End of an Era

I have been waiting tables at CPK for eight years this month. 25% of my life has been spent working for this company. I have no idea where the time went. I started in 1998 and it is now 2006. Working for this company is like having a bad crack habit. No matter how hard you try to quit, it keeps sucking you in. I have had a wonderful time over the years and met some of my best friends through this company. Still, it is time to go.

Some random thoughts that I have regarding CPK.

1. You do not want a half and half pizza. Combining BBQ sauce and Hoison sauce on the same pizza is a recipe for disaster.

2. Does it really matter if you carry straws from your pocket? The beverage trays are so disgusting, I think a clean apron pocket is a much better place to keep them.

3. No we won't split your salad for you. I don't know why we don't, you'll have to ask the two multimillionaires that own the company. They make the rules (and the profits).

4. Yes, your salad has cilantro on it. Yes, your pizza has cilantro on it. Yes, everything that CPK serves has cilantro on it. I don't know why. (Reference #3).

5. We are instructed to give one piece of bread per person at the table plus one extra. CPK is extremely cheap and buys the bread, thus they are trying to keep their costs down. Then again, how much bread can you really consume before eating a pizza? And if you come in at 9:59 PM, then yes, we will likely have run out of free bread. Deal with it people, deal.

6. On that same note, if you enter any restaurant one minute before closing, your food is going to be shitty. Everyone in the restaurant wants to go home and they are pissed you just walked in the door. They have already started cleaning and putting away everything and they're not going to start digging stuff up for your food again. You have been warned.

7. Wine glasses do not get clean in a dishwasher by virtue of their shape. The bartender has to hand wipe each one individually to get rid of the spots and lipstick stains from the previous user. Yes it's nasty and gross, but deal with it people. Life sucks and so does being a server in a restaurant.

8. Keep in mind when tipping that not everything is within your server's control. If you modify your salad horrifically, then don't get angry when everything is wrong. There are several factors in play here. Number one is how much english the person making the salad speaks and how much food spanish your server speaks. The second is how much said food preparer likes said food server. If you have a good relationship with the kitchen, then the food might come out right. If you not, good luck. Also, if the kitchen crashes because too many orders came in at the same time, then be patient and don't dock your server's tip because of it. Tipping should be based on your overall experience, the quality of the food, and your server's attentiveness and attempts to rectify situations if things don't go well.

There are hundreds more things to share, but I shall stop here. I have had a wonderful time working for CPK overall. From San Mateo, California to Paramus, New Jersey, from Schaumburg, Illinois to Phoenix, Arizona, I have worked all over the country and they have always happily accepted me and my crazy work schedule while I was flying. For this and many other things, I thank you CPK. But like any dysfunctional relationship, we all reach a point where it must end. Monday is that day. In a funny way, I will miss the craziness of it all. At the same point, I am definitely ready to hang up my filthy tie and apron.

Cuidate.