Working in a restaurant creates many funny stories to share and I write about a lot of the interesting, for lack of a better word, situations I find myself in during my shifts. To hear about more of them, visit my blog:

www.servingwithasmile.wordpress.com

To get you started, here are a couple of my favorites:

Can I interest you in some dessert?

Last night was a looooong night! I started around 4pm and I think I made it home a little before 1am. Sharks' games usually bring in a good crowd, but after the game starts, it dies down for a while. Well, not last night. The rush never ended! Fortunately, almost all of my tables left me 20% tips and all had good dining experiences. But what would be a typical shift without that one thing that makes you shake your head and say: "wow, did that really just happened?" I'm serving a husband and wife with their son who appeared to be college-aged. They were having a nice time and even engaged in a few short conversations with me as I refilled their drinks. They finished their meals and after their plates had been cleared, I went over to ask if they would be interested in some dessert. The father then proceeded to ask me about one of the newest editions to our menu: a Triple Chocolate Brownie sundae. When I finished describing the dish, he then, in a secretive-like way wispered to me: "Is it the special kind?" I asked him to clarify what he meant by "special." Confidently, he said: "You know, marijuana? hahahahaha" I laughed back and tried to avoid the question and take orders from the rest of the table, but he wasn't finished with his "special" inquiries. After assuring him that we did not put marijuana into our food, he then proceeded to ask me how one would go about preparing "special" brownies. I spent the next few minutes convincing him that I had never cooked with marijuana, while he tried to assure me that it was ok to share my secret. I watched his son and wife as they dropped their heads down in embarrassment, appologizing for his behavior. Five minutes later and one last try at the "special" recipe, and the three enjoyed thier non-canibus filled brownie sundae. Another very entertaining night at work!

Blind Date

I serve every kind of table you could image: families, friends, couples, guys who bring in their chicks-on-the-side, you name it, and I’ve served them. But nothing is funnier, or sometimes more awkward than a blind date. I was watching the host stand one night while it was a little slow because our hostess had gone to the bathroom when a girl walked in. She was probably in her early 20s and was dressed to the nines. When I first saw her I thought she would be meeting up with a larger group before prom, but then I though about it, and being that it was only February, definitely not prom season, that was probably unlikely. I greeted her as she walked in the door and asked her how many would be eating so that I could seat her accordingly. "Oh I'm just waiting for my date. My friend set me up with a blind date. He should be here soon." Immediately I was embarrassed for her. My restaurant is not a fine dining restaurant. The majority of our customers dine in casual attire, so anyone with heels and a dress will stand out. Especially if it’s during the week and there’s nothing going on downtown. I stood there for a few minutes while she patiently waited for her date and checked her phone at least ten times. And she was there first, and not to mention, early. The hostess came back, and about 20 minutes later, I looked in my section to see the girl and her date. I chuckled to myself as I walked up to greet their table. The girl's blind date was wearing jeans and a casual, button down, plaid shirt with some sneakers. My guess was that this was her first time on a blind date. I took their orders and checked on them as they ate, but each time I would visit their table, it was complete silence. I don't think it was going very well. As I peaked through the server's station to check on my section, I noticed that the silence continued and the man kept looking around as if trying to find the nearest exit. After their plates were cleared, I approached them to ask if either of them would be interested in dessert. Before I could even finish my question the man quickly interrupted: "We'll take the check now please." I looked over at the girl and she looked completely surprised. I came back with the bill and he was ready with perfect change in hand. He immediately began putting his jacket and as soon as I walked away and I could hear him say: "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'll call you sometime." The next time I looked he was gone and she was left at the table alone. I went over to collect the payment and see if I could get her a refill before she left. What she said next made my jaw drop. "He was cute huh? I was so nervous at first, but I think it went really well." I doubt she'll be getting a call from him anytime soon.