As I mentioned a couple of days ago it’s hunting season.

I’ve posted ads for all front of house positions.

I’m getting 7 or 8 replies a day.

However, no one tells you what they are applying for. Host? Food runner? Server?

And you can’t tell. I’ll reach out to someone about being a food runner who only had life guard experience but they tell me no. They want to be a server.

I also have big questions about how to reach out to prospects. I mostly do email. But guess what? 17 year olds don’t check their email. I try phone calls but even the adults have voice mails that are full or not set up. I don’t text, because I don’t want to use my personal cell number. So I’m stuck.

Today I decided I’d try phone calls.

I leave messages for 4 different applicants.

Only one called back.

Before service.

I left the messages around 1:30.

Tonight at 7:00the phone rings. I’d glanced at caller ID at the same time I hit answer. I knew what was coming.

Hi, this is Dorothy. You left a message for me earlier in the day.

I have a line of people at the door. I have a surprise party to execute. And now I have an applicant who wants to chat about an interview.

I tell myself be calm.

And the. I explain we are in service and I will call her back tomorrow.

And I will.

And I’ll end up hiring her.

And six weeks she’ll understand why she shouldn’t have called at 7:00.

We have lots and lots and lots of regulars.

Only 10 of them were in tonight. In fact I only recognized four names on the list tonight.

Two of them, are Saturday night regulars.

Older, nondescript couple who usually dine at 5:00, came in tonight with friends at 7:00.

Well.

Their reservation was at 7:00. Four of the 6 showed up at 6:10.

They were early to get a drink and get seated before their other friends because it was a surprise birthday celebration.

It would have been nice to know this.

It’s 6:10. The bar is full. The people who are currently seated at their table have just gotten entrees and are going nowhere fast.

The finally get seated in the lobby, where one of the men is simply not taking no for an answer about the bar.

Finally, around 6:40, their future server catches her breath and gets them a drink order.

All is well.

Except.

We are fast approaching 7:00. Their table still hasn’t turned and we have been told they are very disappointed that this surprise isn’t going to be a surprise. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!

I really have no idea what to do. I’m not going to rush a table that is perfectly on time. I had no idea about the surprise. And there are a million ways this could have been planned better

Tick. Tick. Tick.

They finally move from the lobby to the couch just inside from the lobby. I close the lobby curtains so if their friend comes in he won’t see them.

It’s approaching 7:00. Now the lobby is filling up with people who need to be seated. Which is being slowed down by the breath down my neck about their table getting up.

The wife of the birthday surprise couple comes in. Ugh. I explain that she needs to push her husband into the corner and not let him move when he comes in from parking the car.

It’s 7:01.

I look up and their table is leaving.

I grab a food runner and tell I need the table cleaned and set in 6 seconds.

I grab the bartender and get her to get the Prosecco the table wants open on the table, I grab the host and have her help facilitate the final touches.

Meanwhile the original 4 are standing outside the room waiting for all to be finished.

They sit. One of the men asks if he should request the Prosecco from the server, I move aside and the bartender sets the glasses and bottle on the table. He’s impressed. As she moves away the server picks up the bottle and begins to open it. As she starts to pour another server arrives with an ice bucket. I whisper to their server, come to the door when it’s poured.

She arrives at the host stand about two minutes later, I ask the surprise wife the name on her reservation, because it’s not the real name, she tells me, I say, ahh, we just finished setting your table.

Jen can you take this couple to table 37. She gets there. They open the door. The surprise is a real surprise.

All is well.

Except that, I’m in the weeds. Jen is in the weeds. Everyone is is the weeds because of one table.

I did feel like I was the maitre d doing the Waiters’ Gallup in Hello Dolly as everything came together perfectly.

They left very happy.