damian + turion

[010507] this post was done entirely on the bus

It's funny how the working environment at Marche has changed over the past 2 months... from the initial vibrant crew to the rather stagnant crew that im currently part of, something's just different... gone are the laughter, jokes and good natured teasing. Boredom, heavy heartedness and a desire to see work end takes its place...

No doubt the departure of many colleagues attributed to this current predicament... Such is the F & B line, people come and go, no one stays for long... the saying goes that if one enjoys his work, it ceases to become work but i say work is and will forever be work, otherwise it wouldnt be called work in the first place would it? Makes sense?

So a small milestone has been reached, i've worked at marche for a quarter of a year already... but already the mood that i work with is already different, it's with heavy feet and a heavier heart that i go to work with... no more spring in my steps nor eager anticipation for the work that beckons... i've come to realise that i've really yet to get a sense of achievement or satisfaction in my current job unlike at TCC where i really enjoyed being in the bar or interacting with guests (the nice ones of course) although i've seen the worst and best sides in guests, it never fails to amuse, irritate and piss me whenever i encounter an unruly guest...

But i AM in the Food & Beverage Industry... we pride ourselves on being courteous whatever the circumstances, being attentive to guests' needs and above all, their ultimate satisfaction when they decide to dine at the establishment that we work in... that's why we say F**k you with a smile, we're in the service industry...

A guest earlier demanded to know why his wife had to stand at one side while waiting for her pork neck steak... Erm, sir... you're dining at Marche, not MacDonald's... we dont have a system where we try to serve you your orders within a minute or you get a complimentary ice cream cone... we told her that it'll be ready in around 10 minutes but it wasnt to be taken iterally, grilling by itself should be classified as an artform...

From the way you maintain the intensity of the fire to how you handle and grill the steaks... it all takes some know how... afterall, each piece of individual piece of meat differs and thus their different grilling times... I just shook my head and smiled to myself while the guest ranted away... The reason being, his wife was obviously embrassed by her husband's actions. Her eyes kept darting left and right all the while tugging on her husband's sleeves while he went, "if you told my wife, the steak would be ready in 10 mins then you shld have it ready when the 10 mins was up!"

Yes sir, im sorry that we as members in the service industry have so drastically failed you in our promise to deliver our utmost best in serving you... it was our fault that we failed to inform you about the intricate nature of grilling / cooking in nature and that Marche was a restaurant and not a fast food restaurant, it was also our fault that we failed to inform you that in vivo city, there was Long John Silver, MacDonalds, KFC among other established eating establishments where you could recieve your orders within the stipuated minute... For that i sincerly apologise on behalf of all in the service industry... indeed, we have failed you...

The ironic part was that, the wife was actually quite nice when i told her that her steak might take longer as it was still slightly raw on the inside... a case of extravagent chest beating?? WOO HOO!!! You make me woman wait, me stand up for wife! rant and bark like dog i will!!! *thumps chest* whatever the case, im thankful that for every guest like this one, there're at least 3 others who're really nice and understanding... these guests, i would go the extra mile for and it would be with sincere delight and pleasure that i serve them with...

Here's hoping that we see more of such guests and less guests like the Neanderthal that i met this afternoon...

Yesterday's memories