visiting a new city. We ate good food, and I had my first celebrity spotting; Curtis Stone. Very memorable.

3. I got my first tattoo! In April, I got a tattoo of a cupcake on my hip. It was very painful, but completely worth it. I am forever branded by my love for sweets.

4. Romantic Disney date- In May I went on a double date and the guys both worked at Disney. They set up reservations at the Polynesian (I think??) Resort for a table outlooking the Magic Kingdom’s fireworks. The fireworks music played in the restaurant. To me, it was very magical. The food was incredible. We drank alcohol out of pineapples. Again, I got to wear a flashy dress.

5. Birthday in Three States- My birthday was drawn out this year, which was awesome. It started in Florida, with amazing dinner (and dessert, and a flashy dress) at TuTu Tango, then dancing and shots at Howl at the Moon. I got to go home and celebrate again in Illinois with my family and friends at Teke’s. Then I celebrated in Iowa with my friend Tyler, reminiscing at Old Chicago and following up with Whitey’s ice cream. And beer. Bitchin’ birthday week.

6. E’s Bachelorette Party in Chicago- Any visit to Howl at the Moon is going to make the list of great moments. This was no exception. Especially since I got pulled up on stage to “wiggle” for “I’m Sexy and I know it.” Unfortunately, that was recorded. Good food, good fun, GREAT friends. That was a fun weekend indeed.

7. Trip to Clearwater- My friends Wilbie and Kerri took me on an amazing goodbye mini vacation to Clearwater Beach the week before I left Florida. We did so much that day: met up with Alex Gary who we all love, ate lunch by the beach, went to an awesome dive bar where we wrote our names on the wall, went on a pirate ship cruise, and ended the night with music on the beach. In the course of the day I had over ten daquiris. My friends were so good to me.

8. Making the Move- moving back home in August was a hard decision that I struggled with at first. Ultimately it was the right thing to do, and it proved to be the best thing for me. It took leaving Streator to realize how good I have it here.

9. E and B’s wedding- Dancing. Drinking. Dancing. Drinking. Dancing. Eating pizza. I don’t remember much else, but I know it was a darn good time.

10. The Life of Holly- In October, we had to put down my first dog, Holly, who would have been 16 at the end of the month. She was the sweetest dog and I miss her every day.

11. Big Girl Job- I got hired at The Times in October. A year and a half after graduating and I finally got a job that makes my degree feel worth it, that pays me for doing what I love--writing.

12. Open!- We still have 6 days left of 2012, and I’m hoping fate will throw me one more monumental moment before the new year.

But if not, Christmas was definitely monumental. Being home for the holidays was the best gift I could ask for.


Overall, 2012 was a year for adventure, change, loss, and opportunity. After dancing on bars and throwing up tequila over my balcony in Orlando, I grew up a lot! Now I can dance on bars while holding my liquor. Impressive, I know. Bring it on, 2013!



Moments for honorable mention:

• first NBA game, Magic vs...I don't remember, but it was fun
• working Mardi Gras at Universal Studios
• Kelsea's visit to Orlando, no details need to be mentioned!
• made my first turkey for Thanksgiving
• Kayla and Michelle's Christmas baking extravaganza
• Christmas caroling for Teke's

Igotstiffed.com

You know work is good when I have nothing nasty to blog about. That's probably because I only waitress one or two nights a week now, thank goodness! But I have to keep this going, so I found this great clip of a comedian talking about being a server. It's hilarious, and every server can probably relate to at least one of his jokes. A lot of the jokes he makes takes me back to Uno's in Florida; my Uno friends will know exactly why! Enjoy, and fair warning that there are a whole bunch of F-bombs that I would never write in my blog. :)
 
http://www.igotstiffed.com/1400/stand-up-comic-brett-ernst-on-waiting-tables/


And a special shout out to the best table I have ever waited on, (you know who you are!). It's the best of both of my worlds when people in Streator pay with a Disney credit card.

Thanks for checking it out.

Love,
Princess

From Corporate to Country

Hi friends!

It serves me right that after talking all this crap about working for corporate restaurants, I would come to miss it. In the grand scheme of things, working for family-owned restaurants is much more fun and relaxed. But I've come to realize that I, Princess Michelle, am a corporate snob.

I worked at two different family-owned bar/restaurants here in Streator last weekend. Adapting to the way they run things was a bit of a challenge for me, coming from the world of chain restaurants. It's basic waitressing--writing down the order, handing it to the cook, and running the food when they ding the bell. It sounds simple, but it's like going back to grade school after finishing college. I wouldn't know what the heck to do with fractions and decimals now.

For starters, the cooks have to rely on my handwriting to get my orders right as there are no computers and printers in a good ol' country kitchen. That's scary. I'm used to scribbling and hoping that I understand the order by the time I get to the computer to ring it in.

I ask someone if they need a refill and they hand me their glass; I'm the snob that makes it harder for myself and says "Oh, no, I'll bring you a new glass of iced tea." Not saying names, (Kathy Giraldo!) but my old managers would swat me if I refilled the glass the guest already drank out of.

The other waitresses ask me why I constantly have a tray in my hand, while they're juggling plates of food up their arms. A tray is like a server's purse; you never let it out of your sight. I guess the time has come to part with the tray.

While I love how laid back the country scene is, I miss some of the perfection about corporate restaurants. (That's a bit of an exaggeration, but you know what I mean.) You type your order in the computer under the right table number, it goes back to the kitchen,  it prints your check. No questions or worries; your food will be up in about fifteen minutes.

One of the places I worked at this weekend (not Teke's, I love Teke's!) didn't even have table numbers. No one else could run your food because they didn't know where it was going. Somehow, the high school girls running the kitchen lost one of my tickets and didn't make a table's order. (Downside to blogging in Streator: someone reading this blog will know these girls and they will want to "kick my ass.") On the plus side, this wasn't nearly as big a deal as it would have been at a chain restaurant. The customers here are so nice, they didn't care that it took an hour for their food and still tipped well.

I guess I have to relearn waitressing the more simple way, and that means learning as I go. It sounds much less painful than taking tests and watching videos on how to do it the corporate way.


Thanks for reading!
Love,
      Princess M

Short-lived Retirement

Good thing I didn't say never, right?

So, my fun little time in Orlando came to an end and I'm back in Streator, hoping to really get my career going as a writer and reconnecting with family and friends. The only problem is that I have no idea how I'm going to make money as a writer or what kind of writer I want to be. Until I figure that out, I have to get all the jobs I can find that my four-year college degree has nothing to do with. But I'm not bitter about it. :-)

Upon quitting the restaurant in Orlando, I said I would pump gasoline for minimum wage before I wait another table. It's so hard to resist, though, when serving is something that comes easy to me and is such good money. I was offered two serving/bartending jobs within the first week of moving back home. Poor, bored, and quite thankful that people wanted to help me get a job, I jumped on both opportunities. Taking another job as a waitress doesn't make me feel as awful as I thought, since I had said I'd never go back. I'm actually looking forward to it. I'll be working for some good friends, who I am so thankful to for helping me out. Being a waitress at a bar and a golf course in Streator, Illinois is going to be so very different than serving for big corporate restaurants.

Things I'm looking forward to in a family-owned business vs. the corporate restaurant:

• wearing jean shorts and a t-shirt as a uniform
• not studying for menu tests (seriously have taken more menu tests than college tests)
• wearing NAIL POLISH of any bright and obnoxious color
• not writing my name on a freaking napkin at each table
• not wearing tall black socks
• no long, goofy apron
• knowing the majority of the people I wait on
• I'm guessing that the rate of guests who speak Portuguese will be much lower, or nonexistent

and last but not least, taking shots with guests. Hell. Yes.

Retired Waitress

After seven years of serving, I'm throwing in my apron. Last night was, I desperately hope, my last night ever waiting tables. To say the least, it was an epic final serving shift.

First of all, my friend Jessica brought me a big pink Princess pin to wear. Awesome.

I had a hit-or-miss section, and last night it was a hit. I had two fairly easy parties that I was able to grat. It was easy money, but I still managed to pull some silly waitress moments. The second party was a group of eighteen, celebrating a couple who just got married over the weekend. They were pushy and wanted everything to be just perfect. Naturally, I forgot to put in the groom's order...oops! I had to figure I would screw something up on my last table. This party was a bunch of finger-snappers too, who thought they deserved some kind of royal treatment. They were a great send-off for me.

Since the money was too easy, the restaurant had to do something to give me grief on my last shift. It just so happened to be a night before we bombed the restaurant for bugs, so we all had about an hour of extra cleaning to do. They wouldn't let me get out too easily.

After wiping windows and polishing one last rack of silverware, I triumphantly threw my apron away. As happy as I was to serve my last pizza, I was very sad to leave this restaurant. Since I didn't have family or friends here in Florida, this restaurant easily became a second home to me. The employees and managers became my Florida family. It became a place I could come cry to for help, which I did many times. It is a place that has given me lots of love and support, and I will truly miss it.

Serving is a job that I think everyone needs to experience. I've learned a lot from the different restaurants I've worked at. I've met many of my closest friends through this industry and I have incredible memories with these people. Serving is great money most of the time. I enjoyed it through high school and college, but since I've gotten my degree I just can't stand waiting tables and not getting any further with my writing career. This job is not for me anymore.

I've taken a vow to never wait tables again, but of course you can never really say never. My dream is to see my name on the cover of a book before I ever see it printed on another server check. And I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. I have to think of getting a book published like serving tables: no matter how hard or unbearable the table seems, you have to stick with it to the end. You might get a bad tip, but you have to keep going and take the next table. If it's not everything you hoped at the end of the night, at least you tried your hardest and never walked out.

Sometimes Your Waitress is Just Dumb...

I think my karma has come back to bite me. After all these posts of how terrible some people are in the restaurant, I think I have become the waitress an angry customer would blog about.

I only have one week left at the restaurant I'm at now, so my mind certainly hasn't been very focused at work. Unfortunately, the clumsy waitress in me has been coming out more than ever.

Sometimes I'll have those moments when a table is about to leave, and I remember that I forgot to bring them barbecue sauce or something silly that they asked for at the beginning. I'll feel bad because they were nice enough not to nag me about it, but I feel stupid for having forgotten about it until they're getting ready to leave. Sometimes I'll screw myself over and give my table too much change, because I can't count. Sometimes I'll forget their salad. These are just little things that don't happen all the time, but can really make a server feel silly.

My dumbest serving moment happened last week. I was taking a table's order, and was engaged in some conversation with the mother at the table because everyone was taking a while to order. The man told me he'd like the baked haddock, so I asked which two sides he would like with that. He took another minute to look over the menu, so I began talking with the woman again about some cookbook she was selling or something. A minute later, the man blurted out that he wanted fries and a salad. Somehow, the baked haddock order had been erased from my mind and I hadn't written it out. So I said, "You just want fries and a salad?" He nodded, thinking he was getting two sides with his baked haddock.

I put his order in as a side of fries and a side salad. You can see where this is going...

I brought it all out, and asked if they needed anything else. The man said, "I assume my haddock is on its way?"

It didn't register with me at all. "I'm sorry, you didn't order haddock. You just asked for the fries and salad." It took another minute or so for this to finally click in my head. Wow! I have never felt so stupid.

When I told my manager and a few other servers what I did, they applauded me, saying they had never seen anything so stupid. Congratulations to me!

How to Piss Off Your Server

This is a list of annoying things guests do on a daily basis. If you would like to receive good service, avoid these horrible habits.

Don't...

• ask for a Coke when the server just said that they carry Pepsi products.
• complain about being cold. Restaurants generally have air conditioning.
• make demands. Ask nicely.
• snap your fingers at a server.
• chug your first beverage before the server is finished taking the order. Then we just know we're going to be refilling your glass every thirty seconds.
• let your kids run wild.
• let your kids make a mess, and leave it for your server to clean up.
• ask us for something when our hands are full of plates, drinks, etc.
• ask us for something when we're at another table.
• ask us to list the side dishes for one person, then ask us to repeat them because you weren't listening.
• blame the server for your food tasting funny.
• act like you're the only table in the restaurant.
• order soups, salads, or wraps after 10pm. We end up making a huge mess while we're trying to clean up and close.
• come in at ten minutes until close and think you will get good service.
• ask to have your tea sweeter, then complain that it's too sweet.
• seat yourselves, just don't do it.
• ask to be moved to a different table unless there is a REALLY good and obvious reason.
• ask for something different every time the server comes by. Ask for whatever you will need all at once, or else you will get some serious eye-rolling.
• ask if you can get anything for free. It's not as funny as you think it is.
• eat more than half your meal, then say you didn't like it and would like it comped off your check.
• sit for hours, and tip as if you weren't taking up one of the server's tables.
• say you're ready to order, then stare at the menu for five minutes saying "ummmm...."
• remain silent when we kindly greet your table and say, "Hi, how are you today." Rudest. Thing. Ever.

I could go on and on, but I think I've proven my point. These are just the little things that really get to me as a server. After seven years of waiting tables, it's still hard not to let these little habits get under my skin. Unfortunately, my patience level gets lower every time one of these things happens.

Sooner or later, I will snap.

And it will be ugly.