One day you'll make peace with your demons...

I want...

 

The Wanderer

Why Waffle House was the best job I ever had.

I'm no stranger to the corporate world. I work in the high stress, deadline driven legal field. These corporate jobs have their fair share of the daily "office politics," backstabbing and office drama. Often times I find myself thinking about a job that I had many years ago. 

In high school I worked as a waitress at my local Waffle House in a small town in Alabama. I went through training on how to properly call orders the Waffle House way. "Texas Cheesesteak Double Plate!" I would call out as the grill cook marked the plate. Ring up the customers, clean the table, run the dishes through the dishwasher, greet the customers, set the tables, take the orders, call the orders, deliver the orders and in between perform side work. The whole system was a well oiled machine. 

The Waffle House patrons were a eclectic mix of regulars, truckers and others just passing through. Some came for coffee and to pass the time chatting with the staff. It was sort of a hub where people in the town would to meet up. A few of my regulars came up with nick names for me such as Tinkerbell which they eventually shorted to Tinker. "Heeeey Tinker!" I would hear as they filed in and sat down at the low bar to order their usual steak and eggs. 

Then there was third shift which was the all night shift. I worked third shift on Fridays and Saturdays. Although the all nighter was hard work, if you were fast, friendly and efficient you could make good tips. When the local bars closed Waffle House would fill up around 3:00 am wall to wall with drunk rowdy patrons. "Excuse me...can I get a sweet tea?" on of the guys asked. His friend leaned over "hey did you just call her sweetie?" and they roared with laughter. Then there was the infamous Try the Pie button the waitresses wore pinned to our uniforms. See, it was to promote our chocolate pie (which was very good by the way). I walked up to a booth and asked the group if I could start them off with something to drink. "I would like to try YOUR pie" a man who smelled heavily of alcohol exclaimed. I smiled at him and repeated the drink question. Patience is a virtue my friends and your patience will certainly be tested if you work as a waitress. Only the best waitresses handle those situations with grace and a smile. 

Working at Waffle House taught me a lot about hard work and life in general. I learned how to work fast under pressure, problem solve and how to provide great customer service. More importantly, I met many interesting people with stories to tell and advice to give to me. I will never forget the laughs and the stories we all shared. Over time the friendly faces I saw from day to day felt like family. My coworkers worked and got along with each other. It was truly a team atmosphere. My boss was a great guy and he was fair to us. Somehow it all worked. I truly enjoyed my time as a Waffle House waitress. I was lucky to have such a positive experience. Overall, working at Waffle House was the best, most fulfilling job I ever had. Good times.