Restaurant Days: Up On the Front-Line

At the restaurant I worked not only as a dishwasher, but I also got to work on the front-line for awhile. Working on the front-line was as different as can be from a dishwasher. It was much more interactive and it included more responsibilities. I took customer orders, fixed their drinks, refilled the silverware dine, got plates from the back, prepared tea and lemonade and fixed to-go salads and fries. In the back all I did was wash dishes, stack potatoes, take the trash out and occasionally bus a table (usually on the weekend when things were busy). Also, in the back I was sheltered from the patrons; the only way I could have any contact with them was if I bused a table or went outside to get a drink from the drink machine.

This, of course, meant both positions had advantages and disadvantages the other didn't. Although working up-front wasn't as monotonous it was more stressful, especially when things were busy. Danville is a church-going city and its a restaurant-going city too; we southerners love to go to church on Sunday and then chow down on a delicious meal afterwards. So on Sunday around noon people would pile into the resteraunt, and if you worked up-front this was a nightmare. When the steady stream of people would start to come in I knew I would be working incredibly hard for several hours straight with no rest. All I could look forward to was "being in the thick of it"--frantically trying to get customer needs met as quick as possible and trying to coordinate with my co-workers, which sometimes resulted in confusion. Going through this was like an intense workout, and I was always glad to get through it in one peace and always breathed a sigh of relief when things let up.

The advantage of working at the dishstation is obvious. It was less stressful; washing dishes was a simplier--but more disgusting--job. Also, since the back was sheltered from the customers I didn't have to worry about complaints. One time when I was working up-front a woman who ordered coffee fliped out on me because I touched a coffee mug around the rim. She reacted as if I was some sort of dispicable person walking the earth. But the back could get monotonous to the point of utter mental exhaustion. All I did was clean dishes, take trash out and stack potatoes while being surrounded by slop. It was almost like being trapped in some sort of insane existence, and I often longed for something to break the monotony. Another downside about being a dishwasher was getting wet and having direct contact with germs, which made me prone to sickness. While I was at the resteraunt I got sick three times within four months. Life up-front was a cleaner existence, and if I had to pick between the two--life as a dishwasher or life up-front--I would definitely chose up-front. This may surprise some people because it was more stressful. But it had the advantage of being clean and not being wet all the time (hence not getting sick as much); and if I had a preference I'd rather be clean and not wet all the time, which to me is a more sane existence.