Cool customers, and "As The Fryer Boils" recap.

Last night, right after the manager had finalyl cut to closers, the hostess approached me. "Do you want another table?"

I hesitated for a moment, thinking; I'd just taken an order, and had two other tables, so another table really wouldn't hinder me. But I was confused by her asking until she added, "They asked for you."

I couldn't see them from where I was, and I was totally confused--at this particular location, nobody's asked for me who isn't related/a friend. Well, I guess that's not true; there are some people who have me on their list of servers they ask for. But it was too late at night for any of the above.

I told her I'd take them, and took some plates to the kitchen; when I came back, I recognized them right away. I'd waited on them at closing time about a month ago, and we'd talked for a long time. Somehow we'd gotten on to the topic of health care, and fat people being treated badly by the public and doctors, and I'd written down the URL for Shapely Prose.

Them coming in slowed me down for sure--two of my other tables left and one cashed out, so with a regular table I'd've divided my time between sidework and caring for them. With these people I chatted with them until they got their dinner, and then again when they were about halfway through. I even pulled up a chair at one point to tell them about my favorite restaurant. When they left at 11:10, I hadn't even touched my sidework. I didn't leave the restaurant until ten minutes after close ... but that was okay. It was a nice cap to the evening.


On to less happy topics ....


There's been a fuckton of drama the last couple of weeks. I've put off writing about it because I wanted to see how it would all shake out first.

The first thing apparently started a long time ago, but I knew nothing about it. Apparently, there was a rumor circulating that one of the managers, Eric, was sleeping with one of the servers, Lisa. I hadn't heard it, and I would have laughed if I had--she actually sleeping with somebody else rather inappropriate, but it's nobody in the restaurant.

Well, somehow Eric got wind of this, and totally over-reacted. Instead of going to the GM, he went right to human resources at corporate before he went on vacation, I assume in an ass-covering move. So HR called the GM (who knew nothing about this), and she had to do an investigation in to it. In the course of this, someone mentioned being offended by Lisa by something completely different--a running joke between Lisa and her best friend about them being lesbians. "Let me ask my girlfriend" sort of stuff, nothing obscene.

So in addition to all the scandal of Eric and Lisa supposedly hooking up, Lisa and her friend got written up for sexual harassment by creating a hostile workplace. So they were both pissy and upset, wondering who'd squealed on them. And a lot of people find it upsetting that straight people can joke about their sex lives, and our gay server can talk about his sex life, but these two got written up.

Of course, all of that got garbled up in the rumor mill. What ended up being spread around was that Eric and Lisa were sleeping together, and corporate was doing an investigation. Word at the host stand was that Eric was on a forced leave and wasn't allowed to be in the restaurant, and he and the GM were both in fear for their jobs. And then people who hadn't even noticed the lesbian flirtation suddenly thought Lisa and her friend really were dating. So in the course of one day Lisa went from few people knowing anything about her personal life, to being a lesbian who was nevertheless screwing a manager twice her age who has a girlfriend.

Cripes.

And then, the same day all this went down, there was a catfight between a bartender and a server. They haven't gotten along for the last two years, but it was mostly restricted to bitching about each other to other people. Something set the bartender, Gina, off that night, though, and she went nucking futz. She followed the server, Laura, back in to the kitchen, yelling at her and screaming. Laura yelled back, Gina yelled again, Laura turned to walk away .... and Gina threw her glass of soda at her. Caught in the crossfire was Luke, who got splashed by the soda bomb.

Later, Laura asked Gina for some change. Gina got change for her, but then threw it down the bar and called her cunt--in front of customers. Luckily they were all regulars, or it could've been a very bad scene indeed. As it was, people gossiped about it for a couple of days and then it seemed to pass.

Until the GM told everyone that Gina had been suspended--which is code for fired as soon as the next payroll checks come in. Apparently, when the GM looked in to all of this, Luke filed a complaint about being splashed with soda (seriously?), and then Gina lied about everything and swore that none of it happened. Why she'd lie when plenty of people saw it, I don't know. So now, somebody who worked there for almost ten years has been fired, and Laura, who's generally a bitch to everybody, still has her job.

Ready for part three?

For a month or more, the GM has been on a rampage and seriously freaking out. She's been telling everyone she hates her job, she has her resume on Monster, she's fucking sick of this place, etc. This, of course, soured everybody's mood (and I suspect is why Eric went over her head with the rumor thing). Then somebody pointed out to her the effect it was having, and she reined herself in a bit.

But last night, she started flipping the fuck out. We really were not even that busy, but something set her off. At one point, our bartender (Lacy), was trying to help out and GM totally freaked and started yelling about "why doesn't anybody think I can do my job tonight!" Ridiculous. Lacy nearly quit on the spot.

Later, things seemed to have settled down. I went to the back of the kitchen for something, and saw GM in the office, and Lapdog Manager in the doorway, and they were both looking at someone in between them I couldn't see. I scanned the front of the house and saw that Lacy was the only one missing. She came out a while later, looking thoroughly annoyed.

At the end of the night, she told me that GM had dragged her to the office, with Lapdog as a witness, to tell her what she did was inappropriate. Lacy told her she was only trying to be helpful and didn't think it was fair she was in trouble. And then GM said something totally ridiculous: "Well, I've just had a problem with you ever since I was crying in the office after my purse was stolen!" I think that was in February; but apparently, Lacy didn't "console" her enough! And she's been holding a grudge since then.

If I wanted this much drama, I'd go watch Days of Our Lives.