From the outside, the Grog may not seem like the newest or modernly styled restaurant but it has a different vibe that’s comforting to one, not super bright inside, old bar styled, and it’s a great place to work in, I will say.
On my first day on the job, I met the Manager Peter Cormier, and Maddie Nadeau, one of the hosts. I was trained by Maddie for about 4 days, stressing about remembering everything, and then finally once settled in, it’s not bad at all. Hosting is just being friendly and sitting people, occasionally nagged by staff or customers, then bussing too, not bad at all. Bussing is like doing chores and extra things all day but getting paid, and some stress.
Now, I personally like working whenever I’m scheduled for it. I work in two different positions, both very different, a host, and a busser.
As a host, getting to wear nice clothes and makeup, and have my hair down while greeting people at the front door is something I enjoy. Other than demanding customers or large reservations then the day goes by fine. It was tedious at first, trying to learn everything and not stress out when the restaurant became busy was a challenge.
It’s definitely not as stressful as it may seem anymore, except if I have the staff always checking in. It’s just putting people on a waitlist and waiting for tables to clear. After one learns to manage, it’s quite easy to remember table numbers, how many they seat, and how long to quote a wait time.
Hosting does have its sides that I hate whenever encounter it. Almost every time whenever Lauren is acting as a manager and I’m hosting alone it’s like a nightmare, having to always check for any tables she sits herself or making sure that the numbers seated are equal before she gives me a stern talk despite it being her fault.
I would say for me it’s almost as if I’m not really working sometimes depending on the day, though I know if Maddie heard me say that she would not agree with me as she always says ¨I wanna go home.¨ Different perspectives.
Working as a busser in a restaurant is often an overlooked job that I hadn’t known existed until my father applied me for it. Now, for hours I will run around the restaurant clearing tables, bringing dishes to the kitchen, restocking the bar, changing kegs, getting ice, sweeping messes, and helping out occasionally with running food. Once it’s busy it can quickly become incredibly stressful with the rare moments of stillness to get a quick rest or something to drink. It may not be for everyone, requiring one to move quickly while being careful not to drop anything or bump into anyone.
Even when busing, when I have no need to talk to anyone, there are still things I experience every shift that I hate like hearing some of my coworkers complaining about a ¨small tip for great service¨.. She received 20% and still called the customers ¨ cheap ¨.. Other than that, I will have people rushing me all the time, and I think to myself, ¨Give me a minute, I’m working on something else!¨
It’s not too bad once I got used to it but it’s still very tiring every time.
Working at the Grog and the Grog in general is a place I like to be in. It can stress me out most of the time and have me questioning myself but at the end of my shifts, I’m always just glad I worked.
