Bargain Box Scandal

Look Closer

There's something wrong with her. She's totally confused and mixed up. From her bad habits of opening the check folder in front of the customers which I kept on correcting, to serving the soda in a beer glass. She needs to work more on her mechanics, from greeting the customers, getting the order, communicating that to the chef, and in between asking the diners how their food was to setting up the used tables for the next customers. Added to that she has major order issues, she can't remember which tables the orders should go. The results: restaurant chaos. "Stop hitting yourself." She slapped her face again. She can't remember which table ordered the basil rolls and which table asked for their check. Another slapped hits her face. She's lucky that it didn't came from me. I am so tired that night and so busy accomplishing the orders and correcting the mistakes she had done. "Patric, do you think I am stupid?" I looked at the plate that she'll about to place on the customer's table, I stopped her. I told her that I think the chef forgot to place the shrimps. She went back to the kitchen, I followed her. "Why do you keep on hitting yourself?" She took the plates back from the chef who gave her a cold shoulder. "Because I just can't remember things, I mean its been ten days now and I am still confused with the wine glass and water glass. I kept on mixing both glasses. I can't remember the difference between each menu. So I ended up mixing the orders confusing both myself, the customers and the chef." I smiled. I told her that I think the main problem is because she's not taking the time to Look Closer. "I think I'll just get the house salad with the peanut dressing" she glanced at her husband who at that time is busy debating between the egg rolls and the chicken curry. "Can I change to crab rangoon, or maybe make it shrimp in the blanket, but instead of the sweet and sour sauce, can I get it with Reuben sauce?" I told her that we don't have Reuben sauce. She looked at her husband again who at the same time was asking me about the difference between the red and green curry. I still need to give four Heineken bottles to the German tourists who are patiently waiting for their beers, I guess they learned patience in Germany, two customers came in, they are standing at the door waiting to be seated, the table at the corner signaled for their check, and the nursing home material waved her Visa, with her I-need-to-go-now look. The kitchen bell kept on ringing, I think the salads and meat balls for the other table is ready. Gosh, I forgot the lemon soup in the microwave, the customer at the middle table wanted me to reheat it. I hope he'll not shout at me for forgetting his soup. I rushed to get his soup. I microwaved it again for another two minutes. The table on the private area of the restaurant waved their hand, signaling that they are ready to give their order. I gave him his soup while the undecided couple waved at me. I went back to their table" Can I just go back to green salad, and can you place diced pumpkin on it." I sighed slowly. I told her we run out of pumpkin, but I can put diced cucumber instead. "Are you sure you don't have the Reuben sauce?" Positive. The husband told me that he is not yet ready to order. "Ok just let me know when you are ready." I rush to sit the two new customers who are standing on the doorway, five people came in, or was that seven? the older man with a younger lady who could either be his daughter or his lover asked for more rice. I grabbed the beer at the cooler and went to the Visa lady, I apologized for the delay, when I reached the German customers, I realized that I made a mistake, I gave them a local Thai beer, they laughed at my mistake. Even if they don't like to give tips, they are easy to deal with. One customer approached me while I was trying to scan the Visa, she said she found a hair ball on her noodles, she asked me if we have cats in the kitchen. I scanned the dining area, I need to clean four more tables, there's five customers waiting to be seated, I need to take the order of the huge group on the private area of the restaurant, the salads and meatballs needs to be served, the kitchen bell ringed again, new orders are up. And yes I need to deal with the problematic couple who are staring at the menu like its the state board exam. I need to go back to the kitchen to get the rice for the older guy. I almost forgot that. As I stepped inside the kitchen, I realized that I was working with her that night. As I took the salads and meatballs, I saw her staring at the used wine glass. "What are you doing here?" I need your help!" She gave me an amused look. "Actually I think you are wrong Patric, the wine glass and the water glass are exactly the same." she held both glasses under the kitchen lights, I noticed my boss and our chef are fighting, they are throwing raw meats and cooked chicken at each other. "Look, both glasses have the same height". At that moment, I wanted to dice her and place her as the replacement for the pumpkin so that we can settle that salad issue, and accomplished the orders of the undecided couple. I realized something, I forgot the Visa card on the machine. "Do you need any help, Patric?" I gave her a blank look. There's a restaurant chaos out there in the dining area, with multiple orders and tasks going on at the same time, while she's staring at the wine glasses, she had the nerve to ask me if I need help. She went out, just before I got the rice for the older guy, she came back with two sets of orders, she got the big order for the private room, and the order of the undecided couple. They settled for our two dollar vegetable soups. I grabbed the Heineken beer and served the rice using our tureen server. The Visa lady was gone, "Did you run her card?" She gave me five bucks. "Here she left this, I already splitted it between us." She went back to the kitchen to take the new orders. The hair ball lady waved at me and thanked me for replacing her noodles, she said I was working with a sweet girl while the soup guy said his soup turned out to be really good. I looked at the Germans, they got a new set of Heineken beer. They smiled at me. They are happy with their beers, I took the order of the new couple who just came in couple of minutes ago. And just before I gave the order to our chef, I placed the used plates on the kitchen's sink, and that's when I noticed something, she was right. the wine glass and the water glass have exactly the same height. It was me, who is not looking closer. I did not see that the undecided couple are looking for a bargain menu. I need to keep a constant flow of the Heineken beer with our German customers, And that it was me who is really confused and mixed up.