A restaurant manager is more than the smiling face at the door who makes sure your reservation is correct or fixes the problem when something comes out of the kitchen not to your liking. She receives the brunt of your aggression when things go wrong. She has to answer to any frustrations of the staff and make sure everything is smoothed out for the owners. When everything works out, her job makes her seem like a super hero as she withstands pressure from all sides. But, sometimes the pressure crumples her like an empty can of PBR.
One night, a local General Manager succumbed to her stress and frustration. A few of her friends were having dinner at her restaurant, so she sat down to join them for a while. She decided that while they chatted, she might as well have one of those fantastic martinis. And another. And another.
Well the evening wore on, and she left the staff to close up after dinner service. Now for some restaurant owners, that could be a nightmare. One shift drink becomes two, everyone just hangs out, watches TV, grabs some snacks from the kitchen. Alcohol flows like, well, alcohol and the staff has a good old time before leaving to grab a drink at the next bar. That should be the worst of it, right? Not this night.
The owners came in the next morning. They found the keys hanging in the kitchen door. On the outside of the door. So they checked the alarm. Deactivated. Empty glasses littered the bar. They found holes in the bathroom walls, one of which was the height and size of a head. And then there was the clothing. Underwear in the liquor room. A belt and a sock on the office desk. Phones started ringing and accusations flying. The assistant manager is called, as are the waiters and the night chefs.
At this point, the rest of the staff would like to say thank you for modern technology. The security system keeps records of what employee’s codes are used. The alarm system was turned on, well before midnight, activating the motion detectors. However, the General Manager’s code was used to turn the alarms back off at about 2:30 AM. I would love to give you the gory details, but luckily I wasn’t there to witness the events.
She claimed something between intoxication and ignorance, but yes, the clothing was hers. How she managed to keep her job is anyone’s guess, as is what REALLY happened to cause that hole in the bathroom wall. So the next time you’re in the bathroom of your favorite eatery, notice the art in the bathroom. Go on, peak behind it. But don’t tell ‘em I sent you.
