Blog 10.3 (Published at ezinearticles.com)

i hope this works...

http://ezinearticles.com/?Please-Wait-to-Be-Seated&id=3371549

Blog 10.2 (Published at ragingserver.com)

It’s not an online magazine, but still they posted my piece…every online magazine doesn't seem to like my piece... my piece of crap writing... :( http://www.ragingserver.com/best_waiter_server_blog/2009/12/02/please-wait-to-be-seated/

Blog 10.1 (Final Draft for Evaluation)

Please wait to be seated

“The dinner rush is kicking in. Platters of cooked food are starting to stack up on the counter. Six bottled beers are being sent back because they are not cold enough. The entire dining room is thick with hot and greasy air that leaves a distinct scent on the skin. The place is almost packed and still more people are being seated. The little brat on table three spills and breaks another glass of orange juice. Here comes the prick on table seven asking for a reheat of her half uneaten burger for the third time. Where is that damn busboy? The customers on the counter have been bugging me for their dessert order. Those fucking tourists did not leave a tip! Everybody seems to be talking loudly at the same time I can barely hear the nice old lady’s order. Someone asks for their tab as I carry out four heavy plates of food at the other table. I have not studied for my exams yet and I have another paper due before the week ends. Thank you folks, please come again!”

The busy hours of a dinner rush is something James is all too familiar with. The chefs, the restaurant managers, and the wait staff all share this grueling part of the restaurant industry. Every worker has its own trials. Every worker has its own story to tell. I meet up with James this Sunday morning to catch the train for his part time work in midtown Manhattan. Inside the train, I couldn’t help but to notice our fellow passengers. People are quiet. There are men reading the Sunday papers. There’s a mother and her kid on the stroller. And there are some—James included—with their heads hunched down trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before they get off the train. I wonder if these people are restaurant servers who often works fifteen hours shift. Restaurant servers work in shifts usually in days or nights and most of the time during weekends and holidays as well. Work hours vary on every restaurant establishment. His day shift starts at 10:00am and ends at 6:00pm, the night shift from 6:00pm to 1:00am.

As we walk towards the entrance, I hear the whole place just starting to come alive. I hear the usual cracking sound of a knife and the grill as it sizzles. The sweet-smelling scent of cooked bacon permeating the entire kitchen is invigorating. He put his apron on and gets his tab book by the register upfront. He introduces me to Johanna who is seating on the counter and eating her breakfast. They will be manning the tables today and she told him that she will do the night shift as well.

“Bummer. Who got sick this time?” He asked and took a piece of bacon on her plate.

“No, nobody got sick. Michelle is moving some stuff to her new place plus I need the extra shift anyway.” She replied.

“I see. Okay, let’s make some money then. Let’s start earning those tips, stat!”

“Don’t say stat.” She took a sip of her coffee and rolled her eyes at him.

According to the US Department of Labor, being a restaurant server requires agility, being able to work under pressure, and most of the time working on their feet for long hours during busy dining periods. In addition, all employees, especially the server, must provide fast and efficient service to all diners. Being able to move and think quickly, taking orders from the customers, and just getting along with people are common qualities of a good restaurant server says Shawn MacDonald, a restaurant server herself and a staff writer for the Associated Content.

James grabs a cup of fresh brewed coffee and put ice on it. He introduces me to the rest of the employees. As he walk me towards the kitchen, I see one of the cooks adding the chopped vegetables in a tall soup pan and stirs in the broth to make the soup of the day.

“The soup looks delicious, what are you making?” I asked the cook.

“Eh, ¿que es esto? ” James translated.

“Sí, sopa de pollo de la gran manzana. ¿Cómo estás, chico?” the cook replied enthusiastically and shook my hand.

“Say, ‘muy bien!’” James said.

“Muy bien, muy bien!” I replied back.

James tells me he didn’t speak a word of Spanish when he started working here. “That is one of the perks of working in a restaurant.” He adds.

The breakfast regulars start to show up. James lets me grab a seat by the counter where I can see them do their work. The customer on table three orders a short stack of pancakes and a cup of fresh brewed coffee. On the other table, James is serving an order of omelet and home fries to an older lady reading her newspaper. “I need an order of French toast and waffles for table four!” Johanna says in a commanding voice to one of the cooks. There aren’t many diners who stopped by to have breakfast this morning which is never good for the restaurant servers. They rely on the diner’s gratuities just to make the minimum wage. Unfortunately, for some restaurant servers, they don’t even make the minimum wage. The US Department of Labor states that the median hourly wage-and-salary (including gratuities) of restaurant servers is $7.14 as of May 2006. That is a few cents below the Federal regulated minimum wage which as of July 2009 is equivalent to $7.25. Here, in New York City, waiters and waitresses can earn up to an average of $30,640 annually and for experienced waiters and waitresses, earnings can average from $36,570 according to the New York State Department of Labor. “A big part of our earnings come directly from our customers rather than our hourly wages.” James stated. So, what is a proper tip? According to Kim Dickerson, a small business entrepreneur and a staff writer for the Associated Content, a proper tip for an average service is fifteen percent of the total bill. An exquisite service deserves a twenty percent or higher and a poor service, which happens rarely, is ten percent. “I don’t know where you get your sources from but fifteen percent is cheap!” Johanna jokingly remarks. “All we ask is just a fair amount of generosity from our diners for the service we provide.” James stated. Now, the other question is why do diners tip or should tip their waiters or waitresses? I got a lot of different responses from other restaurant servers to this question. But, they all agree—James and Johanna included—that it’s for the sole convenience of not having to worry about what’s for dinner and the mess of cleaning up afterwards. “All of that is all done for them while they sit with their friends or family and relax” Kim Dickerson adds.

A few minutes passed by, more and more diners start to pour inside. Johanna has just finish refilling the little containers of maple syrup for the pancakes and James finishes brewing another pot of fresh coffee. An hour or so later, the lunch time rush is well under way.

A party of nine walks in and is properly seated on the middle of the dinning room. James hands in a few complimentary pickle slices on their table and just as he suspected when they walk in, they are tourists—European tourists. James tells me that they are one of the worst types of diners next to the occasional assholes, which whines no matter how good the food tastes nor how good the service is. European tourists do not leave gratuities or are very stingy with them and still expects to be served to their every beck and call.

“Do you want to take them? They are Spaniards, our favorite people in the world.” He asked Johanna sarcastically as he hand her their lunch order.

“Not a chance. That’s for taking my bacon earlier.” She grinned as she walked away carrying the beers for table three.

They gather a fairly decent amount of gratuities during the lunch hours and as expected, they got nothing from those European tourists. But, James still provides a quality service to them. That’s a part of his work as a restaurant server. A restaurant server’s duties can be oversimplified into two main categories. Number one is providing a great service to all customers. Providing a welcoming environment sets the tone of the service from the moment the customer walks into the restaurant establishment. The simple act of always having a smile and just being pleasant in front of customers are the key to providing a warm and hospitable environment suggests Rodney Southern of the Associated Content and author of a short essay “How to Be a Fantastic Server at Your Restaurant.” “What I do is I kill them with my kindness.” Johanna states. Even the most cynical and gloomiest of customers fold when shown genuine kindness according to Shawn MacDonald.

Number two is doing “sideworks.” Sideworks refers to the tasks restaurant servers do during off hours or towards the end of every shift. Such sideworks are refilling the salt and pepper shakers, mopping the floor, and cleaning out the coffee pot. “It takes me a good hour to an hour and a half to do all my sideworks.” James states. General cleaning and sanitizing of the working areas of the restaurant is basically the whole definition of doing sideworks in the restaurant industry and is also eighty-five percent of a restaurant server’s daily routine states Steven, also known as “Ribeye,” a professional restaurant server in Nashville, Tennessee and the webmaster of his internet blog site ragingserver.com.

The lunch time rush slows down and the flow of diners coming in starts to dissipate. Johanna and James take turns eating their lunches. The employees’ lunch consists of yellow rice and beans, a grilled chicken cutlet, and some sliced avocadoes with squeezed lemons. They let me have a plateful and ate with them. I take a bite and it is absolutely delicious. “That’s the other perks of working in a restaurant, great food and you’ll never go home from a shift hungry.” James adds.

During the entire time observing James and Johanna on their work, I notice a middle aged gentleman sitting five seats apart from me on the counter. I notice he has been there approximately at the same time James and I arrived this morning. “He’s one of the regulars here.” Johanna told me. She tells me this customer in particular hangs in here almost everyday. Most of the employee here seems to know him by name and even some of the regular diners as well. He will walk in, greets everybody, sits on his chair by the counter—he even has his own chair here—orders “the usual” food and drink, and just hangs out and read his book for hours. “The good thing is we never had a problem with him.” She adds. He gets along with almost anyone who strikes up a conversation with him. “He’s also a lawyer which sometimes gives us free legal advices. As a result, he is the only diner here that gets free refills on drinks for life.” She adds.

The dinning room is quiet right now—free of demanding and bossy diners. James tells me that he takes this afternoon lull as an opportunity to do some of his usual sideworks. Johanna is doing the same. She’s cleaning off the laminated menus with a cleanser and arranges them neatly on the rack above where the napkins are. Before that, she dusts off the frames on the wall with pictures of old country western movies and the six feet by four feet decorative mirror at the back side of the dinning room. James also sometimes takes this quiet period to catch up on his school homeworks. He grabs his book bag by the register upfront and takes his math homework out.

“Hey, Johanna.” As he signaled her to sit beside him on the counter. “Do you still remember your college math?” He asked.

“Of course. Which math is it?”

“It’s calculus, and I’m having trouble solving this problem right here.” He pointed out the question on the textbook.

“Ok. Here’s how you do it.” And she started scribbling numbers and equations on the scratch pad.

Being a restaurant server is a fine entry level job for a high school or a college student. According to the US Department of Labor, “food and beverage service jobs are a major source of part-time employment for high school and college students.” There are no specific educational requirements and only requires basic skills. However, due to the nature of the work which pays very little, it’s not very encouraging to get a career out of waiting tables and getting ahead is very slim. “Job advancement is limited to finding a job in a busier or more expensive restaurant where prospect for tip earnings are a little bit better” according to the US Department of Labor. “Even landing to a busier and more expensive restaurant does not guarantee better earnings. It just means doubling the amount of work for a slight increase in pay.” James states. “It’s more of a transitory job and it’s really not meant to be a sole source of income.” Johanna adds. In contrast, the job outlook for restaurant servers is “expected to rise by thirteen percent over the 2006-2016 decade” according to the US Department of Labor. As more diners head out to eat in restaurants, more servers are also needed to provide service for this growing trend. There is still hope for decent earnings from waiting tables that’s for sure.

James seems to have finished his math homework through Johanna’s mathematical prowess. She’s in college as well studying on her masters’ degree in psychology. He puts his homework away and the employees for the night shift are starting to get ready—which includes him and Johanna. He goes to the washroom and splashes his face with lukewarm water to freshen up. He goes back upstairs to the dining room and diners are starting to pour in once more.

“Are you ready for round two?” He asked Johanna as he raised his right hand for a high five.

“Let’s do this baby!” She replied enthusiastically.

“You kept me hanging over here.”

“I don’t do high fives.” She said and gave him a bear hug instead.

The familiar sound of utensils tapping the plates and diners waving their hands for James to take their food orders indicate the start of the dinner rush.

Works Cited

Dickerson, Kim. “Tips on ‘Tipping’- Most People Have No Idea How to Tip.” Arts & Entertainment. 7 August 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/318904/tips_on_tipping_most_people_have_no.html?cat=22

MacDonald, Shawn. “How to Make the Big Bucks Waiting Tables.” Lifestyle. 3 August 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/332759/how_to_make_the_big_bucks_waiting_tables.html

New York State Department of Labor. “Occupational Wages In New York City.” 35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses. NYS Department of Labor. Albany, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/lswage2.asp

Ribeye. “The Tea and Crumpet People HAVE NO SOULS!”. Webblog. 5 October 2009. N.Design Studio. Toronto, Canada. 18 November 2009. http://www.ragingserver.com/

Scott, Nicole. “The Etiquette of Tipping from a Former Waitress.” News. 6 October 2006. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/66537/the_etiquette_of_tipping_from_a_former.html?cat=9

Southern, Rodney. “How to Be a Fantastic Server at Your Restaurant.” Arts & Entertainment. 18 July 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/309382/how_to_be_a_fantastic_server_at_your.html?cat=22

United States Department of Labor. “Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2008-09 Ed. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections. Washington, D.C. 18 November 2009. http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos162.htm

Wischkaemper, Pam. “A menu of ‘don’ts’ for restaurant servers.” Lifestyles/Food. North County Times-Californian. Copyright 2009. Escondido, C.A. 18 November 2009. http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_cead717f-0792-507e-bebf-5e5459eae534.html

Blog 10 (Revision)

coffee!!!…must have coffee!!!…LOL!!!

Please wait to be seated

“The dinner rush is kicking in. Platters of cooked food are starting to stack up on the counter. Six bottled beers are being sent back because they are not cold enough. The entire dining room is thick with hot and greasy air that leaves a distinct scent on the skin. The place is almost packed and still more people are being seated. The little brat on table three spills and breaks another glass of orange juice. Here comes the prick on table seven asking for a reheat of her half uneaten burger for the third time. Where is that damn busboy? The customers on the counter have been bugging me for their dessert order. Those fucking tourists did not leave a tip! Everybody seems talking loudly at the same time I can barely hear the nice old lady’s order. Someone asks for their tab as I carry out four heavy plates of food at the other table. I have not studied for my exams yet and I have another paper due before the week ends. Thank you folks, please come again!”

The busy hours of a dinner rush is something James is all too familiar with. The chefs, the restaurant managers, and the wait staff all share this grueling part of the restaurant industry. Every worker has its own trials. Every worker has its own story to tell. I meet up with James this Sunday morning to catch the train for his part time work in midtown Manhattan. Inside the train, I couldn’t help but to observe our fellow passengers. People are quiet. There are men reading the Sunday papers. There’s a mother and her kid on the stroller. And there are some—James included—with their heads hunched down trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before they get off the train. I wonder if these people are restaurant servers who often works fifteen hours shift. Restaurant servers work in shifts usually in days or nights and most of the time during weekends and holidays as well. Work hours vary on every restaurant establishment. His day shift starts at 10:00am and ends at 6:00pm, the night shift from 6:00pm to 1:00am.

As we walk towards the entrance, I hear the whole place just starting to come alive. I hear the usual cracking sound of a knife and the grill as it sizzles. The sweet-smelling scent of cooked bacon permeating the entire kitchen is invigorating. He put his apron on and gets his tab book by the register upfront. He introduces me to Johanna who is seating on the counter and eating her breakfast. They will be manning the tables today and she told him that she will do the night shift as well.

“Bummer. Who got sick this time?” He asked and took a piece of bacon on her plate.

“No, nobody got sick. Michelle is moving some stuff to her new place plus I need the extra shift anyway.” She replied.

“I see. Okay, let’s make some money then. Let’s start earning those tips, stat!”

“Don’t say stat.” She took a sip of her coffee and rolled her eyes at him.

According to the US Department of Labor, being a restaurant server requires agility, being able to work under pressure, and most of the time working on their feet for long hours during busy dining periods. In addition, all employees, especially the server, must provide fast and efficient service to all diners. Being able to move and think quickly, taking orders from the customers, and just getting along with people are common qualities of a good restaurant server says Shawn MacDonald, a restaurant server herself and a staff writer for the Associated Content.

James grabs a cup of fresh brewed coffee and put ice on it. He introduces me to the rest of the employees. As he walk me towards the kitchen, I see one of the cooks adding the chopped vegetables in a tall soup pan and stirs in the broth to make the soup of the day.

“The soup looks delicious, what are you making?” I asked the cook.

“Eh, ¿que es esto? ” James translated.

“Sí, sopa de pollo de la gran manzana. ¿Cómo estás, chico?” the cook replied enthusiastically and shook my hand.

“Say, ‘muy bien!’” James said.

“Muy bien, muy bien!” I replied back.

James tells me he didn’t speak a word of Spanish when he started working here. “That is one of the perks of working in a restaurant.” He adds.

The breakfast regulars start to show up. James lets me grab a seat by the counter where I can see them do their work. The customer on table three orders a short stack of pancakes and a cup of fresh brewed coffee. On the other table, James is serving an order of omelet and home fries to an older lady reading her newspaper. “I need an order of French toast and waffles for table four!” Johanna says in a commanding voice to one of the cooks. There aren’t many diners who stopped by to have breakfast this morning which is never good for the restaurant servers. They rely on the diner’s gratuities just to make the minimum wage. Unfortunately, for some restaurant servers, they don’t even make the minimum wage. The US Department of Labor states that the median hourly wage-and-salary (including gratuities) of restaurant servers is $7.14 as of May 2006. That is a few cents below the Federal regulated minimum wage which as of July 2009 is equivalent to $7.25. Here, in New York City, waiters and waitresses can earn up to an average of $30,640 annually and for experienced waiters and waitresses, earnings can average from $36,570 according to the New York State Department of Labor. “A big part of our earnings come directly from our customers rather than our hourly wages.” James stated. So, what is a proper tip? According to Kim Dickerson, a small business entrepreneur and a staff writer for the Associated Content, a proper tip for an average service is fifteen percent of the total bill. An exquisite service deserves a twenty percent or higher and a poor service, which happens rarely, is ten percent. “I don’t know where you get your sources from but fifteen percent is cheap!” Johanna jokingly remarks. “All we ask is just a fair amount of generosity from our diners for the service we provide.” James stated. Now, the other question is why do diners tip or should tip their waiters or waitresses? I got a lot of different responses from other restaurant servers to this question. But, they all agree—James and Johanna included—that it’s for the sole convenience of not having to worry about what’s for dinner and the mess of cleaning up afterwards. “All of that is all done for them while they sit with their friends or family and relax” Kim Dickerson adds.

A few minutes passed by, more and more diners start to pour inside. Johanna has just finish refilling the little containers of maple syrup for the pancakes and James finishes brewing another pot of fresh coffee. An hour or so later, the lunch time rush is well under way.

A party of nine walks in and is properly seated on the middle of the dinning room. James hands in a few complimentary pickle slices on their table and just as he suspected when they walk in, they are tourists—European tourists. James tells me that they are one of the worst types of diners next to the occasional assholes, which whines no matter how good the food tastes nor how good the service is. European tourists do not leave gratuities or are very stingy with them and still expects to be served to their every beck and call.

“Do you want to take them? They are Spaniards, our favorite people in the world.” He asked Johanna sarcastically as he hand her their lunch order.

“Not a chance. That’s for taking my bacon earlier.” She grinned as she walked away carrying the beers for table three.

They gather a fairly decent amount of gratuities during the lunch hours and as expected, they got nothing from those European tourists. But, James still provides a quality service to them. That’s a part of his work as a restaurant server. A restaurant server’s duties can be oversimplified into two main categories. Number one is providing a great service to all customers. Providing a welcoming environment sets the tone of the service from the moment the customer walks into the restaurant establishment. The simple act of always having a smile and just being pleasant in front of customers are the key to providing a warm and hospitable environment suggests Rodney Southern of the Associated Content and author of a short essay “How to Be a Fantastic Server at Your Restaurant.” “What I do is I kill them with my kindness.” Johanna states. Even the most cynical and gloomiest of customers fold when shown genuine kindness according to Shawn MacDonald.

Number two is doing “sideworks.” Sideworks refers to the tasks restaurant servers do during off hours or towards the end of every shift. Such sideworks are refilling the salt and pepper shakers, mopping the floor, and cleaning out the coffee pot. “It takes me a good hour to an hour and a half to do all my sideworks.” James states. General cleaning and sanitizing of the working areas of the restaurant is basically the whole definition of doing sideworks in the restaurant industry and is also eighty-five percent of a restaurant server’s daily routine states Steven, also known as “Ribeye,” a professional restaurant server in Nashville, Tennessee and the webmaster of his internet blog site ragingserver.com.

The lunch time rush slows down and the flow of diners coming in starts to dissipate. Johanna and James take turns eating their lunch. The employees’ lunch consists of yellow rice and beans, a grilled chicken cutlet, and some sliced avocadoes with squeezed lemons. They let me have a plateful and ate with them. I take a bite and it is absolutely delicious. “That’s the other perks of working in a restaurant, great food and you’ll never go home from a shift hungry.” James adds.

During the entire time observing James and Johanna on their work, I notice a middle aged gentleman sitting five seats apart from me on the counter. I notice he has been there approximately at the same time James and I arrived this morning. “He’s one of the regulars here.” Johanna told me. She tells me this customer in particular hangs in here almost everyday. Most of the employee here seems to know him by name and even some of the regular diners as well. He will walk in, greets everybody, sits on his chair by the counter—he even has his own chair here—orders “the usual” food and drink, and just hangs out and read his book for hours. “The good thing is we never had a problem with him.” She adds. He gets along with almost anyone who strikes up a conversation with him. “He’s also a lawyer which sometimes gives us free legal advices. As a result, he is the only diner here that gets free refills on drinks for life.” She adds.

The dinning room is quiet right now—free of demanding and bossy diners. James tells me that he takes this afternoon lull as an opportunity to do some of his usual sideworks. Johanna is doing the same. She’s cleaning off the laminated menus with a cleanser and arranges them neatly on the rack above where the napkins are. Before that, she dusts off the frames on the wall with pictures of old country western movies and the six feet by four feet decorative mirror at the back side of the dinning room. James also sometimes takes this quiet period to catch up on his school homeworks. He grabs his book bag by the register upfront and takes his math homework out.

“Hey, Johanna.” As he signaled her to sit beside him on the counter. “Do you still remember your college math?” He asked.

“Of course. Which math is it?”

“It’s calculus, and I’m having trouble solving this problem right here.” He pointed out the question on the textbook.

“Ok. Here’s how you do it.” And she started scribbling numbers and equations on the scratch pad.

Being a restaurant server is a fine entry level job for a high school or a college student. According to the US Department of Labor, “food and beverage service jobs are a major source of part-time employment for high school and college students.” There are no specific educational requirements and only requires basic skills. However, due to the nature of the work which pays very little, it’s not very encouraging to get a career out of waiting tables and getting ahead is very slim. “Job advancement is limited to finding a job in a busier or more expensive restaurant where prospect for tip earnings are a little bit better” according to the US Department of Labor. “Even landing to a busier and more expensive restaurant does not guarantee better earnings. It just means doubling the amount of work for a slight increase in pay.” James states. “It’s more of a transitory job and it’s really not meant to be a sole source of income.” Johanna adds. In contrast, the job outlook for restaurant servers is “expected to rise by thirteen percent over the 2006-2016 decade” according to the US Department of Labor. As more diners head out to eat in restaurants, more servers are also needed to provide service for this growing trend. There is still hope for decent earnings from waiting tables that’s for sure.

James seems to have finished his math homework through Johanna’s mathematical prowess. She’s in college as well studying on her masters’ degree in psychology. He puts his homework away and the employees for the night shift are starting to get ready—which includes him and Johanna. He goes to the washroom and splashes his face with lukewarm water to freshen up. He goes back upstairs to the dining room and diners are starting to pour in once more.

“Are you ready for round two?” He asked Johanna as he raised his right hand for a high five.

“Let’s do this baby!” She replied enthusiastically.

“You kept me hanging over here.”

“I don’t do high fives.” She said and gave him a bear hug instead.

The familiar sound of utensils tapping the plates and diners waving their hands for James to take their food orders indicate the start of the dinner rush.

Works Cited

Dickerson, Kim. “Tips on ‘Tipping’- Most People Have No Idea How to Tip.” Arts & Entertainment. 7 August 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/318904/tips_on_tipping_most_people_have_no.html?cat=22

MacDonald, Shawn. “How to Make the Big Bucks Waiting Tables.” Lifestyle. 3 August 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/332759/how_to_make_the_big_bucks_waiting_tables.html

New York State Department of Labor. “Occupational Wages In New York City.” 35-3031 Waiters and Waitresses. NYS Department of Labor. Albany, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.labor.state.ny.us/workforceindustrydata/lswage2.asp

Ribeye. “The Tea and Crumpet People HAVE NO SOULS!”. Webblog. 5 October 2009. N.Design Studio. Toronto, Canada. 18 November 2009. http://www.ragingserver.com/

Scott, Nicole. “The Etiquette of Tipping from a Former Waitress.” News. 6 October 2006. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/66537/the_etiquette_of_tipping_from_a_former.html?cat=9

Southern, Rodney. “How to Be a Fantastic Server at Your Restaurant.” Arts & Entertainment. 18 July 2007. Associated Content. Copyright 2009. New York, N.Y. 18 November 2009. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/309382/how_to_be_a_fantastic_server_at_your.html?cat=22

United States Department of Labor. “Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers.” Occupational Outlook Handbook. 2008-09 Ed. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections. Washington, D.C. 18 November 2009. http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos162.htm

Wischkaemper, Pam. “A menu of ‘don’ts’ for restaurant servers.” Lifestyles/Food. North County Times-Californian. Copyright 2009. Escondido, C.A. 18 November 2009. http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_cead717f-0792-507e-bebf-5e5459eae534.html

Blog 9 (Reflections on the Matrix Cluster)

I think I might have confused them more with my comments and suggestions…LOL! These are the poor souls that I might have ruined due to my advice:

Calero, Alberto (http://acj21591.blogspot.com/)

De los Santos, Ender (http://enderdelossantos.blogspot.com/)

Kim, Bryan (http://bluenovember-brian.blogspot.com/)

Solis, Johnny (http://blogjaysolis.blogspot.com/) His latest blog is blog 4. He’s a little behind from the others.

Getting motivated to write or finish the research paper is one of the issues common to most novice student writers. Some students just have the knack for writing and I wish I was one of them. Planning ahead and keeping very focused on the work seem to have helped solve some issues.

Blog 8

(Task 1) I only got one comment because I was late posting my completed rough draft last week. The comment said that there are pretty sharp breaks between the narrative and the actual research of my article. The comment also suggests that I read them aloud to check for errors and for someone to read the entire article to me. At first I did not agree with it but after reading my article several times, I finally noticed it. It did have a lot of breaks and it did not flow easily like the articles on “Literary Journalism.” I let a friend read the article to me and had similar comments about the breaks.

(Task 2-4) A complete revision of the article will be the majority of the work this week. I will also have to finish this blog (blog 8) and work on blogs 9 and 10.

Blog 7.1 (Rough Draft Repost)

Please wait to be seated

The dinner rush is kicking in. Platters of cooked food are starting to stack up on the counter. Six bottled beers are being sent back because they are not cold enough. The entire dinning room is thick with hot and greasy air that leaves a distinct scent on the skin. The place is almost packed and still more people are being seated. The little brat on table three spills and breaks another glass of orange juice. Here comes the prick on table seven asking for a reheat of her half uneaten burger for the third time. Where is that damn busboy? The customers on the counter have been bugging me for their dessert order. Those fucking tourists did not leave a tip! Everybody seems talking loudly at the same time I can barely hear the nice old lady’s order. Someone asks for their tab as I carry out four heavy plates of food at the other table. I have not studied for my exams yet and I have another paper to write before the week ends. “Thank you folks, please come again!”

Being a restaurant server, According to the US Department of Labor, requires agility, being able to work under pressure, and most of the time working for long hours during busy dining periods. In a restaurant environment employees, particularly the servers, provide fast and efficient service to diners. Being able to move and think quickly, taking orders from the customers, and just getting along with people are common qualities of a good restaurant server says Shawn MacDonald, a restaurant server herself and a staff writer for the Associated Content. Restaurant servers work in shifts usually in days or nights. A part time restaurant server may also work three to four days a week, more or less, sometimes including weekends and holidays. Work hours depend on the restaurant establishment. Our day shift starts at 10:00am and ends at 6:00pm, the night shift from 6:00pm to 1:00am. Oftentimes, a server works a double shift usually covering for another co-worker or when the manager assigns to do so.

I wake up early this Sunday morning to catch the train for work. Inside the train, people are quiet. There are men reading the Sunday papers, mothers and their kids on the strollers, and there are some with their heads hunched down trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before they get off the train. Me, I feel fine even though I got out of work at 1:00am and didn’t go to bed until 3:30 last night doing some homework.

I walk inside and the whole place is just starting to come alive. I hear the usual cracking sound of a knife, the grill as it sizzles, and the smell of cooked bacon permeating the entire kitchen. Francisco, one or our cooks, is putting the chopped vegetables in a tall soup pan as he stirs in the broth to make the soup of the day.

“The soup looks delicious, what are you making? Eh, ¿que es esto? ” I asked.

“Sí, sopa de pollo de la gran manzana. ¿Cómo estás, chico?” He said enthusiastically and shook my hand.

“Muy bien, muy bien!” I replied back.

That is one of the perks of working in a restaurant—learning to speak another language.

I put my stuff away, get my tab book at the register upfront, and put the apron on. I see Johanna eating her breakfast. She and I will be manning the tables today and she just informed me that she will do the night shift as well.

“Bummer. Who got sick this time?” I asked and took a piece of bacon on her plate.

“No, nobody got sick. Michelle is moving some stuff to her new place plus I need the extra shift anyway.” She replied.

“I see. Okay, let’s make some money then. Let’s start earning those tips, stat!”

“Don’t say stat.” She took a sip of her coffee and rolled her eyes at me.

A restaurant server obtains earnings from the combination of hourly wages and gratuities from the customers. The US Department of Labor states that the median hourly wage-and-salary (including gratuities) of restaurant servers is $7.14 as of May 2006. That is a few cents below the Federal regulated minimum wage which as of July 2009 is equivalent to $7.25. According to New York State Department of Labor waiters and waitresses in New York City can earn up to an average of $30,640 annually. For experienced waiters and waitresses, earnings can average from $36,570. The majority of a restaurant server’s earnings, however, are gratuities from the customers rather than the restaurant establishment’s hourly wages. It is essential that customers know how to tip as for some restaurant servers, this is their primary source of income. According to Kim Dickerson, a small business entrepreneur and a staff writer for the Associated Content, a proper tip for an average service is 15% of the total bill. An exquisite service deserves a 20% or higher and a poor service, which happens rarely, is 10%. The question of why customers tip or should tip is simple—for convenience. “Diners do not have to cook dinner, set the table, clear the table, or do the dishes. All of that is all done for them while they sit with their friends or family and relax” she also states.

A few minutes later, a few customers are starting to pour inside. Johanna finish filling in the little containers of maple syrup for the pancakes and I finish brewing a pot of fresh coffee. An hour or so later, the lunch time rush is well under way. We did not get many customers during breakfast so we are hoping we get pounded during the lunch hours.

A party of nine walks in and is properly seated on the middle of the dinning room. I hand in a few complimentary pickle slices on the table and just as I suspected when they walk in, they are tourists—European tourists. I know the likes of these people. They do not leave gratuities or are very stingy with them and still expects to be served to their every beck and call. But I am a professional. I will still give them the best service I know.

“Do you want to take them? They are Spaniards, our favorite people in the world.” I asked Johanna sarcastically as I hand her their lunch order.

“Not a chance. That’s for taking my bacon earlier.” She grinned as she walked away carrying the beers for table three.

A few hours later, the lunch time rush slows down and the flow of customers coming in starts to dissipate. Johanna and I take turns eating our lunch. It is about four hours past lunch time now. The employees’ lunch consists of yellow rice and beans, grilled chicken cutlet, and some sliced avocadoes. This stuff is awesome. They are way better than the cheese pizza we usually get on the pizza place next door.

In about an hour or so, the night shift will begin and the dinner rush will also kick in. We gather a fairly decent amount of gratuities during lunch hours—of course I got nothing from those European tourists. The Sunday crowd is mostly regular diners who come in during the weekdays as well. One customer in particular hangs in here everyday. Most of the employee here seems to know him even some of the regular diners as well. He will walk in, greets everybody, sits on his chair by the counter—he even has his own chair here—orders his usual food and drink, and just hangs out and read his book for a few hours. The good thing is we never had a problem with him. He gets along with almost everyone who strikes up a conversation with him. He also asks us about our lives once in a while but never goes overboard. As a result, he is the only diner here that gets free refills on drinks for life.

A restaurant server’s duties can be oversimplified into two main categories. Number one is providing a great service to customers. Providing a welcoming environment sets the tone of the service from the moment the customer walks into the restaurant establishment. The simple act of always having a smile and just being pleasant in front of customers are the key to providing a warm and hospitable environment suggests Rodney Southern of the Associated Content and author of a short essay “How to Be a Fantastic Server at Your Restaurant.” Taking the customer’s order is just as simple as jotting down exactly what they said. It just becomes a little tricky when the customer have no clue on what to order and asks for the server’s recommendation. Rodney Southern advises “to have at least two entrée and appetizer suggestions as well as a drink order.” Serving the actual food and beverage orders to the customers are also pretty straightforward. Just make sure it is what the customer ordered. Number two is doing “sideworks.” Sideworks refers to the rest of the work customers do not usually see such as refilling the salt and pepper shakers, mopping the restaurant floor, and cleaning the coffee pot. General cleaning and sanitizing is basically the whole definition of doing sideworks in the restaurant establishment and is also eighty-five percent of a restaurant server’s daily routine states Steven, also known as “Ribeye,” a professional restaurant server in Nashville, Tennessee and the webmaster of his internet blog site ragingserver.com.

The past few hours after we ate our lunch is one of those non busy hours around here. The dinning room is quiet right now. I take this afternoon lull as an opportunity to do some of my usual sideworks so by the time my shift ends, which is at 1:00am, I have a little less chore to do. Johanna is doing the same. She cleans off the laminated menus with a cleanser and arranges them neatly on the rack above where the napkins are. Before that, she dusts off the frames on the wall with pictures of old country western movies and the six feet by four feet decorative mirror at the back side of the dinning room. I also sometimes take this quiet period to catch up on my homework in school. So I grab my book bag by the register upfront and take my math homework out.

“Hey, Johanna.” As I signaled her to sit beside me on the counter. “Do you still remember your college math?” I asked.

“Of course. Which math is it?” She sat beside me.

“It’s calculus, and I’m having trouble solving this problem right here.” I pointed out the question on the textbook.

“Ok. Here’s how you do it.” And she started scribbling numbers and equations on the scratch pad.

According to the US Department of Labor, there are no specific educational requirements for food and beverage service jobs where restaurant servers fall into. It seems that almost everybody can work or be a restaurant server. However, due to the nature of the work which pays very little, job advancement is very slim. According to the data from the US Department of Labor, “Job advancement is limited to finding a job in a busier or more expensive restaurant where prospect for tip earnings are better.” Even landing to a busier and more expensive restaurant does not guarantee better earnings. Being a restaurant server is a transitory job and is really not meant to be a steady source of income.

I seem to have finished my math homework, thanks to Johanna. She is a smart pants. I put my homework away and the employees for the night shift are starting to get ready—which includes Johanna and me. I go to the washroom and splashed my face with lukewarm water to freshen up. I go back and people are starting to pour in again.

“Are you ready for round two?” I asked Johanna as I raised my right hand for a high five.

“Let’s do this baby!” She replied enthusiastically.

“You kept me hanging over here.”

“I don’t do high fives.” She said and gave me a bear hug instead.

The steady flow of customers coming in and the familiar sound of utensils hitting the plates indicate the start of the dinner rush.

--restaurant life

--tipping, salary

--doing sideworks

--being a good/better/professional server

--dealing with unruly/problem guests

--beyond being a server/lessons, life lessons learned

Blog 7 (Rough Draft)

--restaurant life, gratuities, salary, doing sideworks, being a good/better/professional server, dealing with problem customers/guests, beyond being a server/lessons learned

[Insert Introduction here]

I wake up early this Sunday morning to catch the train for work. Inside the train, people are quiet. There are men reading the Sunday papers, mothers and their kids on the strollers, and there are some with their heads hunched down trying to catch a few minutes of sleep before they get off the train. Me, I feel fine even though I got out of work at 1 a.m. and didn’t went to bed until 3:30 last night.

[Insert facts about the restaurant industry and its employees—particularly the servers—here]

I walk inside and the whole place is just starting to come alive. I hear the usual cracking sound of a knife, the grill as it sizzles, and the smell of cooked bacon permeating the entire kitchen. Francisco, one of our cooks, is putting the chopped vegetables in a tall soup pan as he stirs in the broth to make the soup of the day.

"The soup looks delicious, what are you making" I asked.

“Si, sopa de pollo. Como estas, chico?” He said enthusiastically and shook my hand.

“Muy bien, muy bien!” I replied back.

[Insert the rest of the story here]

[Insert more facts here]

[Insert the rest of the story here]

…

…

(as you can see, I’m still working on it…)

Blog 6 (Research Narrative)

It is crunch time! I don’t know if you[students] all noticed but it seems to me that all college professors from all departments secretly conspire once or twice in a semester to set their exams, quizzes, or major writing assignments on the same month, week, and—even more sinister—at the same day!… *sigh*…I think, as students, we all just need to get used to this. A little humor from them wouldn’t hurt…LOL!

Anyway, as far as the writing goes, I am just finishing up a rough outline of what I want to write about. So, no I have not started writing but I will soon. I am sticking to my topic about servers and their experiences in the restaurant industry. I am leaning towards the question of serving/waiting tables being an honest or serious occupation with real rewards and challenges. This might change, I don’t know, but for now I will go with that.

Also, while looking for some useful articles online, I found several blogs that write about their everyday experiences as servers. www.ragingserver.com accept some writings to post on its website so maybe I could publish/post my piece here as oppose to an online magazine. I am not sure if this is possible. [I need professor smith’s advice on this…]

Problem so far is to get the writing started as soon as possible…Oh, gosh! It’s crunch time!

Blog 5 (Long Bibliography)

Here are some site/articles about the restaurant industry… still looking for other useful articles…

http://www.restaurant.org/research/ind_glance.cfm

http://www.shamelessrestaurants.com/

http://seekingalpha.com/article/159157-restaurant-industry-outlook-generally-unappetizing

http://www.menshealth.com/16secrets/index.html

Blog 4 (Venue)

There are so many webzines out there. It’s “effin” impossible to check and look at their submission policies one by one. So here are some random literary magazine sites from www.newpages.com I have no idea which one to go to. I’m still searching. I need help.

anderbo.com

270 Lafayette St., Suite 1412

New York, NY 10012

Email: rrofihe@yahoo.com

Web: www.anderbo.com/

Frequency: continuously updated Simultaneous submissions: yes Email submissions: yes Reading period: year round Response time: 4 weeks Payment: no Contests: yes (see website)

Publisher's Description: "Best New Online Literary Journal 2005" - storySouth Million Writers Award. We publish, and always looking for, excellent new fiction, 'fact,' poetry & photography.

guidelines

Fiction - submit stories of up to 3500 words

Poetry - submit up to 6 poems

"fact" - submit up to 1500 words

                  Send submissions to editors@anderbo.com

A submission may be sent in the body of an e-mail and/or as an attachment in any common file format such as doc or rtf. Mac users, please be sure that your doc files are readable by PCs. No docx files, ever.
Poets, we require your poems to be in the e-mail,
or together as a single attachment.

Babel Fruit

Email: editors <at> babelfruit.org

Web: www.babelfruit.org

Frequency: Biannual Simultaneous submissions: yes
Email submissions: yes Reading period: year-round
Response time: up to three months Payment: no Contests: not yet

Publisher's Description: Babel Fruit is concerned with writing under the Influence of the other. We feature poetry and short prose that responds to the influence of another culture, sub-culture or the other within. We have been please to be able to present the work of writers such as Susan Rich, Suzanne Frischkorn, Sankar Roy and Mansur Rajih. We invite recorded readings and book “previews.” Please read our guidelines carefully.

 

Blood Lotus

Email: see website

Web: www.bloodlotus.org

Frequency: quarterly  Simultaneous submissions: yes
Email submissions: yes Response time: under 3 mos. Payment: no Contests: no

Publisher's Description: Blood Lotus is an online literary journal in its fourth year. The BL editors are passionate writers and fierce critics who know exactly what we want to read: well-crafted writing that makes masterful use of fresh, evocative, visceral language and imagery. Our contributors and reviewers have thanked us for publishing writing that is "intense" and "doesn't play it safe." Our goal: to utilize the internet to bring as wide an audience as possible to the best writing by (mostly) emerging and (some) established writers. We are a writer-friendly publication; we strive for fast response times, and we've created an extensive links section where we promote the writing lives of our contributors (their academic/independent affiliations, other publications, where to buy their books, personal websites, etc.). Our mantra: we refuse to believe everything has already been written—let us promote your best writing as proof. Guidelines at www.bloodlotus.org.

The Gray Area (only one to two pieces taken per issue, so be very selective)

We want to pad our PDF walls with the best writing we come across, without the constraints of defined genres, so if you've written a fabulous one-act play or travel essay, or you've recently recorded a YouTube video of your most provocative slam performance, or you have the goosebumps but just aren't sure what it is (flash fiction? poem in prose? camera phone pic of your most ingenious magnetic poem yet?), we'll consider it!

• Gray Area submissions will only be read via bloodlotusjournal@gmail.com.
• No attachments.  No exceptions.  We will delete them without responding.  If the work requires an attachment, query us first.
• Please introduce yourself briefly, list pertinent publication credits, and give a short synopsis of the piece and how you, the author, define it.
• If you submitted a piece as fiction or poetry and we believe it is more suitable for The Gray Area, we may propose publication as such.

 

Cadillac Cicatrix

21800 Parrot Ranch Rd

Carmel Valley, CA 93924

Email: caddymag <at> gmail.com

Web: www.cadillaccicatrix.org

Frequency: semi-annual ISSN: 1934-2969 
Simultaneous submissions: yes with notice Email submissions: yes Reading period: year-round Response time: 3-6 months Payment: no Contests: yes (see website)

Publisher's Description: Cadillac Cicatrix publishes innovative, emerging, and established writers and artists online and in limited print editions on a semi-annual basis. From the creators of NorthernPros.com

 

Carve Magazine

PO Box 701510

Dallas, TX 75370

Email: editor <at> carvezine.com

Web: www.carvezine.com

Issues per year: 4 ISSN: 1529-272X Founded: 2000
Simultaneous submissions: yes Email submissions: yes, electronic submissions Reading period: year-round Response time: 3-6 months Payment: yes, see website Contests: yes (see website) Print issues: annual paperback anthology

Publisher's Description: Carve Magazine publishes exclusively short stories on a quarterly basis. The magazine is named in honor of Raymond Carver, short story pioneer and master of the minimalist form. Each year the annual Raymond Carver short story contest highlights superior works of fiction, awarding over $2500 in prize money.

Each issue is truly unique, featuring a new artistic photo as the cover and a complementary color scheme for the site. The stories are entertaining and profound, representing a range of talent in both craft and story. A yearly paperback anthology is available, featuring all of the year’s online stories in a handsome print and bound format. And our staff page features campy pictures and short blurbs about each of us, so that you know we’re more than just a name on a masthead; we’re people (and writers) just like you. In addition there are book recommendations, letters to (and from) the editor, and the growing archives.

Carve Magazine placed #11 in the top 20 online literary magazines at www.everywritersresource.com. It also had 5 notable stories selected for the 2008 Million Writers Award. In short, if you’re looking for a magazine that is simply sophisticated and consistently delivers quality fiction, look no further than Carve Magazine.

Blog 3 (Proposed Topic)

I came up with the topic of writing about the town where my folks grew up. I looked it up on Wikipedia and saw no written articles about them. I thought for a second this indeed was a decent topic to write about, however, after reading a few articles on “Literary Journalism” I was inspired to write a piece about the restaurant workplace.

Since literary journalism celebrates real life and real people, I will try to put into writing a collective experience of my fellow servers and the challenges servers face in the restaurant industry. (I know it sounds vague and very ambitious but i will try to write a decent piece for my co-workers to ridicule and scrutinize.) I work part-time on a restaurant in Midtown and so I’m fortunate enough to have direct access to the subject.

Ideas are still brewing in my head and I’m still unclear to where this topic will actually take me but I know I have to do actual interviews and research online about the restaurant industry. I’m planning to publish it as option 2 of the class’ research project so I will be doing research on online magazine and their submission/publishing policies as well.

Blog 1 (My Interests)

David is a sad and pathetic individual who turns to science, or at least is trying to, to find solace in this uneasy world. He is an avid fan of the television and could sit in front of it for hours. He mostly watches the discovery channel, the science channel, and the travel channel programs. He also likes to read novels when he has the time. He does not have good study skills and time management skills which impede his search for scientific knowledge. He is also a certified procrastinator which does not help his cause. However, he believes he has potential to succeed on his goals and he is capable of doing and finishing a task when he puts his head into it.

David sees himself as a rough diamond--worthless, raw, and without any luster at first. But when the right time comes, and the right cut, he will shine like a true gem and become a part of something worthwhile to society.

Blog 2 (Literary Journalism pp. 3-19)

What is "literary journalism"? For this first blog, I would like you to read Literary Journalism pages 3-19 and define "literary journalism" in your own words. Then, supply specific examples (direct quotes) from the reading selection where the author is particularly "literary"--or, in other words "writing really really well." What makes the selection a piece of "good writing"?

Literary journalism is a style of writing that makes everyday, real life, human experience somehow interesting and bearable. Let’s be honest, reality sucks, and watching or reading about it on today's hyped up and glitzy media doesn't do us any good. When real life turns artificial, such examples are the so called reality TV shows or famous people/celebrities writing their so called biography, it becomes cheap, empty, and used solely for entertainment--bad entertainment. Literary journalism puts the real life in broad view and somehow guides, inspires, and truly entertains its readers through complex, multi-layered, and accurate writing. According to Norman Sims, "At a time when journalism seems crowded with celebrities, literary jounalism pays respect to ordinary lives. Literary journalists write narratives focused on everyday events that bring out the hidden patterns of community life as tellingly as the spectacular stories that make newspaper headlines." His essay "The Art of Literary Journalism" also talks about the common characteristics of literary journalism and how and what literary journalists, such as himself, go through the actual writing process. It includes "immersion reporting, high standards of accuracy, symbolic representation, complicated structures, and voice."

Literary journalism truly is an interesting style of writing and a good piece of literature or a template to follow for students who are learning to write their first scholarly papers. It’s not that literary journalism is a walk in the park (it takes some serious amount of talent and creativity to write this style of literature--at least that's what I think), but it just goes well with a college student’s real life or inner thoughts that it may seem easy for the student to emulate the writing. A college student is a real person after all.