Best shift vs worst shift in the same week? I had both

Last Tuesday I had a perfect night. 42 covers, team worked like a machine, every ticket came out in under 12 minutes, and the expo even cleared the pass before I had to call it. Then Saturday hit. We got slammed with 75 covers and the new guy on saute kept burning the shallot butter, I had to re-fire 3 steaks in a row, and my fry cook dropped a whole 40lb bag of fries on the floor at 7pm. Same kitchen, same menu, completely different reality. Does anyone else feel like the difference between a good night and a bad night is just one piece of the puzzle you can't control? Like maybe the team or the timing or just the luck of who walks in the door?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_cooper7310d ago

Man, you nailed it - it's always that one domino that tips everything over, and for me it's usually the expo losing their rhythm or a new guy freezing up mid-service. Just gotta breathe through the chaos and lean on your strongest station when it hits the fan, that's the only way to steer it back.

claire8729d ago

Haha the water temp guy, I feel that. It's always something stupid like that, right? Like a grown adult throwing a fit about tap water being 2 degrees off is gonna make the whole line crumble. Reminds me of when a lady once sent back a salad because it had "too much lettuce." I still think about that on random slow Tuesday nights and laugh. Guests really are the wild card. You can prep every station, have the best expo in the city, and one weirdo with a complaint about ice cubes can still take you down.

pat78110d ago

The real wildcard nobody talks about is the guest themselves. When you're in the weeds, one table that decides to send back a well-done steak because "it's too brown" right at the rush can completely unravel the whole pass, but one table that just smiles and says "no rush, take your time" can let the line find its footing again. I had a Tuesday where a guy yelled at me for 15 seconds about his water being too warm, and that single interaction made the expo lose focus and we had three tickets die on the rail. Next night, a couple tipped me $50 off the bat for "good vibes" and suddenly every re-fire felt like no big deal. The guest's mood sets the temperature of the whole room, and you can't prep for that.