Once my girlfriend and I went out for a hot drink at a local cafe. It was the middle of summer so the front doors were wide open to keep the temperature down and let a fresh breeze sweep inside. Unfortunately, as the doors were wide open, the smell of freshly baked muffins and cakes began to attract some unwanted customers. Pigeons, dozens of them, began to stroll into the cafe heading for the kitchens. Many of the customers stopped and stared as the pigeons marched across the room twittering to each other.
A waitress who was passing by suddenly spotted the new customers and screamed. She ran into the kitchen with some of the birds following her. She returned shortly with the entire wait staff. Armed with brooms, they began to shepherd the birds back outside. It was quite a hilarious escapade as there were people running in all directions, brooms sweeping like swords, pigeons flying everywhere. Eventually all the birds were shooed outside and the manager promptly shut the doors. It was one of the funniest things I had ever seen!
Tagged as:
animals,
server
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.
Tagged as:
animals,
rat,
restroom
After a hectic week, my husband and I were looking forward to having a romantic dinner at a Thai restaurant, nibbling on tangy food and whispering sweet nothings to each other. The candle on our table glowed softly in the darkened dining room, creating a perfect atmosphere for a sensuous night of romance.
Much to our shock, we discovered that we had dinner guests accompanying us – dozens of them! Creepy, icky roaches scurried about the table top, peering at us behind the plates and silverware. The mood turned immediately from romance to horror. I let out a scream when I felt coarse, spiny insect feet bristle against my legs. The owner rushed to the table. She blamed the bug problems on the restaurant next door. Of course, we didn’t finish our meals (nor did we pay for them). The owner gave us a coupon for our next visit, but we never want to go back and dine with the uninvited guests.
Roachus Interruptus
Tagged as:
bugs,
romance
As a bartender in a summer resort town at a nice restaurant on the water, I sometimes assist the waitrons at tables near the bar if the bar itself is slow, or if I want to get in good with a waitress (bigger tip-outs).
So I went to a table to help, delivering four standard salads that had been made on the cold side in the kitchen. As I am placing the 4th salad, the woman that received the 1st salad commented, very excitedly but quietly, “There is a frog in my salad!” Everyone just laughed a little, but sure enough a baby frog jumped right out on the table. The entire meal was comped and the patrons didn’t have a problem with the rest of the meal, even commenting about how good all the food tasted. This is not a chain restaurant.
At the end of the meal a bus boy clears their table; the customers are still seated and I am behind the bar. I look over and the bus boy is on the floor floundering. It turns out he had a seizure condition and something set him off. He got up and returned to his duties and all was well. Great customers and I am sure this was a meal they will never forget.
By the way, the customer did not eat the salad; she was fun, but not crazy. And they insisted on tipping.
Bender the Bartender
Tagged as:
bartender,
busser,
hygiene
