The Show Must Go On.

Valentines, always a favorite, always so charming.
And while I seem to blog quit a bit about how much I love being a part of a restaurant around this festive holiday, it doesn't stop me from doing it again now.

I am boss.
I didn't serve tables this year on Valentines, I managed. And while it does make me sad that I don't get to connect and get to know the lovers/guests on a personal-let-me-sell-you-some-wine level, I do love to be in charge.

Humility has gone out the window!

There is no question I can not answer.
There is no power on the computer I do not have access to.
There is no cook, no server, no bartender that I am scared of.
Everyone looks to me for help, everyone does what I say.
And I'm quite positive that they love me as much as I love bossing them around.
It is a beautiful thing.

I get to work, in my pink suit coat, to find that Eric has his festive red shirt on, our host is is red, one server had a rose in her hair. Jillian made sure the back room was fully loaded with sugar galore.

Then they came two-by-two hand in hand ready to dine with reservations, meaning we are sitting 5 tables every 15 minutes.

So the kitchen was full of yelling chefs, the bussers would attack a table the second the guests/lovers left to re-set and have a new table sit down, the hosts running to and fro making notes of what tables are ready to be sat, the dishwasher stands waiting with a massive plastic apron knowing the only way to get the job done is by becoming the dishwashing machine himself.

Everyone had on their game faces, everyone was functioning at top speeds, the only time anyone would slow down it would be a server talking to his table.
Run, grab a drink.
Run, check on your appetizers.
Tell the line that appetizers are going on 10 minutes.
Deliver food to table 205.
Go.
Go.
Go.
Then, stop at your table, and the world slows.
"Hello! Welcome to Macaroni Grill. . . . . "
"Take your time, let me know if you need anything"

It is amazing the team we have, the magnitude of people we can accommodate with just the 20-25 people that we had working.
For some reason it thrills me like nothing can.
Working as a team.

And it like the scriptures say the eye isn't without the foot, nor the head to the ear. . . or something.
We can't have a place full of cooks, or even full of servers.
If we didn't have a host the world would fall apart.
Everyone is so different in the jobs they do, yet no one, not even beautiful, capable me is more important then the other.

Then.
At the climax of the rush, the heat of the night, 4 of the 5 drains in the dishwashing area get clogged.
(I just realized how insane I am to blog about this)
Water started to build.

Now we are in the first floor of the old peery hotel, the plumbing is a nightmare, this is nothing too new. But this time it was bad.
Water started to seep into the office.

I took the squeegee and brushed it out.

More water, then more, then more.
I gave up on the office moving everything damageable off the floor.
And the office was soon under 2 inches of water.

If I stopped sweeping the water across the room to the only drain, the river would gear it's self to the swinging doors and make it's way onto the floor. Where all the lovers/guest were completely oblivious the the sheer chaos that was happening.

There was no way to stop the dishwasher we couldn't afford it. We needed clean plates!

The plumber was called, and then called again, traffic was bad, there was no parking and for over and hour I shoveled water, diverging the river. Saving Valentines.

As the servers came back to drop off plates, run out clean plates they were walking through water, some singing rounds of Row Row Row Your Boat, some making jokes about the ship sinking.
Everyone in high spirits, no one slowed down, the show must go on.

When the plumber arrived he received a hero's welcome, we bought him dinner.

I love my job, I can't say it enough.
Sometimes I think it is mental how attached I am to the dinner rush.

Maybe my favorite night thus far at Macaroni Grill.
Walking around with wet socks.
Nothing better.


In other news:
Who knew the word PLUMBER had a "B"?!
Not me!
That freaks me out.
Blogging teaches me so much.