Endless Shrimp - I seafood differently - I'm not about the bullshit

My journey with Red Lobster has included more all-you-can-eat promotions than you can imagine, and they are all pretty much the same.  I can tolerate, and even like some of our promo's but this one's a bitch all the way around except for Darden's bottom line.

Endless Shrimp means about 3-5 times the work compared to an average meal.  Certainly it is that many more times to give good service, but it's that many more times for my lazy stoner co-worker to fuck it all up for me too. Our store is really exceptional at walking each other's refills, especially at lunch and during volume.  We have a few ladies at lunch who are like Energizer bunnies and rather than going to the gym they walk laps at Red Lobster while getting paid.  But there are people I work with who I intentionally keep from my tables.  People I want nowhere near my customers, even my bad customers.  And when those customers are regularly reordering shrimp by the dozen, it make it a battle to keep the weakest links away.  And mind you, they're not all stoners I'm trying to keep away, we have some really solid stoner servers.  I'm trying to keep away our middle age guy who stares at all the teenage girls.  I'm trying to keep the raging hormone bi-boi from trying to hit on my cute guys/gals.  I'm trying to keep the co-workers who are having a lover's quarrel out of my section to. And I'm trying at all costs to keep the over-the-top former used car salesman now wannabe manager (in training) as far from my end of the store as possible.  He tries to shake everyone's hands at the table.  Not.  Appropriate.  That's taking a table touch way too far hefe.

Every year I get panned (on my own blog nonetheless) for bitching about asshole customer's and shit tips during our all-you-can-eat pigout fest.  But here's the reality - I work more for less during this promo than any other time of the year.  It wouldn't be a big deal if we were salaried like a lot of the lazy douche bags who bitch in the comment sections here.  But we make JACK SHIT hourly, so tips are where it is at.  And Red Lobster Corporate has been doing their damnest to steal those from those of us who serve too.  It's like getting fucked while running.

The good news for me is that this is most likely my last go round with this cursed promotion.  Yes, you read that right.  There's a light at the end of my tunnel and it isn't a train.

But if you tip well, or hell, I'll even take polite, do come on in and get your four pounds of shrimp before the world's supply runs out - or we end the promo.

To the credit of my cooks, they are kicking out the very best tasting/looking AYCE shrimp I've ever seen.  We have a newish cook who has raised the overall level in our whole kitchen.  Dude is always on his game and that's made the other guys on the line kick it up a notch too.  I suspect it'll taper off after the grind of Endless Shrimp really sets in, but in the meantime it is certainly food I'm proud to serve.  Just tell my crazy coworkers to keep their hands off, I'll walk my own if your life is in the middle of a trainwreck/hotflash/drug induced haze.