The night service ran like clockwork vs the shift that fell apart completely

Last Saturday, we had a 40-cover dinner and everything hit perfectly - tickets printed clean, expo called out clear, and I didn't drop a single plate. Then the very next day, same menu same crew, we had a ticket that got lost for 12 minutes, a server dropped a tray of drinks by the pass, and my grill cook burned his hand on the flat top. Both shifts started the same but ended completely different. Has anyone else had a week where the highs and lows were back to back like that and you couldn't figure out why one clicked and the other crashed?

2 comments

2 Comments

noahclark1mo ago

Man, thats the restaurant gods playing pinball with your sanity right there. One night youre a hero, the next youre just hoping the health inspector doesnt see the chaos from the parking lot.

king.lisa1mo ago

Wait, isn't it "restaurant gods playing dodgeball with your sanity" not pinball? That's how I've always heard it said by the old timers in the back of house. But yeah, one minute you're riding high on a perfect service and the next you're shoving a half eaten burger under a prep table before the inspector walks by your station.