- Alright guys, how long on that avocado sandwich? - I asked the kitchen crew after looking at my watch that showed 9 minutes of customers' waiting time
- Mommy, who are you to ask or demand anything outta here? We're doing what we can, -The kitchen manager laughed at me, getting a pita from the package.
I've been working in the place for 4 days now. And I didn't see anything but horrible attitude both from crew and customer sides.
The place presented itself as a superhealthy place. What was it in real? Not-ever-washed rags, greasy plates you could barely hold in your hands, decaf coffee instead of real coffee (whenever there were decaf leftovers, they were poured into regular coffee. The only comment I got on this was "they won't understand or die so who cares"). Whenever I put attempts into changing the situation all I got were laughs and smirks from colleagues.
The worst part about it started whenever I was still considered a trainee but somehow replaced the real servers. As all crew was too busy sitting in front of all managers putting new pictures on Instagram and updating their statuses on Twitter, I literally got the pressure of the entire place all on me. People got very annoyed and kept shouting things like that: 'why I've been sitting here and waiting for somebody to come up here for 5 minutes?'
So I talked to people, trying to calm them down and encouraged my co-workers to start doing what all of us were supposed to do.
- Missy, I've been here for 28 years now. I've seen three generations of management in this place. Are you really trying to tell me when to get to the table?
- But they've been there for 8 minutes already! - almost crying, I insisted. I couldn't
understand how very simple things that are supposed to be part of common sense were so had to be understood here.
- I'm BUSY now! - she almost shouted at me sitting at empty table and eating some frozen yogurt with strawberries.
I couldn't let this go, so I just started serving the table. Two young girls were very friendly with me. They had a few modifications and requests I've given to the kitchen, but everything was served in time perfectly.
'Thank you so much! Everything was just amazing!' - they said leaving the table.
Just in a few minutes, the manager called me to the front. The young ladies give me compliments in front of the manager.
- Excuse me, ma'am but she wasn't your waitress. She's just a trainee, - the manager said.
- We know, and she did a great job, - the young lady smiled and gave me 15$ tip right in my hands. I smiled and thanked her.
As soon as the girls left, the manager came up to me and publicly took the money out of my hands passing it to the other waitress.
- But she was sitting there the entire time on her phone, - I couldn't believe how unfair the whole situation turned out especially considering the fact that the manager saw everything happening.
The waitress started coming to every other employer and telling them how much of ungrateful trainee I am. And I was just looking at all of this and started asking myself - what am I doing in this place? At that moment I realized that I probably value more that this. Even though I don't have place to go now, I know I deserve better. I just knew that this was definitely the bottom, so I took my cap and apron off, got my handbag and went to the exi
t of the cafe.
The manager obviously asked for some kind of explanation. Well... as we all do something for the first time in our lives, I totally told everything I though about management and working conditions right in his face. I have always been a very calm person my entire life, so I didn't expect it from myself even. The only thing the manger told me was "We know. We suck."
Walking away I saw that waitress that got the tip who, smiling at me, said: "It's New York, sweetie, and not Oklahoma or even Russia. You definitely won't survive here with such an attitude."
I left the cafe and started walking towards subway station.
And then it started raining. At first I got very sad, but then I thought: 'Doesn't this how it happens in the movies?'
Running down the street I saw Starbucks. Confession time. Sometimes I went to Starbucks to use their wi-fi. But I promise I bought their staff sometimes. I did!
So I was sitting right next to the window and watching the view I've dreamed about for the past couple of months. Yellow taxis kept crossing the street, businessmen throwing away the packs from their sandwich-lunches, a few fashionistas walking with their little chihuahuas... And here's me - miserable, sad, poor, alone. Was moving to New York City really a right thing for me to do? Maybe my friends were right, and should have stayed there.
Being pretty tough in my nature, I was ready to cry. But then I saw a family with two little kids.
The younger boy made the face to the other one and did some kind of a funny dance behind his father's back. The other boy saw that and started laughing and then he saw me in the window. He realized that I've seen the whole seen and told his older brother. The other boy looked at me, but, seeing my unconscious smile, he just started cracking up.
These two little boys were so happy and amused with this little and, from the first sight, unimportant situation! They were laughing and kept smiling at me. It was still raining, but they just kept catching the drops from the sky and dance in the rain. They were so happy! And I couldn't help smiling while looking at them.
It made me ask myself: why do I let all of this unimportant things make unhappy? Life goes on! I'm in the city of my dreams! I'm where I'm supposed to be.
With a wide smile on my face I left Starbucks and went home.
- Mommy, who are you to ask or demand anything outta here? We're doing what we can, -The kitchen manager laughed at me, getting a pita from the package.
I've been working in the place for 4 days now. And I didn't see anything but horrible attitude both from crew and customer sides.
The place presented itself as a superhealthy place. What was it in real? Not-ever-washed rags, greasy plates you could barely hold in your hands, decaf coffee instead of real coffee (whenever there were decaf leftovers, they were poured into regular coffee. The only comment I got on this was "they won't understand or die so who cares"). Whenever I put attempts into changing the situation all I got were laughs and smirks from colleagues.
The worst part about it started whenever I was still considered a trainee but somehow replaced the real servers. As all crew was too busy sitting in front of all managers putting new pictures on Instagram and updating their statuses on Twitter, I literally got the pressure of the entire place all on me. People got very annoyed and kept shouting things like that: 'why I've been sitting here and waiting for somebody to come up here for 5 minutes?'
Ok, it's not the place I've worked at. But it was close to that! |
- Missy, I've been here for 28 years now. I've seen three generations of management in this place. Are you really trying to tell me when to get to the table?
- But they've been there for 8 minutes already! - almost crying, I insisted. I couldn't
understand how very simple things that are supposed to be part of common sense were so had to be understood here.
- I'm BUSY now! - she almost shouted at me sitting at empty table and eating some frozen yogurt with strawberries.
I couldn't let this go, so I just started serving the table. Two young girls were very friendly with me. They had a few modifications and requests I've given to the kitchen, but everything was served in time perfectly.
'Thank you so much! Everything was just amazing!' - they said leaving the table.
Just in a few minutes, the manager called me to the front. The young ladies give me compliments in front of the manager.
- Excuse me, ma'am but she wasn't your waitress. She's just a trainee, - the manager said.
- We know, and she did a great job, - the young lady smiled and gave me 15$ tip right in my hands. I smiled and thanked her.
As soon as the girls left, the manager came up to me and publicly took the money out of my hands passing it to the other waitress.
- But she was sitting there the entire time on her phone, - I couldn't believe how unfair the whole situation turned out especially considering the fact that the manager saw everything happening.
The waitress started coming to every other employer and telling them how much of ungrateful trainee I am. And I was just looking at all of this and started asking myself - what am I doing in this place? At that moment I realized that I probably value more that this. Even though I don't have place to go now, I know I deserve better. I just knew that this was definitely the bottom, so I took my cap and apron off, got my handbag and went to the exi
t of the cafe.
The manager obviously asked for some kind of explanation. Well... as we all do something for the first time in our lives, I totally told everything I though about management and working conditions right in his face. I have always been a very calm person my entire life, so I didn't expect it from myself even. The only thing the manger told me was "We know. We suck."
Walking away I saw that waitress that got the tip who, smiling at me, said: "It's New York, sweetie, and not Oklahoma or even Russia. You definitely won't survive here with such an attitude."
I left the cafe and started walking towards subway station.
And then it started raining. At first I got very sad, but then I thought: 'Doesn't this how it happens in the movies?'
Running down the street I saw Starbucks. Confession time. Sometimes I went to Starbucks to use their wi-fi. But I promise I bought their staff sometimes. I did!
So I was sitting right next to the window and watching the view I've dreamed about for the past couple of months. Yellow taxis kept crossing the street, businessmen throwing away the packs from their sandwich-lunches, a few fashionistas walking with their little chihuahuas... And here's me - miserable, sad, poor, alone. Was moving to New York City really a right thing for me to do? Maybe my friends were right, and should have stayed there.
Being pretty tough in my nature, I was ready to cry. But then I saw a family with two little kids.
The younger boy made the face to the other one and did some kind of a funny dance behind his father's back. The other boy saw that and started laughing and then he saw me in the window. He realized that I've seen the whole seen and told his older brother. The other boy looked at me, but, seeing my unconscious smile, he just started cracking up.
These two little boys were so happy and amused with this little and, from the first sight, unimportant situation! They were laughing and kept smiling at me. It was still raining, but they just kept catching the drops from the sky and dance in the rain. They were so happy! And I couldn't help smiling while looking at them.
It made me ask myself: why do I let all of this unimportant things make unhappy? Life goes on! I'm in the city of my dreams! I'm where I'm supposed to be.
With a wide smile on my face I left Starbucks and went home.
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