Brainless gets the regulars.

We have an older couple who've been coming in to this restaurant for about ten years. I remember them from my first tour through this restaurant. They're nice enough people, but very particular, and they'll talk your freaking ear off if you don't know how to extricate yourself from the conversation. The thing about them that's nice is that even though they're particular, they tell you exactly what they want up front unless they've seen you before.

Well, they came in on Sunday. I thought it was a bad idea from the instant the hostess sat them in her section; but then I thought, they're very clear about what they want, how could she screw it up?

Oh, right.

I've waited on them plenty of times before. So I know that Lenny said they wanted the small basket of chips with a small side of cheese and salsa. I know that he said he wanted his soup before his salad, but he didn't want his soup until after they were finished with the chips. And I know that Julie wanted her chicken salad at the same time as his. (I also know that this is a ridiculously simple order for them.)

Well, I was in the kitchen when their appetizer came up, and saw that it was wrong--it was the large order of chips. Not a big deal for most people, but these people get really easily irritated. Julie gets pissed if we put coasters on their table, for instance.

So I fixed it; I was going to tell her the proper way to ring it in, too, which is a little more expensive, until I saw the way she rang in their food. We have two options for how to ring in soups and salads. There's "a la carte" and "with meal". These people, after ten years, get the with meal price even if they don't order a meal. Well, Brainless rang in the more expensive, a la carte price for both his soup and salad. So I figure it balanced out the appetizer.

However, I had to step in with the kitchen and tell the expo to hold the two salads and the soup, rung in together, and immediately after taking their order--before they even got their appetizer. I went back to the table to double-check he wanted his soup first as usual, and that everything else on the ticket was right; then I went to the expo and told her I'd keep an eye out for them to be finished with their appetizer.

So essentially, she got the components of the order right but ignored their requests for delivery order and timing. I ended up managing, from the kitchen, the timing of their food. Maybe I should've just let her go down in flames; but in the end it wasn't worth it. They'd have taken up a bunch of the manager's time bitching, and a bunch of their next server's time too. I know because I got a fifteen minute earful once about a different brainless wonder who waited on them and screwed up.



I ended up talking to the GM about this girl tonight; after getting stuck with her on the shittiest sidework again, I was just so freaking stressed out. It was just another exercise in irritation; I asked her if she could be a little neater this time and she just said she'd clean it up. I nicely pointed out that it took less time to be careful than to clean up the mess, and she basically told me to shut up. Several times she went out front and sat down at the bar (which we aren't supposed to do) to talk to a regular she thinks is hot. Still, it was less annoying than last time--although at least some of that is due to the fact that as soon as I saw I was stuck with her, I did the prep list myself and got labels ready right off the bat, so there was no re-doing of stuff.

But between the pissy little lapdog manager being pissed at me, Sunday's events, and her still being a moron .... I just couldn't take it. So when I gave the GM my checkout, I closed the office door and told her just a few of the things I wrote about on Sunday.

I said I know Brainless hasn't closed much, but her attitude about it makes it really stressful. I didn't want to overload GM or sound like I was just bitching; so I just told her the girl won't do anything without directly being told and sometimes won't do it then either.I mentioned not locking the door as I was sure the security concern would strike a chord. I told her I'd rather close by myself; but I also said another coworker had said she wouldn't mind closing Sundays. She said she'd keep an eye on the situation, and I told her I'd let her know how this Sunday.

So it's a start at least.

I still have a story about a crazy lady from the 4th of July to write about too, but for tonight, I'm going to bed! I have the next two glorious days off, and I don't even plan to put on pants tomorrow. Even if I have to leave the house, I'm going out in pajamas. Society can bite me.