Sooooooo in my interim month between Semester at Sea and moving to NYC for the summer, I have had some downtime. What is better to do with downtime than lay out? Try to find a job in your hometown.

As previously mentioned, I applied for everything under the sun, including a movie theater and a gas station. 

The only place to actually call me back was a sushi restaurant. The application process was pretty simple, and much preferred over other lengthy applications. I filled out my information on a post it note on a Thursday. I got a call back the next Wednesday. They wanted me to come in for an interview. 

The interview was really simple:

Ken/Kenny (one of the sushi chefs): can you work dinner and lunch?

Me: Yes.

K: Are you 21?

Me: Yes

K: TABC Certified?

Me: No…

K: Have you been a waitress before?

Me: No, but im a quick learner!

K: Ok, come in tomorrow for lunch.

So I take one of the menus and quickly try to learn some of the rolls, so i can pass my test and soon be able to make tips. I didnt point out during my interview that i would be leaving in under 2 weeks, but they didn’t ask…

Thursday morning I don a fully ninja-like black outfit and arrive promptly at 1030 for my first shift in the food service industry. Ken is surprised to see me. The other waitress comes in, and instructs me to sweep. This restaurant is already meticulously clean, but I sweep fake dirt for an acceptable amount of time. I ask Ken if he knows what I am supposed to do, and he points in the direction of the other girl and says she will tell me. After asking, she informs me that i am supposed to follow her around to all the tables and just watch. This makes sense in theory, but in a small restaurant, I mostly felt a. creepy, and b. in the way. I soon gave up on this idea and just started pretending like I was a big-time waitress. I welcomed people, got their drinks, handed them the sushi ordering papers and pencils. 

Finally, I got my big break, and was “awarded” my own table. This happened to be a group of extremely large men. Not fat, more like samoan. They had to be involved in some sort of football for adults league. Pro, association, college, IDK. Regardless, they were the nicest. I was happy to get to wait on them, and they were very good sports about it being my first day. The 2 youngest (2nd and 3rd biggest) would yell to the dad (the 1st biggest), “Dad! She doesn’t know!!!! IT’S HER FIRST DAY!!!!” and the teddy bear father would say, “oh Im so sorry ma’am, I just wanted a straw”. This crew was great and i was half hoping they would kidnap me from the job, even though i was enjoying my new life as a ninja wannabe. They ended up being my first and only table, though, since my waitress fate was headed for doom.

After the end of the shift, I received no tips (because i was “in training”), actually swept again, and got 2 free rolls of sushi! Ken said that I had done a good job and he would call me later to give me the schedule for the next week. 

I went home and promptly passed out. I woke up to explain to my mother what a hard life it is as a waitress in training, she guffawed at the fact that I didn’t even get tips from the hungryman table, and then I called in to ask about my schedule. This time I got Tony, the other sushi chef/general manager. He explained that since i was leaving in August (for school), there would be no schedule. He didnt put it this way and wouldnt say it outright, but i made him. I said, “what about my $$$?”-because i made $4 an hour before taxes for the 4 hours that I worked (really hard), and I wanted to be paid for that. He stumbled around his words, and said, oh yes, we will work out a paycheck…

After the phone call, i explained the situation to my parents. They found it as hilarious as it is and were happy that i had at least attempted. One of my sisters said, that is was good that I “at least i had waitress experience”, which is a good point. I think all high schoolers should wait tables at least one shift. This will ensure that all servers are treated much more politely.

Post-workday, I took a quick jaunt down to Austin for a lot of friends’ graduations. I proceeded to eat many meals at many restaurants, and I felt a special “server connection” with those who waited on me. I only wish I could have had this job for longer, because it was really great people watching. However, it was exhausting, and I don’t know how many more hours I would have lasted had I not gotten the axe.