Well, as I am desperately waiting for my golden ticket to the UAE to arrive (please, please, I'm all packed, even my shoes!), I decided to supplement my fast dwindling funds with a part time job. Now, for whatever reason, I have always wanted to be a waitress. You get to help people, you get some laughs with some folks you'll hopefully never see again, you might even be able to spit in someones food or make their beverage unnaturally hot on purpose! What's not to like?! Having never worked in the restaurant world previously, however, it is amazingly difficult to break into these coveted positions. But I did! See my amazing cover letter that landed me a job below! Since this is my first job as a waitress, I'm really just a busser/server. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this term, it means I clean the tables after you finish your lovely meal and dump all the contents into their individually separate receptacles: compost, recyclable, trash, glasses, plates, silver. I also deliver your freshly cooked, all natural and organic meals right to your table with a nice, "enjoy your meal!".
So, I was soooo excited to get the phone call inviting me for an interview! I mean, really excited. I had a whole list of things I planned to say and questions I planned to ask... which never passed my lips. The general manager basically talked about the position and his plans for the restaurant for 10 minutes then said, "can you start tomorrow?". Egh, I'm fine with that.
Having never worked in a restaurant, I was all set to inspect this establishment Kitchen Nightmares style! I looked at the ceilings and the floors, in the corners under the tables, at the backs of chairs and under the tables, in the refrigerator, in the stove top, under the kitchen counters, at the ketchup bottles and the drink dispenser. And I am pretty pleased to say, my little cafe passed inspection! It's actually quite a lovely little place complete with a kids play area in the back.
Now, what I expected from this job was to chat up a bunch of yuppies and bring their caffe au lait's to their tables. Smile at their grubby faced, sticky fingered kids, make sure they had everything they needed to enjoy their meal and to check back with their table in case they missed some necessary essential like ketchup or lemon. And to learn a whole 50 + item menu by heart!
What I did NOT expect: to have to carry and empty a disgustingly sticky and ketchupee compost bin as tall as my waist outside the restaurant; to walk up a rickety, deathly steep ladder with only ONE hand rail to the supply loft; and to have to carry 12 bottles of water, 6 cans of coke, diet coke, and sprite, 6 vitamin waters, 6 coconut waters, 12 raspberry spritzers, 6 bottles of pellegrino, 12 bottles of perrier, 3 boxes of tea, and an assortment of take out boxes, down said rickety, deathly steep ladder with only ONE hand rail!! To have 20 something year olds questioning if I know where things go every 2 hours for 6 days (jeesh guys, it ain't rocket science!); to drop someones eggs benedict all over my starched black trousers (this only happened ONCE thank goodness); to have the extensive spanish speaking kitchen staff hit on me in spanish ( this was actually quite a nice little surpirse!); to give someone's order to the wrong table and to have said wrong table eat it (this happened twice!!); to have to stand, on my shockingly thin ankles in sneakers with no cusiony insoles for 6, 8, and 9 hours a day, minus my 30 minute break! I mean, is the human body meant to endure and withstand such dire straights?! Apparently, it hurts to be of the slightly more rotund stature, like myself, in this particular profession. I mean, really guys, my dogs be killing at the end of my shift! I can barely walk to the car!
So, needless to say, although I went into this new part time career choice with the rosiest of glasses perched on my face, they have since become mired in the muck of the compost bin! The faster that golden plane ticket comes, the happier my extremely tired and swollen ankles will be! (ps: the above picture is of course NOT my feet! lol)
Here's my amazingly awesome cover letter, I'm pretty proud of this thing, pretty proud! Hey, got me a job first time out!
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Ayanna and I love to eat
out! I love all kinds of food and several nights a week find me and
my family dining in a restaurant. As a frequent restaurant diner, I
know exactly what kind of service I expect and appreciate. I
appreciate being greeted upon arrival with a smile and being seated
promptly. I appreciate being greeted by my server with a smile,
their name and asked if I would like a beverage or water. I
appreciate when the beverages are returned promptly to my table and
the server says she/he will give us a few more minutes with the menu
and they will be back to take our order; I appreciate my order being
taken with a smile and repeated to me for accuracy. When the food
arrives, I appreciate being asked if I need anything else; after I
have had a few minutes to admire and take stock of my yummy food, I
appreciate when the server returns to the table and asks if there is
anything more she/he can get for me. This part is crucial! It is at
this point that I realize I need ketchup or a knife, a new napkin or
some butter. It is at this point that I find I ordered the wrong
thing and would like to add or change something, and I appreciate
when the server does everything they can to accommodate me. This is
the type of service I appreciate and expect as a diner, and this is
the type of service I would bring to your restaurant as a server. I
believe that customer service is the key to success for any business,
especially restaurants. And a server has the responsibility of
representing your establishment in the best light possible. As a
part of your wait staff, I would take this responsibility seriously
and make every effort to provide a truly wonderful dining experience
that people would want to come back and experience again!
Although, this is my first attempt in
the restaurant world, I have many things that would make me your
perfect new employee! First is my commitment to provide customers
with the best possible service. I have a positive attitude and a
sunny outlook on life that would make all of my customers enjoy their
dining experience. I am also a very fast learner, wonderful to work
with, and a dedicated hard worker! And most importantly, I know how
to provide good, quality customer service.
I would love the opportunity to meet
you and show you all of my wonderful skills in person! Please give
me the chance to show you what a great employee someone who eats out
all the time can be!
Kind Regards,
Ayanna
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