hard times
this is the busiest week of the year. we knew that going into it, but i did not know how hard it would be for me, or how stressful. it has been 3 of 5 days and i have watched the kitchen flounder under the stress of business. there have been many mistakes, avoidable mistakes, and it is hard for me to watch and not be in there helping out. i could have sent someone home and taken over in there, but i also know that experience is the best teacher and i have to let go sometimes. i’ve been trying to help out front, i have been struggling to figure out where to seat these big parties. i have lost my cool a few times and my cage has been sufficiently rattled. i even got an email about a not so good deep dish. if it is a battle between me and a beast, the beast is winning. with all my mighty will, i cannot make the place run smoother or the pies come out better or the mistakes not happen. calzones to the wrong table several times in two days… undercooked pies going out, burnt calzones going out with no mention of sorry, or let me make it over, or no charge for that… the beast has gotten so big and out of control that i no longer hold the reigns it seems. the reigns have me and i’m getting slung around like a rodeo clown. i was unloading to my wife today in the five minutes that i saw her and saying, “if i just didn’t care so much then it wouldn’t bother me so bad…” and ultimately i guess that is the blessing and the curse… to care that the food is not always perfect, to want badly for it to be right. we’re doing more than we can handle this week i think. next year i’ll schedule myself in the kitchen five nights and add more staff out front, and at least then i will have control over the one thing that i care the most about, the quality of the pie.
i’m going to nail it tomorrow and saturday. i know it. i’m all jacked up and ready to be in the ring with that beast. i’m gonna throw him around like a rodeo clown for the next couple days… if the people decide to wait the hour or two for the table, i’ll be back there making damn sure they get a good pie. and if for some reason i screw up, i’ll make sure i make it up to them.
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