A few weeks ago marked my first Friday night closing shift since we introduced free appetizers and karaoke sponsored by RUPA at the Zone. I figured it'd be a lot of fun since it was a Friday night but I also anticipated a busy night. Little did I know that the busy Friday night would end up being a Friday night of craziness and chaos to say the least.
The night started off without a problem. I made sure that the staff was prepared and ready for the night ahead of us. We kept restocking items to ensure that we weren't running all over the place that night. All signs were pointing to a busy night: a huge event in the Livingston Student Center, the large crowd for karaoke and lastly - a staff member who called out for their closing shift. Oh boy. Once karaoke started, the Zone became pretty packed and everyone came up to the counter expecting appetizers. Prior to the start of karaoke, I announced the protocol for appetizers to the guests of the Zone. I knew that not everyone would understand the procedures, so I made sure that when guests came up I explained the protocol again. Even though we explained it, many people believed they could get several appetizers for free and however many times they wanted it. We usually have an allotment per hour, so we tend to stick to that number and once time passes we start up again. We had to make sure to stick to that protocol to ensure that we didn't go over for free appetizers and drinks that night.
As if the chaos surrounding free appetizers wasn't enough, several customers believed they could get anything off of our menu for free. I made sure to be proactive when guests ordered and told them that only appetizers and drinks were free for that night. Several people were disappointed by that but were happy to have the appetizers instead, so it worked out. Even though we offered free appetizers and drinks, many people wanted to purchase ice cream and shakes, which mixed it up for the staff and myself. Needless to say with one person down, it was crazy.
We had a solid system surrounding the creation of appetizers, drinks and shakes but every time we turned around it seemed like we needed to refill or restock items. It was difficult to send one of the crew members to restock items because then it only left 2 people behind the bar to tend to the crowds. It became difficult to maintain a solid system and I found myself flustered to try to make everything work out smoothly.
Once the event in Livingston Hall ended, students flocked over to the Zone. Needless to say it was PACKED in the Zone. Everyone was having a great time, but it became a challenge to maintain the space. I constantly kept trying to pull away from the bar to make sure that the space was kept clean. I advised customers to keep their drinks and shakes off the games, pool tables, etc. but every time I went around to check again the same people kept putting it back on. Difficult. The whole night proved to me that Friday nights are so difficult without a third crew member.
Needless to say cleanup and closing that night was insane. The whole night was a success and everyone in the Zone had a blast. Everyone I spoke with that night said how impressed they were with the food and service. I made sure to reassure the crew what an AWESOME job they did that night, especially a crew member down. Dom and Nick, you guys ROCK! :)
Overall, karaoke was a huge success but the night taught me how I have to remain cool, calm and collective under pressure. Working a Friday night karaoke night is a lot of hard work. Since I'm not used to working Friday nights, I have a new found respect for the managers that close that night. It's not always like that, but in my situation I found it to be extremely difficult but really showed me how important it is for a manager to take charge in those types of situations. I'm happy to say we all survived the craziness and learned some valuable lessons that night.
-Lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment