My Name's Sidney, and I'll be Your Server Tonight

I finally got a job.
 After a year and a half of trying, something finally gave.
The restaurant Rib City is the place where it's all at.

Tony, the owner, has had a lot of issues with theft and bad workers, so she only hires based on recommendations. My friend Dani has worked there since she was 15, so all of the recommendations given by her are taken seriously by Tony. Dani had put my name in multiple times over the course of a couple of weeks, and last Monday Dani texted me telling me to come in and talk to Tony- she was looking for two new servers, and this was my chance. The "interview" wasn't really an interview. She asked me what my experience was, when I could and couldn't work, when I could start, gave me a shirt and that was that. I honestly was ecstatic with the situation, and couldn't wait to start.

Last Wednesday was my first day, I went Friday, and tonight as well. Obviously, I have to be trained, and so Carla is the person doing the task. She is fantastic, seriously. She walks me through everything, goes through details, and gives me advice. Her personality is very by the book, do the rules, and do it right. Tonight, there was a new girl training, and so I was put on to train with Becky instead of with Carla. Becky is completely different from Carla. She's laid back, has fun, looks for things to laugh at in everything, and barely gave me any instruction. It really was the best contrast I could ever ask for. I saw two different kinds of serving, two different kinds of personality, and two different ways of handling some of the same situations.

Now, don't think that the training is going all perfect and nothing could be better. In all honesty, this is the most stressful work I have ever experienced. There is so much to remember. I have to memorize the menu, know the specials, know the portion sizes, know how to work the computer, remember all the orders, be personable but not too annoying, help the kitchen run, balance tables, and work quickly. I feel like everything cancels each other out, so I am going in circles. Really, it's just new and I have no idea what I'm doing, so I'm faking it until I make it. It's going to take time, and I can already see it's going to take a lot of long, hard, exhausting nights until I get it down and good. It'll all come eventually- I just don't want that eventually to be forever away. Maybe I'm too much of a perfectionist, anyway.

In the grand scheme, I am so glad I got a job. It's something new and it's stretching me very hard. Wish me luck- come visit me sometime! Rib City does make the best baby back ribs. (: