Today I started my day like every other day.

Made coffee. Said hello to my co-workers. One of the best things about my job is that there are usually only three people in the building when I get there. I don’t have to be on for 2 hours.

Filled my cup of coffee, that is the size of a soup bowl, I’ve been told. My boss makes fun of me. And went to my office, hit play on voicemail, and started writing down messages.

Today was a light day. Only 19.

All of them are run of the mill. (It’s 1:30 am. I almost spelled that meal).

Except.

A message from Cornelius. We’ll call him Cornelius because that’s his name. He has called to let me know that he is calling from American Express Centurion Membership.

I just knew he was calling from Amex.

Until 30 seconds ago I did not know what this was. This is an invitation only Black Amex card. Uber wealthy people.

Anyway.

Cornelius is calling to tell me that he has made a reservation for Mr. Douglas. The reservation he made was for 6 people at 5:30 on Friday but in fact it needs to be for 12 people. It’s okay to push two tables together or we may seat the guest near each other at the same time. He finishes by saying he made a note of all of this on the reservation.

My head explodes.

Literally.

I look up the reservation.

“There will be a total of 12 guests. Two separate tables for 6 guests is what we need.”

My head explodes again.

At this point a notification pops up on my computer.

Cornelius has followed up with an email.

It states all the same information. Reservation for 6 but there will really be 12. Two tables is okay.

At this point my head explodes again.

I take a deep breath.

I’ll call Cornelius. I might mention at this point he did not leave a number with his voicemail.

I look at the reservation. It’s the number for the guest. Hmmmm. I think better of getting Cornelius in trouble. His email has a number to call. Telling me I’ll need The last five digits of Mr Douglas’ card to identify him. Fun fact. I don’t have this number.

I call the phone number.

It’s Amex. Press 1 for this. Press 2 for that. I pick a number that seems appropriate but not really for me.

A recorded voice answers and let’s me know that the approximate wait will be 35 minutes. I laugh. That ain’t happening. I’m contemplating what to do when I’m given the option to leave a call back number and save my place in line.

I do this.

I hang up.

I re read the email.

I decide to respond. I let Cornelius know that we don’t accept reservations by email (because it’s a back and forth with times and areas of the restaurant) so he’ll need to call the restaurant. I also let him know that because we can’t secure the table until we talk I’m canceling the 6 top reservation to release the table.

I hit send.

Cornelius will be out out of the office till Oct 4.

I’m reading this when an out of area number calls.

It’s Cornelius.

He starts by telling me I’m on a recorded line.

I think to myself. GREAT. THIS WILL BE DOCUMENTED.

He proceeds to tell me about six different lies.

I push back on all of them.

No it does not say leave instructions for parties of six or more. It says call the restaurant. No it does not say this. No it does not say that.

He finally stops talking and says okay.

He starts to act like a normal person and we make a reservation for 12 people at 5:00 on Friday.

End of the call.

Except for the three follow up calls from Amex.

Then.

Around 8:00 I get a call from an out of area number.

Guess who?

It’s Cornelius.

Mr Douglas doesn’t like his 5:00 reservation. He wants a 6:00 reservation.

I explain that because of the reservation behind them, there won’t be enough time for 12 people to eat.

He asks for the original reservation for 6 people at 5:30.

It’s no longer available.

He’s perplexed.

I tell him to check in with the guest and let know what he wants.

Who knows if they’ll even show.

But seriously.

How the fuck does the travel component of American Express not know you can’t just add a tag line to a reservation and add 6 people.

No wonder Joe Public thinks it’s okay.

On my first day I was told I’d learn to hate the phone.

It’s true. You all already know this.

But along the way I’ve made it worse for myself by making it better for the business.

We do not hold seats for walk ins. Adam’s restaurant is the opposite. They always hold tables for a certain percent of walkins. Different capacities. Different philosophies.

Neither is right. Neither is wrong.

I will book the restaurant to within in an inch of its capacity.

That being said. Starting the day, we do have tables that we haven’t booked. These tables are saved because one of the chef’s friends is going to text at 2:00 and ask for a table for six at 7:00.

Or.

Mrs. Freeman’s assistant will call me and explain they have had a personal chef emergency and need a place for 8 people for dinner.

Or.

We discover a reservation was made but not assigned to a table and now we have nowhere to put them.

All of these things have happened. We almost always have one or two tables up our sleeve. Until 5:00. Then everything not reserved is filled and off we go.

The bar is its own beast.

We started taking reservations for the bar during COVID. Almost everyone I know did. This happened for a number of reasons.

First.

We no longer allowed guests to hang out or linger around the bar. The seats were distanced so it was easy to reserve two tops. It helped with staffing knowing who and what to expect.

It was so successful that we’ve kept doing it. Most people know this is the case. Occasionally someone comes in and gets angry to find this out. And of course there are always the I need a drink right now people who are waiting for a table.

Most of our guests have come to love it.

Why?

They know they have a seat when they get there with little or no waiting. The key is to make a reservation.

This brings us to tonight’s topic.

Reservations at the bar.

We only release half our bar stools for reservations. We also only release them in groups of two.

All for the same reasons mentioned before. We prefer two tops. They turn faster. And most of our guests don’t even know they are coming till day of.

When I first started, the bar would be about 60% full for the night.

Why?

Because they couldn’t get a reservation. And no one answered the phone. And often their messages weren’t returned.

I changed that.

I don’t always answer the phone. But I ALWAYS return your message. Maybe not tonight. But definitely by the next day.

So after I started, when regulars would complain about not being able to get into the bar I started telling them the following.

Just call.

At which point they’d say no one answers.

I’d explain that if it’s after 4:00 probably not. BUT if you call before 4:00 I’ll call you back same day. And I’ll do my best to get you in.

So they strarted to do this.

Now. Every day I get tons of calls for bar reservations. 10 to 15. If not more. It’s great for business. BUT. When calls should be slowing down as we approach October I’m still getting 25+ a day. Yes it’s less. But not less enough to have time to start other projects.

So now the bar is still full. Keeping the bar busy enough for two bartenders. The restaurant is making money.

But I’d love to not have any messages tomorrow when I get to work.

However, I wouldn’t change a thing. Our guests are very happy knowing they can get in same day at the bar. I’m happy that our numbers are still good. And the staff is happy because they are still making money.

So remember if you want to come in for dinner and don’t have a reservation call around 2:00 and wait for me to call you back!!!

Especially if you’re okay sitting at the bar.

Two months ago people were showing up insisting they’d made reservations for the patio. The opposite is true now.

On Sunday three groups came to the host stand to be seated. All three times I explained their reservation was for the patio and that I’d mark them as arrived and if they walked around back, the staff would be expecting them. And all three times I was told that they didn’t reserve outside. They definitely did not reserve outside.

I had variations of the same conversation three times.

I asked them to go to the patio.

I’m told they didn’t want to be outside.

I explain we are full inside.

I’m told it’s cold.

I say I’m sorry.

I’m told that never, ever, ever did they book outside.

I pull up the reservation and show they indeed make it. On line. With no help from me.

The insist they didn’t.

I turn the I pad around and show them.

At this point the conversation would begin to vary.

The first group said they’d tough it out. I wish they hadn’t. First they came back in three times to see if a table had opened up. And since they were uncomfortable they decided to be jerks to the staff. They moved their table next to the fire. They took wood from a decorative display and put it on the fire. They then were jerks about the service etc.

The second table decided to go elsewhere. Admitted their mistake apologized for the situation.

The last table decided they’d push back.

They insisted they didn’t make the reservation for the patio. When I showed them they did they said our website didn’t mention the difference. I explain the reservation is not made through our website but instead is through an app. They insist they weren’t given a choice. I tell them that’s not possible. Finally they say we’ll we had no idea we were booking a patio table.

I took a breath and said.

This is not true. When you hit submit to the reservation a pop up appears and says, “ you are about to book an outdoor table. We are not able to guarantee the reservation if the weather is inclement. It continues that we may not be able to move you inside, we may have to cancel. You have to acknowledge that you’ve read this message before you continue.

Well I don’t remember that.

Hmmm.

They let me know how much we suck. For not having indoor tables. For not having heaters. For not seating them somewhere. This continues as the door is closing behind them.

I’m sorry that it gets cold the first week of September in Maine. It really is not my fault. I promise, I’d like nothing more than for the winter to be forbidden till December and for it to exit March the 2nd on the dot. Instead it lasts for 9 months and we are tougher for it.

Suck it up and put on a jacket. A light jacket because 63 is not cold.

Tonight was a shit show for reservations.

And we only had 81 on the books to start the night.

One gentleman had two reservations. One for a table with a note to move him to the bar. Another reservation directly for the bar. Same time. Unfortunately his booking the table instead of a bar stool caused both the restaurant and the server money.

Another couple had a reservation at a table. They too asked for a bar stool. I moved them once I saw it. Once again causing the same server another table. They arrived. We seated them at the bar. Then they promptly let me know that the stools were too close. They wanted a table. By this time I’d told the server she could go home. I had to unsend her home. Now the server hates me.

Two women pop in to sit at the bar. No reservations. I explain we have reservations to give me a chance to look at where to put them. There are people in line behind them. I find a place that gives them three hours. I know they’ll be gone by then and seat them. As I walk away they are bitchy because the bar is empty. The bar is still mostly empty when they leave an hour later. I try to explain that should they stay an thirty minutes longer it won’t be. I try to explain that I sat them where I knew they could take their time without causing me any stress. They weren’t having it.

Another table showed up for their reservation. Couldn’t find it anywhere. I find a spot for them in the gallery. They aren’t happy that they aren’t in the main dining room but it’s 5:15 how would I know two tables would move to the bar.

At 5:30 I realize I have a late reservation. I try calling. The number goes to a local resort. The front desk made the reservation for guess who? The couple I couldn’t find. But it wasn’t in their name. It was a completely different name.

Guess whose section they were supposed to sit in. Yes. Same girl. Now she’s lost three tables. And an hour later will be un un sent home. I also have no doubt that the tables would have been reserved had they been available on line.

All this and only 81 covers to start.

On Thursday, I’ll have been at my restaurant 3 months. A LOT of people have walked through our doors since then. I’ve met a huge portion of them. I’ve become friendly with many of them.

There is a couple who come in at least once a week. Sometimes more. They always sit at the bar. Soon after I started I told them if they called the restaurant before 4:00, and left a message, I’d do my best to get them a seat at the bar.

It’s worked every time.

The first time they came in, I recognized them from David’s.

This isn’t good or bad, just that I remembered them. I did wonder if they’d disliked me when I worked there because back then we didn’t take reservations and lots of locals were resentful of this fact. I was scolded many, many times because Ms. Smith from Marshall Point Rd couldn’t get a reservation for two on Saturday night at 7:00. They’ve never indicated this to be true. Unlike one particular gentleman who walked in, was told no because he didn’t have a reservation and said. I know you. You were at David’s. Then cursed at me and walked out. This was my third day.

Anyway.

This couple who sits at the bar called today. I got them in. There arrived at 6:30.

Around 8:30 when all the reservations were in, I was wandering around the dining room. Who’s ordered. Who needs to. Etc. I check in with the kitchen.

Doug and Marcy are finished with dinner. I ask them how their meal was. We begin to chat. They comment on a bit of drama they’d learned about. I pretend I don’t know what they are talking about. Then Marcy says.

You know. You are a good man. You are always calm. You don’t let things bother you. You seem to enjoy your job. And you’re kind to everyone.

Fun fact. I’m not a person who can quote verbatim conversations I’ve had. This is me paraphrasing.

The conversation continues. I’m trying to take the compliment but also brush it off as no big deal.

The conversation continues.

They are being so complimentary. Of the changes I’ve made. Of the staff. Of my presence in the dining room.

So kind.

They ask how I’ve learned to be so calm and cool.

I say experience. Yes in the restaurant business. But also in theater. Which leads to me telling them about being a lighting designer. Grad school. My experience as a theatre professional.

I know from previous conversations that Doug was/is a musician. We share stories of free lancing. I comment that it’s feast or famine. I tell about how I had a restaurant job in NYC that let me come and go as needed.

They continue to compliment me. Marcy especially. I’m a little embarrassed. But also appreciative. I’ve always suffered from imposter syndrome. As soon as they find out who I really am they’ll know it’s all an act. The first year of grad school was especially bad. It wasn’t until I designed my first real show that I said hey, I’m not bad at this.

My first management job I would take a deep breath as I got out of my car and pray that my boss didn’t figure out I was a fraud.

I still suffer from this.

But.

After 9 summers. I think. I might. Know what I’m doing. Most days.

So it’s nice to hear someone acknowledge that I’m good at my job.

PS. There are lots of restaurant GMs I aspire to be. Adam is one. My GM in New York. Another from home. They all make the job look easy. I pretend to be them every day at work.

They are impressed with my story. Doug especially as a musician who I think gets it.

We continue to chat. 30 minutes has passed. My staff is starting to leave. One of them, quietly tells me her cash out is on my desk.

We chat for a while.

I tell them that the secret to looking calm is to never lose your temper. I tell them about the warm wine guy. I tell them about the free food people.

They are astounded and impressed at the same time.

They continue to be kind.

It really was special to have someone notice me.

And compliment me.

And they wanted and expected nothing. No free drinks. No free food. No special treatment. Just kindness.

At the end of the conversation I gave them both hugs. And left walking on air.

It was one of the kindest exchanges I’ve ever had.

They are good people.

It made my night.

PS. It’s almost 3:00 am. As always I’ve typed this on my phone. I have to be up in 6 hours. Please forgive any typos, grammatical errors, or stupid mistakes.

I’m going to bed.

Reservations aren’t a suggestion. Just like your appointment at your doctors office isn’t a suggestion.

This is especially true as the restaurant nears closing time.

Tonight I sat an 8:30 reservation at 8:15. Wow. We were early.

Well I sat two of the four at 8:15. And then we waited. And waited. At 8:40 I sat the third of the fourth. And at 8:50 I sat the fourth.

None of this is really an issue. Except. Then they didn’t want to order. They wanted time. Which isn’t really that big of an issue at a regular restaurant. But at my restaurant everything is wood fired. And the chefs have to know long to keep the fire going. It’s not like they turn on the gas and keep the grill hot. The fire goes out. Cooking is over for the night. It’s approaching 9:00. You’re the only table left to order. We are not going to keep putting wood on the fire to maintain the temperature to let you wait 30 minutes to order when you were late to begin with.

This isn’t even really what the issue is tonight. I feel like I’ve share this story before.

What YOU REALLY CANT DO is have two of your friends show up at 10:15 to join you for drinks. First you are four people at a four top. There’s no room for two more people.

Fun fact. In the state of Maine I legally can’t serve alcohol to new guests after the kitchen closes. It’s never enforced. Not by a long shot but there you go. The law exists.

Also. We closed an hour plus ago. You’re finished eating. You’re now the only guests in the dining room.

Absolutely fucking not. Go somewhere else. I can tell you where to go. I’ve already discussed it with your server. She’ll be happy to share the details with you.

But indeed they did show up. And indeed we did not serve them. And indeed they sat there talking forever.

And indeed I had plans to go out for a drink in Portland tonight so indeed EVERYONE lingered tonight.

That’s all. Don’t do that. Do not show up at a restaurant for anything after the restaurant closes.

Our restaurant hosted its first event since I became general manager. I’ve been nervous about it for more than a month. For lots and lots of reasons.

First.

The event was supposed to be on our patio. For two weeks rain has been predicted. Finally on Wednesday I met with the couple getting married (two very cute gentlemen) and convinced them to pay the additional money to buy the whole space so we could stop worrying about the weather. Of course the rain amounted to about 16 drops about 20 minutes after dinner started.

The worst part of this decision was that on Wednesday night I had to call and cancel 110 guests for the night. Only 1 person yelled at me.

Also I’d like to publicly acknowledge that if I’d listened to someone at work this would never have been an issue.

Another reason I was nervous is that I’ve sold myself as someone who can execute these events. And I can’t be the only one who feels like a fraud while singing your own praises.

Lastly, I had never hosted an event at this space with this chef, with these team. There were a lot of unknowns.

The event went great. A few hiccups. But mostly great.

Hiccups:

We never got a timeline so we were flying by the seat of our pants.

The guests were thirty minutes late. So food was starting to die because we had it plated and ready to go on time.

We found out about the champagne toast 30 minutes before it was to be executed. Like the first time hearing of it. Thank god the wedding planner rented flutes. We poured Prosecco since we hadn’t ordered champagne.

We learned there were two vegetarians as the food was landing on the table. It was meat for dinner. Lots and lots of meat. Pivot. Salad for everyone!

Also two people were gluten free. Thank god all of our meat was gluten free.

The kids at table 13 didn’t like our cheeseburgers so their parents had the trolley take them to McDonald’s which they ate on the patio upon their return.

Things that went well.

Our staff killed it.

Food was fucking amazing.

The band was good. There is nothing worse than a wedding event with a bad band.

The cake was good. There are so many bad wedding cakes.

No one puked. Remind me to tell you about the mostly naked bridesmaid from five years ago covered in vomit.

I got hit on by a drunk guy who tried to hold my hand at the bar and was open about liking older men. It was while I was learning this that he was served his last drink.

Our chef wanted to know why gay men didn’t wear socks with their suits. I explained that rich gays don’t wear socks. Poor gays always wear socks.

I learned a lot about weddings/events in our space. I know the questions to ask now.

I put every candle I could find out tonight. The space looked beautiful. Chef even commented on the candles. The staff will hate our new candle regimen tomorrow.

I learned who on the staff is good at these events. And who should have the night off next time.

I learned that our pastry chef is even better than I thought and we already knew she was good.

I learned we should just say no to espresso martinis at the end of the night.

I learned we are going to make a lot of money next summer if we do a few events.

And I’ll repeat. Our staff killed it! They really did great work.

And last of all I learned that even though I forgot to have bread put on the table before people were seated I AM pretty good at executing these events.

For those on my staff reading this. Big thanks to all of you!!!

Part 1: I called Jason today. It went great. I explained where I was coming from. He told me where he was coming from. He was super happy I called. I was super happy he answered. All is well in the world.

Part 2: Partial payment.

One whole month could be dedicated to paying your bill at a restaurant.

Tonight is partial payment day.

Tonight a server told me this story.

He waited on a couple who were having dinner. They ordered well, a bottle of wine, etc.

At the end of the meal he presented the check.

The bill was $187.

They gave him a gift card with a $100. And a credit card for the rest. The balance was $87.

They signed the slip tipping 20%. On the remaining balance. $17.

This happens a lot.

Last week it was a table who had people throw in cash. The credit card was run for the balance. The tip was 20% of the balance.

Yes. Yes. Yes. I know people make mistakes.

But my staff can’t pay their rent with your mistake. And every restaurant in America, will fire you if you ever approach a table about a tip.

So instead. The server cries in the wait station.

And takes the $17 you left to the bar to drown their sorrows.

So please. Please. Please. Pay attention when paying your check.

We have mucho, mucho, mucho, mucho regulars. One couple has a standing reservation every Thursday at 6:00. Anther couple comes Saturday at 8:00. One gentleman’s reservations go out till mid November. Lots more make their reservations four and five at a time. I’m on first name basis with at least three personal assistants. Jen is my favorite. She lives in Chicago. Half a dozen regulars have been given my personal cell number to make it easier to get a seat. Two regulars are reading this post along with you.

The point I’m making is that we have a lot of regulars I see a lot. I do my best to remember preferences. Both by notes in their profile and a lot by memory.

For example, Brian and his wife like seats 13/14 at the bar. Tim doesn’t care as long as he can see the TV. Eric wants his back to the kitchen. Peter wants the chef’s table. Mel wants seats 11/12 at the bar. Michael gets a reservation at 6:30 even though we avoid 6:30 reservations. Georgia likes to sit in Jens section. Matt is mad at me because Tina did not wait on him on their last visit. This is not an exaggeration. And 75% of our returning bar guests don’t care where they sit as long as David is their bartender.

A lot to keep up with.

So tonight Jason called for a reservation. He actually called three times I saw his name pop up three times. I made a point to answer the last call.

Wanted to know if I had room for him at the bar. I assured him I did.

He arrives around 20 minutes later.

I seat him at seat 12 at the bar. This is prime real estate, as it’s at the apex of the curved bar. The center of everything. Also it’s prime David real estate. It’s where everyone wants to sit.

About our restaurant. About our bar. About dining out in Maine.

There are currently no restrictions on restaurants in Maine. We can seat at 100%. Including the bar. We don’t require masks. We are not socially distanced.

Our bar has 23 seats. It was 24 when I started. You are elbow to elbow. Everyone who’s been there more than once knows this.

You are sitting at the bar to meet your neighbor. I’d like to point out that this is why Adam and I often don’t sit at the bar. We don’t want to meet our neighbors. It’s not uncommon for new folk to ask to be moved as they want distance. We do our best to move them when we can.

You know what to expect. Tonight is no different.

Jason is seated. Seat 12. He has neighbors at 10/11. He’s there long enough to get his food when we seat 13/14. This is not unusual. The other host comes back to the front door to say 13/14 wants to move down. This isn’t great because I have to make sure it doesn’t throw off anything. It does not.

I’m then called over to Jason who is angry. He doesn’t understand why Seats 1 through 14 are full and no one is sitting at seats 15 through 23. I try to explain why. Most everyone requested David. He points out this is not true because the couple next to him is new. He also continues by explaining that he’s immune compromised and he is angry I’m seating people next to him. He doesn’t understand why we aren’t distancing people when we can.

I’m great at dealing with disgruntled guest. I’m a charmer who can turn most situations around. And I can also push back when I need to. But this is a regular. Who knows the chef quite well. I’m trying to tread lightly. Also I’m not good at arguing on the spot. I could never be an attorney. My best defense would be after the jury returns their verdict.

I continue to try and explain. He’s not having it. He then asks where he can move to eat his steak. I’m full. It’s approaching 7:00 by now. So he says he’ll just go.

Three minutes later he’s gone.

15 minutes later every seat, including where he was sitting is full at the bar. I was not seating people next to him unnecessarily. Yes one half was empty. But only for twenty more minutes. There was a continuous stream of people looking for bar seats. Also on a normal day I do try to spread people out. Today I was dealing with a gargantuan emergency. I don’t assign sections to servers till just before we opened. I didn’t notice that one server was going to get four tables at 7:00 until around 6:45. It was not a normal day.

I also didn’t find out till later but he marched up to the kitchen window, demanded the chef listen to his complaints and expressed his displeasure at how the bar was seated tonight.

So. Be consistent.

I’ve personally seated this man elbow to elbow to elbow literally a dozen times this summer and not once did he complain about the closeness. Not once did he convey he had health issues. It was always perfectly fine. I was actually seating him where I thought he wanted. The seating wasn’t careless.

7:00 to 8:00 is often the busiest time of the night. Tonight was no different. The bar was only 75% full. But not for long.

I am as accommodating as I can be. But I have to have all the information to do so. He could have been seated at seat 1 or seat 23. The end seats. Fewer neighbors. He could have been given a table. I had them available when he called. There were options. How have I known him as a bar regular all summer not known it made him nervous to sit there? He could have gently said something a dozen times. But instead he blew up tonight.

I’m trying to decide now if I should call tomorrow to explain what happened and apologize. Or just let sleeping dogs lie.

What would you do?

A pet peeve of someone I love!

Phone rings!

The phone rings a lot in my life right now.

I answer.

Do you have any reservations for tonight?

Yes. Why. Yes. I. Do. I have a full house. Each of those people has a reservation.

What you want to ask is do I have any openings for tonight.

It reminds me of when I was in grad school at UK and someone would wander into the theater during the afternoons while we built the scenery.

Speak the following in a serious southern accent.

Oh my god. Y’all. This looks great. Are y”all building a stage? Y’all are building a stage.

And the scenery design professor would always say. No. The stage was built years ago. We are building a set.

Is it pretentious? Probably.

But this is a kick in the bucket compared to some of the crazy questions we get.

I know you don’t have a kids menu. Can I bring their food with me?

Do you have indoor dining?

Can I make a reservation for tonight on the patio? It’s raining…. We don’t mind.

Can you cancel my reservation for the other restaurant that we made for tonight?

Can you cancel my reservation for Tuesday? We are closed on Tuesday. Yes. That’s why I want to cancel my reservation.

Can you tell me the name of the wine I ordered on Saturday night?

They go on.

It’s hard to not make fun sometimes.

What are the stupid questions that people ask YOU at work?