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Friday, July 10, 2009

i hate crying in front of people.

Here is how things work when you first start at Hooters:

4 days of training
3 shifts on your own with only 2 tables
3 shifts on your own with only 3 tables
shifts with a full section (anywhere from 4-6 or so, depending on how many girls are on and how busy it is)

Most new Hooters girls need this gradual introduction into serving. I, however, have been waitressing for quite some time now, and really didn't need all the 2 table, 3 table bullshit. Thank goodness my managers recognized the fact that I'm not a total nitwit and I was told on my first day by myself that they were going to try to get me off my limited amount of tables sooner than 6 shifts.

My first day out of training I was indeed on two tables. This was the day that they told me it was obvious I could handle much more than 2 tables and they were going to make sure I was on a full section from that day on. The next day I was on a full section and handled it perfectly. The shift after that I was back on 2 tables.

Needless to say, I was not happy. It was a Saturday night and the place was packed, but I was stuck with two tables. Not only just two tables, but two shitty short tables that no one wanted to sit at. I talked to my manager and he apologized for me being stuck on two tables. He said it wasn't him that made the schedule and the manager that had wasn't aware that I was allowed to have more than two tables.

Oh well, no big deal, it's just one night. At least I didn't have to stay until close (1 am) on my shitty two tables.

I hadn't had very many tables, and hadn't made much money at all, while all the other girls were making BANK. It was extremely frustrating. I was standing bored at the bar when one of the regulars asked me if I had any patio tables because he wanted to go outside and sit at one. I told him that was no problem. He ordered a mountain dew and some wings. It was probably around 8:30 when he decided to go out to my patio table. As he sat out there, more and more regulars decided to come and sit out at the patio. They all also decided to flag me down and order their drinks from me since I was the only girl out on the patio. No big deal, I still wasn't cut yet anyway.

I was, however, sort of frustrated at not being cut, as I still hadn't had any more people at my tables inside, and the manager had already cut the floor down to the closers and myself, which made no sense at all since we weren't even busy, and I only had two tables anyway. He promised me that I would be cut shortly. This was a round 10:30.

I still hadn't even made $50. While most of the other girls were bragging about having made over $150.

Quite frustrating.

I got up to serving about 4 regulars out on the patio. They weren't high maintenance, as they were just drinking, but it was still frustrating to have to put up with socializing with their perverted asses. One of them, whom I had never seen before, but have seen since was drinking rum and pepsi. He was extremely obnoxious, and grew more and more obnoxious the more he drank (as is usually the case). Our drink limit is 4. That means when a customer has had 4 drinks, the Hooter girl is supposed to go inform a manager. It is then up to the manager to determine whether or not the customer should be served further.

Mr. Rum and Pepsi was at his limit, and by this time it was 12:45. That's right. Fifteen minutes before closing time. I went outside to the patio and dropped off his bill. He promptly crumpled it up looked me in the eye, laughed and said "Sweetheart, I'm not finished yet."

I went straight inside and bawled my eyes out. I still had not made $50, had gotten probably 3 hours of sleep the night before, and was exhausted and disgusted with the regulars I had been taking care of.

The girls immediately started hugging me and asking what was wrong, and my manager came over to find out as well. I told him, and he asked one of the other girls to go get Mr. Rum and Pepsi's money. He tipped me $10, but it wasn't about the money.

I was going through the clock out/sign out/whatever procedure when Mr. Rum and Pepsi decided it was appropriate to come and apologize to me.

In his slurring he said something to the effect of "A girl as beautiful as you shouldn't be crying." During his slurred hardly comprehendible speech he thought it appropriate to attempt to hug me. This made me start crying again because by this point I was just tired and disgusted and annoyed. It was pretty horrible.

Before I left one of the regulars (a fairly normal one, I'll say) came in to tell me that he and another one of the regulars had a talk with the guy, and they hoped that this incident wasn't going to scare me away. I assured him it would take more than that to scare me off.


*sigh*

I haven't even been there a month and I already broke down and cried.

SO stupid.

2 comments:

  1. Oh no! Im so sorry to hear that. Since I have absolutely NO waitress-ing experience, starting off with 2 tables seems okie dokie with me. And about the $50 in one day issue, I was hoping that id make at least 100 dollars a WEEK! Im used to getting hit on and with some one the oddest comments that someone not even 20 years of age probably should not be accustomed to. But I'm a cry baby. Oh fudge.

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