Sandy Supposes....

More than food on the menu...

Edited: March 1, 2018 at 9:33pm




March 2nd Prompt.

by Fivesixer ☮ (513)


Fun Fact Friday! On this day in 1984, the first McDonald's franchise was closed; a new location was opened across the street from the old one in Des Plaines, Illinois. Have you ever worked in fast food (or the restaurant industry in general)? Tell us about your experience! Good, bad, ugly, and/or fun! And if you haven't, I'm sure you've got an entertaining restaurant experience from the customer's perspective you'd be more than willing to share.

          No, I have never worked in a fast food restaurant, but I once survived three and a half years toiling as a cook in a friend's eating establishment. I suppose it could be classified as a "family-style" restaurant, and it definitely was not a franchise. Yes, sigh, moan, groan, guffaw, there are many memories!

          Foremost, many of my recollections involve personal injury 'cause I'm a mishap magnet. I once dropped an industrial sized dough mixer on my defenceless foot. I'm gonna say I was hopping mad. Yep, it resulted in yet another fracture. Of course, there were burns on my fore arms from the always room-hogging pizza oven. Inevitably, the knives and I agreed to disagree. I learned it is impossible to maintain the wearing of a bandage, and many times I frantically searched for it only to discover it discarded on the floor, and not in someone's meal. I can truthfully say that I've worn a finger condom which is nothing more than a sheath of protective latex 'cause my digit needed to heal from stitches.

         One memorable morning, a colleague in the kitchen suffered a seizure. I managed to catch him before he nose-dived onto the grill, but in the tumble to the floor one of his feet became wedged under the stove. There's nothing quite like the faces of fear and uncertainty amongst the clientele as paramedics make their grand entrance with ambulance lights flashing.

         One waitress provided me with many laughs, and I labelled her antics as "Elaine'isms". She particularly disliked serving French customers, and their presence unnerved her. The poor fellas were forced to pantomime their requests. They'd wave empty mugs in the air, or pretend to wipe their mouths with imaginary napkins, and she'd still plead ignorance. Elaine was almost in tears over a French trucker's order of 'mayonnaise'. What could it be in English?
She considered their every move as suspicious. I still shake my head in disbelief that she counselled a shy and well-endowed sixteen year old dishwasher to seek employment at a Hooter's. "If I had your God-given blessing, that's where I'd work." Uh-huh...

         One table in a corner served the local retired men. They would sit, sip coffee after coffee, and gossip. Boy, could they gossip! Joining them was guaranteed to be educational. Topics included marital woes, the weather, politics, health concerns, and more. I especially enjoyed tantalizing bits about local history.

          Ah, restaurant work has its moments. In my small town, there was always more than food on the menu.