Buko Bucks or Bust!

Alrighty, so working the happy hour crowd on Friday nights can either be great money or terrible money. Luckily in the past five months it has always been great money for me, until yesterday. I always knew my day would come, and I have always planned accordingly, just in case. I had always heard people complain, but could never understand because they were always such good shifts for me.

Last night I learned my lesson. It truly is all about the section. Typical Denver weather, it was beautiful all week ranging from 60-70 degrees until Friday, when it got to a high of like 50ish. 50ish is not patio weather when the heaters don't work. So of course, my section was on the back of the patio. It would have been a dream section had the weather been nice, but hey you will some you lose some. For the first two hours yesterday, I was a food runner, a busser, a dishwasher, a line cook, a water filler, a silverware wrapper, and a napkin folder. At first I was standing around waiting to be cut so that I could head down to the Johnny Walker Promotion, but I quickly realized that the longer I stand doing nothing, the longer management is going to keep me there. So I devised a plan with one of the new managers (he doesn't quite realize my work ethic yet), that I would do a bunch of other people's work, and they would send me home. Wow, did that ever back fire!

Instead of getting sent home for doing work, that isn't in my job description...I some how managed to add that to the server's regular closing duties. Rut Rhoe! The staff was none to pleased with me. I guess it wouldn't have been so bad, had I not had any tables, and I could have used the excuse that I was just bored. But I had four tables up and running (granite, they weren't heavy drinkers), but when management looked about my screen they were amazed that I could keep control of four tables and all the side work. When the rest of the staff was struggling just to get their drinks in a timely manor.

So, the sun goes down and all 4 of my tables decide it is too cold to stay outside. Perfect, I finally get cut. I worked a whopping 5 hour shift, but the good news is I was cut in time to enjoy a happy hour drink. Management finally realized why I had so much time on my hands. I had four tables and in that amount of time I sold a whopping 55.65 in sales! That is about an average of $11.15 an hour. They just laughed at me, but I had a good explanation. I had one table that was having a business meeting, so they both had 1 glass of wine each $2.00 and then switched over to water, and then another table that had 12 bud light pints at $1.75. Come on people, with that alone I was lucky to make $55.65 in sales. I walked away after tip out with $17.00. That wont even fill up half a tank of gas. Good for me, my lovely work ethic got me a few free drink cards, an appetizer card, and a thank you from management. The server staff on the other hand wasn't happy to that I showed management that I could do more then just walk around with my thumb up my ass.