Sushi Overdone

I quit my job at the sushi restaurant...a few weeks ago, actually. The restaurant and I were growing distant and hostile, and I thought it was best that we parted ways. My quality of life has gone up tremendously since then.

Work Test

Ever since I entered the working world, I noticed that every day is a test. There is no "practice" - you either do it or you don't; you either pass or you fail. I think of it like a checklist with pass and fail boxes next to each item. At every shift, I hope that most of my boxes are checked "pass," though there will be a few "fails."

After my first week at the restaurant, one of the owners - whom we'll call Z - thought I had too many "fails." Just when I was starting to feel comfortable with how the restaurant flowed, the manager came up to me on the first day of my second week and told me I needed to step up. He said I needed to be more aggressive and that "maybe the restaurant business isn't for everyone." He was completely right about me not being aggressive enough, however I was hoping for a shot to learn the job a little better (more than one week). I mean, they knew when they hired me that I had no restaurant experience. The owner Z wanted me out anyway. The manager told me that he and another owner wanted to give me a second week to improve and feel more comfortable. Unfortunately, comfortable was the last thing I felt at that moment and I think I performed worse for the first two hours of my shift.

Anyway, I got another week. During one of my shifts, Z was considerate enough to tell me this, and that I was almost fired. Lovely person that Z. 

During this "test" week, I covered the Valentine's Day shift. All the owners were on the floor, including Z. I felt like this night was my pass/fail test for keeping my job, and it was easily the busiest night I've ever experienced. The good thing is, though, that I rock busy nights. Empty tables are so few that we just sit people whenever one opens - there's almost no thinking about server sections and double-seating. Busy means get the customers seated wherever and make them happy. I made pointed attempts to be more out-going and talkative whenever Z was nearby. I knew she was watching me. 

I made a few mistakes that night, but all in all I did pretty well: I took control of different situations and made my own judgement calls, instead of hanging back and watching everyone else. So I think I still have a job, but we'll find out at the end of the week. 

Honestly, I really enjoy my restaurant job. It has a young, trendy feel to it. They play pop and rock music like Avril Lavigne, John Mayer, Jason Mraz, and Maroon 5. Most of the people who work there are in their 20s and 30s. The sad thing is, my job isn't sustainable for me because the pay is so low and the hours are so few. I'm having fun (for the first time since being in the working world), but I make only just enough to live on. In other words, the only thing I'm giving myself right now is extra time, because I'm not even able to save money. My life is undergoing more review.

The Sushi Seater

My new job is a hostess at a sushi restaurant downtown. The restaurant experience is completely new to me, so I'm not used to the fast pace and the type of problem-solving I have to do. However, I'm finding that I really enjoy it - now that I'm getting the hang of it. I chose to apply for a restaurant job because I wanted to be on my feet more instead of sitting down all the time (something I hated about working in an office), and I definitely get to do that here...sitting doesn't really exist.


Day 1 - Learning the Ropes
The hostess training me gave me several things to think about: learn table numbers, don't double-seat the customers in the servers' sections, give them x, y, and z menus at such-and-such a time, we take care of miso soup and rice for to-go orders.
"Got it?"
"I think so."
So what does double-seating mean exactly? How do you know which tables belong to whom? What are the table numbers?!

Behind the Scenes - The Kitchen
A rush of steam filled the entrance to the kitchen. Servers and bussers bustled around with sodas and dishes and chatted animatedly. I followed the lead hostess further in and saw more servers and bussers, as well as dishwashers and cooks...all running tubs back and forth, cutting fish, shouting to one another to be heard over the utility washers and sizzling pans, stacking soy sauce containers, and preparing orders. It was like walking into a tiny city, a human beehive.

"Busy"

I also learned that my definition of busy, was not "restaurant busy." People were coming in one after the other and the tables were full. I could barely keep up with getting the table numbers straight in my head, letting alone trying to figure out sections and which server was which and who had which sections. However, the hostess who was training me looked positively bored.

"This place is dead," she said. "Thursday night will be much busier. Usually we have people lining out the door."

Day 2 - A "Busy" Day

The Family
The restaurant is owned by a Korean family: "Mama," "Papa" - her husband (I haven't met him yet), Henry, and Valerie (all names have been changed). I met Mama on my first day. She's an older woman who is revered in the restaurant. I spoke with Henry on the phone. He's nice in person (mid-30s), but his skills on the phone are terrible: he sounded irritated by me whenever we talked. Valerie is a young (also mid-30s), beautiful, dominating Korean woman. I worked with her on day two.

The family comes in - maybe a few times a week - and eats dinner together. It includes Mama, her husband, Henry and his wife and daughter, Valerie and her husband and daughter, and other people that I didn't recognize. They took table 11, a 6 seater with an extra chair on the end. Afterwards, Mama, Henry, and Valerie wish their family members good-bye and begin their rounds. They walk around with the hostesses and servers, keeping an eye on everything and helping to move things along. They look like eagles in the way they survey the floor. I could tell by watching them that they like busy. They like action and active commotion. These are not sit-down-and-relax kind of people.

Valerie
I worked with a team of people tonight at the front desk: a new hostess, Gabriela; an experienced hostess, Kim; Valerie, working as head hostess; a cashier, Laura; and a manager, Robert. Tonight is what I learned the meaning of "busy." People were lining up outside the door and all hostesses (4 of us), the cashier, and the manager (acting as both cashier and host) had their hands full.

At one point, a group of four guys came in looking to sit at the sushi bar. As soon as I was about to seat two of them, I found that someone else took their place. I brought them back to the front and they waited for the rest of their party. When all four arrived, I found another section of four and took them back. I came to front again and Valerie said firmly, "Do not seat people unless I tell you." She looked at Gabriela and I: "I need to you walk around and tell me which tables are empty and which are paying." I walked away quickly, scanning the tables.
That one is paying...table number 14, I think? ....It looks like that one is free - number 25. What the -
I had menus in my arms as a server walked by. This became a regular thing throughout the evening...but it changed between bills, menus, pens, and dishes. Your role as hostess often blended with that of another, like a busser or server.

"We need two for sushi bar, do we have two for sushi bar?" Valerie asked when I returned.
"I'll go check." She threw up her hands in exasperation.
Forty-five seconds later: "We're good at the sushi bar."
"What does that mean, 'we're good'? Are we full?"
"We have two at the sushi bar."
"Take them back," she pointed to two customers.

Gabriela and Laura both caught me later and said, "Don't let her get to you. She's tough to work with."

Things change so fast in the restaurant. One of the hostesses told me to always watch the sushi bar, because one minute seats will be open and the next they're gone...and vice versa:
"We have two singles at the sushi bar," I tell Valerie.
"We have two at the sushi bar," she says to two customers.
"No, we have two singles."
"Oh two singles..."
"No, we have two at the sushi bar!" Kim says.
"Yes, look - two just got up," adds Valerie. "She'll take you back," she motions to me.


Valerie wasn't only hard on me - she was brisk with customers, too.
"Seat them at the middle table," she told me. I took a group of three back. A wealthy-looking blonde woman with sunglasses on her head, rings on her fingers, and a drink in her hand came up to the counter and held up her hands indignantly.
"Her table was sat," Kim said to Valerie as she came over.
"You said you wanted the patio, so we gave up your table."
"I didn't...."
"You said you wanted the patio, so we gave up your table. We can put your name back on the list."
That's all I heard, but I saw them exchange a few more words and watched the woman walk away in a huff.
"She gave up her table!" Valerie said. "We have people to sit!"

I worked Day 3 with Valerie, too. She is a challenge to work with sometimes, but I just roll with it and do what she says. She does take it easy too and joke around, so she's not so bad. Still...I try to avoid her whenever possible.

At the End of the Day
It's not a bad job. It was uncomfortable at first, but I'm getting an idea of who people are and how things are run. It's like any other job: once you get into the flow of things, you get it. I'm remembering names little by little, figuring out table numbers, picking up the jargon ("Table 3 is a 4-top."), and learning a new kind of problem-solving ("We have a group of 15 coming in. You guys will have to plan out how you want to seat other groups so we get them in."). It's definitely a new experience and kind of fun once you catch on.