I’d like to speak to the manager!!!

Since my first manager job, I’ve always had pen and paper in my pocket.  There are a million things you think of as you move around the restaurant that you need to remember for later.  

In the past, my staff has always gotten nervous as I write something down, when they are standing next to me.  They always assumed it was about them.

As often as not, it might be nothing more than don’t forget to get gas on your way home.  Or remind Adam to pick up more soda at the grocery store. 

Usually it’s a word or two, quick in the moment.  

Chairs.  

Candles.

Music.  

Temp.

Pre-bus.

Sometimes, when I look at the paper that has been jammed in my pocket all night, I have no idea what I meant.  

Today, I went through all of my scraps of papers from the past week  or so and added the new notes to my legal pad full of notes.  

I then transferred all of my note from the legal pad s, to the note’s app on my laptop, dividing them into categories so I’d know who to ask to get an answer from later.  

As I was doing this, I realized that my note app had headings that I didn’t recognize.  

When I was finished, I looked at what was already there.  And I found notes, from my phone from 2013.  

These are from my GM job in 2013, two days after the restaurant opened.  

Chairs

Trashcan

Three courses 

Up charge for dinner salad. 

Dessert.  Napkins. Menus. 

Windows

Cold hot.  

Buttons in micros. 

Tv channels. 

Milk

Candles

Kj chard

More dinner special papers.  

Sides.    Prices.

Staff

Linens floor.

Liquor boxes 

Cords dressed

Towel in belt. 

Tables in place

Change guest count. 

Wait station. 

Prawns. 

Lights at night. 

Drive away. 

Some of them I remember.    

Other’s I have no idea.  

It’s fun to think that 11 years later, these notes, jotted on a piece of paper, helped get me to where I am today.  

I do think it’s funny that the last note says drive away.  

Hmmmm.