Thursday Rush

I clocked in at 5:02. The restaurant is pretty empty with the exception of  three tables that have one to three people at each one. The smell of rice and cooking meat fill the air. Music plays in the background and people converse with on another.

At table one, a family is sitting enjoying their appetizer as they wait for their meals to be cooked. A father and mother, both covered in tattoos, both go through the routine of checking their phones every few minutes, while making minimal to no communication with one another. The child, around 5 years old, is making a mess and yelling, possibly wanting attention from one of the adults at the table.

There is a man sitting at the bar alone. An older man, early 50s. He has a book with him. He has a to go cup, meaning he is waiting to get his food to read. as I make my rounds around the restaurant, I get close enough to see his book, Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. I converse briefly with him about the author and mention my favorite reads by Stephen King. He shows interest in the fact that a young person is interested in such books.

Table three has a group of college students sitting together discussing their classes. Their english is not the greatest as they have heavy accents and are noticeably, not native english speakers. They have empty bowls on their table and are waiting for the server to bring them their checks, as they are ready to leave.

At 5:30 all tables leave and are bussed immediately. This time cars are pulling into the parking lot more frequently as people are off of work at this time. The restaurant quickly fills up, about a third of the way, as families come to have a nice meal. The rowdiness of the restaurant gets louder as people are sat at tables by the hostess.

The parties are bigger and the biggest table we have is an eight top (eight people at one table). I help the server as they take the drink orders. There are three kids and five adults. I notice that the 3 male adults, clearly over 21, all get an alcoholic beverages, while the women get iced tea or water. The children all get lemonade in child cups. I also notice something that this table is doing that I do not see with the other tables. They are communicating with one another. The adults invite the children to discuss what they learned at school. No one is on their phone at this table. They seem more cheerful than the other tables.

6:00. More and more people are arriving and pretty soon the parking lot is full and most tables are seated. There are maybe one or two tables left, not to mention the stools at the bar. I've noticed that another server has clocked in, as well as another cook. I have been asked to move to the back of the restaurant and help the dishwasher out as his dishes are piling up.

The time is now 7:00 and we are still busy as ever. I walk out to help clean a few tables and restock the ice at the beverage stations. The families there at 6 have now left or are getting ready to as they finish their dessert.