That 80 cover Mother's Day brunch service two years ago still haunts me

I worked a Mother's Day brunch at a spot in downtown Austin that seated 80 covers in one push. We were short one line cook who called in sick at 7am, and the expo station got a ticket jam halfway through. I remember burning my arm on the salamander twice and still having to plate 25 eggs benedicts in under 10 minutes. The worst part was a table complaining their hollandaise broke even though we fired everything as fast as we could. By 2pm we had done 280 total covers and I sat in the walk-in for five minutes just staring at the floor. Has anyone else had a service that made you wonder why you even chose this gig?

2 comments

2 Comments

fox.derek1mo ago

Tried to grab a quick sip of water during that ticket jam and accidentally drank from a squeeze bottle of hollandaise instead. Still remember the hot greasy taste and having to run right back to the pass with oil dripping down my chin. Makes me wonder if I secretly hate myself or just really like overtime pay.

andrew_rodriguez1mo ago

man that is absolutely foul but i kinda get it. the way kitchens are set up you just grab whatever bottle is in your hand and hope for the best. i've definitely grabbed the oil bottle instead of water more times than i care to admit. the worst part is you can't even stop to rinse your mouth out because the tickets are piling up and the expo is yelling at you. you just gotta swallow that greasy nightmare and pretend you planned it. by the way that hollandaise taste stays with you for hours no matter how many shift drinks you pound. you're not alone in wondering if this is self hatred or just dedication to the craft.