It Has Been Totally Awesome!

It has been a week since my last post. The next day I was going to post something but with the kids out for Spring break I decided to delay it a day. Then the next day came and I didn't post anything and the whole week just continued like that.

For the past year and a half I have been writing about anything and everything I could think of about the restaurant industry. I have even regurgitated old things and put a different slant on them just to post something. As the week wore on with me not posting anything a strange thing occured. I got more accomplished. I was more relaxed. I started to read a book I put aside a while back.

We bought the tickets for Iceland where we will be going the end of June to mid-July to spend time with my wife's family. I finished my third assignment for my home study course. On my day off headed to Toronto to visit my brother Blair and where he worked and took the kids on their first subway ride on what was a beautiful balmy day. Got our passport photos done.

My wife and I have been working steady. Today and tomorrow are my first two days off in a row since before Valentine's day. A couple of more months till the end of May I plan on working just as hard. I think I am the only one getting five shifts a week right now which is great and if the bartending course gets enough people to sign up beginning on April 12th that would be an added bonus.

Honestly if people read blogs to get the scoop on some silly request by a guest this is not a blog to read. I just work through it and keep every thought I can possibly come across positive. We are getting it done. Goals are being reached and I am in a happy place.

The battle is won between your ears. Len Lobby from the Las Vegas Weekly sent me a link to an article that talked about waiting on tables and other positions that rely on tips. Check it out by clicking the title. The one I like is about the 60 year old waiter who basically says that bad tips come with the good tips and really he just accepts there will be bad ones. Probably why he is still a waiter. He knows it is just a numbers game. That is all it is.

As long as you can work in a place that is busy enough so you can have enough people to serve to overcome the bad tipper you will always make some money. It is just the law of averages.

As for the blog I will not post as much. Unless I get ideas from you or have questions you would like to have my opinion on I will keep it to perhaps a couple a week. In the past I have posted stuff just to post something and usually it has been about some silly guest. To be truthful except for that idiot couple I have posted about a couple of times not much gets to me. By the time I walk out the door and driven home for half an hour my night is forgotten. When it comes to writing about serving , clearing tables , or other stuff concerning waitering and bartending there are others that are doing that already and doing a good job at it.

For those of you who I am grateful for following me right up till now the part I have really enjoyed is talking about jobs I have had and my travels. This business I have enjoyed immensely and still do. I couldn't think of doing anything else except to write about it someday in a book.

It has been totally awesome!

So when I do post now it will be on something that you want to hear about or that I think may be of some significance going on in my thoughts. I will try to make it as fresh as possible.

By the way if any of you out there want to keep in touch more often via the email drop me a line. I know I have made some friends out there in the blog world. We are all the same in this world just doing the same thing trying to make it happen.

steve@stevetalks.ca

Last Night

Okay in my previous post I mentioned I had a bad gratuity night. This is not normally the case but let me explain what happened.

I have this 4 table section which is easy enough. I have a two top eating their mains , another 4 top eating their mains , the other table still going on was just getting their desserts and coffee. Then I am told in another section I am getting a 6 top , why I am not sure. They sit down and 5 people are there waiting for the other to arrive. While waiting for the other person I get their drinks then I am told I have been sat in another section with a table of 4. So I am buzzing around and I get those drinks delivered then at that moment that 4 top needs clearing and the 2 top wants what is left on their plate packed up. But I got to get to the 4 top that has been just sat and they are ready to order drinks , food and special request stuff. I take the order. Now the 6th guy arrives in the other table in the other section and they want to order appetizers. I take the appetizers and punch them in then get the drinks for the new 4 top that just came.

I scurry over to finally clear the 4 top in my old section and they do not want the dessert. I give the table that is eating dessert their bill and this 4 top and now I get a chance to clear and pack the 2 tops meal. I packed it this time to at least give a bit of service since I was behind in giving them a take out container to pack it themselves. I give them the bill and collect the other 2 bills and get the money or credit card then return it and settle the 2 top.

I am then sat a deuce in another section. At this point I am wondering if everyone has been cut but me! I say hello and run to the 6 top to get their entree order. Another stupid order with special request that with modifications is taking me longer to punch in than normal. Naturally these people who wanted to order just their appys first now had to wait at least 20 minutes to get their entrees. I should have been more vigilant and ask quickly for their entree order when I took their appys. Or told them they would have to wait a while and there would be a large gap in between. C'est la vie!

Now I think I am in the clear and I can do maintenance on my tables and take the new 2 I just got and jot their order down. But the 4 top that was ready to order right away needs more drinks and then I get sat another deuce at the same moment.

After that what happened was this 6 top only got half their meal delivered to their table. I went back into the kitchen asking where the rest of table 46's order went. The expo says it went out. Like hell it did cause the plates were not on the table. So I had to see what was missing and that was still on the expo line and an appy was missing on top of that. They were not pleased and the result was $15 on $230. Hey at least the food was cooked right!

I get sat a 5 after that who tipped me lousy as well. Like it was a altogether a $11 tip.

So that was my night last night.

But what I do not get is when I had 4 tables and the pre closer had none. And he ended up making more money than me. The table of 6 that I took was in his section.

What I do not understand is am I , who seems to be the closer every night , pretty much being given the rest of the tables after the rush. The other night on Monday I was the only server on from 9:15 on till closing at 11. Now in a 53 table restaurant that is quite busy at the worst of times wouldn't you not want to take a chance so early and leaving one waiter on????

Last night there I was given tables everywhere and the service suffered slightly as well as my tips. That is what happens when labour is saved at the expense of service in my opinion.

What do you think?

The Answers To This Mornings Quiz

Here we go with the answers. This wasn't so easy this week. I have another book I found in the closet that I am using to refresh my memory on some things I have learned in the past. You should get at least one of these right though.

1. A Vodka and Cranberry is what they call a Cape Codder.

2. A tequila instead of vodka in a Bloody Mary is called a Bloody Maria cocktail.

3. Bull's Blood wine that actually says Bull's Blood on the label comes from Hungary.

4. For all you chefs out there you should have got this one. Sweetbreads of course!

5. Your Tarte Tatin fruit filling is apple. An apple tart is what it is.

Hope you all liked the quiz this week and see you soon.

The Quiz Of The Week

Here is the Tuesday quiz all set ready to go right now. Good luck to you all.

1. A Vodka and Cranberry goes by what name of cocktail? Yes there is a name given to this drink.

2. What is the name of the cocktail that has Tequila replacing the vodka in a Bloody Mary?

3. Bull's Blood is the name given to a robust red wine made from the Kadarka , Kefrankos , and Medoc noir grape varieties. Legend has it warriors back in the day on their horses scared their opponents when splashing themselves with this red wine that was so red it was mistaken for blood which frightened the heck out of the invaders. In what country does this red wine come from?

4. What is the culinary term for the thymus gland found in the throat in calves , lambs and pigs?

5. When you order a tarte tatin what fruit filling will you be getting?

Answers later.

The Quiz For This Week

Here we go for this week's quiz. Good luck to all!

1. What is the well known brandy from Greece called?

2. What is the name of the German brandy based herb flavoured bitters usually sold in single-nip portions and consumed in one quick gulp?

3. What grape is best known for making great vintage ports from Portugal with it's high extract , tannin , and fruit aromas?

4. A pousse-cafe drink is when liqueurs of different colours and densities are layered one on top of another in a cordial glass and meant to be downed in a single gulp. What is the difference between a pousse-cafe and a pousse-amour? The making of the drink is identical except for one difference. What is it?

5. What country is Sbrinz cheese from?

How will you do this week?

Three Reasons Why I Always Repeat The Order Back

I am a great believer in writing everything down when I take the order. First of all I don't like to rely on my memory. If I do , by the time I run to punch in the order I may have lost my train of thought because someone interrupted me. It happens like when someone stops you to ask something or you have to wait for a terminal to free up to punch the order you have just taken mentally. Especially with special requests and allergy alerts. Always I write it down.

Another thing that I do that few don't is actually repeat what the guest has ordered back to them. This eliminates the mistake that occurs when you know someone ordered something and you write it down and then they get their dinner exactly as they ordered it and it needs to be cooked more or maybe it is overcooked. Then you have to bring it back to the kitchen to get it fixed up. Then the blame game starts and the customer is an idiot.

Now maybe I am the only one who this happens to but let's say the guy orders his steak medium rare , when I repeat back to him Medium rare his partner says no you want yours' cooked to medium well. He then says , do I like mine medium well and then the partner well go on to say that is the way he had it last time and liked it very much. At home he has the same thing.

So then he says okay I will have it medium well and he gets his steak and it is cooked the way he likes it. No worries.

Here is my point , when you repeat back to the person as you are writing down their request on your pad , what happens is first of all everyone else at the table knows what that person has ordered so if it comes back as they ordered and they complain , everyone knows at the table that is exactly what they had ordered. So you are not an idiot.

The second reason is when you repeat the order back to them it serves to trigger a memory at the table either by someone else who knows what that person really wants , or maybe that person has now heard back what they have just ordered and says no I meant this instead.

Also of course it serves as a check that I have heard them properly.

Repeat the order back to the guest for these 3 reasons and you will find that you have less dealings with the kitchen as to plates coming back than your co-workers.

It is all about attention to detail.

I Don't Know How You Do It?

This morning my wife comes home after working 5 1/2 hours with $18 in tips as there was only 2 rooms in the inn where she works. Tonight the restaurant was dead and I served 12 people and took home after tip out $52.

I said to some people there that when it is slow for a waiter and both of the money earners in the family are working as waiters money can be tight. When it is busy it's great but when it is slow it is tough.

That is when the supervisor said I don't know how you do it meaning income wise. When I think about it I really don't know either. We manage but that is about it. When it is good it is very good and when it is slow you have to work more to make the same amount.

So next week my wife picks up some lunches and I picked up another shift so that will make 7 days in a row with my next day off Wednesday the 13th.

One thing we are definitely doing when our kids come of age is to discourage them from doing the hospitality business. Do anything else but this. This industry is way too uncertain , inconsistent , doesn't really offer any benefits , and where you work basically owns you with respect to working on holidays and long hours for not so great pay.

Who out there can remember the same money they make now is what they used to make 20 years ago?

Our deal is with 2 young kids we can work our schedule around them. That is the big perk.

So as the summer comes it slows down and then we re-energize for September. But for the meantime we wonder how we get by on such slow days...

Dumb and Dumber Came To The Restaurant Last Night

I have a couple of good ones from last night.

The first one is a lady who is waiting for her husband and while doing so orders a frozen margarita. She drinks that and orders another one. She finds out her husband has decided not to come and go out as she says somewhere else with his friends. Sort of makes you wonder about that one.

Anyway she had an escargot before that so now she decides she is going ahead to order dinner and promptly orders crab cakes then a sirloin and dungeness crab entree. With it she orders a Bloody Caesar. After spending an hour eating her meal , she ask for the bill. For a quick moment she heads to the bar to talk with the bartender and comes back to her seat to sign her credit card slip. It is a $96 tab and she leaves me $4 tip! I think what is it with this lady.

She leaves and the bartender calls me over and ask me how many frozen margaritas did she have. It was 2 and she starts to shake her head. She had gone up to the bar to tell her that the Frozen Margaritas had too much ice in them! Duh, it's supposed to have ice in them they are frozen you dingbat! And besides why would she order a second one if she didn't like the first one or at least tell someone about it?

The second customer was a doozy. She is going to order the Prime Rib which we are known for from the right side of the menu. I ask her if she wants anything with it to start and she says salad. Okay I respond , why don't I order you the Prime Rib Classic dinner that includes the salad with it so I can save you some money. This is from the centre page of the menu that has the same Prime Rib with the salad and some vegetables included with it. Sort of like the combo deal you get at a fast food place.

She says no I don't want that prime rib cause the last time I was here I ordered that with the salad and wasn't very happy with it so now I would like this prime rib that was on the right hand side of the page.

I begin to tell her it is the same prime rib. Trust me I explain it is the SAME PRIME RIB. What a moron!

Some people you wonder how they get through life....................

Some Tips On Storing Wine

There is a few things when you store wine for any length of time in a wine cellar that everyone should be aware.

1. Temperature.

The ideal temperature of a wine cellar can range anywhere between 7-18C ( 45 to 64F ) with the ideal temperature about 11C ( 52F ). The most important thing is that the temperature does not fluctuate at all. If the cellar goes from warm to cold and vice versa the wine will age faster by affecting the cork causing it to expand and contract letting in the oxygen , robbing the wine of it's character in the process. Warm temperatures are altogether discouraged so much so that even while shipping wines elsewhere they have to be done by temperature controlled containers or shipped only in cool times of the year.

2. Humidity

In order to keep the cork moist and flexible so that it doesn't dry out the humidity must be between 60 and 70% in the cellar. It is not a good idea to store wine in a refrigerator for longer than a week as the refrigerator dehumidifies and the cork could dry out there as well. For example your house white wine can be stored in the cold refrigerator at work because you know it will be used quickly but a really good vintage white burgundy , that may not be ordered as much , after a time in the fridge may start losing some of it's quality due to cork damage and the cold temperatures.

3. Light.

Wines that are being laid down for any length of time should be stored in the dark. In fact when being kept for a long period the buyer should do their best to buy the wine and take it home in the carton and lay it on it's side so the cork will remain moist. Ultraviolet rays affect all wines at a different rate. Depending on the colour of the bottle with brown bottles being the least affected to green and clear bottles being the most affected.

4. Position.

A wine bottle should be stored on it's side so as to keep the corks moist and airtight. The only two exceptions to this are the screwtop wines , and sparkling wines which have enough CO2 in them in the open space between the cork and the wine to ensure enough humidity to keep the cork from drying out and shrinking.

5. Movement.

Unless you live above a subway or near a train track this should not be too difficult to achieve. Just make sure that the wine goes through the least movement possible which means no vibration. Don't put an expensive bottle of wine near a blender in other words. If a wine has sediment or is a sparkling wine and it is stored in a location which vibrates this can affect the wine after a time.

A final note is when choosing a spot in your house to store wine choosing your basement is better than choosing your kitchen. You want a spot where you can control the above mentioned tips. If you do not have a basement the next best spot could be your big closet behind where you hang your coats. Dark , constant temperature , no vibration , good humidity , and a wine rack you can lay the bottles on their side. Or better yet they have some good ones on the market where all the above can be monitored.

People who are serious about starting a wine collection would do well to invest in something like a monitored enclosed wine rack. Especially with the extreme temperatures we get nowadays.

Hope this has been informative for you.