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 Posted: Sun Apr 07, 2013 1:05 pm
Work was not quite the picnic Lydia had been expecting it to be. Sure, she'd been prepared to work hard. She had been looking forward to the opportunity to prove that she was more than a sheltered little girl. And what better way to do that than to get other people excited about the world? Maize Maizier was the next best thing to a global vacation, and was much less expensive and time-consuming. Surely the other people who came had to realize that just like she did.
Yet the majority of the customers that Lydia served lacked her passion. They were entertained and amused by the decor, the costumes, and the occasional performances. But they weren't entranced. They didn't stop what they were doing to admire the art or the photographs decorating the walls. They didn't engage her in conversation, or allow her to spout facts about the cultural spotlight of the day. Instead, they placed their orders, ate, drank, and left. It was all so very normal that sometimes she had a hard time remembering that why she had wanted to work there so badly.
It was also exhausting, moreso than she had really been prepared for. The first few days were an exercise in willpower, as she slowly worked on increasing her stamina. At the end of her first full day on the job, she'd went out and bought three new pairs of shoes, flat and sensible and comfortable enough that she could stand up all day in them. Fortunately, she wasn't the only employee, and her coworkers had offered advice that she gratefully accepted while she got adjusted to her new life.
Now that she had started to get the broader points of service down, she was ready to work on the finer points. It was late afternoon- too early for the dinner crowd, too late for lunchers, with only a few people there for cocktails and snacks. Lydia came back to the kitchen, having brought a basket of churros to Table #3, and checked the clock. "I believe it's time for your break, Mister Howl." While some encouragement had gotten Lydia to address her coworkers by their first names, so far nothing had been able to keep her from addressing her senior employees as Mister and Miss. And since all other employees were both older than her and had been working for longer, they were all her seniors. And they were all people she could learn a lot from, or so she hoped.
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Posted: Fri Apr 12, 2013 9:24 pm
Howl was distracted. It was a problem that was growing to be a bit of a nuisance, but he was legitimately distracted. However, the young man was still showing up to work, despite how much he yearned to be out and patrolling. He was responsible enough to make sure that his life on Earth didn't fall apart because of another enchanting face.
The newest employee approached him with such formality and grace that it managed to whisk him back from his momentary daydreaming.
"Ah, Miss Sfakianos. Thank you for the reminder." He nodded in her direction as he readied himself to go to the break room. However, before he left, he made sure to check in with the delightful new girl. "Might I ask how today has been treating you, dear? Are things getting easier for you?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 25, 2013 11:10 pm
Lydia hadn't expected the other employees to be anything less than polite and pleasant. She'd never had an unpleasant visit to Maize Maizier, and she knew that a large part of that was because of the wonderful staff. It was a lot to live up to, and one of the things she worried most about. Still, she had plenty of examples to learn from.
One of them was Howl Wickham, whose manners rivaled her own. While she appreciated them, she couldn't help but feel a bit odd. Since she had been moved to refer to everyone else by their first name, was she being too informal with him? Or was he just being overly formal with her? She didn't like the feeling of not addressing someone properly, but she also didn't like the idea of being distanced from her coworkers. They were supposed to be a family, of sorts.
Since he asked how she was settling in, Lydia decided to risk it and ask. "Today has been treating me fine. It takes some... adjustment, but I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things." That day had been the first that she'd been allowed to wait on a party of more than two, and she felt she'd done well with it, though not so well that she couldn't stand to watch her coworkers more.
If she was going to learn from them, now was the time to do it. "Forgive me if this is an inappropriate question, but... am I addressing you improperly?" Now that she'd asked, Lydia felt flustered and pressured to back her question up. "It's just, some of the others have suggested that I should use first names, but you never do. Oh, not that I blame them for their advice! I just want to know what you would prefer, if that's okay."
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Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2013 7:25 pm
He did not want to seem rude, so he was ever attentive to the younger girl as she spoke of her experiences up to that point in time. It sounded as if she was doing well.
However, there was a hesitation in her voice, and then she brought forward a concern of her own. Howl couldn't say it was the first time that someone had asked him about his preferred namesake. He simply smiled at the girl's inquiry, nodding his head gently without getting riled up.
"You are addressing me properly, Miss Sfakianos. There is no need to preoccupy yourself over such things." He was very aware it was he who was the oddball in the situation. However, with his father and the stress put onto formalities in a business place, the lad had found it very difficult to get very informal.
The young man glanced out to the dining area and found that it was somewhat quieter than usual. Of course, such could change quite quickly. However, with an hour long break, he could potentially work with the new girl on some of the finer points of waiting.
"...Miss Sfakianos, would you be opposed to waiting me while I am on break? I believe I will take my break out in the dining area today."
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 10:48 pm
The assurances that her actions weren't out of line didn't do a whole lot to make Lydia feel better, mainly because they didn't solve the problem. She had thought she covered all bases by acquiescing to the others' request to be on a first name basis, but still using Mister and Miss. That indicated familiarity as well as respect. That this sole person chose to emphasize the respect rather than the familiarity was disconcerting for Lydia, who really wanted her fellow servers to be another family.
Then again, they hadn't known each other very long yet. Maybe the answer was to get to know each other better. And here he was, offering the perfect opportunity for such a thing, as well as a chance for her to work on her skills. "I would be delighted to serve you, sir. A moment, if you please."
She quickly went to the front of the restaurant and retrieved a menu, bringing it back to the table with her. Surely Mister Howl knew the menu by now, but she needed her props in order to play this role properly. Setting it on the table in front of him, she pulled a small pad out of her apron pocket. "Good evening, sir, and welcome to Maize Maizier. My name is Lydia, and I will be your server tonight. May I start by getting you something to drink?"
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Posted: Wed May 15, 2013 6:43 pm
Despite being in the dining area, Howl knew well out that employees were requested to sit towards the sidelines, in areas that were less likely to draw attention from other customers.
When the young waitress returned, she easily did the basics that were expected of her. Even though he already knew what he wanted to drink, he also had to play a role as well. He took up the menu and flipped to the beverage section and seemed to glance over the options.
Unfortunately, he was not necessarily the most simple of customers.
"Thank you. I would like to get started with a glass of Ice Tea, with less ice than tea, approximately less than an inch of ice to the bottom, two lemon slices to the glass, and one extra lemon slice on the side." If there was something that Howl would be finicky about, it would be tea.
He glanced to the girl, judging whether or not she had been able to successfully record his request. However, his aim was to give her good practice with dealing with situations that would easily appear on a standard shift. "Might I inquire of the specials for the evening, Miss?"
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 8:53 pm
... well, she had asked for help.
Lydia's pen raced across the page. There were abbreviations for most menu items, to facilitate the taking orders, and even some codes for simple, common modifications that she still struggled to grasp. Things like "no sauce" or "substitute soy meat" had codes. The detailed order that her coworker had placed had no way for her to simplify it, and she scrambled to write it all down before she forgot.
"Let me see..." It was generally best to repeat the order back to the customer, she had learned, to clear up any mistakes before the order reached the kitchen. "One iced tea, less ice than tea, an inch of ice, with two lemon slices and..." Oh, there was something else, she just knew it, but what was it? Blushing, she looked at her 'customer' again. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but would you mind repeating your order once more?" This time, she was determined to get it right.
The specials, thankfully, were easier to recite. "Tonight's soups are a crab bisque and an oi naengguk, which is a Korean cold cucumber soup. The special entrees are Agujjim, a Korean spicy angler dish, and Chiftele, which are Romanian flat pork meatballs." There was a Korean theme that day, but it was a loose one, just inspiring some of the menu options. Usually the full-out theme days were on the weekends, to draw more crowds. They were exhausting to work, but Lydia still enjoyed them a great deal, and was looking forward to the next one.
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 7:43 pm
With a subtle smile and a nod of the head, Howl acknowledged the girl's achievements thus far.
"Good work, Miss Sfakianos. You only missed one portion of the order, but minding your manners is key if you do happen to stumble in an order. However, you may want to learn quickly that you should keep your composure about you." With a simple gesture of a pinky running across his cheek, he tried to hint that her cheeks were a bit redder than they were before.
Using the remainder of the motion to wipe his hair out of his eyes for a moment, he then obliged with her request. merely repeating her own rendition of it, then adding in the final missing piece.
"I would like an iced tea, less ice than tea, an inch of ice, with two lemon slices and an extra lemon slice on the side."
Since he was rather familiar with the menu, as well as the daily specials, he already knew what he wanted. However, it would have been somewhat unrealistic for him to give her the order right away.
"I will need a few minutes to figure out what I would like, Miss." Playing the responsible role of the customer, he took up the menu and opened it up to the first page, as if getting ready to take a look over the options.
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2013 10:20 pm
The criticism stung just a bit, even though Mister Howl was being extremely nice about it. Lydia had known going into this that it wouldn't be easy, and that she'd have to learn a lot. But she thought she'd done a decent job of keeping her composure, even though she was flustered. If he could tell that she was upset, then clearly she'd failed even more than she thought she had.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir," she said again, this time accompanying her words with a bow. That would help be more polite, and it would hide her embarassment just a bit. She made sure not to slip out of her role, and remained the waitress to his customer. "One iced tea, less ice than tea, one inch of ice, with two lemon slices and an extra slice on the side."
Relaxing just a bit, Lydia added the last bit of the order to her pad. "Take your time, sir. I'll be back in just a few moments with your iced tea."
With that, she scurried to the back. Normally, she would have given the order to whoever was on kitchen staff at the time. However, it was only a drink, and the order was so specific that she wanted to take care of it herself, after consulting the order pad several times. She added ice to the glass first, using her thumb as a rough benchmark for measuring the inch required. After that, she carefully poured in the pre-chilled iced tea. Lemon slices were kept in a container next to the tea, and she used the tongs to fish out three of them, arranging two on the rim of the glass, and... where would she put the other? Still holding the tongs in one hand, Lydia took a clean saucer in her other. She set the lemon on the saucer, stuffed the tongs back into their container, took the glass in her now-free hand, and carefully walked back to the table.
"Here you are, sir." Lydia's hand shook slightly as she set down the iced tea, followed by the saucer with the lemon slice. The liquid quivered, but didn't spill. "One iced tea, less ice than tea, one inch of ice, with two lemon slices and a further lemon slice on the side." After checking the written order so many times, she'd finally managed to memorize it. "Are you ready to order?"
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 4:33 pm
His menu was upon the table the moment his coworker had left to fetch his iced tea. He had no need for it, so it was pointless to continue on the charade at that point. Instead, he went to looking over the room. A part of him was mentally taking notes of things that might potentially need cleaning in the near future. There were a couple spots and nicknacks that were likely to get added to the list, but soon enough Lydia had returned, planting all his beverage and accents upon the table.
He glanced to the girl, who seemed eager to take his order. However, yet again, he had a few words of advice.
"If you phrase it as 'Are you ready to order, or would you like a few more minutes,' it is less likely to make the customers feel rushed. I know it is logical to get them in and out quickly, but we also need to make them feel at home."
Criticism aside, he slid the menu up towards the server. "I would be interested in the oi naengguk, Miss." It was something suitable enough for his delicate stomach, since it had no meat and lacked grease.
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 4:40 pm
Oops! Lydia had no intention of making any customer- real or pretend- feel rushed. She filed Mister Howl's advice away, and repeated his suggested question back to him, to better get a feel for it. "My apologies, sir. Are you ready to order, or would you like a few more minutes?"
As she said it out loud, she could hear how much better it sounded. He really knew his stuff!
The order pad came back out, and Lydia scribbled on it, rather relieved that this order wasn't as complicated as the last one. "One oi naengguk. Will there be anything else, or is that all for a moment?" He hadn't ordered an entree, and she wasn't sure if he wasn't hungry enough for one, or was trying to keep it simple while he was working. Or maybe he was throwing another challenge at her. It was so hard to tell!
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 5:02 pm
He allowed his head to bob up and down in approval as she repeated his suggested phrasing. However, he didn't let his head nod for too long, since he still had to play the role of the customer for a bit more.
"I would greatly appreciate if a small basket of complimentary buns could be brought to my table, Miss."
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 5:12 pm
Another mistake! Or was it? Lydia finished writing down the order and held her hand out for the menu. "Of course, sir, I'll get them right away."
Despite saying that, she hesitated for a moment. Then, reluctantly, she stepped out of her role just a bit. "Please forgive me for asking, but was I supposed to bring those with your drink, or with the menu, or after taking the order? I'm afraid I've gotten a bit mixed up." And asking what felt like a simple question like that just made her feel even sillier than before.
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 7:11 pm
Though it wasn't a genuine sort of smile, he did offer Lydia a kind smile. One that acknowledged he understood she was trying her best, even if he wasn't putting his full efforts into this exercise.
"It is greeting, drinks, order, then bring the bread immediately after ordering. It is a way to make the customer feel as if you have not forgotten them between you taking the order and the customer receiving their order."
As if to reassure the girl, he added "You have been doing fine, Miss Sfakianos. I think you just need to touch up minor things if anything. Do not underestimate your own abilities."
At this point, it was only a matter of making tips or not. Glancing to the front door, he noticed someone lingering just outside.
"...I think you may have someone to wait upon in the very near future, Miss Sfakianos." He winked to the girl, though the gesture might have been missed since his hair had a tendency to mask the eye he used.
"It has been a pleasure."
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Posted: Mon May 27, 2013 7:22 pm
As Mister Howl explained the sequence of events, Lydia followed along, counting them off on her fingers. If that was the way it went, then she technically hadn't made a mistake! He asked for the bread before she had the chance to go get it. But since it gave her the chance to clear up a question that she had, she wasn't too mad at him for confusing her. On the contrary, she was grateful for his assistance.
She was confident, really. But then things happened to make her second-guess herself- like customers asking for bread before it was time to bring it- and it threw her off. Still, the fact that he'd praised her was promising. "Thank you very much for all of your help, Mister Howl. You are an excellent teacher, and-" Oh, there was somebody else there! Man, he was good.
Slipping back into her role, she nodded once. "I'll have your bread out here in just a few moments, sir." Then, with a final bow, she proceeded to the front of the restaurant, feeling much better about her ability to handle actual customers.
"Good evening, and welcome to Maize Maizier!"
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