Wait for It

Long before they took your cell phone number to alert you when a table becomes available for you at a restaurant,

even before they handed out those fun light up buzzing discs, 

they had the pen and paper waitlist.

I proudly managed that at one of the most popular neighborhood restaurants. It was one of my jobs while I was in college.  The restaurant served really good food in a cozy dark paneled galley style layout. It was basically one long rectangle, come in and go to the left for the bar and small 2 tops, or go to the right to sit in booths or four tops. 

But there was absolutely no self seating cause that place was mobbed at lunch and dinner. Partly due to the food, mostly due to the fact that there wasn't much competition nearby and definitely due to the movie theater across the street.

This was a time when going to dinner and a movie was still a very cool date and didn't break the bank. 

So, there were swinging glass doors off a  very tiny entry vestibule and then this nearly as tiny space  to stand with a clipboard and take names and #s in the party. Then you had the "art" of estimation, which consisted of counting 5 minutes per name on the list and then upping it based on how many tables were just starting vs nearly finished. That list was constantly 20 or more minutes yet people would still opt to huddle there and wait.

Part of the duties in such a place include Helping Out Whenever and Wherever You Can. Well, stay out of the kitchen, for sure. But otherwise, look around and notice. Does someone need a plate cleared? A glass refilled? They just look like they need help?  Go help them and then tell their server. Mostly my role was to assist with table clearing so that we could expedite the wait list.

That means that I was away from the clipboard list for a few minutes at a time.  It rested on a narrow ledge by the narrow entry way. Regulars would sometimes just add their name & party # to the list if I wasn't there to greet them.

Once a table was ready, I'd call it out in a voice loud enough to hear over the 90's music and the cacophony of a busy kitchen and hungry eaters. Sometimes people wouldn't answer. They may have left and not followed the protocol to request me to please take their name off the list. Just in case they had squeezed in along the bar, I'd walk down that section calling out a name. "Jones, Party of 2" "Jones?"  

It's sort of like Bueller, Bueller, but these people generally were quite eager to have their name called & would instantly make some kind of attempt to signal me.  But, like I said, sometimes they were mysteriously missing. So I'd diligently call out 2 or three times. "Jones, Party of 2?"  "Jones? Party of 2?"

While there were older wait staff in the restaurant, you know people out of college at the very least, (wink, wink)  many of us were in college. Several of the young ladies working there were quite familiar with each other as they'd gone to a catholic high school together.  

When I say catholic school girls are trouble in a way that is only bested by preacher's kids, well then, I think you'll see where this story is headed. 

I was an introverted, head in the clouds, very serious gal. I was there to work. Managing this list was my duty. I was providing a real service to these hungry people. 

And those ladies loved to yank my chain. Even more so because it took eons for me to realize that my chain was so severely yanked, I was tripping over it. Even the customers would sometimes look at me like, are you kidding?  An arched eyebrow, an incredulous stare, an amused smirk. I just kept walking by shouting out something like...

Party of 2 Ben Dover. Dover? Ben Dover? Party of 2.

Yep. I'll just leave that there with you for a minute. My guess is you didn't even need the extra time.

I was a bit sheltered. Naive.

I laugh hysterically about this now. I laughed then, too, but also in a bit of a miffed way because how dare they mess with the sanctity of the list!

You see, they had so much rich fodder to deal with!

It really made the evening shift pass quickly.

Alright, what does this have to do with leadership?

• You've got to be able to laugh at yourself.
• It helps, a lot, to be able to laugh with others.
• Could you be angry? Embarrassed? Yep. And, 
  • You could see it as a simple way to tease and make a joke. Enjoy the laugh. 
• Make sure to have real laughs by growing the relationships into more, along the way. 

If you're always the target, that's a different story and not the point of this one.

It's not always true, but generally speaking, we take ourselves way too seriously. People won't bother to tease someone they don't like.

Leadership is self awareness. Have a little self-compassion as you notice that maybe you need to lighten up  AND carefully read the name to yourself before shouting it out loud.