Monday, June 4, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Friday, April 20, 2012
Larry HD
Help Al Lowe make Leisure Suit Larry Land of the Lounge Lizards in HD.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisuresuitlarry/make-leisure-suit-larry-come-again
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/leisuresuitlarry/make-leisure-suit-larry-come-again
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Woes of Seating
I work at a buffet and normally during the weekdays, we don't seat people and let them find their own seats, no problem. Come Friday and Saturday (and sometimes Sunday) it will get so busy that we have to hold people up by the register while we find them a seat. This is where I come in. I am basically the head seater (unofficially) and I try to get everyone seated as quickly as I can. Being busy however, means that there are a limited number of seat available so sometimes people have to wait.
Now over the time I have worked and seat I have only had two complaints against me (not to terrible I know but it still annoys me) and they have been in the last few months, I will be getting to those soon. I have a set of guidelines I follow when seating, partly made up of what I was taught and partly my own to satisfy the customer. I was taught to seat people based on the size of their party. That means: a part of 1 or 2 will be put at a two seat table. A party of 3,4 and sometimes 5 (depending on current seating conditions) will sit at a four top or a booth. Parties of 5, 6, or 7 will be put at a six top table. Anything bigger will ether have to be split or wait while we try to find a spot big enough to put them in. Only when we run out of two tops do we start putting parties of 1 or 2 at bigger tables and so on. We were told right from the start, "Keep the bigger tables for bigger parties" which I tell people when they ask about the bigger tables, and will usually understand.
When we start getting busy but before we put our seating sign out, it can get very messy. An example would be Yesterday, When I put our sign out and was going to take a party of 9 to a big table that was open in the back, when I got there I found that a part of 6 was occupying this table meant to seat 10. Since they were already eating, there was nothing we could do about it and had to have the 9 wait back up by the registers while I put together some tables elsewhere for them to sit all together. Also behind them was a 10 that I had to find a table for as well. This is not out of the ordinary for seating but it still annoys me to no end.
As far as our booths go, I will offer them if I know I have one available. It also helps if after I ask how many people are in your party, I am told if you specifically want a table or a booth if you specifically want one. Otherwise I will give you what ever is the closest, clean, available spot there is. Also when we are busy, I can only fill so many request for specific areas. If you want one specific side, I might be able to fulfill that. If you want a booth, on the south side of the restaurant, by a window: You may be waiting a while because our booths (and more importantly the south side of the restaurant as well) fill up very quickly. I will do my best but in the end you may have to give it up.
Most of the time people are okay with where I put them. Sometime they will say it is okay then get up and move after I go away. That is fine as long as it isn't say a 2 going to a six top. It may throw me off but I can work around it. Now about those complaints. The fist one happened a while back. It was a party of 6 with 4 adults and 2 children in high chairs. I asked them to wait up front while I tried to find them a table. I was of course looking for a 6 top to put them at. While I was looking however, some of them started to walk off on their own and were going to settle at a 4 top table. With 6 people, that would be quite crowded especially since the high chairs would create an hazard to get around. when I stopped the rest of the people still up front and when to get the others. Apparently after I had asked them to wait up front again, they complained to the manager up there and got the 4 top. I was complained at because they were impatient and didn't listen, but they weren't just rude to me.
a few minutes later, a 6 top was completely ready and on of the cashiers asked if they wanted it. They took it and when the cashier ask if she could help them with their drinks, they all set their drinks down and expected her to carry all 6. The next complaint actually happened the other day. I came up to a guy and asked him if a booth was alright because that is all that was ready at the moment. Apparently he didn't wasn't paying attention to what I said but he replied "Yes, 4 people." I took him to the booth where he got mad and was saying a booth won't work because he was too big. When I told him that he would have to wait up front again he complained to the manager that I gave him attitude. He complained because he was he wasn't listening and didn't get what he wanted.
In the end, when you need to be seated at a restaurant, consider how busy we are at them moment and Listen to what we say before you go making demands and complaining about what we have very little control over.
Now over the time I have worked and seat I have only had two complaints against me (not to terrible I know but it still annoys me) and they have been in the last few months, I will be getting to those soon. I have a set of guidelines I follow when seating, partly made up of what I was taught and partly my own to satisfy the customer. I was taught to seat people based on the size of their party. That means: a part of 1 or 2 will be put at a two seat table. A party of 3,4 and sometimes 5 (depending on current seating conditions) will sit at a four top or a booth. Parties of 5, 6, or 7 will be put at a six top table. Anything bigger will ether have to be split or wait while we try to find a spot big enough to put them in. Only when we run out of two tops do we start putting parties of 1 or 2 at bigger tables and so on. We were told right from the start, "Keep the bigger tables for bigger parties" which I tell people when they ask about the bigger tables, and will usually understand.
When we start getting busy but before we put our seating sign out, it can get very messy. An example would be Yesterday, When I put our sign out and was going to take a party of 9 to a big table that was open in the back, when I got there I found that a part of 6 was occupying this table meant to seat 10. Since they were already eating, there was nothing we could do about it and had to have the 9 wait back up by the registers while I put together some tables elsewhere for them to sit all together. Also behind them was a 10 that I had to find a table for as well. This is not out of the ordinary for seating but it still annoys me to no end.
As far as our booths go, I will offer them if I know I have one available. It also helps if after I ask how many people are in your party, I am told if you specifically want a table or a booth if you specifically want one. Otherwise I will give you what ever is the closest, clean, available spot there is. Also when we are busy, I can only fill so many request for specific areas. If you want one specific side, I might be able to fulfill that. If you want a booth, on the south side of the restaurant, by a window: You may be waiting a while because our booths (and more importantly the south side of the restaurant as well) fill up very quickly. I will do my best but in the end you may have to give it up.
Most of the time people are okay with where I put them. Sometime they will say it is okay then get up and move after I go away. That is fine as long as it isn't say a 2 going to a six top. It may throw me off but I can work around it. Now about those complaints. The fist one happened a while back. It was a party of 6 with 4 adults and 2 children in high chairs. I asked them to wait up front while I tried to find them a table. I was of course looking for a 6 top to put them at. While I was looking however, some of them started to walk off on their own and were going to settle at a 4 top table. With 6 people, that would be quite crowded especially since the high chairs would create an hazard to get around. when I stopped the rest of the people still up front and when to get the others. Apparently after I had asked them to wait up front again, they complained to the manager up there and got the 4 top. I was complained at because they were impatient and didn't listen, but they weren't just rude to me.
a few minutes later, a 6 top was completely ready and on of the cashiers asked if they wanted it. They took it and when the cashier ask if she could help them with their drinks, they all set their drinks down and expected her to carry all 6. The next complaint actually happened the other day. I came up to a guy and asked him if a booth was alright because that is all that was ready at the moment. Apparently he didn't wasn't paying attention to what I said but he replied "Yes, 4 people." I took him to the booth where he got mad and was saying a booth won't work because he was too big. When I told him that he would have to wait up front again he complained to the manager that I gave him attitude. He complained because he was he wasn't listening and didn't get what he wanted.
In the end, when you need to be seated at a restaurant, consider how busy we are at them moment and Listen to what we say before you go making demands and complaining about what we have very little control over.
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