So, about six or seven years ago I was working at a 24-hour chain. I was a server trainer, which means I was training servers (just in case someone didn’t know!). I was training an adorable young lady, just turned 18, never waited tables in her life. We’ll call her Buffy. We’d been at it since seven that night, and it was now about 1:30 am. I was on until 3 am, and with sidework I probably wouldn’t leave until 4, but I was letting her go at 2, her first day and all.
Buffy was so nervous! Most of the night I allowed her to carry her drinks two at a time to the tables. In the last couple of hours she had graduated to three on a tray, and was doing pretty good with that. So, this table of six Frat Guy-Types (we were located in between two colleges, so they probably were frat guys come to think of it) walk in, all loud and jovial. I think to myself, she’s young, and blonde, these guys are young and drunk, they’ll probably order sodas and fries and that’s it and tip her huge, it’ll be a great way for her to end her first night. I give her the table, and, I’ll never know why I did what I did next. Maybe I was tired? I don’t know. I told her she could handle the table herself, I had to run to the restroom.
I came back out on the floor just in time to see Buffy painstakingly making her way across the room with a tray of six drinks wobbling in her two little hands. The glasses at this restaurant I worked at were 24 ounces. That’s huge. And the most she had worked with prior was three at a time. I had a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach, but it was as though I was paralyzed. There was nothing I could do but watch, and pray.
Buffy finally arrives at the table, and begins slowly removing glasses from the tray. She has handed out two of the six beverages, when the tray begins rocking violently. The remaining four glasses tumbled out onto the Frat Guys! Mostly on one Frat Guy. We’re talking Coke, fruit punch, orange pop, the whole soda rainbow! Not one of the guys had ordered a Sprite.
Buffy bursts into tears and runs to the back of the restaurant. I spring into action, finally cured from my paralysis. I hand the guys all kinds of napkins, apologizing profusely, repeatedly stating the obvious, that Buffy was a brand new server. The guys were quite gracious about it, even the one wearing most of the pop. I took their order (cheese fries all around of course) and got them all fresh beverages. I went in the back to give Buffy a pep talk. I managed to get her to stop crying, and I illicited a promise from her that she would come back the next day, an hour early, and we would work on carrying trays. I sent her on her way.
I finished waiting on the Frat Guys, and went up to the register to cash them out. Once again I apologized for the incident.
“Don’t worry about it!” exclaimed the Pop Covered Frat Guy. “We went out to the bar tonight and it was so lame! That was the best thing that happened all night! Now I’ve got a funny story to tell tomorrow!” He hands me a $5 dollar tip and thanks me for all of my help. Then he hands me a $20 bill and tells me to give it to Buffy and thank her for an awesome night!
That’s class, ladies and gentleman, and from a Frat Guy, no less!
It is always the younger cool people that understand how it works in a restaurant! And they tip better too, I have had a similar experience! Great blog!
The other week, I was pouring a $120 bottle of wine into a decanter. I was using a bell, which for the uninitiated is a small stainless steel funnel with a little screen in it. In the bottom of the spout are 6 tiny holes which force the wine into small streams aimed at the side of the decanter (this aerates the wine much faster).
Anyway, using on of these is like trying to run a firehose full blast through a garden hose. You have to watch how quickly you pour.
So, as I'm pouring, I'm talking wine with the guy who ordered it and I looked up to respond to him. Suddenly I see other guests looking at the decanter in horror and I feel something hitting my pantleg. I looked down and saw that the wine was overflowing and hitting the floor and splashing up against my leg.
It wasn't a huge amount but it got everywhere (including on my apron). It didn't seem to hit anyone, and I was lucky that the guy I was standing next to had a blue blazer draped on his chair instead of a seersucker. There was no way that his jacket didn't get hit.
Anyway, I was totally embarassed and flustered from that point on. I never got back on track. I never regained my footing with the table, even though they were very cool with what happened. I even dropped a piece of calimari almost in the lap of the guy who had ordered the wine (which made someone joke, "What did you do to him, mess with his sister"?) Yep, I was shaky the rest of the meal.
Anyway, when the bill was paid (not by the guy who ordered the wine), I was prepared for a mediocre tip. After all, even though I jumped through hoops and gave them a couple of extra sides and free espresso, I didn't merit any extra consideration. After all, some people whould complain about the wine that was lost, even though they might get some other free stuff to compensate. Still, the guy left me a little over 20% on the $550 bill. His company card had the name of a VERY famous software comapny.
As they were leaving, I pulled the guy aside and said, "I appreciate your generosity – I certainly didn't deserve it. I just want you to know that I'm normally a lot more polished than I was tonight and our restaurant has much higher standards that that". He smiled and said, "The key is that you recognize that". I then pressed a $10 bill into his hand and said, "Here's a $10 'tip rebate' for you, my friend". He smiled and said, "I'll take it. I can use it". As he was leaving, I called out, "And I'm going to renew my subscription to your program tomorrow". He just laughed and said, "Good deal".
That is a nice ending. People can be very understanding at times.
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