Tuesdays usually aren't very busy days at my restaurant.
The bulk of our work is done on the weekend. That's when we make most of our money.
This weekend was Father's Day, and while it was particularly busy, we found that many people didn't tip nearly as well as we might have expected.
All work and no pay, you might say.
Source: Pixabay.com
It sucked.
Everyone came to work exhausted on Monday. Some people didn't even show up. We usually provide a little bit of leeway for those who have worked all weekend long.... especially when they aren't earning as much money as they ought to be.
When I got to work today all of the corporate blowhards were buzzing about. No one was happy to see them.
These are corporate bigwigs that never do any noticeable work aside from sitting on their phone, laying back in a chair, and loudly talking to someone somewhere.
They will always find something negative to say to everyone. No matter what.
You can rest assured that you will be doing an awful lot of work when you see one of these corporate blowhards.... and you won't be getting paid for it since we get paid only in tips.
It's easy to get upset when you are angrily told something like "how can you allow little pieces of gum to get all over the sidewalk behind the restaurant?"
As I knelt down on a hard concrete with a tiny painter's tool, scraping up little pieces of dried burnt gum, I couldn't help but think to myself...."I've never noticed anybody chewing even a single piece of gum in here."
Go figure.
Some of the employees wanted to walk out. Some of the employees wanted to quit because of the amount of work we were given. I had to climb up on a ladder and WD-40 all kinds of little metal latches and sprinkler systems that I normally have never dealt with before. I didn't make any tips doing it.
There was a lot of work to do today. None of it felt good because there wasn't any money associated with it.
Nevertheless, we had to do it with a smile.... because if you don't keep a smile plastered on your face you get yelled at.
I understand the reasoning behind everything. However, I feel that a separate team should come and do these sorts of cleanup situations. One that is paid well.
Having said that, it's unlikely we will have to do a store clean up again anytime soon. If we see the corporate guys come in again then we will certainly be down in our knees one more time.
There's no reason to walk out though when you can just do what needs to be done and have it be over with.
Sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.