Image Map

Friday, December 5, 2014

The Type of Customer to Not Be While At a Restaurant


After working in the restaurant business for the past 3 months, I feel as if I'm a professional in knowing what type of customer people are going to be. And I have also learned what type of customer I never want to be. So to help some of you out who have never worked in the restaurant business, I'm here to tell you how not to act while eating somewhere. Please take my advice and try to implement it into your everyday life style. K, thanks.

**Please note that there are a few exceptions to these scenarios I'm about to tell you about. However, they are very few and far between.


1. The customer who tips less than 15% for a big bill (or any amount of bill for that matter). If your server just did anything and everything in their power to make sure you and your party had a great time at the restaurant, please make sure to tip them at least 20%. There is no excuse to not tip them that much. They had to deal with you and your large party and do not deserve anything less. Even if they sucked, try to put yourself in their shoes. 

2. Sitting at a table for more than an hour. Like I can turn a table in less than 45 minutes sometimes. Which means if I'm working a 5 hour shift and you sit at my table for 4.5 of those hours, then you are taking money away from me. Now if you're going to tip me really well then whatever, but if you're only leaving me $4 for you to sit and do nothing but just talk to your date or whomever it is then you need to take your butt somewhere else. I could have had at least 4 more tables in that amount of time.


3. The super stuck up table. Please do not come into a place of business and act like you are better than any worker there. We are people too, in case you weren't aware. When you're ordering please look at me (this also helps me hear your order better). When I ask you a question please answer me. If I ask if your food is good the least you can do is hold up a thumbs up or something instead of ignoring me. You don't have to have a full out conversation with me or anything, but please remember that I'm just trying to do my job. 

4. The customer who tries to get their meal for free. We all know these people, they complain about anything and everything. They send their steak back 3 times because they ordered medium rare but really wanted it well done and when it's finally up to well done, it's too done for them. So then they get their $20 steak for free, which brings their bill down a ton. Which means their tip percentage really comes down a ton, even though the server just did ten times more work than needed. I understand if you order your steak medium or medium well and it comes out medium rare or rare that you'll want it cooked more, but when you order something medium or medium rare and it comes out that way please do not send it back a million times. Or try to learn how you like your steak cooked first.

5. And on that note, the customer who comes in with 3 coupons and a gift card. Awesome, you just got your appetizer for free and your kids meals for free. I understand everyone is on a budget, I'm a broke college student. But as a server I just did the exact same amount of work as I would have had you not had those coupons, so please think about that before you write down a $2 tip.

6. Finally, the one I'm sure you all knew I was going to write about. The customer who doesn't tip at all. Servers really are only living off of their tips, so when you don't tip them you not only made them work for free, but they are paying for part of your meal when it really comes down to it. I have to tip out a percentage of all of my sales, so if you don't tip me anything then that tip out is coming out of my own pocket. It is extremely rude and ignorant to not tip your server at all. They just worked hard to ensure that you had an enjoyable evening out and they deserve a tip. And personally if someone doesn't tip me it really affects my mood the rest of the night. It makes me feel as if I did something wrong (which normally isn't the case) and it just dampens the rest of the night. I'm not saying you have to leave a huge tip but at least leave something.



Thanks for listening to my rant. Good night.

 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

Simple Holiday DIY


I've been wanting to get back into my DIYness for awhile now, and the impending holiday seemed like the perfect time for it. We put the tree up on Friday and started decorating because Nick won't really be around for the next few weeks. And after seeing a picture of a dog outline on a painted canvas the wonderful idea struck me. However, I decided on the adorable santa hat photoshopped onto Luke's head for this one. 

Sidenote: if anything I say in this post doesn't make sense it's because I found one of Luke's hidden squeak balls and for some reason that I cannot think of now, I gave it to him. It's been non stop squeak for the past 3 hours. 

Anyways, all I did was print out the picture of Luke, get letter stickers, paint, and canvases from Michaels. And then got it done in like a day and a half because Luke requires more attention than a new born baby.

Luke was very into pictures that night, obviously. And his new sweater. That I adore and Nick thinks is crazy. Luke loved it too so we all know who won that battle. 
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Monday, November 10, 2014

Santa Time for Luke


Normally I would do a weekend update post for you on Monday. However, because this weekend was filled with nothing but missing Luke but also kind of enjoying the fact that I didn't have to rush to get home to him, I decided on a different type of post. I will fill you in on the super fast, super uneventful weekend though.
 
 
I worked Friday night. Cool. Then Saturday Amy came over to watch Luke because Nick and I had to go up to his parents to help his dad move. Amy watched Luke all day and then Carrie came over to watch him that night/through the night until the next morning. Amy had no problems with him. Carrie was a different story. I think one of the texts I got from her was "IM GOING TO MURDER YOUR DOG". Oh and, "Never ever ever watching your mutt unless he's old and can't walk". Obviously I can never ask her to babysit him again. After the little mishap of him getting away from her and one of our neighbors having to corral him back into the apartment, I think things went smoothly for the two of them. Except when we came home I found both leashes clipped together and when I asked Carrie how she was taking him out she told me, "strategically". Insert laughing/crying emjoi here.
 
Because Christmas is coming up in just a few short weeks. Joking, it's still like a month and a half away, but it feels like it will be here too soon. Probably because I have no money so that's fun. Anyways, because it will be here before we know it and this year I have a dog to spoil I decided we would check out all the gifts I want to/plan on getting Lucas.
 


 
 
I'm sure there will be more. And I know he will be spoiled. What gift ideas do you have for your pets for the holidays?
 
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Friday, November 7, 2014

Lucas Update

After searching for an area dog park since January, I finally found one. And a free one at that. Every other one I have found requires over $200 a year and 23254323 other things that you have to do before your dog can go run free for an hour. But I found one that is only 25 minutes away so the other day Luke and I jumped in the car and took off. We invited our friends Chelsea and Dexter along too. Well, I'm friends with Chelsea. I was just hoping Luke would become friends with Dexter. Thankfully I knew I didn't have a problem with that because Luke loves all dogs. And I was right. When we first got there a little dog was there and Luke took an instant liking to him. They chased each other for awhile until Dexter and Chelsea and another dog showed up. Luke got along perfect with Dexter and the little dog. But the other dog was the biggest bully. I felt like I was watching my child be bullied and all I wanted to do was step in. Hashtag crazydogmomprobs. After awhile of this dog jumping all over Luke and barking at him, while Luke totally ignored him and just tried to play with Beau and Dexter, the mom of this bully then decides to tell me that he has fleas. Uhhhh...... If you are as crazy obsessed with your fur child as I am mine then you know exactly what was going through my mind at this moment in time. Instead of saying what I wanted to say to this crazy lady, I calmly called Luke over to the other side of the park and I think the lady got the hint because she left not too long after that. So did Beau and it was just Luke and Dexter. Dexter is the fastest little booger ever and Luke was whining every time he would try to catch up with Dexter. And by the end of it Luke was laying on the ground while Dexter was continuing to run around him and get him to play. Luke is obviously my dog, young body old soul. If only I could insert that laughing/crying emoji here. 

Luke slept for the entire day/night after that. Which means I got to sleep that entire night. It was amazing. And if you're wondering if that means that Luke still doesn't sleep through the night, then yes, Luke still doesn't sleep through the night. I feel like I have a freaking mini human I'm taking care of instead of a dog. So cool.


Luke is like the tallest kid in his class. If only his height could get him a basketball scholarship or something. He looks so much older than Dexter but he's only like six months older. He just keeps growing. And growing. And growing. But in his mind I'm pretty sure he thinks he's shrinking. 

Oh and a few things he's done since I've been away:
  • Chewed the middle couch cushion, like entirely. So there is now no middle cushion which means he makes me move out of the way on the couch so he can get comfortable. Whatever.
  • Decided he was going to start chewing on wooden furniture. Our kitchen table, our kitchen chairs, and one of the end tables we put his leashes on. It looks like we have a freaking cat that uses the things to file it's nails, or claws, or whatever they are. 
  • Started sleeping more and more like a human. Nick is either gone on business or working nights so Luke gets to enjoy his side of the bed all to himself. He sleeps under the covers, on his side, with his head on the pillow. It's adorable. Seriously.
  • He's gotten better at going potty in the apartment. He barely ever has accidents. And he hadn't escaped from me when we go outside until I started to say something today. Now he's gotten away from me twice. So that's cool.
There's more I'm sure. Oh! He turned one!! We had a birthday party for him. Nick, Luke, and I celebrated it with way too many toys and a dog cake. Luke wore ate three birthday hats as well. You'll notice that Nick got a good picture with him, while I got some wonderful pictures that I'm sure will be framed some day. It seems that I can never get a good picture with Luke but Nick always does. I don't know if that means that I'm just an amazing photographer or if Luke just hates me. Either way, it makes for some interesting pictures. 

Now that I've welcomed myself back to this world, I'm sure you'll all be seeing lots more of Luke. Because he's obviously the best part of me.


 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Thursday, October 30, 2014

It's Been Awhile

A really, really long while. I decided to take a little break from blogging for awhile just because I wasn't sure if it was what I wanted to do anymore. I needed to decide if blogging was something that belonged in my life or not. After almost two months though, I found myself missing it more and more. I always felt like I had nothing to write about but really I loved writing about anything I felt like because this is like a little memory book for me. I want to be able to look back on this in a few years to see where I was in life and what I had accomplished/not accomplished. So I've decided to come back and grace all of you with my presence once again. You're welcome.

A lot has been going on in the past two months. Since I know everyone would rather look at pictures than read words on a page, I'll post some pictures to show you instead of just writing it all down.

 
 

So that's what I've been up to for awhile. Hanging out with family, friends, Nick, and Luke. We went to the Rams/Cowboys game, we celebrated Luke's first birthday, we celebrated my 23rd birthday, and we carved pumpkins. It's been a pretty wonderful past couple of months. I turn in my senior portfolio Monday and I'm having a mini panic attack about it. If I don't get a 70% or higher than I don't get to graduate. So there's that.

What have you all been up to lately? I even stopped reading blogs for awhile. So I am entirely out of the loop on all things blog!
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

First Two Nights At TRH

Yes, that is a selfie. So sue me.

I am officially employed again. It's not the career job I wanted, but because SIUE is such a wonderful school (eye roll) my degree won't be complete until I finish this unpaid internship that starts next week. So in the meantime I had to find a job that would allow me to continue to live with the two crazy boys in my life. Carrie has been working at TRH since January, so that's where I ended up. I'm actually really excited about it. Mainly because you can make some killer tips, if you're friendly, which is something I might have to work pretty hard on. Joking. Kind of. 

Monday was my first night of training and it was slightly overwhelming. And by slightly I mean extremely. I guess they start training on Mondays because they're usually not that busy but it was Labor Day and everyone decided it was TRH day as well. We were swamped. So I was thrown right into everything. I mean, I was shadowing a trainer but still. I also haven't worked a job that requires me to stand on my feet for more than five minutes to walk from my desk to the fridge and back in almost five years. So there's that. After Monday night I wasn't quite sure if I was going to but cut out for it. My short hand on all the orders I took consisted of only one letter for each thing. Like if someone ordered a 6 oz sirloin, medium well, with a baked potato loaded and green beans it looked like 6oz SMWBPLGB. Like what the hell even is that? Oh, and they do line dances there. I tried learning one, which only lasts 1.5 minutes and when we were done my legs felt like jelly. I need to go to the gym. I mean it's only been about 247329 years since I've been.

But then Tuesday everything went a million times better. I practiced more on the computer which is going to take a minute to learn since there's five million buttons. I was really fast on the computers at McDonalds, a skill I'm sure everyone wishes they had, so I'm hoping that once I get the hang of these computers I'll be as fast as all of the other workers. And don't even get me started on holding a tray with all that food on it. So heavy. I'm the weakest person in the entire world so holding on of those bad boys is my worst nightmare. My trainer last night had me carry a huge, heavy box around on the tray while practicing picking up a tray stand. I looked like a huge idiot but I really think it helped. By the end of it though my forearm was throbbing. Again, I need to go to the gym. But my short hand got a lot better, I got new notepads and pens so I was able to organize the orders better, and my trainer had me greeting tables and taking their orders so I feel a lot better about this job. It's still really overwhelming but I feel like I'm going to be able to do it.

One of the cons of this job is the fact that I don't get home until almost 11 each night and we all know my bed time is strict 10 pm. I don't even have to look at the clock at work to know that it's almost 10 because I start getting super sleepy. Luke doesn't care that I work on my feet all afternoon/evening either because he doesn't want to go to sleep when I get home and then likes to get up in the middle of the night and early in the morning. So that's been super fun. I may be a little crabby right now, but I'll get use to it.
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Monday, September 1, 2014

I've Got the Baton!

Today I'm holding the Blog Baton on Instagram thanks to Mason over at Mason Like The Jar! If any of you know me you know how exciting this is because I'm slightly obsessed with Instagram. So if you have the chance today, head on over to the Blog Baton Instagram to check out what I'm posting! And while you're at it, head on over to Mason Like The Jar to check out how you can hold the baton!!
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

I've Become a Chef

The whole "I want to cook all the things" is starting to come out in me. It's starting small though. And by small I mean pancakes from the little shaker thing small. And then it turned into omelets with things other than just cheese in them. And salads. And pasta. Like I said, small. Nick and I have also decided we are going to start eating better since we were eating fast food or going out to eat at least once a day. I'm not joking, it was seriously all.the.time. So we went to the good ol' supermarket of Wal-Mart and bought a bunch of healthy food, along with some snacks for Nick because he went shopping hungry. Men, I tell ya. 

Anyway, continuing on with the "small" pattern of cooking, tonight I made grilled cheese. I don't think I've ever actually made grilled cheese on my own. For the longest time I didn't even like grilled cheese. But I wanted to do something with my avocado other than eat it with a fork, which is what I did with one half anyways. So I decided to put it in my grilled cheese. And this is what I got.

*I would like to note that I am obviously a professional food photographer. You'll be able to tell by looking at the pictures I took.

All I did (and I'm posting this incase there is anyone else out there like me who had to google how to make grilled cheese) was this:

-Got two pieces of whole wheat bread, a half of an avocado, two slices of cheese (I like cheese, okay?), and some slices of turkey
-Butter one side of each piece of bread
-Heat the skillet to medium heat
-Put one piece of bread butter side down
-Put on your turkey, cheese, avocado slices, cheese, and the other slice of bread butter side up. You obviously don't have to put it all in that order but I would for best flavor because I'm the chef in this post
-The sandwich was ready to be flipped after about fish minutes to the other side, or right after I had layered everything on top of it
-I cooked the other side for another 2ish minutes and BAM

Baby steps but I like to think I'm on my way to becoming the best chef around. Or at least in this house. And since the only other people in this house are Nick and Luke (yes, I consider him a people) it isn't really that hard. But I'm giving myself the benefit of the doubt, okay?
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

It's My Day

Mom is letting me take over again today. Maybe it's because she's too tired to think of anything creative herself. I like to think it's because I'm so awesome that I'm the one better suited to write a post on a day that should be revolving around me. (Mom would like me to tell you that every day revolves around me). Anyway, today is National Dog Day and anyone who is anyone should know that. I mean it is the most important day besides the day I was born. So I thought for my post I would just tell you all about what I've been up to since Mom sucks at posting on a regular basis.

 I've been sleeping
 And then sleeping some more
 I got a new toy so I played with it for awhile. Then fell asleep again.
 I discovered digging in actual mud and not just digging the couch or the bed. It was amazing. I loved it. I can't wait to get an actual yard that I can run around and dig in. Dad says that won't happen and I just laugh to myself when I hear him say that.
 There's been some more sleeping
 This was a Friday night. Mom and I turned up, obviously. Is that how you even say that? I'm just a dog, what do you want from me?

 Mom had to bug me while I was just waking up the other day. Why can't she just let me relax for once without taking a picture?
 I've been doing a lot of watching Mom and Dad eat. I beg and beg for food but they don't give in to me so I've just resorted to sitting on the couch or the floor while they eat. Whatever.
 I've been doing a lot of cuddling with mom. But I'm kind of getting sick of her being home. Like go get a job or something, seriously.
 Dad likes to pick me up sometimes. I have no idea why.
 Mom tries to take selfies with me all the time. Will she never realize that I hate them and think they're overrated which is why I never sit still or look at the camera for her? Sheesh.
And today my diet consists of ice cubes and water because I was sick all night last night and Mom thinks this will help. Like all I want is my dog food and some carrots lady, come on.

And now it is time to go back to sleep since that's what I do best. And it seems like it's the only thing to do since Mom says it's way too hot to go do anything outside. It's only been 97+ degrees everyday for the past week. And the news guy just said it feels like 104 outside already. Just take me to a pool or the lake and let me jump in people!
 photo signiature_zps56ce7144.png