Busy day
Today was a very busy day at the Cafe. When I came in, we were short of many items and the delivery boy had yet to arrive with the goods. Amazingly, at the same time customers were coming in by the dozens. It was like they could sense that we were short of items and they all just decided to pay us a visit and make our life hell for-the-fun-of-it. Seriously. We are not usually busy on a Friday afternoon, but today, most of the tables were full. There were so many customers and so few stocks of food in our chiller.
Not surprisingly we had to deal with a lot of angry customers.
Towards the end of the afternoon the delivery boy finally came, and we managed to stock up on our food, but the customers kept coming in. I was practically walking the whole day, with only a few minutes of nothing-to-do every hour. We even got a table of 14 people and another table of 10, pretty unusual on a Friday evening.
The best part was that there was a customer who came into our Cafe and I think the girl that he was with was his sister as they shared quite a few common facial features. He asked me to help him connect his Apple iBook to a socket, but sadly (as the people who designed the Cafe did not foresee that a WIRELESS FIDELITY outlet would actually have people coming in with laptops and needing sockets) all the available sockets were out of reach since the adapter's wire was very short. Hence, he was unable to use his laptop. I apologised to him and tried to give him the best service possible.
He paid his bill using a Platinum card, but he also put a few Ringgit as tips onto the bill folder. Usually, people who pay using credit card leave immediately after signing, but he left the notes and told them specifically that it was for me
It is our policy not to accept tips as we already added the service charge to the bill. I tried to give him back the money (as he had already cleared the bill using his Platinum) but he insisted I take it, and he smiled.
Again, I was not supposed to take the tip (we dispense spare change/ tips into a box and divide the money between all staff at the end of the month) but I did. I felt very honoured to do so. At the same time, I guess I felt as though I was on top of the world. This was my first "personal" tip ever. Nobody has ever said, "This money is for you. Keep it".
I still hold three crumpled and soiled RM1 notes in my wallet. They may not appear to be much, but to me, these simple pieces of paper brought me so much pride.
I thanked the customer very much, and I brought home the pride I gained from this experience (together with the three crumpled and soiled notes)
Ya, sure, I broke company policy and accepted a tip, but hey, I'm entitled to it!
Haha.
I felt like a million dollars because of just three.
I also had a PLU couple coming in. They were very cute and adorable, the two of them, eating Caesar Salad and both the Chicken and Mushroom pie, as well as the Beef pie. One was particularly well built and he wore this Abercrombie cut offs. He was what you would call an “uncle”. Graying hair, moustache and beard, freckles on his skin… and the other was just very prim and properly groomed, also well built but slightly slimmer and looked much younger than his partner. Not surprisingly both spotted earrings and tight fitting clothes, with really short shorts to match and flip-flops.
Of course, knowing me, the bitch (a.k.a attention seeker), I tried to get their attention by standing nearby, by clearing their soiled plates, walking by and smiling at them with the best smile I could put on just to attract their attention, but I ended up wondering if they ever did look at me or think I was cute. Okay. I admit. I was wondering if they’d think I was a cute waiter, but I guess it was a dismal failure. Haha.
Looking at the two of them together, I can’t help but wonder how they can be so happy together despite their age (I can tell that they are definitely middle-aged or going-to-be-considered-part-of-the-old-generation). And yes, they’d probably have their share of problems and arguments as a PLU couple, but I really wish that when I grow up I’d find a partner to live my life with and grow old together. I want to be like these two people, coming to a café on a Friday night, eating Caesar Salad and pies, happily enjoying each other’s company. I don’t want to die old and alone.
I want to be just like this couple.
It was a tiring day but a day full of insights. I wonder what tomorrow entails.
Not surprisingly we had to deal with a lot of angry customers.
Towards the end of the afternoon the delivery boy finally came, and we managed to stock up on our food, but the customers kept coming in. I was practically walking the whole day, with only a few minutes of nothing-to-do every hour. We even got a table of 14 people and another table of 10, pretty unusual on a Friday evening.
The best part was that there was a customer who came into our Cafe and I think the girl that he was with was his sister as they shared quite a few common facial features. He asked me to help him connect his Apple iBook to a socket, but sadly (as the people who designed the Cafe did not foresee that a WIRELESS FIDELITY outlet would actually have people coming in with laptops and needing sockets) all the available sockets were out of reach since the adapter's wire was very short. Hence, he was unable to use his laptop. I apologised to him and tried to give him the best service possible.
He paid his bill using a Platinum card, but he also put a few Ringgit as tips onto the bill folder. Usually, people who pay using credit card leave immediately after signing, but he left the notes and told them specifically that it was for me
It is our policy not to accept tips as we already added the service charge to the bill. I tried to give him back the money (as he had already cleared the bill using his Platinum) but he insisted I take it, and he smiled.
Again, I was not supposed to take the tip (we dispense spare change/ tips into a box and divide the money between all staff at the end of the month) but I did. I felt very honoured to do so. At the same time, I guess I felt as though I was on top of the world. This was my first "personal" tip ever. Nobody has ever said, "This money is for you. Keep it".
I still hold three crumpled and soiled RM1 notes in my wallet. They may not appear to be much, but to me, these simple pieces of paper brought me so much pride.
I thanked the customer very much, and I brought home the pride I gained from this experience (together with the three crumpled and soiled notes)
Ya, sure, I broke company policy and accepted a tip, but hey, I'm entitled to it!
Haha.
I felt like a million dollars because of just three.
I also had a PLU couple coming in. They were very cute and adorable, the two of them, eating Caesar Salad and both the Chicken and Mushroom pie, as well as the Beef pie. One was particularly well built and he wore this Abercrombie cut offs. He was what you would call an “uncle”. Graying hair, moustache and beard, freckles on his skin… and the other was just very prim and properly groomed, also well built but slightly slimmer and looked much younger than his partner. Not surprisingly both spotted earrings and tight fitting clothes, with really short shorts to match and flip-flops.
Of course, knowing me, the bitch (a.k.a attention seeker), I tried to get their attention by standing nearby, by clearing their soiled plates, walking by and smiling at them with the best smile I could put on just to attract their attention, but I ended up wondering if they ever did look at me or think I was cute. Okay. I admit. I was wondering if they’d think I was a cute waiter, but I guess it was a dismal failure. Haha.
Looking at the two of them together, I can’t help but wonder how they can be so happy together despite their age (I can tell that they are definitely middle-aged or going-to-be-considered-part-of-the-old-generation). And yes, they’d probably have their share of problems and arguments as a PLU couple, but I really wish that when I grow up I’d find a partner to live my life with and grow old together. I want to be like these two people, coming to a café on a Friday night, eating Caesar Salad and pies, happily enjoying each other’s company. I don’t want to die old and alone.
I want to be just like this couple.
It was a tiring day but a day full of insights. I wonder what tomorrow entails.
Fell from the sky at 3:05 AM
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