Yep, I'm boring

Another day over; another week almost over. I get to do my weekend at AA this weekend, so from Friday at four until Sunday at three-thirty I get to go to meetings and watch anti-alcohol videos. Yea, me! I've had a good few days, made some money, had some laughs, went to the movies with a lot of my female co-workers and got pissed off at my managers (again!). I love the mall where I work and I love everyone at Bar X because they treat me well and not like another annoying customer. As the days and weeks go by, I'm beginning to feel more and more alone. I don't know what to do about it. Any advise?

Snow Day!

We got about ten inches of snow last night and today. It made it very hard to get to work, but it didn't stop me. I caught the bus this morning (it was a half-hour late) and made it to work on time. Weird, I know! We didn't open until Noon, so I had plenty of time to open. I opened wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and construction boots (because of the massive amount of snow). My manager wanted me to take the first table that walked in at eleven-forty which is well after we normally open but not today. I looked at him and didn't know what to say. I just said I would take it and proceeded to get dressed. While I was dressing, a server walked in (thank God!). So, I didn't have to take a table outside the bar, which I absolutely hate doing! It was a good day. Some of my regulars came in so I made some decent money. Happy hour was good. I worked with Dawn and stayed till close with her so she could give me a ride home. (We closed way early at seven-thirty. We still didn't get done in the bar till nine-thirty even though we had every thing broken down at eight!) It was a good day. A snow day! (Get it? Ha-ha!)

Another day in paradise

Another weekend down the tubes. Manged on Thursday and Saturday mornings. Closed the bar Friday night and worked it with Christi and Dawn on Saturday night. The best story of the weeks; The Bar Manager came back on Wednesday night with his girlfriend and proceeded to get drunk(er) at the bar. Dawn was closing. At one point he asks Dawn across the bar in full ear-shot of his stupid girlfriend, "What do I have to do to be the cool manager?" Dawn's initial response was to laugh hysterically, but she kept that down and instead told him, "Stop being a dick." He just doesn't get it.

Talk about getting your ass kicked!

So, last night ended up being a very bad and very good night for me. I usually open on Sundays as a manager and stay until sometime between five and seven. The closing manager shift usually rotates between the dreaded Bar Manager and The Service Manager. Because of the Christmas and New Year's holidays things were different this week. I had originally requested off a few days between Christmas and New Year's so I could go to Tennessee and see my parents and brothers and my newborn nephew. Because of my legal troubles in November and the fact that my license is suspended for a year, I was not able to make the trip. So, The GM worked yesterday with The Bar Manager. I closed the bar because Christi is on a ski trip right now with her friends. Boy did she miss out on a night! Sunday nights are usually pretty slow, but steady. We do about one hundred to one hundred fifty covers and about three to four thousand in sales. Not last night though. We did almost three hundred covers and almost seven thousand in sales! There is usually a cocktail server scheduled, but because we are starting to go into the slow season, this was the first week that they didn't schedule one. The cocktail will get one or two tables and just eat up time on the clock for four hours or so. We had six servers in the dining room, which is plenty. We went through about four hours of hell. The Bar Manager ran service well for most of the night. I helped some people on the wood, but mainly waited on cocktail tables. Some of my regulars came in and I felt bad because I know they did not get the best service, but they understood and still tipped well. Needless to say, we went on a wait so people came into the bar to wait for their tables and get a drink, which would have been fine if I didn't have the bar and the bar tables. So I had people waiting at the bar and at tables and people eating at the bar and at tables and the service printer going crazy. It sucked, but I made a ton of money. One of the managers of The Tavern, Cory, came over right when we were closing to have a drink in between doing inventory. When I got done I went over there to see her and all the bartenders there and have a drink while they were closing. I met up with some of my people from work at Bar X and had another drink then caught the bus home and watched some TV with my roommate. I have had a crazy few days and made so much money, which I need to pay all the bills that seem to accumulate even more quickly right now. Until tomorrow.

Been awhile

So Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone. I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. I don't know why. I worked straight through Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was well worth it because I made a ton of money in which to pay bills with. I've been having more fun behind the bar lately so that is a good thing. I went to a concert on Friday night with my roommate. It was good to get out of the house and pretend to have a normal life for once.

Last night was good. Jana was a volume from the morning, but I didn't have to put up with her for long. Dawn stayed with me until almost close which was great because she is awesome! I sat down and split a meal with her when she was done because The Bar Manager, unlike most bar managers, starts his weekly inventory before we are even close to closing. I don't mean that he just counts the storeroom and the like, he was counting my speedrail while I was still pouring drinks! He is an idiot! Because he started so early he didn't get the chance to suck back five or six Captain n' Cokes like he usually does on Saturday night. He tried to suck up to me by discussing the schedule with me. When I was done I went over to The Tavern because I thought Brian and Abby were going to be there, but they went home early so I went over to Bar X and got a few drinks from Miss Brandy and stood by the door waiting for a cab and talked to the bouncers. When I got home my roommate and I watched most of "Bubba Hotep". Its a great movie! I get the pleasure of closing tonight. It should be a good shift. Yea, me!!

Just shoot me

I worked a short shift last night. I spent the afternoon running around trying to figure out how to get my car out of impound. (I will get it on Monday and its going to be much less than I thought. Yeah!!!) I went in at five and worked with two of my female bartenders. I was supposed to close, but I gave that to the bartender that usually closes on Friday. (I still don't know why The Bar Manager gave me that close.) I asked the other bartender if I could leave first so I was only there for three and a half hours and that was long enough! We had some good customers at the bar. One of the regulars, Michael, was there for a long time waiting for his wife and drinking 12yr Glenlivet. They stayed and had dinner at the bar. I love people like that. They hang out, talk to us, spend money and tip well.

Once again my life was made worse by the presence of the management. I'm getting tired of being treated like I'm five. Talking down to your subordinates is not a good way to manage effectively. Quick note to all present and future restaurant manager: HIRE COMPETENT PEOPLE AND TREAT THEM LIKE HUMAN BEINGS!!! Now, I realize this is hard to do at a new store opening when you need to hire anywhere between thirty and one hundred twenty front of house employees. But over a year after opening, when you are still hiring idiots, guess what, they are going to act like idiots and do stupid things that will cost you customers and, therefore profits, bonuses, tips, morale and so on and so forth. (Can you tell I'm frustrated?)

I just needed a break from The Seafood Restaurant. I worked three hours this morning. It was a nice, short, good shift. The opening bartender was one that I love to death and can talk to about anything. (She is also helping me with getting my car back.) I did not have an opening server. The opener has not worked in over a week. He stopped taking his insulin last weekend, had a diabetic episode and was admitted to the hospital. He did not work either of his shifts earlier this week. Once again our stellar management team did not communicate with anyone or think ahead. So, no opener. It worked out well, though. The servers that came in at eleven finished opening for me and we only had four tables in The Seafood Restaurant by the time that I left.

I'm not working tonight. It's weird not working on a Saturday night. I haven't had a Saturday night off in months. In the restaurant business we work all weekend. That's what I usually do. I think I'm just going to hole up in the house and watch a movie and catch up on my reading. Happy Saturday everyone!

serving other bartenders is almost as good as sex

Four bartenders came into The Seafood Restaurant last night from three separate bars. They all work in the same mall where I do. They have all waited on me in the past at their respective establishments. One of them was very vocal about how much he likes it when I drink at his place. It's not just about tipping well, it's also about being a good regular.

I enjoy regular status at a few bars in this city. As I become acquaintances with more and more bartenders, I become an instant regular almost wherever I go. I hate to sound like a prick, but the feeling you get when you walk into a bar on a busy Saturday night (after working an eight hour shift yourself) and are greeted by name and with a drink when there are twenty-plus other people vying for the bartenders eye is one of the greatest feelings on this planet. It's made extra special if you breeze by the bouncer with a nod and a fist bump and proceed to carry-on a brief conversation with every bartender behind the bar that night, the manager on duty (if he/she is worth talking to), and whichever attractive server you have either drank with or hit on will being well lubricated.

This is not to say that I am an alcoholic. I just need the winding down phase post-shift and consuming a couple of beverages helps me get out of go, go, go mode and into I'm ready for sleep mode. Ask any bartender who has worked behind a bar long enough and they will tell you that the post-shift drink is one of the most important rituals we have. It's a time to reflect upon (or forget) everything that happened that shift. It's also a great time to bitch about your management, staff, and customers with other bartenders. Trading stories and bending a sympathetic ear show you that you are not alone in this crazy profession. Doing that while waiting on other bartenders and having them tip you generously is almost better than sex.