No More Raging Alcoholics or Stress-Bots

It’s November and December that throws us hotel restaurant servers into a daze.   

What was just a high-stress, crazed, slap-to-the-face work environment has recently settled into a quiet and relaxing work pace. 

And I have yet to decide if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Intense stress (I imagine) is probably not the best thing for our brains and our bodies.  I’m delighted I won’t be under this type of crippling stress until New Years Eve again.  I won’t be cursing at fellow servers or bartenders (or cursing at my guests under my breath in the side stations).  I won’t be sweating from running up and down a patio for six to eight hours in the San Diego heat.  I won’t be cursing the day I signed up for this nor will I be threatening to quit either (I actually handed in my two-week notice at some point during the summer mayhem).  I won’t have to down pitchers of my favorite local beer after work to vent with co-workers about the day’s monstrosities.  And lastly, I won’t have to make 100 plus silverware roll-ups in the hot, dry storage room for the last hour and half of a grueling ten-hour shift (these will forever be treasured as my “Somebody please kill me now!” moments). 

This time of year, I can actually take a deep breath again. 

And my (recently delightful) co-workers and I can actually act like human beings again.  We can socialize like normal civilians and talk about our lives outside of work (not just talk about how hideously rude table 95 is being or how we want to throw a steak knife at every single self-seater on the patio).  We can honestly get to know each other as friends, not just raging alcoholics and stress-bots.  We can actually serve our guests better as well (aside from the occasional hiccup when we get lost in a labyrinth of comedic conversation in the side station).  We can actually take pride in our work and rejoice in our (generally speaking) impeccable customer service.

I’ve been looking forward to this time of year all year...  Haven’t I?

Less stress in our work environment means less people and less people means less money.  And having less money (ahem… during the holidays) usually brings stress.   But of course having no money is a completely different kind of stress than intense work stress.  Let me put it another way.  A stress like, “I think I might need to learn how to strip to pay rent this month!” is a whole different level of stress than, ”I just got sat five four-tops at once… (brain about to explode)… But let’s go get brewskis after work and then go shopping!!!”

So what’s better? 

Ok.  I just decided the slow pace environment is a bad thing. 

I say … bring on the stress.  Because with more people come more stories.  And with more stories come more fun.  And it’s the fun stories, woven throughout humanity, that keep me serving. 

Oh yeah… and the money too.  ~ HK ~