Tonight was odd. I expected one thing, and something completely different happened.
I have worked something like 10 or 11 Halloween nights while in the food service industry, and tonight was the strangest ever. Not strange because of the weird costumes and bizarre antics of customers (0r their children), but strange because of the lack of that. It was like Halloween passed us by, missing our store entirely. There were 2, only 2, children all night in costumes. One adult in costume, and only half in costume at that.
Most years the freaks come out to eat. I normally wait on quite a range of people, but in years past I've either had people who only come out on Halloween, or I've had people who feel liberated by their costumes (and often some cocktails too). I feel almost let down. By the time I get home, all the kids are in their beds sleeping off near diabetic comas from the amount of sugar they have consumed, and all the adults are still out partying the night away at regional hot spots.
Related Tags: Red Lobster, Darden, Waiter, Waitress, Server, Food Service, Customer Service, Freaks, Halloween, Candy, Halloween Candy, Seafood
7 comments:
I was at Red Lobster on Halloween night. Our server was a cowgirl, and a big family came in and had some costumed kids and friends with them. :)
My boyfriend wants to know why they started cutting the crab legs. He likes (liked) Red Lobster because they left the legs untouched and let you crack 'em on your own. I like the slit in the shell though! :)
Hey LB, i dropped off my apps and have a testing time set up for tomorrow at 2 (outback steakhouse), another restaurant (olive garden) wanted me to come in and "chat" (the manager was a little busy when i dropped the app off but he still wanted to chat tho so that is good news) around 2:30/3ish... i know you said you hadn't tested in a while, but do you think it will take a full hour? Also, what kind of stuff is on the test? i'm guessing things on customer service, sanitation/food safety... but that's all i got.
As far as Halloween, even working in retail the costumes were few and far between. Didnt get to hand out candy, but i hear turnout was pretty low. How sad :(
I honestly have no clue on what is on the charting test. I know some of it involves math, as they give you a calculator if you need it. I suppose it is how to make change and things of that sort. There is a chance another RL/OG server will respond to this, as I know there are some reading this blog who have taken the test fairly recently.
Lobster Boy
Suz,
Unless your market is different from ours, only your King Crab will be cut open (not the Snow Crab). There was a period where RL offered a dish of cut Snow Crab legs served in Scampi Butter, but they never were that popular (at least not where I was working at the time). King Crab is cut because it is a bear to open if it isn't. We cut it while it is still frozen, so the knife goes right through the shell. Once warmed back up, the King Crab has a soft, yet sharply spiny shell. Fighting with a King leg takes a good bit of time, and frankly we want to turn our tables as quickly as possible. Also, it pisses guests off when they have to work that hard for their meal. The taste isn't negatively impacted by this cutting, and the customer experience is positively impacted, so it's a win as far as Red Lobster is concerned.
Lobster Boy
Hey Lobster Boy, thanks for the advice. I took the test (rather thorough, it was. Very SAT-like, no calculator here tho) today and then went over to the OG to talk to the managers. Guess they liked me enough, cuz they offered me a position. Didnt call Outback yet to find out my test results, but since it's just a hostess position there i think i'll take the server job at OG (even tho i like outback's atmosphere a bit better).
Now i gotta quit my other job/cut my hours down, get a health card, and go through all the orientation fun. look for me soon on a blog near you :P Again, thanks so much!!
Brad - yup, sure did. I found an article about how they started testing in order to determine if an applicant is going to "work out" with the company, like if they have the right personality. It said when they started doing it their turnover rates dropped from like 200% to 50%, which is low for the industry. I guess it makes sense, the kind of person to work at an upscale fine dining bistro might be extremly unhappy at an easy going casual dining place like Outback, and the test could save both parties the hassle of an incompatible work environemnt. And since they know waitressing is a tough gig, they hire you as a hostess first and when you get the hang of that move you to serving...
But at the olive garden i walked in they hired me as a waitress after maybe a 10 minute conversation. So, sorry Outback, i really would have preferred the light hearted environment, but i need a better paying job more than "atmosphere." :p to you guys.
So LB, since OG is a Darden restaurant, what kind of things should i come to expect?
If it is anything like Red Lobster, lots of corporate BS, and a nearly endless stream of coupons. Coupons for OG really have to suck. You should get good training though. Expect the management to be fairly spineless, bending over, and often times not just backwards, to make the customer happy.
I'm sure I have more thoughts, but no reason to taint the pool with my well aged sarcasm, there will be plenty of opportunities for you to become jaded on your own.
Lobster Boy
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