$Mo$Money$

The past month or so I have been seriously considering quitting my part time job at the restaurant, Applebee's. Frankly, the money hasn't been that good, I never have time to myself, or to my studies, and my managers repeatedly lied to me about when they intended to promote me.

I went into work last weekend completely ready to quit and just worry about my lack of income... later. But when my managers learned how upset I was and that they risked loosing me as an employee, I was promoted on the spot. I went into work that day to quit; I left with an unexpected promotion. Consequently, I spent almost my entire "spring break" working within the confines of a dimly lit restaurant.

To receive my promotion I had to undergo 5 days of mandatory on-the-job training in which I shadowed an experienced coworker. I was assigned a trainer who I had considered one of the surliest women I have met in my entire young life. This chain-smoking, fast-talking, racist-joke-slinging, big-mouthed woman is tough enough to intimidate godzilla, dare he try and order from her a banana split and then walk out without adequately tipping. For five straight days, I was at her complete beck and call; basically, I was her little-trainee-bitch.

But the strangest thing happened over the course of those five long work days. I began to empathize with with her. I saw how how the fast-paced, money-driver, short-tempered nature of the restaurant beast could easily consume one's patience and sensitivity. Therapists, poets, composers: these professions engender a gentle disposition. In contrast, waitressing teaches a person to yell loud (get the kitchen to hear that damn order! It's 5 minutes late already!) neglect real personal connections (gotta move from one table to the next, don't want to completely neglect one table because your getting too social with the other) and view people superficially (what if each new person you met at work wasn't a person to you, but rather an up-sale, a table, a tip?).

Sure, my trainer is a tough lady. But that's because this can be a real tough line of work, and being tough has made her good at what she does. Now, can I blame her for having a strong work ethic and a desire to earn an income adequate enough to support her family? I'm glad to have spent that time with my tough-ol-trainer. In the beginning she broke my ass over every little detail I fucked up. But by the end of our week she seemed to use a lot more soft words, she began using positive reinforcement more, and she smiled and hugged me at the end of our last shift together. Maybe I'm being idealistic, but I think maybe we rubbed off on one another a bit. I would like to think that something as simple as an Applebee's server training session could create greater understating between two people of different communication styles, dispositions, and life experiences.

I will say this much about being a server (the PC term for "waitress") it is A LOT harder than anyone gives them credit for. No, seriously. Servers are constantly busting their butts for each and every little stinkin cheeseburger and fries. There are SO MANY people that server's have to hustle for, charm, support, and bend over backwards to please - and the majority of these people (not just customers, but also managers, kitchen staff, other servers, etc.) have no qualms about yelling at/belittling/not adequately compensating them for even the tiniest human error.

So, why on earth did I make the decision to accept this belated and somewhat unwanted promotion? (I still feel that if I never worked another day of my life in a restaurant, I would be just fine) The income is insane. I made $40 in tips on my first day during a four and a half hour shift. I forgot one dude's steak sauce, fucked up two receipts, and probably made a half dozen other rushed mistakes I'm still unaware of - but I made $40 in tips all the same. And since I still don't have a "real" post graduation job lined up yet, I will sigh heavily and stick with the Bee's and it's great potential for... $Mo$Money$