My work will most certainly be opening the patio today since it will be roughly 80 out. Next week will be back to the 60's, but the bar doesn't close the patio on a day to day basis. While I enjoy the summer and the business the nice weather brings, I hate the crazy people who want to eat lunch on the patio in sweltering 95 degree weather, the people who can't let go of summer in the end and want to sit out there when the weather drops back in to the 60's, and the people who expect to receive service when it begins to rain.
This is the first place I have worked that had a patio. Is it normal to run it like this? My boss's attitude is if someone wants to sit out there, we serve them no matter the weather. What would you do in this situation? I am tempted to tell people that there is no table service when the weather is wet, sweltering hot, or cold to the point that I want to wear a coat. Would you?
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7 years ago
4 comments:
Patio's are the bane of any server's existence. The added business is nice, but people will sit out there as long as they can cling to the hope of dining a fresco.
Just wait until people want to "just have drinks" or split an entree and camp for hours on end. When it starts to rain and they have to move inside and the restaurant is full and they demand a place and the kitchen has dupes that are for the wrong tables it's sheer chaos
My restaurant has a patio, and while it's a great advertisement, that will bring in lots of money for the inside servers and bartenders, it'll be hell for anyone unlucky enough to be stuck outside.
Some people are not bothered by weather extremes. Or they may be from other parts of the country like phoenix, and 95* seems quite average to them. I had a friend once who, because of brain surgery, never got too hot. She could handle the most humid and oppressive 100* day. And she hated AC. On the other hand, most ladies in their late 40s to about 55 are in some form of menopause and are boiling hot alot of the time. So they would LOVE to sit outside in the cold. So, yeah it sucks for you, but I can see your bosses point. PS love your blog!
if only we were allowed to tell them NO...i think i got sick a couple weeks ago because i had one couple who insisted on sitting out on the patio on a rainy windy 55 degree day. It was crazy busy and hot inside and i kept having to leave my section to go outside into the cold to take care of these yahoos who sat there huddled together for 3 (yes 3) hours. My indoor customers kept glaring at me because everytime i opened the door to go out a cold wind would whip through my section. I don't think people have any sense...one warm afternoon and they're wearing shorts even if it goes back to 50 degrees the next day. Welcome to patio season!
When I managed a restaurant, we too had a patio. And it was drenched in the afternoon sun most days. The waiters hated working there and yes, of course there were always the crazies that wanted to sit out in the sun.
The waiters dripped sweat, the bussers hated going there...;it sucked. then as the sun went down out came the bugs.
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