January 2010

Crazy Restaurant

January 23, 2010

in Odds & Ends Stories

This is the same author who wrote Grief For My Boss and I would like to tell some stories of my crazy life as a kitchen assistant. Aside from dealing with snooty and bad tempered guys like my poor boss had to deal with in my first story, my workmates and I have experienced all sorts of strange and quite frankly crazy incidents - unfortunately many of which have happened to me! Here are two stories I would like to tell you.

1. The fire alarms once went off during rush hour and we all had to evacuate the building. An elderly lady refused to leave her table, moaning it was cold outside. One of the waiting staff had to practically drag her out of the door. It turned out that some nutcase had been smoking cannabis in the disabled toilets. The smoke was so thick it set the alarms off. It looked like the set of The Mist in there but without the monsters. It also stank of what smelled like old socks. Unfortunately the loser behind it managed to get away.

2. I don’t think anything could beat the time I accidentally turned the washing-up section into a giant bubble bath! I was just filing up one of the sinks in the kitchen and put way too much washing up liquid in. OK no big deal, I thought to myself. I’ll just keep an eye on it while it’s filling up. But typical me, I forgot all about it. And several minutes later when I returned there was a HUGE mountain of frothy bubbles building up that was steadily filling up that entire section of the kitchen! Needless to say it took a while to clean that up!

FacebookShare

Tagged as: drugs & medication, kitchen staff, senior citizen

{ 11 comments }

On The Commode With A Companion

January 18, 2010

in Insect & Animal Stories

Several years ago, I was visiting Boston. I was near Harvard Square and decided to have lunch at a small Chinese restaurant. The meal was OK, nothing great, but nothing to complain about.

After I ate and paid for my meal, I went to use the restroom. The restroom was one of those one-person restrooms, so the toilet was not in an enclosed stall. I was sitting on toilet, doing my business, and I saw a rat sitting in the corner staring at me. This brought a new meaning to the phrase “It scared the sh** out of me!” After that experience, I check out the restroom of a restaurant when I arrive. If it’s not clean, then I leave.

FacebookShare

Tagged as: animals, rat, restroom

{ 1 comment }

Forgetful Waitress

January 14, 2010

in Server Stories

Me and my girlfriend love to eat Asian cuisine. We decided to go to a new Asian restaurant near where I live because we have both heard good news about it, and so we both assumed it was good… boy, were we wrong though.

It all started when we came through the front doors of the place. There was only one other couple eating there – it was practically empty, but there were no hosts or hostesses to even seat us for about 10 minutes, until we both decided to go to the kitchen and ask in a firm tone, “We’d like to be seated, please!” Turns out all the employees were together, gathered in the kitchen, having some long conversation instead of tending to customers.

We were finally seated, and shortly afterwards the waitress took our orders. Half an hour had passed while we were waiting for our food, and by this time only my girlfriend had received her food.

On a side note, we both saw ants, flies, and mosquitoes crawl and buzz around the place on multiple occasions.

By the time my girlfriend had almost finished her food, I still hadn’t received my order. I went up to a waitress, politely saying, “Excuse me, I had ordered food quite some time ago, and I was wondering if it was ready yet.” The waitress seemed confused and asked me, “You ordered something?” A bit angered by what she said, I told her, “Yes, I did, I ordered…” and I told her what I had wanted. She told me that she was going to get my meal started and delivered to me as soon as possible.

After my girlfriend had finished her meal, the waitress then brought us our drinks which were just cans of warm pop, with no ice to go with the cups she gave us. I asked her if we could have ice; she agreed to do so, but never brought us any.

By the time we both got sick of sipping on our warm drinks, we decided to leave and I decided that I could just get my meal in a doggy bag. My girlfriend asked for the bill; it noted that I was charged for my meal that I didn’t get. I went up to the same waitress and asked if my meal was even done yet. Again, she gave me a puzzled look, but then realized on the spot and spoke aloud, “Oh! I forgot to tell the chef to make your meal! Do you want to wait a little bit longer?” I then told her to just forget it because I was tired of waiting.

I paid for my drink, and I told them that I was not going to pay for a meal that I did not get. The waitress was confused and a bit angered that I wasn’t going to pay for something on the bill that was given to me and even said that I would be charged with theft.

Really angered at this point, I told her to just “go ahead and try” and both me and my girlfriend left the place.

I’m never going back there again!

FacebookShare

Tagged as: bugs, long wait, pay refusal/discount demand, server

{ 16 comments }

Grief For My Boss

January 9, 2010

in Diner Stories

I work as a kitchen assistant at a restaurant and I feel compelled to tell this story of what happened to my boss. He works both as the restaurant’s manager and host, so he has to meet everyone that comes in and show them their seats. I feel sorry for him as he has to deal with many stupid and arrogant customers, but when he told me this story I was shocked.

It happened on a bank holiday and I was not at work that day. It was also pouring with rain outside and the restaurant was very busy with only about two tables free. A snooty businessman came in and asked my boss for a table for ten people! He clearly did not notice the busy atmosphere. Anyway, my boss explains that they do not have any room for that amount of people. But this snooty bootie does not take no for an answer. The following argument went like this.

CUSTOMER:  But I can see some tables free over there.

BOSS:  Yes but there is still no room.

CUSTOMER:  Well can’t you join them up together or something?

BOSS:  There is no room to put all those tables together sir.

CUSTOMER:  But there is plenty of room here!

He points to the space that the staff need to use to move from the restaurant to the kitchen doors.

BOSS:  I’m sorry sir but the staff need that space to get to and from the kitchen.

CUSTOMER:  But there is plenty of room!

BOSS:  Sir if you all sat there, you would be blocking the other customers and staff and have food spilled all over you. I’m sorry sir but what you are asking is just not possible.

CUSTOMER:  Well where else am I supposed to go then?

BOSS:  Well sir on a rainy bank holiday, there are only two other restaurants I can suggest to fit in ten people, McDonald’s and KFC!

CUSTOMER:  I WANT REAL FOOD!

I d0n’t know how it finished but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this snobbish son of b**** treated my boss.

FacebookShare

Tagged as: kitchen staff, owner/manager, seating, snooty

{ 8 comments }

Bratty Kids Ruin Meal

January 3, 2010 Kid Stories

When I was in my late teens I used to frequently go to a local restaurant in my hometown in the UK to treat myself. Sometimes I brought my girlfriend with me. I new one of the members of staff at this restaurant so I really liked the place. But one afternoon a family consisting [...]

Read the full article →