I was MIA from work last night.
Not due to being fed up and belligerent, but rather, due to the fact that I was completely unaware it was expected of me. See, I work for a small Italian restaurant in Arizona’s West Valley, and at times, we do things in a small time manner. Like only posting a partial schedule for me this week; with one half being listed at one store, and the other half being posted at my home store. Things like that.
Frustration did at some point creep up on me, but I was able to escape its clutches and find humor in the situation. This isn’t the first time this has happened, and I am certain that it won’t be the last.
This and many other things are slowly tearing the infrastructure of our restaurant apart. My boyfriend Johnnie and I have had many heated conversations regarding the inherent flaws of the system, but as of yet, despite managerial attention, problems still exist. And perhaps problems will always exist, because there is no such thing as a perfect restaurant, but I find that many good people will be lost in the process because of the inattention. The mentality of “If I don’t acknowledge the problem, it must not exist” is rampant, and it is really rather sad.
But there are more pressing things in life, things like which movie will Johnnie and I go see this week, or which blouse will I wear to the Fourth of July party, and most importantly, how will I survive this suffocating, oppressive heat without looking like I’ve been in an oven?
The restaurant will go on, and there will still be drama. The characters that work there will continue in their microcosm of life, and the complaints will endure. Customers will still drive the servers crazy, and the servers will drive management bonkers. I am beginning to believe that this is how life is lived. One endless cycle of frustrations, complaints, and concerns; always voiced regardless of decorum, sometimes professionally, most often not, but always at the seemingly wrong time. The mentality of me first will still prevail, and like the cockroaches that always threaten the health of the restaurant, will survive regardless of the attempted extermination.
To fight and break the system does not require loud words, only silent action. Removing yourself from the situation and remaining aloof and detached is the key to success and survival in that setting, but it is harder than it seems.
This is the bar at my home store, Peoria.
This is my other store, Avondale.
