Workplace 6 - Italian Adventures

I spent two days working for a small, family run, Italian restaurant. I have no idea how/why the job happened but I was going to be a waitress.

For the first time I donned the international uniform of wait staff - black pants, white shirt, hair in a ponytail, and excitedly turned up to my first shift.

My diary entry for that night reads:
"5pm. Start at Ginos. So much fun! Earnt $2.20 in tips"

This was apparently awesome for me. I remember the $2.20 in tips was important as they didn't actually pay me for the nights work. Oh, to be young and easily exploited again! I've come to suspect that the words "trial", "training period", and "junior" are what the hospitality industry run on. And as you read on you'll become aware that the tip was undoubtably due to a chirpy "It's my first night!" into the face of some perplexed but good natured customer.

Anyway, I remember being confused a lot, trying in vain to remember the abstract and mysterious table numbering system. It started with 1 in the corner at the front and then kind of spiraled around the room to the centre, then jumped to the opposite side of the next room over and numbered back down towards the back corner. Once you've been completely confused by this, there were little alcoves hidden around numbered randomly with no reference to the rest of the restaurant. And because the family that worked there KNEW this system so perfectly, there were no numbers on tables thus leaving their hapless trial staff completely stuffed.

So that first night, I spent the last few hours polishing and wrapping cutlery out the back, a repetitive and easy task that no one can actually muck up. I was at that level of service. The one you hide out the back and give the simple tasks. Around me the kitchen created and sent out carb filled tomato creations that tore at my stomach and more experience wait staff moved back and forth like monochromatic conveyer belts. They sent me home when I ran out of knives.

Cue, second shift. My diary for that date reads
"GINOS --> Got paid $60"

Thrill! A second shift AND they paid me! Clearly I was onto a win here. The second shift went roughly the same way as the first. Stand out of the way by the kitchen a lot, get confused by tables, look blank at any questions and eventually retreat to cutlery wrapping. I could get used to this, I thought.

But it was not to be.  Shift two was my last, I never heard from them again.
The restaurant is still there tho, so if you want to cut your teeth on a waitressing position that only pays tips and who's numbering system is somewhat illogical, there would be a great place to start.

Bon Appetit!