The Bail Out (Or, why FOH ain't your bitch)

There are those times. There are always those times. Those times being the spot when shit just breaks down for a second. By breaking down the dominoes fall. The dominoes fall and focuses shift. In the middle of service when one thing goes wrong everything that follows suffers. Tickets are stacked, each requiring a certain window of time, precariously waiting for their own time. It is these stark moments when one needs a particular instinctual sense to take over, as well as a shitload of luck. Food on heat is time sensitive. When one item, in a long chain of items, goes wrong then all items following will potential suffer. It is the biggest fear of the night, particularly for those who strive for pristine consistency.

Tonight it broke. A three top was ready for there entrees; a roasted bird, a trout, and a steak MR. The first two were ready...the steak had slipped over to medium (was it prematurely fired? Was the holding area too hot? Did any of it fucking matter because the fucker was overcooked?) I had been distracted by several tickets that were coming in course by course (it is one thing to see what is coming and plan for it. It is a wholly different thing to be surprised every time a server comes to the window). Regardless, I was sitting with two entrees ready to go, and one that was dead and destined for the garbage. I put the two acceptable entrees in the window and quickly dropped antother, thinner, steak. "I'm draggin the steak Sean. I fucked up". Meanwhile there was a pasta sitting in the window that the 'pasta boy' misfired. Sean, an experienced FOH mensch, quickly suggested taking the two ready entrees and the misfired pasta to his table. "I'll give him the pasta while he waits for his steak". Brilliant! We appease a potentially upset customer and utilize a misfired pasta. All were happy.

Kids, remember, as much as the FOH can drive you nuts they can also save your ass. We all fuck up, but if we cover each others asses then we can make sure the customer is taken care of. And bottom line it's all about the customer.