WOW I have finally made it to my service week, WUHOOOO!!
I am finding service really good so far, my week started with Sunday by spieling to Chef Tony, he passed me no problem which was good - he just needed to say that I needed to sound a little more natural and less nervous. I then had a classroom session with Laura who went through all of the service information that I need to know. After my classroom session, I had my first AM shift, this involves serving the lunchtime tables - according to my trainer I did really well, and today was my first MID shift, which is an all day shift AM (lunch) and PM (dinner), again my trainer was happy with me, the only thing I really need to improve on is smiling - it's not like I'm walking around the restaurant like a grump, it's just that I'm concentrating on what needs to be done next. When you are training you are given a 4 table section, so you can be sat with all 4 tables at once, this gets difficult when tables want things all at once and we deliver the high service that they expect.... I really enjoy the buzz though when it gets busy. The only thing I am finding slightly difficult and need to start getting used to doing is spieling, it's amazing what you can sell to a table by spieling, yesterday I had a table that bought everything I recommended. I just need to become more confident and make it flow a little better.
I have tomorrow off which I am really great full for, as last week was a 54 hour week. This week is only 42 or something, but today was a 12 hour shift, I clocked in at 11:15am and didn't clock out until 11:25pm, so I am quite knackered!!! I have a classroom session on Wednesday and then I have another PM shift, apparently the trainer should really take a back seat and watch me in this shift and let me do everything on my own. Thursday is an AM shift and is my test day, I am sat in a 3 table section on my test day, and you serve as normal through lunch, and at some stage during my lunch my manager and a trainer will be seated, I will have to serve them as if they are a normal table. They won't make it easy for me though, one of them will have an allergy and they tend to do sneaky little things to check that you pick up on things (e.g. order iced tea and tear up sugar packets and scatter them over the table to see if you clean them up), it's all good things to test the server to make sure that they are picking up on what their guests are doing. I then find out if I have passed or failed, if all is good and I have passed, then I will have my first AM shift on my own on Friday. Watch this space!!!!!!!!!!
Sorry I've not really updated you on anything other than work stuff recently, but all I have been doing is working, hopefully when (if...) I get into service things will calm down a little more.
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