As soon as i turned eighteen years old i had my eyes set on waiting tables; the idyllic notion of being suave, charming, and confident as i schmoozed my way to big money. Unfortunately not everyone loves me as much as myself.
I always loved the waitresses at restaurants, they are usually friendly, pretty, and confident. I saw myself fitting right in and becoming a natural, this visualization didn't come to fruition right away. As soon as i walked in to apply for a job at Applebee's i was bombarded by two happy go lucky waitresses at the door asking if i would enjoy a table, booth, or high-top. I informed them i was their to fill out an application to become a server, and they both became excited and raved about how they needed waiters.
They fetched the manager, a skinny, oval faced man who kind of looked like one of those guys who hang around in the bowling alley shuffling toothpicks between their lips waiting to strike up a chat. He was very friendly and energetic, immediately making me feel welcome. He asked if i had experience serving before which i had already scripted and rehearsed an answer too, Since i had no real experience other than busing tables. I boasted of my teamwork, outgoing attitude, and how i wanted to go places with the company. I didn't go to far, but just enough to seem highly competent and motivated.
I ended up landing the job and to my dismay it wasn't how i visualized things. Yes, working with 14 friendly female waitresses sounds like the time of your life, but its also like throwing yourself into Degrassi. All of a sudden its highschool again; people gossiping about who slept with the manager, cooks and servers taking bong rips on five minute breaks so they can drag through their most painful existence, and a sense of general apathy. I was under the impression that i would be working with chefs and people who took pride in their jobs, but in reality my co workers were a collection of misfits who ran cheap scams for drug money, were ex-felons, and smooth talkers just waiting to take advantage of the naive new server. I was in for a rude awakening into the real world.
It was pretty sad.
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