the_susan•18d agoMost Upvoted

Hit 1,000 covers in a single Friday and nearly lost my mind

I've been running the line at a busy spot in downtown Portland for about 4 years now, and last Friday we did 1,000 covers between lunch and dinner. That number shocked me because my previous best was around 780, and I had no idea we'd hit that until I saw the ticket count at closing. We were short one prep cook, so I was bouncing between sauté and expo for the last 3 hours straight. My right hand is still sore from flipping pans, and I barely had time to drink water, let alone take a real break. It made me realize I need to push my manager for a second expo on weekends, because one person can't keep up with that pace safely. Has anyone else dealt with a surprise record night like that, and how did you handle the chaos without burning out your crew?

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david56218d ago

Ha! 1,000 covers on a Friday? Sounds like a blast. I bet your expo station looked like a bomb went off in a ticket printer. Good luck convincing management to hire a second expo though. They'll probably just tell you to "work smarter" while you're juggling pans and screaming for a runner. Honestly, the only way I survived nights like that was by lying to myself that the shift would end eventually. And then drinking one very large beer on the way home. Hope your hand recovers before the next surprise rush.