#restaurant chronicles

[butchcarmy]

entering the restaurant industry!

hello friends I wanted to update y’all on my most recent endeavor :) I’ve thought about this for a long time now but I wanted to voice it! I blabbed a lot so I’ll put it under a cut

I haven’t gotten a job in front or back of house yet but I’ve been applying like crazy! I’m hoping to hear back from these places soon :) I rly wanna be a line cook but I also would love to be a server.

I’ve always loved cooking! And as I get older I love it more. I want to know how it works, how flavors go together, how to best cook everything, how to innovate. And I also want to experience the controlled chaos of the kitchen.

I don’t know if this is a red flag but I see the insanity of the kitchens in the bear and I WANT IT. even when I watched it the first time there was something beautiful about it to me. I’m not saying that being in the restaurant industry is 100% like the bear (it is a dramatized tv show after all), but the truth that lies in it is quite beautiful to me. I know it won’t be easy. It excites me

I think I also see a lot of carmy in me right now. miserable and lost, but eager to learn and do well. A love for cooking. Obsessive and perfectionist tendencies. Even running away from your toxic family. Knowing that I could be really fucking good at this.

I dunno. I just I have a future here. I’m not used to having dreams or seeing myself in the future. I never realized, but growing up, I didn’t feel like I was allowed to have dreams. My father is cynical and practical to a fault. I learned a lot but also… there was a cost. I’m not sure if I’ve ever truly had a dream for myself. And for the first time, this is something for me.

The hardest part is finding my way in. I don’t have a car and the bus system isn’t ideal, so finding accessible restaurants is hard. I had two opportunities that I thought were looking really bright, but then it just got crushed. I hate job searching right now. It’s so brutal.

Idk… I was gonna talk about this once I landed a job but I wanted to blab abt it now. I try not to talk about my personal life too much on here bc I wanna keep it relevant but… this feels like an appropriate place to chronicle this sort of thing.

Will update again when I get a restaurant job. Thanks for reading if u did <3

[butchcarmy]

I just read your post about entering the restaurant industry and I think it is incredible that you’ve found something that inspires you so much. That in itself is truly inspiring. Hoping you have a good first day and even better days in the future. I hope you will keep up updated along the way. You’ve got this!

ANON😭 I was just thinking about how nervous yet excited I am for tomorrow, and then I read this. Thank you so much for such kind words! When my feelings of inspiration falter, comments like this will boost me up again :)

I’m…probably saying way too much here, but…I wanted to say that this past year, I’ve been without the support of my family. I haven’t talked to them in over a year, very complicated and fucked situation. It’s been really hard and sad for me—my parents were never great people, but there’s a certain lonely sadness I carry knowing they’re not behind me to back me up anymore, even if it wasn’t ideal in the first place.

With that being said, words of support like this mean more than I can even express! I hope that this isn’t too intense of a response, but I really wanted to show how much this comment means to me. I’m definitely going to keep y’all updated :)

[wtfel]

Also as it turns out last night was just uppity cunt night at work because we had another woman who left her phone in the bathroom, and when she finally bothered to ask for it [45 min after we'd found it] she got really angry and actually yelled "Um, this is my PHONE. And you just KEPT IT for an HOUR without asking if anyone had lost it?!?!" at the waitress. She was genuinely furious we hadn't gone around asking anyone if they'd left their iPhone in the bathroom. Okay.

ON TOP OF THAT we had a table of three girls who sat around outside [it was really busy outside] for three fucking hours for DRINKS and when the Maitre'D very politely explained to them that there was a large party waiting for their table [the only table outside that could accommodate 5+, we'd given it to them because the night had been slow when they arrived....three hours ago] they smiled and agreed since they'd paid the bill already and then proceeded to sit there for another half hour. The other party ended up walking out, pissed, and one of the girls from the table very loudly complained to the manager about how rude it was to 'kick out paying customers' and how 'she comes in ALL the time and we just lost a VERY valuable customer because we felt the need to kick her out', all while side eyeing the Maitre'D and looking smug as hell for complaining about her within earshot of her (and half the restaurant, she was clearly trying to cause a scene).

[wtfel]

Tonight a 103 year old man and an 80+ year old woman came to my rescue

There's only one regular at my job that I can sincerely say I'm always happy to see. He's 103 years old, walks in [with the aid of his caretaker and a cane], sits down, and eats a medium rare steak. Every day. His caretaker is the loveliest woman and is always extremely sweet and patient, and they've never been anything but grateful for the fact we treat them as warmly as possible.

This [very obnoxious] woman came in tonight and announced that she was part of a party of 4 that included this man/his caretaker and she was waiting on them and her husband to arrive. It was her decision to sit outside and she made it before even consulting anyone else, and I was told that they could sit anywhere besides one specific table. Naturally we get to their table and this woman decides she NEEDS to sit at that specific table. When I show her the table they would be sitting at, which was literally next to it, she immediately goes "THERE ARE FOUR OF US. THIS TABLE ONLY HAS THREE CHAIRS!". No shit sherlock, I moved one of the chairs so it would be easier to sit the fuck down since the fourth person wasn't even there yet. This gives you an idea of what i was dealing with. As I was about to explain why they couldn't sit there [there was a MASSIVE DOOR that opens into it that had to be opened in the next half hour, and it had to be moved for the door to be opened] the 103 year old man, who I'd never heard speak before [his caretaker speaks to him in Polish exclusively and he nods/shakes his head] opens his mouth and goes "This table is fine, you seat us wherever you want us to sit" and motions for his caretaker to put him in his seat at the table. The other woman completely ignores this and keeps insisting on the other table before he turns to her and makes it clear he's fine where he is. As I thank him for being so understanding and apologize to the woman for not being able to give her the other table, she lowers her voice and says "He's over 100 years old and he comes in every day and it was incredibly rude of you not to accommodate him, I cannot believe you wouldn't do that for him" and storms off to get my manager. 

Another very old woman saw the entire thing unfold nearby, and waved me over. I was already very much on edge so I was expecting a lecture, and instead the woman goes "Sweetheart you are such a wonderful person, I can't believe you were to nice and patient with that awful woman. I saw the entire thing and my god, what a bitch she was to you! and you kept a smile on your face the whole time and just apologized. You did everything perfectly and I'm so sorry I didn't just tell her off myself." And then, apparently, badass old lady calls my manager over and makes sure to let him know that the woman was being a massive bitch and I handled the situation perfectly. She stopped by the hostess stand on her way out and told me she hoped I knew that women like that are miserable and it has nothing to do with me. 

Anyway I love old people they are the best respect your elders and they'll call out anyone who's being a bitch to you because they don't give a fuck anymore