The Answers to Yesterday's Quiz

How did you do? Let's find out.

1. Scotch Broth should have barley in it.

2. Sobressada comes from Spain , most notably Mallorca where Sobressada de Mallorca is protected so that no imitators can copy this dish.

3. The Indian cheese we are talking about is Surati manufactured in the town of Surat.

4. Tafia in the French West Indies was the original name of the spirit rum.

5. Oolong is a tea from Taiwan.

That is it for this week.

What Was It That Attracted You To Waiting on Tables Or Bartending?

For me it was the cash. Having money in your pocket at all times. Not having to wait for a cheque every two weeks.

Anyone else out there have a different reason why they got hooked into the business?

Did I Do This Right?

Last night this table asked for the bill and as I had some drinks to get for a 6 top I wanted to get this table paid and out of the way. He pulled out a gift and debit card.

I ran to get the portable debit machine and asked him if he ever used the gift card which was worth $50. He said no and I deducted that amount from the total.

I ran his card through and they took their copy and left before I closed the table on the Squirrel.

When I did , I noticed I over debited him $10. Well that was dumb on my part.

So I alerted all managers and left $10 in an envelope should they call back on the suggestion of a supervisor.

I think I covered all bases there. Alerted all managers and left $10 in the envelope in the office should they call back.

Now what happens this time if they email a letter to corporate this time??????

The Answers

Okay how did you do on yesterday's quiz?

1. This wasn't an easy one but the mammal that makes a good venison and found in the mountainous regions of the southern alps and Pyrenees of Southern France and northern Spain is called Chamois.

2. A la printaniere means spring vegetables usually prepared by tossing in butter.

3. The tobacco leaf on the nose usually is a good indicator the grape variety is a Cabernet Franc.

4. Green bell pepper is a good indicator that the grape variety is a Cabernet Sauvignon.

5. Mount Gay rum's home is that of Barbados.


There you go! Thanks for playing.

The Tuesday Quiz Makes a Return

Not sure how long I will continue doing the quiz. We will see what kind of response I get from this one. Had a great vacation and I hope you are all enjoying your summer , wet or dry.

1. What is the wild mammal's name that resembles a deer and considered one of the finest venisons? It is hunted in the southern region of France in the mountainous region where it lives located in the southern Alps , and also the Pyrenees where it is called izard for wild goat.

2. A la printaniere when referring to vegetables usually means they are what and how are they usually prepared?

3. When you are getting some tobacco leaf on the nose what grape variety does this usually signify?

4. When you are getting some green bell pepper on the nose usually this will signify this particular grape variety?

5. Mount Gay rum comes from what island in the Caribean?


That is the return of the quiz. Is your brain fried already?

Instead of just posting the answers later I will post them tomorrow and answer your replies as well all at once later tonight.

Have a good day!

The Answers

Okay here are the answers to this morning's mind twisting five questions.

1. If it is not Champagne then it is called Cremant and when you see it would be for example Cremant d'Alsace which would be a sparkling wine from the Alsace region of France and as a note these Cremants found everywhere in France usually are using a grape good for making Cremants within their region. Not necessarily the same grapes that go into making Champagne.

2. Cahors is the region I am thinking of when I talk of the Black Wine of Cahors.

3. Amontillado would be your medium dry sherry.

4. That dish I was talking of was called , Toad In the Hole.

5. To cut lettuce or any other leafy vegetable for that matter en chiffonade is to shred it.

Hope you had fun!

This Week's Quiz

Here we go right into it. Hope everyone is having a great week out there!

1. We know that the Champagne region in France has exclusive rights to the word champagne for it's sparkling wine but they do make sparkling wines elsewhere in France that cannot use the word champagne. Instead this word is used to denote a sparkling wine made elsewhere outside of the Champagne area in France. What is that word?

2. What appelation area in France was known for making what was called the Black Wine because of the heavy pigment in it? The area runs along the Lot River and the grape that made the Black Wine popular was the Malbec grape which is now popular in Argentina today.

3. Is an Amontillado sherry a dry , sweet sherry , or a medium dry sherry?


4. What is the name of the popular British dish that was originally baked in the oven consisting of pieces of cooked meat mixed with smoked bacon and covered with batter? Nowadays pork sausages arranged in a dish and covered with pancake batter and served very hot is becoming the norm. You would be really good if you got this one.

5. When we cut lettuce en chiffonade what are we actually doing to the lettuce? In other words how is it being cut? Or just tell me what the verb chiffoner is in English.

Waiting on Tables Is What I Do

At the beginning of the month I was wondering if all the restaurant goers decided to go on holiday at the same time. The first two weeks were brutal.

Now heading into the last few days of the month it looks like we are on track to beat our earnings from last June which is real good. Last night I even chalked up more sales than I did Saturday night which is rare.

I am not sure what was going on last night but everyone was ordering the nice bottles of wine and ordering the full meal , from appetizers and the entree , to the dessert.

Had an interesting table of five which were heading back to England. When I mentioned have a nice flight back she says oh no we are heading to the States first then taking the Queen Mary back home. That would sure be nice , wouldn't it! Then another table was trying to prospect me into a network marketing business. Quite the weekend!

Over the last 3 days in particular my tip percentages have been quite high at least for these parts. Last night my sales were $1380 and my tip out was a whopping $46 but I still walked out of there with a $185 for a 16.7% average tip.

To add onto that my wife came home with $100 in the morning. It doesn't always work out so well but with holidays coming fast , beginning on Saturday when we head out for a week , we will take it.

The one thing I have to say that I really like about waiting on tables is the immediate gratification you get when someone leaves you a nice tip for your service. There is no better feeling than driving home thinking that you helped someone have a great night out with their family and friends.

For as long as I can I will wait on tables whether it be full time or part time although the hours I am working now it may as well be part time. Not only does it give me a bit of exercise throughout the day but it gives me a sense that I am serving the public good by serving others.

Also the money is not half bad either!

Do You Prefer To Open or Close?

Most of the time I am the pre-closer or closer where I work and a lot of the time other waiters ask me whether I ask to be this. Everyday they see me doing the closing.

Well first of all I do not ask to be a closer unless it is a Tuesday when that afternoon my son has piano lessons that finish at 5PM. Then I start at 6:15 or 6:30. This allows me to come home and grab a quick bite and change then head off to work.

But lately I have noticed that the most money to be made comes after the first cuts have occurred sending the early starters home for the night. The last few nights especially I have had some really late decent tables.

I have opened as well and although it is nice to be home by 9 in the evening the income in most cases has been a trade-off.

So actually what I am getting at is I prefer being the closer or near the bottom of the list nearly all the time.

What about you? Is your place where you work have a strong opening where you make most of your money or does it build up so that at the end is when you make the most?

It Is Going to Be a Great Summer!

Well it has been a pretty good week for this household. First of all the boys finished school yesterday and my grade 2 guy is once again in the excellence club with even his classmates telling me that he is the smartest in the class. Our younger guy is going into Senior Kindergarten next year but he is far ahead for his age. They gave him a reading test which is unusual for JK and they stopped him at Grade 1 level. The last day he read Chicka Chicka 123... to the class.

My 7 year old got a 74 on his Level 1 piano exam where he has to know by heart 3 songs , and 2 more from the book , as well as a bunch of majors and minors , etc.. Considering he only takes a 1/2 hour lesson a week and he does that well with practicing on his own with hardly any help from anyone in the house says a lot.

We refinanced our mortage and threw in the van so we are saving $600 a month on that and the house will be paid off when I am just around 65 so I will be able to sail into the sunset rather than have a big chunk left to pay.

Our fridge is going kaput so we thought maybe we would need to borrow a bit of money but with this refinance the bank person said we should get up to $2000 when the transfer from the old lender to the new one next week is complete. That is really good. So a loan may not be necessary.

My wife asked to be given full time status so now in 3 months she will get the medical benefits that help out a lot when it comes to the dentist for the kids and prescription , so that is a savings there. She threatened to leave otherwise.

We are taking care of a neighbour's boy beginning in August which will bring in $400 more a month. It is not a big deal and it will continue throughout the school year. Our little one and him play well together.

I have 2 week's vacation coming up from July 4th to the 16th inclusive and one of those weeks at a sandy beach resort we go to every year.

Then during the summer there will be a trip to Lion Safari and Marineland with the kids , soccer twice a week. One week in July of Science camp and Play camp for the kids. Plus the piano lessons.

The wife and I are going to see Bryan Adams in August. We have a night stay with breakfast and dinner included to use up at a neighbouring inn. A lunch my wife won plus a night accomodation another night at the inn where she works. We have two free movie passes too to use up.

Throw in the usual visits and Canada Day celebrations and some work to keep it all going then before you know it we are back to September.

But it sure is going to be a fun , hectic summer!

Hey I Am 20 Years Old Again

Just more proof that no matter how long you work in this business and how much education you have , experience counts for nothing. Let me see after 30 years I have done a lot of things. All you have to do is look at the profile.

A couple of weeks ago when I thought that maybe I would need a second part time job , I applied to the Hyatt as a part time server in their dining room. I filed the application out on line and submitted it and then promptly forgot all about it.

Well this morning the wife checks the email and says there is a job something or other to look at from the Hyatt.

Now apparently I am not qualified for the part time server position but I do qualify for an Assistant ( Busser ) to the Beverage server in the cocktail lounge. Whhhoooooppppeeeeeee!!!!!!

Wow I was so freakin" excited I almost had a coronary!

Just think after 30 years I now can get my foot in the door in the Hyatt as a busser!!!

What's wrong with this Industry!!!!

Was It 8:45 Or 9:00 PM?

Well thank you for your interesting comments.

Okay so here we are the chef and I sitting in the dining room. We have been there for the lunch and now we might have had a table or two early on but it has been empty for the last two hours. Some nights no one would have showed up. It is 8:30 and the owner would sometimes call but most times not. He didn't do anything to bring the guests in and besides that he was plain rude to most especially when it came time to kicking them out to close up when he was around.

The chef was the one to close up and set the alarm. We would sit in a vacant restaurant for that time and wondering what the heck we were doing there. At 8:45 the chef turned the ovens off. We dimmed the lights although the lighting was pretty dim anyway. We sat and waited. Right when that clock struck 9 we were out at 9:01.

It was never the locals that came that late but always a passerby. It did only happen once or twice but you know if the chef wants to get out what is the point of sticking around for an hour after closing time on the only table of the night.

Folks I left this job at the end because when the chef gave his notice the owner had us all believing he had a chef replacing him coming in starting on the Sunday brunch the following day. At 9PM the night before on the Saturday I have 25 reservations for the next day's brunch. I finally had to take him aside and ask him who is the chef coming tomorrow. He says it looks like he is not coming as he was supposed to return his call that night but he never heard from him.

So I said maybe I should start calling these reservations up and telling them something like we will not be open. He says yeah I guess we better. Call them and tell them we have a gas leak in the kitchen and we should reopen on Wednesday. We were closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

He never did reopen or bother hiring a chef and the restaurant stayed closed for 3-4 years. I was unemployed.

You see perhaps we should have let that guest come in at 8:55 that one or two times it did happen because it would have been the right thing to do. Maybe I should have shown more gumption and told the chef that hey we are open till 9 so let's let him in. I am sure maybe some of you might even be disappointed in my behaviour but this place was a corpse being buried as we sat there. No life , no promos , no enthusiasm , no people , and most importantly of all no leadership and direction from the man in charge.

This is just my opinion but no matter how many good people you could have working in one spot , if the owner or manager is not showing an interest in the business , then they will not either. Staff will disperse quickly.

Like the chef did and I had to later on.

What Do You Think I Did , Honestly?

One restaurant I used to work at it was just the chef and I on Wednesday , Thursday and Friday lunch and dinner. It was so dead. You know the kind when you are the waiter , bartender , host , busser , answer the phone and make sure there is enough toilet paper available in the men's and ladie's washroom.

Some nights we would get a couple of tables in early then around 7:30 the chef and I would sit in the dining room and look out the window and watch the cars and people go by. Talk about everything under the sun. We were open till 9PM. About 8:45 the owner used to call up and ask how many we had and I would blurt out the number 4 or maybe 2 or maybe we were really busy and we had a dozen then he would just say something like oh well better luck tomorrow. You see it was a bit of a hobby for him. No stress here as he was loaded and the mortage was paid and he ran another company and was making scads of money from that one.

Anyway what I wanted to say is about 8:30 the chef would get up and say I am going to close down the kitchen and be back in a few minutes. Then he would come back and I would have done during this time my closing duties and we would sit there praying no one was going to come in now before we close.

Sometimes though someone would come between 8:45 and closing and want to eat.

Now I am going to ask you this one question. For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis and know me somewhat here is the question.

Did I nudge the door open just a bit before they entered to tell them we are just closing up now or did I welcome them with open arms showing them the best table in the house? Then tell me what you would have done and be totally honest. Don't give me any of the bullshit oh yeah but I would have let them in stuff.

Remember the chef and I lock everything up and set the alarm too. Now what do you think I did?

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.

Would You Have Tried To Talk Them Out of It?

Last night I had a couple who looked like they were in their late 60's come in. He ordered the steak and lobster and she orders the ahi tuna.

She ask me about the sauce and I explain and then I mention it is coming rare or at the most medium rare because any more and it is really tough. Kind of funny she looks at me and says , well as long as it is cooked through. I say yes but do you mean you would like it cooked well done or something to that effect. Puzzled she replies , well as long as it is cooked through. I then explain that is it going to have the same colour like a steak cooked blue , do you like that? It may have a cool centre as well. Adding I am not sure you are going to like it thinking that for sure once she taste it she is going to send it back. Even her husband is concurring with what I am saying.

Insisting that she wants to try it I put the order in and the food arrives. I do a table check and she wants a bit more sauce. She is eating the tuna and says it is fine.

Upon clearing I notice she did not finish the tuna but I didn't ask her again if she enjoyed it. I could have got into a long unnecessary conversation. They get two coffees and the bill and she paid and left what I thought was a decent tip. She was very kind and friendly at the end of the meal.

Now it appears that I handled this situation correctly. Whenever someone wants to try something and you do not think they will like it from the questions they are asking , I will say something to try to dissuade them from ordering it as I would prefer them order something they are familiar with. Also if they do indeed order that item I want them to understand that I tried my best to explain that might not be their best choice. I don't say something like you are making a big mistake but through my questioning and answers they will know that maybe they should just have that steak like they usually do.

Then once I do my quality check and everything is okay I leave it at that and I just go back fill the waters or I do whatever but I don't ask how they are doing again. I just want that meal to be eaten without throwing some doubt into the mix that could bring up a negative. She said it was fine and that is all I needed to hear.The same thing with clearing , I don't say anything.

At the end it was a successful outcome but personally I think she will skip the tuna the next time.

What would you have done? Tried to talk them out of it like I did or just take the order and hope for the best?

Don't Try To Screw Me Around

Tonight I was the closer and I have to sign off every one's read out signifying they have completed their side job.

I mentioned to the supervisor that when she takes the cash out report from this particular one to make sure that I have signed it. So I see this waitress walking back to give in her cash out and this particular supervisor wasn't there that I had spoken to but another one was.

Following them into the office I watch what this other supervisor is going to do and it looks like nothing so I chime in and say it look's like there is still more to be done with your side job. She says yeah I will do that and she does.

You see that is why I am the closer at night. I make sure everyone does what they are supposed to do before they leave.

I don't care if they have worked there for 15 years , they will do their side job because if they don't I will have to and that is not good for me.

That is why I was a good manager when I was. No favourites amongst the staff and no free rides for anyone. Just do your job and don't try to get away with it. Or else there will be consequences.

That is my way. Do it or else....

What Inspired You?

I have been doing some reading lately on others who have written bestselling books. Well actually only one so far that I completed yesterday which was the Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain.

What I found most interesting was how he was inspired to become a cook in the first place by trying that Vichyssoise on the cruise ship when he was with his parents. Then afterwards the oysters in France. Food became something more to him that just something you stuff down your throat each day.

As first a bartender then a waiter I cannot remember offhand anything that inspired me to get into the business in the beginning. There was no aha moment. I didn't drink a beer under a tree when I was 17 and say this is it for me.

I just sort of stumbled into it through a bartending course that I took 30 years ago. I don't know why I enrolled in the course at that time other than the fact I might have read in the ad that you could go on and get a job bartending. Maybe I just thought it would be a fun thing to do. I wasn't thinking of traveling or anything like that at that time.

In school when you are asked what you want to be when you grow up no one blurts out I want to be a bartender or waiter. It just sort of happens. No one thinks of it as a career.

The only reason I can think why I have endured in this business all this time is I like the fast paced action of it all. Everyday is different and the money isn't bad. I always liked change.

My question for anyone out there is what inspired you to be a part of this business and for those of you who do something else what inspired you to do what you do? Or was it just a fluke like it seemed for me way back when I took a course just to see what it would be like?

The Big Motivational Speech

This Monday is the last class for bartending until the Fall and all the time on the 9th class I give a big motivational speech especially aimed at the young ones.

What I say is quite simple. Thirty years ago I was in a Bartending course just like this one and I had no idea at that time where it would take me. But what I said was this and that was go big. This course is just a teaser on how far you can go. If you want to be a bartender then be a great one and work in places where you can make scads of tips. There are places out there where people are making a $1000 on a weekend. Maybe not where I am but elsewhere.

Go to Las Vegas and work in the casinos , try the cruise ships and get paid to travel , head out to resorts where there are guests throwing money at you when you serve them , or just head to the places wherever they are where the super rich go.

At the start yes of course go to places where you can get the experience and continue learning and practicing recipes. But don't settle for places where you have to clean the washrooms after your shift either. Go to places that will be good on your resume.

Continue taking courses such as Bar Management and don't drink on the job. Don't steal! Set yourself apart from the others.

The world is yours' in the Food and Beverage Business and you can go and work where you want anytime.

At the start just get out there and make some mistakes and learn. You are not going to be perfect your first day out. No one is. Nothing I can teach them in the class will prepare them for their first busy night other than get ready for when it happens.

At that point they were all gung ho to make some more drinks.

A Nice Compliment In a Round About Way

The other day I was doing a table with a 50th birthday being celebrated. Some people came first and were still waiting for the birthday boy to come along.

Then I see a bunch of older people with some kids and they are sitting down and so I say I guess we are still waiting for the guest of honour when I notice this guy putting the Happy 50th balloons around his chair.

Oh I said you are the guy and he says yeah I am 50 today. The guy had white hair and maybe looked a tad bit older. I quickly congratulate him.

Later during the meal I chime in and say you and I are the same age. A few others looked at me and said you are 50 too! Mentioning I was born in February they then look at me a bit surprised. Why you are older than him......

Naturally that made my day and the dinner was a success.