Serving Ain't Easy

Head Server

Like many people at the age of twenty, I've had a job.  Perhaps unlike others at this age, I have only had one job which spanned over three years.  Since coming to USC, I've left my past place of employment to become a full-time student. 

You may think that you know what a server does: serve food.  While that is true, there is a lot more behind the scenes work.  Especially for my job as Head Server.   My workplace is not a restaurant but a large dining room.   In my hometown, I worked at an elderly community called the Chateau at Harveston.  Yup, you heard correctly: an elderly community.  Now, when you hear elderly home you might be imagining a nursing home, but that is incorrect.  The old folks that I worked with were independent seniors that could care for themselves.

At the Chateau, we didn't have dozens of customers in and out every hour.  Instead, we had three meal times: breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Each shift is short, only two hours.  We had three sections with 33 tables that sat 132 residents.  At breakfast, we had 45 people.  At lunch, we had 120 people.  At dinner, we had 70 people.  The exact numbers vary, but we usually remained around those numbers. 

As stated earlier, serving isn't an uncommon job choice.  The easiest way to help you understand is to describe it using other common jobs:

• Waitress
• Preschool Teacher

Waitress

First and foremost, I'm a waitress.  A well-known profession, I serve food to hungry customers-- or in my case, residents.  A rather looked down upon occupation, we deal in customer service, cleanliness, and productivity. 

Here are some common tasks completed while on shift:

• Make sure that timelines are on track
• Keep a spotless dining room
• Assure that customers/residents are happy with the service

Here's an example of a typical shift.  The job starts as soon as we clocked in.  We prepare our cars which we take out with drinks and the starting snack.  At breakfast: fruit; at lunch: salads; at dinner: soup.  After the starter, we go out to get meal orders for the main course.  Luckily, the Chateau has a set menu for the week so the residents know the daily options.  While the residents finish their meals, we bus dirty dishes to clear tables.  Then comes the resident's favorite time of the meal: dessert.  We'd take carts out with three levels of assorted cakes, ice cream, and pies.  After the residents have returned to their apartments, we finally begin the hard work: to clear and clean the dining room. 

Once the deep clean has begun, we commit.  Our dining room needs to be as spotless and as sanitary as possible.  At this point in the evening, we have about 45 minutes left of our short two-hour shift.  Every shift we start with clearing away as much silverware and as many large plates as we can.  Then, we take the bussing carts to strip the tables of the dirt cups, dishes, and trash.  After bussing, we wash the tables and chairs with a special sanitizer.  We deep clean the legs of the table and the creases in the chairs.  Next, we reset the dining room.  Our last task of the evening is to clean the carts we used to serve salads and desserts.  Then, we clock out.

Preschool Teacher

Most comically, I would compare being a Head Server to the job of a preschool teacher.  Not only do I have to police my fellow servers, but I also have to deal with the residents of the Chateau.  They need minding and constant attention to avoid accidents.  To put it bluntly, old people are like children.

• Resolve disputes among coworkers
• Assist and solve problems during service

For example, there was a particularly difficult group of ladies a few months ago.  They were the last table served that evening.  Unfortunately, we ran out of the food that they wanted.  Rather than peacefully chose another option, they expressed their anger by shouting at their server.  He was unable to persuade them to calm them down.  Eventually, the ladies became so irate that they yelled and slammed their utensils on their table.  This went on until I spoke with them about a suitable alternative meal.  Sadly, this is a more common occurrence then you'd think.  Events like this usually end with residents getting their way, but it seems to happen at least once a week.

On a co-worker level, being Head Server can be difficult.  As with any workplace, there can be drama.  The Chateau is no exception.  With a mainly high school aged workforce, gossip is an unfortunate reoccurrence.  About two years ago, two of my coworkers named Alyssa and Allie were fighting.  They'd had a disagreement regarding the way Allie spoke to other servers.  This turned into a civil war amongst the servers, everyone taking sides.  It got ugly.  In the end, I had to step in and involve our manager.  We all went into the main office and settled the disagreement after an hour.  Looking back on it now is always a good laugh, but at the time it was serious business.

I hope that this description helped you better understand my job and what it requires.

Flesch Reading Ease: 73.8

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 5.7

Passive Sentences: 0