"Life gives you lemons..."

"...then just eat them!" Haha, that was what a father learned from his one-year old son tonight.  This little boy was munching down on a slice of lemon as if it was a piece of chocolate! Silly boy...but, hey, I liked the moral behind it....who needs lemonade anyways? 

So, I've been thinking about this...does corny/cheesy sell? Back when I first started waitressing my manager had a series of "server" meetings, encouraging us to learn all aspects of our job to please customers. Well, one of the things she stressed was "be corny, people love it"...and I'm coming to think that it does sell very well.  I see other waitresses be entirely too silly and outgoing and crazy compared to what I'm comfortable with being...I mean, I like to talk, but I don't like to be outrageous or feel like a fool.  So what has me thinking that cheesy sells is that I felt like a complete idiot today with one of my tables...and I was sure I had annoyed them to no end with a rambling story about offering to serve the first slice of pizza, but they tipped me really well! So...maybe corny does sell?

Okay, so on to the business at hand. The poll you find on the left hand side of this blog...well it has less than 30 minutes left.  So my plan is this: for the next 4 weeks vote on how many steps you think I've taken.  Now I'm going to break it down for you: my week starts Tuesday and ends Monday. I am scheduled for 36.5 hours a week, and sometimes end up working more or less.  I will only be wearing my pedometer at work, so this won't include my personal time and days off... Also, to give you somewhere to start off with, my busiest night is Friday and on a Friday that wasn't too busy I walked 10,000 steps in 7 hours. So, I'm going to crunch some numbers and get my own estimate so that I can set up the poll. I think the amount of steps I take is going to be pretty crazy!

Money Origami

One of my favorite things that a customer can do for me is leave me an interestingly designed and cleverly folded tip...Origami Money is one of the coolest things! Yesterday I was given a piece of origami money, and I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be! I was sooo upset, because it was obviously something, but what it was was not obvious to me! Anyways, I showed my boyfriend's brother the creation shown below, and he knew what it was.  See if you can figure it out before you read on. 

Did you figure it out? It's a boat! Okay, so the top part is a boat, I determined that the bottom is its display stand, but that can be seen (with a little imagination) as a wave that the boat is sitting on. I was pretty ecstatic to find this on my table where a friendly older couple had eaten their dinner.

Now receiving that boat wasn't enough for me to post about origami money, but lo and behold I received another piece of origami today as well...and decided I couldn't resist sharing.  My other item of money origami was a little more obvious with its identity. Check it out below. :-)

Yup, it's a bowtie! And, though, I thoroughly love and appreciate the bowtie and boat (they're so much fun to show off) my favorite origami piece I ever received was a ring! I unfortunately didn't think to save the ring, or even a picture of it, but a long time ago a grandfather made a $5 ring and gave it to his grandson to give to me.  It fit my hand perfectly and was definitely some cool bling(though you shouldn't wash your hands while wearing it...lol) Here's a pic of what they look like that I took off the internet.

So, yes....tonight, I did a Google search for money origami and there are some VERY impressive pieces out there...which I can only hope one day someone will make them for me. But, if you're interested, as I was, do your own Google search and see some of the really creative money origamis out there, and if you're really intrigued go ahead and learn how to make one and give it to a server next time you eat out...they'll appreciate the time put into the making of it more than the actual money! Maybe you can come visit me at work...I would, personally, love a rose made of money...hint, hint. 

Farewell for now,

Kate Lynn 

Don't touch my apron!

Ugh, I'm going to start this post off with a rant. Don't ever touch a server's apron! Seriously, you wouldn't touch someone's purse or wallet right? (I hope not, anyways.) Well, my apron has the same function...and it's strapped to my waist. It's very close to my person, and I don't want you touching my hard-earned money or my person.  I don't know what this customer was thinking...trying to be helpful? Maybe. But I had just filled both my hands and arms with plates and bowls from their table when he tries to hand me the the check folder to cash out for him...and then realizing my hands were full, he says "Oh, I'll just slide it into your pocket..." And starts to reach for the middle pocket of my apron. Fortunately, I have good balancing skills and immediately stacked the dishes on my arm higher freeing up one of my hands and avoided that scenario. It was just annoying...I'm a very private person and I don't like anyone touching me or my personal belongings, and I don't think I should have to deal with that from customers, who may be innocently trying to help but who knows what's really going through their heads? They are, in the end, strangers. End of rant.

Okay, so update on the pedometer: I'm kind of disappointed, because I haven't worked a really busy day since I've been wearing it. So, yes, the numbers are a little lower than I expected. I walked 9,000 steps 9:30-8 on Monday and about the same today from 11:30-8. That's about 4.5 miles a day...inside of a very tiny restaurant. I also wore the pedometer on my days off...Sunday: 6,000 steps. Tuesday: 2,000 steps. Like I said...I'm kind of disappointed. I bet I walk about 20,000 steps on some of my busiest days. I still find these numbers to be really interesting...I love these kinds of facts, and I think I'm going to make it the topic of my next quiz question, which is located on the left of this blog and ends in just 12 days! 

Until next time.

Kate Lynn

So many steps to take...

Step 1: Continue reading this post.
Step 2: Forgive me ahead of time for shortness of post
Step 3: Follow the first two steps and repeat if necessary.

There are soooo many steps to take for a waitress. So many in fact that I began to be curious about how many steps I actually take in a day. And I don't like to let my questions go unanswered, so I did the logical thing and bought a pedometer. It's a handy little gadget that records my steps taken, distance walked, calories and fat burned, and also "aerobic steps." I haven't figured out what aerobic steps are yet, but I do know that I haven't taken any today as my pedometer informed me. Maybe, I've never taken an "aerobic step"? I must look into that as well. So I wore my pedometer for a 6 1/2 hour shift today and traveled a whole 4.5 miles with 9100 steps. Please, keep in mind that today was actually not very busy...I was quite stationary for a majority of the day.  Today was kind of a test run with my pedometer, and I really can't wait to see what the distance and steps are at the end of my day on Monday which will be my 9:30AM-8PM shift...working alone for most of the day.  BTW, if anyone ever wants to get me a really kind gift I would take a foot bath/massager any day!

Hiiiiiii! Hiiiiiiii! Hiiiiii!

"Hiiiiii! Hiiii! Hiiiiiiiiiiii!" cries this little boy from across the room relentlessly until I respond. Oh, my goodness was he loud! And relentless....he would yell "Hi." For as long as it took to get my attention every time I was in the dining room. All I gotta say is thank God that most men mature out of that...can you imagine if they didn't? Haha, it's an entertaining thought.

Now, most have heard of the rule of most restaurants, "No Shoes, No shirts, No service." But is that rule only applicable until you've sat at your table? This older gentleman seemed to think that it was perfectly okay to take his shoes off once he was sat at the table...I'm not so certain that is true.  But then again, I had already served their pizza so maybe he thought that he had worn his shoes for as long as he needed to in order to get service...He held up his end of the deal, and I did mine; however, I'm still not certain my mom would approve of lounging in socks in a restaurant. What do you think?

Oops moment: I forgot to enter in a pizza order today.  I knew the order in my head, got them their appetizer, but never put the order in the computer system. Oops, my bad! 25 minute wait for a pizza that should take 10? Not terrible....right?

Oh, and what are the chances that two tables of two walk into the restaurant at the same time, order two sodas, and order nothing but exactly the same "meat lovers" pizza...and then I take a carryout order for yet another a "meat lovers" pizza...all within 5 minutes of each other? The probability of that circumstance and the actuality of it happening today was kind of ridiculous....

Also, I'd like to take a moment to say that not all teenagers are predictable...I had a table of 8 young teens today, and when one gets a table of teenagers you expect these things: 1. Everyone to order waters 2. Loud and obnoxious conversation 3. No tip But, I really do applaud this group of teenagers, because though 6 of 8 did order waters and were somewhat loud, they actually tipped me an almost 20%. I was very grateful and glad to say that not all teenagers are irresponsible, but some actually embrace the idea of responsibility...It was refreshing to see!

That's all for today...thanks for reading my blog! And, please, consider actually joining blogger and following my blog. It's free, and maybe you can start your own blog that I can read as well! Thanks a billion. Kate Lynn

Today's Honorable Mentions!

Today's customers were worth mentioning! But before I do, I must say I don't like the word "customer" when referring to those people who become more like friends or family(though some are more like the one relative you wish you didn't have to claim as blood relation let alone by any kind of association) who are visiting for some kind of special event! Okay so after a brief consultation with thesaurus.com, I have decided from here-on out I shall call them patrons. Patron is defined as a "person who supports a cause," and I believe that it fits them as they support my cause! Hehe, okay...now onto the Honorable Mentions among the rest of my mediocre patrons of the day. 

I hosted a "party" today during the lunch hour. Fortunately, Monday lunches are very rarely busy, so throwing a party wasn't terribly difficult. I had 12 patrons...ages 19-21? At any point, they were out of high school...the majority was female, and they were loud.   I gave them the whole half of the restaurant(being the only waitress means I have the whole restaurant to give and take as I please) Even with their being loud and, obviously, not having a lot of money to buy food let alone tip, they were quite pleasant...well, they left me a 10% tip and this note :) 

How sweet! I love when people leave me simple thank you notes :) And just as an FYI, they left the note to me in pristine condition...but the paper towel then entered the battle zone of my apron pocket. 

My next Honorable Mention is a group of 3 patrons. Young men, in their 20s. They were extremely polite.  Their bill totaled around $30...they left me a $25 tip! And I promise you, I did not flirt! Not a one left a phone number for me, and I accepted the money with a clean conscience. What a blessing from God!

My last Honorable Mention was an older couple of patrons. They were fun to banter with right off the bat, right from the get go, from the moment they walked in...etc. And they were my last table of the night, keeping me and talking about the economy, finances, and just plain being smart with money for about 15 minutes after I offered to take their check to the counter for them.  I love chatty people, they make me feel like I'm a human not a robot servant. :)

So, yes, Mondays are my longest days beginning at 9:30 in the morning and ending at 8 that night, but today was definitely the kind of Monday I look forward to. 

Customers are: Fine and Kind!

I had a full day of fun customers today.  

So first fun customers of the day were two guys.  They ate, paid, and were leaving when the younger guy went to hand me the check folder(as said in a previous post, most people like to hand tips directly to the server.) Unfortunately, he tried to pass it to me quickly while my hands were full. :-/ That doesn't work too well, and when he realized his mistake he was immediately apologetic. "Oh, I'm sorry!" I laugh and say, "Oh, you're fine!" free my hands and accept the folder with a "Thank you, thank you very much" reminiscent of Elvis Presley. So the older man(his father) starts laughing and comments in a suggestive way, "She said you were fine." Awkward turtle. It caught me so off guard, what is one supposed to say to that? I don't know what the average waitress would feel with that being said to her, but I honestly love love love plays on words like that so I laughed and admitted, "Yah, you're right. I did say that didn't I?" Hehe, it's even funnier because neither one of the men were "fine" in the physical sense of the word, but they were definitely fine in their sense of humor. :D

So my first set of real "regulars" is an older couple probably in their 60s. They come every Wednesday night, I brew fresh coffee for her...pour a diet soda for him...place the same order every week, and we usually chat for as long as I can spare.  Tonight's conversation went towards their beach home which they rent out to their friends and family. They were talking about it in detail, beautiful scenery, she's a tasteful decorator (her husband was so sweet to say so about her!) he remodeled the kitchen, etc etc.  And I made the comment, "Well, now I know who to contact for a place to stay for my honeymoon!" (I'm not engaged, but a girl thinks about these things.) And then after a little bit more conversation, the gentleman offers in an entirely serious and sincere way, "Well, when you do get married and set the date, just let us know and we'll let you have the house for a week for free." Holy smokes! I'm just a little bit less than a complete stranger and these people are so kind and sweet! I don't know of many people so generous and kind.  I felt so loved and cared for. It's the reality of how Jesus grew in favor with God and man, and how I grow that way too! Oh, how I love that couple! 

So in conclusion some customers are fine and others are kind...which one are you?