The Man's family had their Christmas gathering last night. It was not easy to get everyone together. The Boy had to negotiate with his band teacher to show up for his school concert just before the orchestra went on, which was at 9:45. That meant he could join us for dinner at 7:00, then get into a cab at 8:45 to get to the school by 9:30, with a few minutes to spare just in case. BRIL1's family cancelled their ballet plans in order to join us. SIL sped in from Hamilton with kids in tow on a Friday night. BRIL2 had to pick up MIL from Port Hope.
The Man initially booked the restaurant for 10 for dinner, 14 for dessert. Mid-week, he phoned back to change that to 14 for dinner. But that message never got passed to the Friday night staff. We arrived at 7:00 to discover a couple dining in the room where we were. The long table was set for 10.
The poor waitress. The Man fretted and strutted about. I said, That's okay, because SIL and the kids will be late. By the time they get here, that table will be finished. But that didn't sooth The Man. He was just annoyed the restaurant didn't pass on the change in dinner plans.
But you know, everything worked out. Because everyone was late. BRIL1's family arrived at 7:30 just as the dining couple was leaving. When BRIL2 and MIL arrived, they never even knew about the couple. SIL didn't get in till 8:30. The Boy left at 9:00. We finished dinner at 10:45.
The fantastic waitress. She was good-humoured and graceful. She kept our orders straight, brought out The Boy's dinner first even though I forgot to tell her he needed to leave early until 20 minutes before he had to leave, made drink recommendations, and told jokes.
It was the experience of the evening that was different for everyone. I'm sure the waitress just let things play out without stressing much about things she can't change. She was busy enough. The Man fretted and fumed. I'm on the waitress' side, though if I had made the arrangements and the restaurant got it wrong, I am sure I would have been more put out. Or maybe not. After all, The Boy was on a schedule and I was pretty calm and confident he would eat and get back to school on time, regardless of what happened at dinner.
Maybe it's a matter of focus. I was out for a good time and to make sure The Boy got back to school on time so my fun and mom metres were triggered and active. The Man wanted to make sure the reservation worked out for his family; the effectiveness of his planning and organizational skills were being tested. Others were challenged just to make it to the restaurant not too late. But over dinner, there was no fuss, no muss, no clean up. It was great.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
All in all, It appears that it was one fine evening. MIL (most importantly) was able to attend, SIL made it from out of town, a family member's family changed their plans, the waitress was accomodating and pleasent. As a member of the resteraunt industry, I know all too well how a glitch can offset the entire evening. All in all, The glitch wasn't the wait staff's fault they are merely part of the team that unfortunately takes the initial fallout. The important thing is that you had a good evening. Did you leave her a good tip? Sorry I could'nt be with you all. As a cook, I was run off my feet trying to accomodate glitches of my own (from a kitchen's point of view.) Some days I'd like to slug patrons to ensure they won't come back to annoy us once again!
Post a Comment