The Other Server.

I feel so.... LIBERATED! I'm going to start right away and write something I wouldn't have had the guts to write on my old blog!

It has to do with someone I work with.

I started working at this restaurant just a bit over two years ago, and this one girl has just driven me nuts from the beginning! We'll call the restaurant B.K. (NOT burger king!) And we'll call the girl Lisa.

Lisa is very pretty, very bubbly, and very well liked. I have NO IDEA WHY though! She's a bag and she's DUMB! When I first started working there, she ended up training me for a couple of shifts, and I ended up getting paired with her for most of my shifts up until I went away for maternity leave.

At first, she seemed really nice. She seemed to be "gentle" as she told me what to do and how to do it. But "gentle" quickly turned into condescending. And then, she started telling me what to do all the time. And making comments on my clothes and such. And it wasn't so much WHAT she said, but HOW she said it.

"Stop saying the prices out loud!"(While I'm writing up a bill)"It's really annoying, and trust me, when Christmas comes, you're going to drive everyone nuts!"

"Oh wow, you're wearing a pink tank top under your (white) shirt. I've never seen that before!"

"Oh, I just noticed how faded that black shirt is! Don't worry, you can't tell out in the dining room" (where the lights are dim)"but you sure can notice back here where the lights are bright!"(in the kitchen).

Regarding a tie I attached to a maternity shirt to make it gather above my belly:"Oh, that's... inter..est..ing!"

"Oh, geez, did you notice you've got a BIG stain on your shirt? Don't worry though, you probably can't notice it when you go out into the dining room."

And what an idiot when it came to boys! She stayed with a guy who broke into her email account twice, read her text messages on her phone, and almost hit her when a boy waved to her when they were driving by him. (The boy is a regular customer!) She just thought he was a "little jealous" and that it meant that he really liked her. Eventually her stepfather had to tell the guy to get lost and to never call or visit the house again.

Oh, and there's the fact that often after work the girls would go out to a local restaurant to get appies and drinks, and EVERY time they'd get bad service and the food wouldn't be all that great, and EVERY time, she'd complain the next day at work, and the next night, she'd just GO THERE AGAIN!

Then there was her work ethic. She was one of the girls who had been there the longest, and who had managed to get five days a week, while most of the other girls were fighting to get more than two. She always managed to get along well with the customers, and they always seemed to just soak up her ditzy attitude, and always raked in the cash. She would tell me that she generally had $600+ in tips a week, even during the slow months. But ALL she did was get along with the customers. She NEVER set a table when we had busgirls, NEVER asked to help other servers out, and always seemed to slip out early.

On the nights when there were just the two of us, she would always leave right after her last table paid and if they were still there, wouldn't wait until they left to clean their table. (Meaning I had to do it.) She never helped me restock the bar, or clean up the back. And NEVER asked me if I needed any help before she left. (Which is something I ALWAYS do!)

And she'd ALWAYS ask me how much money I had made in tips.

Oh, and she spent $1500 on RIMS for her car.

Anyway, she moved away just before Christmas. She was following her new boyfriend (who was really an ex) to Edmonton (the next province over, and hundreds of KM north) to go live with him.

Everyone was so sad she was leaving and they said so over, and over. I just never said anything, but was pretty excited inside! Once she was gone, all the girls at B.K. would talk about how much they missed her, and they hoped she'd come home soon.

Then her and her boyfriend split up, and she was on her way back. "Oh, Lisa's coming home, I'm SOOO excited!" the girls would say, as I held my tongue and carried on with my business.

When I found out that she was coming home, I decided that I would just start fresh with her, and not be a jerk. I would throw all of my grudges away, and just deal with her like I was meeting someone new.

When some of the kitchen staff were making fun of her for coming home, saying that they had had bets going to see how long she'd last, I told her that I was proud of her for trying something new, for getting away, and for not being too proud for coming home when she knew she had to.
And later that night, she said I looked skinny!

But then, today I arrive at work, and it turns out Lisa was the "closer" last night. NONE of the juices were re-filled in the bar. The salads weren't put away properly, the whip cream was empty, etc etc.

Arrg.

Sorry, I don't know what my point was.