That one Saturday shift that almost broke me

I remember a Saturday in July back in 2019 at The Gumbo Pot in New Orleans. We had 86 covers on the books but by 7pm we were at 140 with walk-ins and the fryer oil was smoking from being pounded all day. My saute station was so backed up I burned my forearm on the flat top and didn't even feel it until I wiped the sweat off. Has anyone else had a shift where the ticket machine just wouldn't stop and you thought about walking out?

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oscarmurphy2mo ago

Oh man, @taylorb94 that ticket machine thing sounds like a nightmare. I had a Saturday at a brunch spot where the printer ribbon ran out mid-service and we got 45 ticketless orders nobody could see. My saute station looked like a crime scene with half-cooked eggs and the expediter was just screaming random numbers. Thought about faking a kitchen fire just to get five minutes of peace.

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taylorb942mo ago

And that burn didn't even register until you got home and it started screaming at you. Classic. I once had a ticket machine jam and start spewing out orders from three hours ago all at once. Thought about just walking into the walk-in and not coming back.

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