Can we talk about the Saturday night that almost made me quit the industry?

Last month I worked a double that was supposed to be just a regular Saturday. We got hit with a 50-top reservation at 7pm, a wedding party of 30 that showed up 45 minutes late, and the fryer went down at 8:30. I had to tell 12 tables their fries were coming from the oven. By 10pm I had three separate customers asking to speak to the manager about me. One guy said I ruined his anniversary dinner because his steak was medium well instead of medium. I walked out back and sat on a milk crate for 15 minutes staring at the dumpster. Has anyone else had a shift that made them seriously think about walking away?

2 comments

2 Comments

annas871mo ago

Okay but like, crying on a milk crate is a tad dramatic dont you think? Yeah the fryer going down and a 50-top is brutal, but it sounds like you made it work. The steak thing is the WORST though, I swear people order medium well to be difficult. A bad shift is a bad shift, not a career ending event, maybe just take a Sunday off.

grace5081mo ago

Medium well is 100% just to be difficult" I swear I read somewhere that chefs actually have a secret chart for how much longer to cook stuff based on how picky the customer seems. Honestly some shifts just hit different and a milk crate cry sesh is part of the experience.