Jason's check list of anger!
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[X] The Front Desk
[X] Which ever Manger fucked up the Patio tonight!
[X] Ken and Sheila for 'trying' to be EXPO tonight.
[X] The kitchen for fucking up some of my orders.
[X] The Guests on the Patio.
Jason's List of people he loves from tonight!
[X] Janna (Patio One server)
[X] Erin C. (Patio Four Server)
[X] Paul (Patio Two Server)
[X] Ashley (Bar One Server)
Im going to entitle this rant:
"The Patio, a Typical Night at the Cheesecake Factory of ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Thousand Oaks"
Ok, like with all my stories I have to explain some things out for those of you readers out there not completely familiar with what goes on at Cheesecake Factory as a server or any of the 'other' positions out there. Tonight I was scheduled [remember the word scheduled, meaning its going to come back up again] on Patio Three, which is Tables 147, 149, 150, 133, 134 [when were only four-way out there instead of five-way]
Patio One at night comes onto their shift at 4:15pm (Ashley)
Patio Two at night comes onto their shift at 4:15pm (Paul)
Patio Three at night comes onto their shift at 5:00pm (me)
Patio Four at night comes onto their shift at 5:00pm (Janna)
Patio Five at night comes onto their shift at 5:30pm (Erin)
What you see above means nothing but crap, and I will explain why. If you look at the check list above that there are the same names (minus mine) but if you notice, then do not add up to the jobs that were scheduled. This is where the problem begins and this is where I should have just started my mind set this evening with, 'Holy Fuck, tonight is going to such major ass and maybe I should prepare myself mentally!'
So Im scheduled at 5:00 pm this evening, cool. The weather has cleared up (it was cloudy and sprinkled today) from earlier today and I have parked my truck in the Thousand Oaks Mall parking lot (before the yellow line, so suck my ass Mall security and your communist restraints on where I can and can't park!). Its around 4:40 pm. Im early, way—early. It stems from my time in the Army where we always have to be early everywhere we go, I hold that same obligation in my civilian life as I did back then.
Becky parks next to me (Night time Cashier for take-out) and we walk up to our restaurant together. She commented on how nice it had cleared up and that patio will be busy tonight. I agreed. Two tables had already been sat (Table's 122 and 103), one being in Patio ones section and the other in Patio twos section, cool, or so I thought.
I walk to the back dock area and see a few of my co-workers sucking down some cancer sticks and gabbing about their days so far, I got bored and went in almost immediately. So I walk into the kitchen from the back and make my way up to the front desk…this is where it starts to get bad.
"Jason, where have you been?" The unknown front desk girl says to me. "We sat your section awhile ago."
Looking down at the front desk computer that has every section cordon off by server I see my name high lighted in Patio One. "What the fuck do you mean you sat me! Im in Patio Three and I don't even clock in till 5," I yelled out at her as I looked down at my watch. It was 4:48pm. Gazing back at the computer I noticed that the counter was at 18 minutes since they sat down. "Has anyone greeted them at all!?" I angrily said.
"I don't know," the confused front desk girl responded back as she back against the wood and ceramic pained concrete wall. "I just sat them because Patio one opens at 4:30…"
"Did the server in that section check in yet?" I announced as I grabbed the restaurant map from the counter and looked at who originally had the shift. Ashley F. had it, but her name was crossed out, and mine was penned in. The writing was familiar, too familiar; I know whose it was. "Where is Jen?"
"She's on the atrium with Ken having a meeting." The front desk girl said in her cowering position below me. Now I don't need to remind you that I am six foot four and this front desk girl is barley an inch over five foot. Not to mention I rarely get angry with anyone person at Cheesecake Factory and actually lash out at them, it does happen, but it's rare. I was mad as fucking hell and this girl knew it (her name is to remain a secret for she may read this).
Looking over my shoulder and out the windows that separate the inside of the restaurant with the mall and the atrium waiting area I see Jen [the General Manager of CCFTO] and Ken [the assistant General Manager of CCFTO] talking with each other with papers spread over the circular table in front of them.
Looking down at the still cowering front desk girl I thanked her and apologized as I turned to walk away with out caring for a response. I was pissed off.
Bursting through the atrium door I made a B-line (sorry, an Army term for head straight at something) for Jen and Ken. Jen seeing me out of the corner of her eye sees me coming, so does Ken. Now one can only wonder outside those two what they are thinking when Jason Henke (me) comes at them with the angry face painted all over his persona.
"So who was going to call Jason to tell him that he was going to be in Patio One tonight?" I asked calmly, but red faced and angry at the same time.
"Your in patio one tonight," Jen replied with a smile on her face.
"No, Im in Patio Three tonight," I responded back firmly.
Now Ken was sitting acrossed from her in silence, but not wanting to deal with me (angry Jason) he sat there letting Jen take all the heat.
"We had a hole in the Bar and we moved Ashley from Patio One to Bar One," Jen replied with a full toothed smile smeared acrossed her face.
"When were you going to call me and tell me that I was going to need to be in 30 minutes early?" I calmly responded. "Now the front desk has sat a party of three at Table 122 and they have been there," looking down at my watch, "for 21 minutes."
"Really…" Jen said with concern in her voice.
"Yes really. I thought it was policy for us Servers to come check into the front desk after we have been 'aligned' and we have clocked in for our shift so they can seat our sections when we are ready. The front desk sat my section before I even left my house…"
"True." Was her hallow response.
"Then can I have you card so I can clock in early in the computer?"
"Yes, here you go," she said as she gave me her manager card so I could clock in early for my shift.
"Oh, and Jen, Im still in Patio Three, so your going to have to get someone else to fill that in," I said defiantly as I walked back inside to clock in at the computer next to the atrium exit door. Coming back outside I proceeded to say," Lets get Janna to do Patio One, she should be here any minute for her Patio Four shift. I'm sure she won't be bothered by it. And also, I have Paul taking care of that table (Table 122) already, so he's going to own it till they get up."
"Thanks Jason…" Jen said with a smile on her face as I handed her card back.
"Thanks Jen!"
Commentary thus far:
So right now Im thinking what the fuck is going on?! Oh well, what ever, Im back in the place I was supposed to be in and I will be getting out around 9:30 instead of 10:30pm like I would have had to of done if I was in the closing station (which I hate) Patio One. Screw that!
Back to the other high lights of the evening, they are not going to be in story format, but you will still enjoy my misery, thank you…
So now that we have managed to cover the first two on the check list of Jason's anger (ill pause and wait till you scroll up and check the other three). Ok, so now that your back we can continue. Thank you.
The EXPO or Expediter is the key person that keeps the kitchen from falling apart and from servers from falling apart on the line. They make sure the food comes up in all the windows in an orderly fashion. The Broccoli is put with the Mahi Grill, the fries are readily available for the Sliders, and the Potstickers that are supposed to come up with the BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad have come up together, because we all know that Appetizers like Potstickers come up real fast so we need them there to keep the timing down so nothing 'dies' in the window. The EXPO is the King (or Queen) of the line, don't piss them off, never. However, if they are a manager… everything is out the door! Let me explain.
Sheila, bless her heart, I love the women, she is a great manager and I always go to her first when there is a problem, but what the fuck is she doing on the EXPO line trying to be EXPO!!! She sucks at it and she hates it toboot!
She had everything coming up slow, and items that were supposed to come up with other items were not. The cooks (bless there little hearts) weren't listening to her and were basically ignoring her. So anarchy ensued! Thank Gawd it was a slow Monday night and us servers could call on our own food and Sheila could stand in her box and yell into the radio for Front Desk updates and for table visits for Ken, who was the Floor manager.
The night went on… the EXPO line got worse…Ken Stepped in… so now, it went from fucked up, to fucked up beyond recognition.
Ken = Pre-selling tickets
Ken = Double Selling tickets.
Ken = Run hands for two tickets sold.
Ken = EXPO that runs from one end of the Line to the other.
Pre-Selling a ticket requires an EXPO to move a ticket from the "being made" line to the "finished" line, however, the item is not finished and is NOT IN THE WINDOW!
Double Selling tickets is when an EXPO puts two (or sometimes more) tickets in the "finished line" that have the same item on them, for example, there are two tickets, both have "Thai Lettuce Wraps" on them, they may have some other items on them, but that is not to worry, that's just pre-selling. Back to the two of the same items on two separate tickets. When they do this, they put both tickets on the "finish line" however only one of those Thai Wraps are done. This screws the other person running that order who didn't get to the salad station before the other server to grab that one Thai Wrap. Sucks for that mother fucker. So then that Server goes to the EXPO and tries to explain that they have a pre-sold, double-sold ticket in their hand with other items ready to be ran in hand however they are missing an item ( the Thai Wraps) because the over zealous EXPO wasn't paying attention… so now that runner has to wait… and wait… and wait!
Run-Hands is a CCF [Cheesecake Factory] term for, "WE NEED SOME MOTHER FUCKERS BACK HERE RUNNING FOOD OFF THIS LINE AND ONTO THE MOTHER FUCKING TABLES!" However, this term shouldn't be used for two tickets that are on the "finish line", especially if they are pre-sold AND or double sold. This term should be used when there is a massive ticket with multiple items that cannot be ran by only one person, or more then five small tickets. Ken freaks out when he sees more then two….WTF!
Can anyone explain why Ken runs back and forth on the EXPO line that is only lets say 40 feet in length. There are servers (like myself and 18 others) that have trays full of drinks and bread in a tight confined area….he's going to knock something, or someone over! WTF!!!
So now that we have covered the first four, and now onto the last one. The Patio itself, meaning, the guests who are residing out in it!
Im going to give you a few instances that cascaded out of almost control for me, but made my life crappy for a good hour or so.
I got a table full of Brits that couldn't decide on anything, except what to drink from the Bar to get fucked up on. This is fine, Im used to idiots not knowing what to order from our 21 page menu, its nothing new, but the indecisiveness was getting a little out of hand for me. Its always great when a guest asks a question that is already explained in detail on the menu itself in the food description under the item. Its not that bad if it happens once at a table, but for every item they 'try' to order?! Come on mother fuckers!!! READ! So anyway, as they are questioning me, the three tables I had left (plus the other one I had seated beside the morons I was helping in front of me) we now being triple sat by the lovely and wonderful front desk. Just put a nail in my coffin now I thought to my self as I was explaining the basic tossed green salad to position four on table 147. WTF!
So they ordered (Table 147), there food gets to the table, I come by for my two minute or second bite check up (sorry, it's a CCF term), the wife instantly says, "We're going to be your worst nightmare!" I thought to myself, you have an AK-47 lodged up your vagina and now you are going to pull it out and start mowing me down in your own personal Jihad, no, I don't think so sweet heart, your not my worst nightmare.
"My steak isn't cooked enough," she said, "and my husband doesn't like his salad."
Holy shit, what the fuck, I think to myself… just go away you assholes, you've taken too much of my time as it is, and I will never get that portion of my life back again!
"I apologize for that ma'am, and Im going to go get a manger for you," I responded with a smile. "Ill be right back as I hurriedly walked away from her table with two hands full of 'used' plates.
I found Jen, the General Manager, and told her what happened. I said she needed to go out and talk to them. She did, I avoided the table when I came back outside to take another order.
Coming up to Table 150 there was a couple there. The gentlemen ordered a BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad, and his 'lady friend' who was more plastic then women couldn't decide. Here we go again…
"Can I get the Herb Salmon?"
"Yes ma'am," I replied. "Would you like the dinner or the salad version?" I asked.
"The Dinner," she said with a made up and fake smile. I should have known better, I should have just input the salad like her gentlemen counterpart, but no, I didn't, stupid me, I was going to regret that very-very-very soon.
After taking their menus, I told them thank you and proceeded to go to the bar and get a bottle of wine for Table 149 (right next to 150) for a wine presentation, oh joy, I couldn't wait.
On my way back to the Patio door I had to walk past 147, the table of Brits, with the Fucked up food. The lady grabs my apron. "We would like a new menu and we would like to see your manager again…"
OH MY GAWD!!!! LEAVE ME ALONE!! Don't you see that I need to do a wine presentation Bitch!
"Absolutely ma'am, Ill go get her as soon as possible."
Ok Ok OK --- so to sum it up, they had three things fucked up on their order, two were because they didn't like what they ordered, the other was that the kitchen didn't cook something long enough. Then the Salmon lady (actually the plastic lady, but that's another story) actually wanted a Salmon Salad and not the Dinner, but after I asked her it must have slipped her mind to tell me S-A-L-A-D….I hate people!
So there you have it, a very short version of my night… it wasn't that bad, but if you know me, you know I get slightly pissed off at the smallest impropriety that I can not solve or is out of my control! People are stupid and need to die.
On another note, Erin had a shitty night on the Patio too… I send my love to her now… I love you Erin Cummings, and I hope you read this and laughed at me…