i'm fillin in as hostess there for a few days. my aunt & her girlfriend are the chef's there, & the gf called me the day before yessaday--monday, when i was feelin like shit--& was like
'do u want a job hostessing for about 2 weeks?'
i had planned on goin downtown & seein about a gig that i seen in the paper, one that i'da rather done than hostessing. i hate hostessing. i did it for awhile while i was in high school at this bullshit ass place called Deke's Marketplace Grill & Bar. the customers were rude. the servers were ruder. & my supervisor was a bitch to put it nicely.
the biggest problem i (&any other hostess, i'd imagine) run into when hostessing is makin sure that the servers working all get a fair stream of customers in their areas. they live basically on tips, so they wanna make sure they get plenny folks & if they don't feel like they've been gettin as much or more than the other servers? true color comes out. i got bitched at so much by servers at Deke's for not rotating correctly or whatever but really, u just cain't make evrybody happy. u put a couple in one server's area & the other two complain.
so i wasn't lookin forward to that last nite, but i was like, u know what
i'm only here 2 weeks. ima be as fair as i can & beyond that, they can hate me if they wanna.
i was posed to get there at 5 but was a few minutes late. my moms came to pick me up & she gave me the whole 'is that what you're wearing?' speech & i hadda change. but i get there & ken, the owner showed me the ropes as best he cld. the rest i just lernt as i went.
i took a liking to a server named danielle; she was the first server there & the first to introduce herself to me. she was also the only server of the 3 to thank me for giving them servers when i noticed their areas getting light & bussing their tables when they were a lil too full. that shit ain't even in my job description but i did it anywho, jus bein helpful.
i was let off at like 11:30 & danielle came to say g'nite.
'you did an AWESOME job today! i just told ken that you're the best hostess we've had here, seriously; it's the first time we've EVER had a GOOD rotation and it's only ur first day hostessing. thank you so much!'
later ken was like 'danielle is in love w/ u.'
lol
she's a good chick.
i ran into mike b last nite. i didn't know who he was until he introduced himself, tho; he was there to meet some music exec or sumthin & came to the hostess station to use the phone. evrything about him felt familiar, but he was just a typical blk dude. late 30s & thin; dark skin, small 'fro. had that lovely urban ky blk man vernacular, somethin i've come to appreciate livin here.
he was leaving and he came back. i think he said i look familiar or sumthin, & then he went on to tell me about a new poetry spot he opened up on 18th & muhammed. once he said poetry & really listened to his voice, i placed his face; i'd seen him read at the java house the few times i was there before they closed it down. i'd read there once & i think he was there then, but he didn't really remember me.
'do u write?'
that's how i knew he didn't remember me.
anyway, he said that they read there evry saturday nite at 9 & that he needed a female poet to feature. i graciously declined; i don't think i have enuff stuff for a 30 minute set & plus im still a punk when it comes to reading. i won't have to work that nite tho, so i do wanna go & check the joint out. maybe see if britt wants to roll.
yeah, i'm not workin saturday nite.
or friday.
or saturday.
they're closed sunday & monday.
and i'm not workin tuesday either.
apparently the other chick is available for those days. im thinkin it was gonna be 2 weeks straight, y'know? fuckers is fuckin w/ my money.
but whatever. at least i'll be gettin a lil bitta change & that's better'n nuthin.
