weekend stuff Friday night I went out, had a blast, no drama, no fights, just a good ol time partying. Saturday went into work, did my shift and then went to a job interview. a friend of mine here is a manager for another resteraunt that's inside a big hotel. they're looking for a kitchen manager and suggested I apply for the position. I'm like what? He said come in and apply because his ideas and alot of mine are the same. So I went in, experience working in different restaraunts, in Chicago, NH and here, all kinds of different restaraunts, I've gained some nice expereince and I know how I'd like to run a kitchen if given that chance to.
So I went in, my friend Mike came out with his boss, after I explained where I've worked (Chili's, strattford farms, harris resteraunt in Chicago, perkins, which is a chain of restaraunts, Lane's Grill, Jolly Diner, and a few more) and the jobs I performed there. Mike's Boss asks me to take a tour of the kitchen and explain what I would change. while we're walking Mike says "Just be you", I looked at him said "you know what that entails, right"? and he laughed, said yes and his boss said she knows I have a certain way of being very blunt, and that she wants me to be very blunt because their kitchen has had many problems which is why they fired their kitchen manager(I found out later from one of the cooks that none of the cooks want the job because they're not sure if the changes they'd make would work). I walked thru it and slowly explained what I'd change and why. their coolers and freezers were so disorganized, you have to move boxes and boxes just to get to the eggs. ordering too much of one thing they rarely use and not enough of the stuff they do use alot( who orders 25 cases of beans when you go thru maybe a case a week?).
I made several suggestions that hit right on the mark, they have a machine where they can make their own buns, it's an older version of the same thing I use where I work, but they never use it. I explained how making your own overordering them will save money and I explained how that machine is used to help make the buns(between this and the oven they can make buns that are much larger and in the end look better and save money over ordering buns since the dough is cheaper than the actual buns, I know who they order from and they order from the same company the place I work for does, so I see the orders all the time).
Then I got to the dishwashing area. Oh my God was that a disaster. the gy doing it couldn't keep up and was doing things so wrong. I took a deep breath and said to him, "can I show you something"? He backed away and I grabbed 4 metal containers, added soap and water, grabbed all the silverware which was scattered all over the place, and placed it all in the containers, explaining that "knives here, forks here, spons here, and soup spoons and steak knives in this one, when they're filled, run it, that way it'll be out of the way and you don't have to play 52 pickup all the time". The guy looked at me and said "you think you can do this job"? Mike chuckled, I looked at Mike and Mike said "I told you, be you". I looked at the dish guy and said "Actually, I do do this job, every day". So the guy got cocky and said "ok, you show me you can do this better". I looked at Mike and said, "get me an apron".
Mike's boss got me one, I told the dish guy, to step back and stay out of my way. 20 minutes later I had it all caught up, they have a one rack machine, which is what perkins and where work now has, ran all the silverware, handed it to a server , stacked all the plates that were scattered in a disarray up, and just ran rack after rack after rack. 20 munites laters there was nothing left and all thru this all I heard the dish guy say was "shit..shit..". He looked at Mike and said "I can't do it that fast, where'd he come from"?
I took the apron off and handed it to him, saying "what as that you were saying about me doing this job"? He nodded his head and shook my hand, "I've been corrected and shown up, I admit that, how the hel do you that"? I smiled and I said I have alot of experience doing this and I have my own routine, it's one to be proven very productive, take what I learned from each restaraunt and add my own stuff and wham, it works very well.
Mike's boss was very impressed that I just took over the dish area and caught it up so fast. she explained t me she has never seen anyone fly thru all that with such speed. Mike said "I told you, Bill knows his stuff". We went into their office and I asked to see their inventory forms so I can see what they're spending and ordering. I jotted down comparisons that can be made which included the bread dough for buns over ordering buns. getting the same kind of spice under a different brand at a cheaper price over just sticking with one name, that this brand butter is cheaper than the one they're using and it's the same taste(I see it at Stuff's so I know). After all the comparing, I calculated it and just the little things I pointed out, it would save this restaraunt about $725.00 a week.
The one thing they do have going is a great team of cooks on the line. their system really doesn't need to be touched. the head cook I talked to I made a suggestion here and there but it was no big thing, he thought about it and agreed that it would make what he does alittle easier to deal with. he asked me where I work now and I told him, he smiled and said "I know the owner". I also told him where I had worked previously and he told Mike "If I were you, I'd have this guy here".
Afterwards I asked Mike if I could go into his cooler for a few minutes, his boss said go for it, and I spent ten minutes, maybe longer, just rearranging things so eggs are where eggs are supposed to be, the milk isn't scattered all over the place and you can actually walk thru the cooler now. alot of basic common sense stuff that hasn't happened here I guess for awhile. I even found some food and I have no idea what it is, I think I know what it WAS, that I myself promptly threw out. the 25 cases of beans? that was ordered by the manager they fired and just got it, I took two cases out and told Mike to send the rest back, you'll get a credit on it and you can use the credit for something else. They had always let the kitchen manager order everything and never reall checked what he ordered, though Mike would shake his head wondering why they ordered so much when they don't go thru it that fast. it wasn't like it was at a special price either.
So it's down between me and two other guys for this position. If I get offered it, I'm taking it. More money, more hours, being part of hotel here, has some nice perks like free use of indoor pool and waterpark if I like. money would be a big jump and I could spend my time prepping the various pancake batters, etc. alot I can do and some new things to learn as well. I even showed one cook on cutting tomatoes and onions where they got more use out of them than how the old manager showed them. made a suggestion on where making the batters can be done alittle easier as I knew a way that wouldn't take up as much space as it's taking now. so alot of things I've watched over the years at different restaraunts might finally pay off with a nice management position in a decent place. We'll have to see. My chances are very very good because the other two guys just walked thru and didn't say much. I took a hands on position right away and I'm not even hired there, showing things where changes ca be made which would benefit all the way around. Two waitresses asked Mike as we were walking to exit about who did all the silverware up, Mike pointed at me and said "he did it". They thanked me because they never got it so fast, the always had to bitch at whoever is doing the dishes to get them done. I smiled and just said thank you. So we'll see if I can get in here or not, i'll know later this week and if it happens, I'm taking it.
saturday night, st patricks's day, what a fucking madhouse the showboat was. had to fight my way to the bar, fight my way to the stage, I had one beer, sang one song and went back to the chalet where it was crowded but not all to wall people. I'm part irish so the irish in me had plenty of beer, quite a few Vodka/redbulls and a few shots of who knows what(people bought me shots). left an hour before bar time and went into work this morning. My boss doesn't know how i do it, go out all night and still come in and do my job. I laughed and said "I'm a veteran at closing bars, in three different states I've done it, and went into the work the next morning". lol. It may not be something to be proud of but it's my life. I live it how I want and for all the people who are in a 12 step program that have claimed I'd lose everything in the year I've been drinking again. Funny how I haven't and they don't have the courage to adit they were wrong. they had it to run their mouths judging me but now that they've been proven wrong they suddenly shut the fuck up. I guess their silence i'll take as their admission.
That's it for now, gonna reply to a new friend, same friend made this new icon of Iron Justice m/c for me. then after that fuck around and post some lyrics in a community i belong to.
Current Mood: blah
Current Music: Judas Priest- Riding Like the Wind