Vent: That shift where everything went wrong on a Tuesday night

I'm talking the ticket machine jammed, the walk-in cooler fan died at 6pm, and we had a 12 top show up 10 minutes before close. Then my line cook cut his hand on a mandoline and we had to send him out. By 9pm I was just staring at a pile of dirty dishes wondering why I do this. Anyone else have a night where it felt like the universe was against you?

3 comments

3 Comments

aaron7401mo ago

That mandoline incident reminds me of a place I worked where someone sliced their finger so bad we had to close early... then the health inspector showed up the next day unannounced and freaked about a dirty shelf in the walk-in. Sometimes the kitchen gods just decide to pile it on.

michael_green441mo ago

Haha oh man, that's a rough one. The 12 top walking in late is like a ritual hazing for anyone in the industry, I swear. I once had a table of 14 show up at 9:55 and then complain that the steaks were "too rare" when we sent them out perfectly medium rare right at 10. Like, you're lucky I'm even firing the grill at this point, you know? And the mandoline cut, oof. I think every kitchen I've worked in has a bloodstain on the floor from one of those accidents. Hope your line cook is okay though, and that you got to go home and crack a cold one after that disaster.

murphy.tessa1mo ago

The 12 top at close is a classic - they always smell your desperation like sharks smelling blood. At least your ticket machine jammed before you could print their $37 check.