I have noticed a few things lately at Restaurant. I have been blessed with some "fun" customers. Sure, most of the people who come in there are really nice and easy to wait on and what not if you pay even a modicum of attention to them, but every once in a while we are blessed with "fun" customers. Well, last Friday I had two tables of customers of this type. These customers are the type who joke with you and you can joke with them. And then, it's great because if you can joke back with them, they usually tip well. :) So, last night when I was the hostess, this table of four came in. Near the end of their meal they asked me where I was from. I said, "Podunk, but don't hold it against me." That made them laugh a little. Then, they were talking to Waitress and the one man's cell phone started ringing. Well, Restaurant is like a lead case; you can rarely get cell reception in there. So, Waitress was talking about how it is hard to get reception at her house in the town in which she lives. So, the guy turns around and says, "Hey, Podunk, do you get cell phone reception at home?" (Keep in mind this guy is probably at least 70, so it's funny to me that he calls me by the name of my town). To which I reply, I don't get good reception at my house, no. He says, "Well, Podunk is practically south of the border." And I said, "Yeah, we're living in the dark ages down there. We have to watch T.V. by candlelight." And that made the whole table bust out laughing. I then made a few more Podunk bashing jokes, and went about my hostessing duties some more and walked away from them. But then, by the time they were ready to leave, they were the last table in the place. So, the one guy turns around and says, "Hey Podunk, are you gonna be here tomorrow night?" And I say, "Yeah." And he said, "I'm gonna make a reservation, can you do that for me?" SO, I took his reservation and he pointed to a table and said, "Can we have that table right there?" I said, "Sure, I'll write it down on the reservation sheet." So, then they left and I was looking forward to them coming in again tonight. Well, tonight came and the man and his wife came in with a new couple. I got to wait on them. We were really busy though, so I didn't have a chance to be quite so funny with them. But, by the time they were finishing up their meals and having some after-dinner coffee, we started slowing down enough that I could chat with them some. The man who wasn't there last night said, "Where are you from?" I said, "Podunk." He said, "REALLY? I got my kitty from Podunk." And I asked him where he got it. He didn't know for sure. Some Podunk-ite took some kittens to some place by where he lives and he adopted one. I said, "If it's from Podunk, can it walk in a straight line?" He said, "Yes." and his wife said, "Why wouldn't it be able to walk in a straight line?" And I replied, "Because, if it's from Podunk, I thought it'd probably just fall over. We're all crazy down there." And that got them laughing some more. The guy from last night let out a hearty laugh and said, "I LOVE it!" hehe. So then, when they were ready to leave, I said goodnight and told them to drive safely: wheel side down. The guy who was in both nights asked if Restaurant had a card he could have and I told him we did. I got it for him and I wen to hand it to him when he said, "Do you have a pencil on you?" I pulled out my pen and he said, "Write your name on the back so we can ask for you next time we're in!" So, I wrote "Trish" on the back and my little "EGO BOOST" melody played in my head (The "EGO BOOST" melody is reminiscent of a pinball machine when you earn a lot of points). Then they left a big tip and left. It was good. You'd probably find it funnier if you were there, but hey, what can ya do? Anyway, I have to be the hostess tomorrow, which kind of sucks because Saturday is usually my day off. I don't think I've ever hostessed on a Saturday because Saturday people tend to be kinda jerky. That's why I usually refuse to work Saturdays. But the boss was in a bind and since some of our recent hirees are not quite cut out for dealing with the public, I thought I should help them out since they asked. So, hopefully I will get to "charm" those people too. If anything earth-shattering happens I'll make sure to tell you. Anyway, I think I'm going to go for a quick bike ride. Or maybe not. Bye.
P.S. This is my ONE HUNDREDTH POST!!! Woo DOGGIES!
1 comment:
Reminds me of my all time favorite fun and weird waitress interaction.
My dad's side of the country is scattered all over the country plus Canada and Africa. Needless to say, they basically get together only when somebody dies.
Well, the youngest brother had just died, at age 47, of lung cancer. It must have been shorty after the funeral and before all these people, my uncles and aunts, had headed back to where they came from.
We were at this restaurant and I think everyone was experiencing this sort of relief that their brother's ordeal of months of suffering - it had metastized to his brain - were over. I mean, everything had been so heavy - the guy had left behind three kids, the youngest 19. None of them were there, just me, my mom, and my dad's siblings. And it had turned into this big happy family gathering, because these people hardly ever got together, and there was this sense of relief.
I can't remember the jokes, just that everyone was being really funny and witty, and pulling the waitress into it, who is obviously starting to share in the general mood and coming out with funny stuff herself. Finally, as the dinner was nearly over she goes,
"So... What's the occasion?!"
There was this pause, brief, and one of my uncles manages to come out with something ambiguous and jocular, and she just assumed it was some kind of fun family gathering...! Because imagine, what could you possibly say! "Our brother just died of brain cancer" - like that's gonna work!
The one who died, btw, was a great guy, and would have thoroughly appreciated the whole thing and if his spirit had been at the table, which it sort of was, he would have been the first to make jokes.
Sorry so long, but thought it might be interesting to see how waitresses can become involved in situations without knowing what they are! She was great though, and actually was part of what was making the whole thing funny. At some point, long before she asked the question, I know that things were striking me more funny precisely because of the increasing size of the one part of the jokes she wasn't able to get!
Post a Comment