New job developments.

So, it’s been interesting, to adjust to the one (Irish-y) burger joint in the first floor of a historic hotel that I now work at.

There’s no more free meals, although we do get a 50% discount off of 2 drinks and 1 app and 1 meal every time that we work, so long as we order it just for ourselves and not for friends or anything like that, with some exceptions like with seafood since I started working there since seafood prices have gone up so much, so if we want that we have to pay full menu price.

The menu is also huge, which means that it’s going to take me a while to eat through it and try everything, with the coffee cocktails being an especial challenge since I work mostly nights and there’s no way I’m going to have shit with espresso in it at 9 or 10pm at night, I’ll have to wait and try those on days when I work lunch shifts and can hang around after work and I have time to sip a cocktail and let the caffeine course through me at a reasonable time of day when it will have worked itself out of me by nightfall.

Quite oddly at first, they insist that you never leave a tip on anything you order there whether after-shift or when you’re just there with people you know, since they split tips and it would just go back into the pool anyways.

(I did that on the rare occasions that I was at the [Thai] restaurant outside of work hours and bought something there.) 

Also, I’m starting to get my banter together. Like, if people say it looks nice, I praise the lighting and say it’s awesome, it covers up my wrinkles and takes 5 years off me, and I also offer to show them around the different rooms that we have…  Different rooms are better suited for cocktails or for big groups or for receptions, so why not show people around if they’re interested? You’ll never know what will turn into business, down the road… 

Like, one (mid-50s) (tastefully-dressed) (white) lady perked up at the reception room, since she turned out to be a realtor and she said that this group that she’s part of the leadership for is always looking for new places to hold networking events, while this (young) (black) (female) and (cleancut) (white) (guy) who come in and order Sprite and hold hands looked at each other meaningfully, when I showed them that same room and listed how among other events people have held wedding rehearsal dinners there.

I also make sure to point out the room with the couches by the window, and say that people sometimes just get drinks and that’s nice for that, and at that point I remind them that our specialty coffee station is always open and does decaf stuff, too, like if they’re out and about and want to pop by for drinks or a coffee after a movie or event downtown or something.

I’ve also discovered that people don’t look through all of the (lengthy) drink menu that we give them, usually they just look at just the obvious parts at best, so I have now made sure to show people the pages where the dessert cocktails and coffee cocktails and specialty coffees are listed, so they know that those are options for them if they want them.

I mean, if people get 2 dessert cocktails, that’s like $25 more of sales right there, plus it bumps up the total that people will tip off of, too.

So, why not take a minute and point that out.