My first post

Recently on a trip to see family in California I was turned onto the world of blogging and the amazing online communities that exist by my cousin, whose blog, Mom Writes (http://marytsao.blogspot.com/) eloquently shares with us the ins and outs of motherhood. Reading her blog helped put at ease preexisting animosity towards blogs, after having the details of a relationship once broadcast in an ex's blog. Call me crazy, but I was uncomfortable with people knowing what we did the night before or how well our sex life was going - though it was somewhat of a boost to the ego to have everyone know it was going well. Nonetheless, I am now inspired to create a blog of my own, one that will share with the you the magic that is waiting tables. And what better place to start than the beginning...



I wait tables at a busy downtown restaurant in Chicago - one of the busiest in the city actually. And this is my first time working in a restaruant. It's been a lot of trial by fire, but a year and two months into the job I can safely say that I am one hell of a waiter and I have learned a few things about the restaurant industry. It has now become my mission to share my stories with others - there is so much that people don't realize about the restaurant business - how the money works, where your tip actually goes, the hierarchy of support staff, and so on and so on. It is my hope that as people learn more about the ins and outs of restaurants they will also come to see that the people working in them are just that - PEOPLE. We are not mindless servatrons programmed to bring your food and drink devoid of human emotion. We actually have feelings that can be hurt just as we are also capable of making your night out either the best or the worst you've had. So, as my posts progress I will share with you why your server does what he/she does and what you can do as a customer to keep from receiving poor service. But more fun for me, I will share with you some of my favorite tableside moments - the ones that constantly remind me of how much raw emotion is always at play at the table - and how your server is always in the middle of it.



For starters....



I recently waited on a family from Detriot - Mom, Dad, Daughter, Son, and Son's Roommate. It became clear over the course of the meal that Mom and Dad were seeing off Son to his first year of college and this was to be their Last Supper before he ran off to a night of binge drinking and partying til dawn. I listened as they reminded Son and Roommate not to spend all their money right away and to be responsible. There was talk of what classes they would be taking and what extracuricular activities sounded interesting. Finally, after Son finished his last bite, they were off in a flash (no doubt to begin the binge drinking). I came back to the table with dessert as Mom dabbed her eye with her napkin. "You're saying goodbye to a child for the first time aren't you," I asked. "Yes," Mom replied, "and I'm trying not to lose it." I relayed to them some of my own college exploits and impressions on leaving my parents for the first time. "He'll have so many stories to tell you when he comes home," I told them. "I hope so!" chimed in Dad. "And even more to that he won't tell you," I joked. "Even better," Dad echoed. I like this Dad. He is ready for his little boy to get into some trouble and have a few wild nights away at school. I assured them that even though their son was chomping at the bit to get out of the restaurant things would change in the next few months. "Give him time. Come Thanksgiving he'll realize how much he loves you and how lucky he is to have parents that let him go away to school." Mom and Dad thanked me for the conversation and I wished them well on their trip back to Michigan. As they left the restaurant I reminded myself how lucky I am to be a part of such moments. After all the walk outs and rude guests there are countless times such as these in which servers become part of another person's most vulnerable and intimate moments. Thank you for letting us see you like that. Don't ever apologize to your server for these moments either. We'd rather watch you cry as you say goodbye to someone than have you explain to us why after eating an entire meal it was unsatisfactory. Keep them coming and help us remember that we are not defined by what we do - we are people just like you.