Friday Night Bites

I am back at an old restaurant from a previous field note, number 3.  It try to sit in the same section as the last time in order to get a more repetitive perspective. I am sitting near the back of elevated seating area. The restaurant is more crowded than the last time. I am here at the same time and day of the week though. The area isn't as clean as the last time, perhaps the crowded dinner rush has left the establishment short staffed. Not incredibly unsanitary but there are dishes left on more than 3 tables near me.

The table at the entrance of the elevated section has a large family with two tables pushed together. There is a mother, father, three daughters and an infant that I believe belongs to the eldest daughter. The family appears to be Hispanic and from the vernacular used in the bits of conversation I can hear, they speak a Spanish-English mix. The father is balding with nice clothes on. The mother has her hair done and a fresh nail job; they are at least 2 inches long. They both appear to be in their late forties to fifties. The eldest daughter is talking to the parents about something that has to do with UTEP. The eldest looks like she is in her early twenties. The teenage sister to her left is consumed by her cell phone, she gives the impression of not knowing if anyone is around her. When the waiter comes teenage daughter barely looks up to respond. The final daughter is about 6-10 years old. She sits with pig tails and an El Paso Chihuahuas t-shirt. She is playing with what looks like her infant nephew.

The restaurant is clearing up after about half an hour of my note taking. The noise from the bar has significantly died down because of a large group of college football fans leaving. The kitchen has become slightly louder with the clanking kid dishes. But I could probably attribute that to the emptying of the store.

The table next to me that has filled up has a group of four. It looks like two couples. They both appear to be in high school because of their attire. Three of the four are wearing letterman jackets from a local high school. They are all talking about a football game that is being hosted the college stadium. Apparently they left the game at the half because they were hungry. The two girls of the table are talking to each other about something on a social media site. They are sharing each other’s phones and laughing.

My night here is over but people are still coming into the restaurant. The popularity may be from the family atmosphere and diverse American based menu, appealing to a wider range of people. This restaurant may have the most diverse ethnic audience. More than any of the other places that I have visited. 

Lunch Rush

The restaurant is small. The maximum occupancy is probably around 50 people. That doesn't stop the building from being stuffed to the brim. I am seated by a woman near the back of the store by the kitchen. The main food served here is Mexican. It is renowned all around town so that explains how busy the place is. The staff that I can see (not kitchen) contains about 6 people, including the manager/owner, who is waiting tables and cleaning.

Mr. Owner, from what I can see, enjoys being familiar with the customers. He engages several of the tables in small talk about their lives. He is a short man with a minimal hair count. His shirt is stained a few times with Chile. Even though this place is very busy he still finds the time to mix in with the customers.

Alberta. I am seated by a large woman with long black hair and a positive attitude. She is waiting on this quartile section of the building. She is friendly and does not appear to be tiring with the shift time.

The table to the right of me has a group of three woman. Two of the woman, Jane and Jen, are wearing pantsuits and colorful blouses. The last woman, Lafawn, is sitting opposite the others. She has on a blue dress and her hair is up into a bun. They all look similar, they could be sisters. Black hair and similar body build types. They appear to be Hispanic, the way they speak and what they speak about makes me to that cultural identity.

The table diagonal to me has an elderly couple. The man, Diego, has a bald head but a full beard. He has a large beer grown body and a t shirt with a cartoon on it. The woman, Dianne, is small and frail looking. She has light gray hair that has been carefully prepared. They are both seated and enjoying a meal but I don't hear a single word said between the two. It would appear the goal of the lunch date was only for the love of the traditionally prepared Mexican food.

The last table in my section has a lone man named hector. He has on a light leather vest and a pair of dark sunglasses. He is very kind to Alberta and appears to know her by the way he speaks about her family and his family. Alberta gives him a hug and says that she will come back with his usual order. He shouts out jokingly that he wants the hot Chile this time.

Mr. Owner goes to the table with the elderly couple. He asks if they enjoyed their meals and if there is anything that he could do for them. Diego answers saying in Spanish that everything was perfect and the couple will definitely be back. They leave and shout goodbye to Alberta.

Lafawn is sitting at the table and sifting through the endless pages on her phone. She does not seem impressed with the other ladies conversation. But as I can remember from my previous notes, the phone use might be a younger person trait, particularly with woman. She only looks up the whole meal in order to tell Alberta what she would like to eat. Jen and Jane don't seem to notice this behavior as abnormal, as it may be a social normality.

Hector receives his meal and compliments Alberta on her speedy delivery. There is not much to his time spent at the restaurant. He eats and leaves. Though it is noticeable that he does not address his phone once. This may be because of his age. Maybe in his fifties, and the fact of being a male. But I don't have enough conclusive evidence.

The woman start to talk about each other’s days after all the food is consumed. Jen and Jane work at the local court house and Lafawn is a lawyer or works for a law office. They laugh and joke about the work week. As they are about to leave, Mr. Owner comes by the table to check on the meal... They all agree, almost in unison that the food was great and the service was like no other. 

Early Lunch

At around 11:00 in the morning, the building was near empty. The sounds of dishes cleaning and a few distant televisions filled the restaurant. Mostly sports channels talking about the many upcoming football games for the weekend. I’m seated in a higher level to the restaurant and I can look upon most of the tables in the nearby section.  This host is a man who I’d say is in his mid-thirties. He is so excited for the opportunity to seat me that it’s almost overbearing. The waiter arrived, his name was tucker. Tucker seemed happy. He had short hair and a hat line around the edge of his head. He was about 23. I believe the staff’s enthusiasm greatly relies on the time of day. Most of the staff id encountered before were abrasive but they were in the night shift. Tuckers spirits were refreshing.

Before ordering I could hear the family behind me talking. I turned back and saw a younger Hispanic couple with a couple toddler aged children. The children were refusing to finish their food but the parents handled their tantrum. They said that if they don’t eat their food then they would not be able to go to the movie planned for their afternoon.

The table to the right and down a level had a couple occupying it. They were two men. I figured they were together because of their expressions. They held hands, the one on the left had a thick beard and a shaved head. The guy on the right had a hat on with some thick gasses. I heard a part of their conversation. On the right, Zed, brought up a hot button issue about the terrorist group in the Middle East. I thought it to be heavy subject matter for an early lunch. But none the less his partner, Peter, engaged him with a look of disdain for the subject on his face. They seemed to get along very well. They went on chatting for some time.  

Tucker was doing well managing our area. As there were only a few patrons in the establishment he wasn't spread very thin. The family behind me asked for the check and before you could think about it, tucker had brought them the bill. Needless to say, he was a server deserving the title.

The person who replaced the family at the table behind me was an elderly man, maybe mid-70s, named Carl. Carl sat and ordered a tuna sandwich with extra onions and an Arnold Palmer to drink. When tucker took his order he sat in the opposite side of the booth. I think this intrigued Carl, he asked tucker about his job and what his plans were. A chat was to follow so tucker was occupied for some time.  

The Partners raised both of their hands to ask tucker for the check. While he got the check, the guys talked about their plans for the night. Apparently they were going to go night hiking. I figured this was a form of outdoor adventure, they were to meet up with a larger group of friends. Zed was having second thoughts because he said, “I F***ing hate mosquitoes.”  I believe Pete told him to relax and to 

quit whining. They left and tucker came back to attend to Carl and I.

I asked for the check and I spent the time to look around. Carl and I were the only ones left. From what I could see on the other half of the store, the staff was mostly cleaning and joking with each other. Tucker got stuck with a task from the manager on the other side of the room.

Carl got a phone call from who I believed to be his daughter. He told her not to worry and he was fine eating alone. I could figure that Carl lost his wife. The daughter must’ve asked about his day yesterday because he began to tell her in an orderly fashion. His grandchildren came to visit him the day before and he went on and on about them.

I left after a few more groups of people had entered it seemed like business was about to start taking off for the restaurant.

Night out

As I walk into the restaurant I can feel the atmosphere immediately. The host was friendly and the door was held open by a stranger in a Hawaiian shirt. As I found my seat, I noticed how packed the building was. People waiting for a seat against walls and tables shoved together, all of the tables that were together contained families with at least one child. Once seated the red headed waitress, Julie, looked as if she had just been crying intensely just before greeting me. Julie seemed rude, I’m sure she was dealing with other problems in her life.

The table to my left had a family of three. A young couple with an infant daughter. The father had a Cowboy’s hat on and was flaunting a jersey for Tony Romo. He has an untamed bearded and a happy looking disposition. His wife or spouse, was sitting across from him with the daughter hung around her. She is a nice sounding girl, her voice is as much as can attempt to observe. She is sitting at the same seat but a table over so I can’t turn and stare. The couple is talking about their child and spending some time with their relatives.

The table in the corner is all men in suits, I could only glimpse as I sat down but they are directly behind me so I can hear them. Mostly one of them talks. I gather that they have been there for some time, they all mention that they've been waiting for their waitress. It is Julie. Beside the wait, the one man goes on and on about the work week and appreciating all the work the other men have done. They all got the same meal, enchiladas green without onions. Beer all around except for two men with waters.

The table directly in front of me has just seated two women. They appear to be friends. Middle aged with tired looks on their faces. They both order margaritas and chips. They immediately begin to laugh and chat about how stressed they are. After the initial stories have come out, fifteen minutes in to their night, they pull their phones out and begin scrolling endless pages of anti-social media. They only stop to gossip about this or that thing that they have seen on each other’s Facebook.

Julie brings them the wrong order, actually intended for the Cowboys couple. The couple had been waiting quite some time. The phone women laugh it off but after Julie leaves they make a snooty face at one another.

The suits behind me are getting louder with more comedic stories about their boss. They all leave after all agreeing to go somewhere else. The Cowboy’s couple talk about how good the food is and how happy they are that their daughter has stayed asleep.

The phone ladies ask to see the manager because of the slow service. They may have been being a bit unreasonable but never the less, the manager comes with an apologetic story.

When the Cowboys couple leave they look very happy with the night and leave a formidable tip for Julie. They joke about her being “pobrecita”, this means poor thing in Spanish. Probably commenting on the large crowd and heavy workload for Julie. They seemed to be very nice and good people. The wife mentioned an appointment for the daughter as they were leaving and that’s the last I saw of the Cowboys couple.

The table behind me has been filled with what I believe to be college students. They only spoke Spanish, very well. I am not so fluent with the language but I could make out various phrases. It sounded like they were talking about a paper they had to write as a group for some class. I figured there was two guys and two girls, just by their voices.

The phone woman once again speak to the manager, but this time they are complaining about the food. It has not met their standards. The food was “cold” and “without flavor”. The manager attributes the temperature of the food to the slow service from Julie. The women receive a gift card to the restaurant and finish their meals, pay, and then leave.

The tip for Julie is almost nonexistent. From my perspective I could see how hard she was working and how much she was doing at once. She was unhappy with the tip but she moved on and continued to serve the rest of the crowd in her section.

The Spanish students behind me have ordered their food, from what I understood, they teased each other about the different items.

The night has slowed down, at least in my section. I’m starting to see a pattern in woman that go to restaurants as a pair. They appear to chat about their phones and more gossip conversation than other topics. But I don’t have much to work on for that yet.  

Graveyard

I walked in ready for a late night shift, I could barely take the smell of onions, tomatoes, and grilled meat. But i guess i can say I'm used to it by know.  It was 11:00 pm when i clocked in and like every Friday night it was very calm and very quite. We had some orders form drive threw but nothing to serious, the people came and go for about another hour. It was 1:00 am and we where restocking everything in the store getting everything ready for the rush around 1:30 2:00 am. As we where restocking all of a sudden we start hearing peoples voices so we knew what was about to happen. 

As i looked around i saw all theses people and knew we where in for a rough night. You could tell they had all just gotten out of the clubs and bars because of the way the people where dressed and acting. Some of them where dressed like cowboys/cowgirls, others pretty well dressed like they went to a nice club and others dressed casual. It was very loud, the customers where loud demanding their orders very rude as the cashiers where being patient and nice to them taking their orders. it was getting out of hand the officer had to tell several people to lower their voice and to be more respectful but they still wouldn't listen. 

For two hours straight the orders would not stop, people on drive thru and dine in would just come and go. It would take us 20 minuets  just to make one order because of the amount of people that where there. Some of the intoxicated customers where coming up to the front yelling asking where were their orders and we couldn't do anything but tell them there almost out.  The good thing that mostly all of the customers where in there early 30 and early 20's so they where a little bit more patient then if there where older customers. 

There where to groups of people that started arguing all you heard was yelling, cursing at each other from across the restaurant. The two groups walked outside as the officer tried to calm the people down, i don't know what he told them outside but the two groups ended up leaving the restaurant. The arguing and fighting doesn't happen very often but that day was pretty intense that was the most yelling and arguing i have witness while working there. 

Finally everybody had left and it was nice and quiet  but the customers had left a huge mess in the store, there where cups, trays, ketchup, napkins, and rappers all over the floor. That was just in the lobby, in the back there was dishes piled up in he sink ready for me to wash them. that was just my duty my co-workers also had a lot on their hand as well but i was ready to finish my duties so i could leave by 5 and it was 4 so i had an hour to do it. 

After a long 6 hour shift i finally get to go home. I was tired i smelled like burgers i just wanted to go sleep and get rest and get ready for the next day. 

Field Notes 1

It was a rather warm morning for being so early, so early in fact that I’m not usually one to see such an early part of the day. Looking up in the clear sky without a cloud in a sight and feeling nothing but the hot sun beating down on my face made me think of the extremely hot days that have yet to come.

As I walked into the restaurant I felt a cold gust of air come over me as I opened the door, at first I actually thought it felt quite refreshing, but after a minute or so sitting at my booth I began to feel cold. After getting myself situated and placing my order I heard the woman that came in slightly after I did that was seated directly in front of me mention that it was cold inside, and upon her making that comment I looked up at her and noticed that on the back of her neck she had a small tattoo of the playboy bunny, we’ll call her Curly. Curly had a little boy (I'm assuming her son), we’ll call him Bomber as he did have an angry birds hat with the bird that explodes on it, he was about 3-4 years of age. Bomber had extremely long for a male, it seemed as though it was even longer than his mother’s (curly) hair. Bomber would not sit still and kept standing on top of the booth looking back at me on a consistent basis, most likely the typical behavior for a child of his age. Curly seemed extremely “picky” as she placed her order with many rather annoying specifications. As the two finished up their meal and headed out, more and more people began to trickle in.

With Curly and Bomber gone I could more clearly hear the annoying sound of older country music in the background.

The sound of a foreign language caught my ear and drew my attention to an Asian family. Tourists I assume as they were all wearing out-of-state college t-shirts and were dresses as if they are prepared to sit in a car for multiple hours. Two younger boys, about 5-7 years of age and an older woman and an older man, I assuming the mother and father of the two young boys. They were rather quiet and stayed to themselves as they patiently awaited their order which was taking extremely long to come out. I noticed that at first one of the young boys decided that they needed the bathroom, so the father got up to take him. Then shortly after the father and son returned to the table the other young boy decided that they also needed the bathroom, so the mother gets up and takes him. I find it unusual as to how siblings seem to want or do the exact same thing as their brothers or sisters, I’m guessing that that is just the role of the older sibling taking on the role of being a role-model. Overall, the family seemed average as they finally received their long-awaited order and began to eat.

As some people leave and new customers arrive, I noticed that all the older customers, which seem to be above the age of 40 have ordered coffee. Also, I have noticed that the older country music has stopped playing and has instead turned into more modern country music. The air conditioner has again kicked-on and it is getting to be an uncomfortably cold environment.

Most of the customers that have shown up are in pairs aside from the few families that have children, and all the pairs of customers at tables are male and female. These male and female pairs all seem to be spouses to one-another and engaged in what seems to be small talk as neither of them seem to be deeply engaged in conversation.

A lesbian couple have entered and are sat at a booth. One of them seems to have more a masculine and serious appearance as the other appears to be more feminine. The more masculine woman (we’ll call her Sergeant) has a haircut to that of what could be considered a male hair style. Sergeant is also wearing baggy pants and a white collard polo shirt. What gives her her serious look is more within the tough looking sunglasses that she has on. Sergeant, specifically, seems to draw the most attention from people. Especially the attention from one couple that seem to be staring. I find it oddly enough that the lesbian couple have two boys, both about 3 years of age. They seem rather well behaved as they both keep to themselves and interact amongst each other.

Special: Eggs and Chorizo

It is breakfast time and walking into the restaurant, the first smell that impacts you is the smell of all the food that is cooked. The first thing that comes to my mind is man I hope I don't smell like food when I get out of here! You’re eyes are immediately drawn to the colorful chairs with many authentic Mexican figures on them, such as las catrinas, mariachis and others. I sit in one of the corners so I can have a better view of everyone that is there. The waitress comes up to me and asks me what I would like to drink so I quickly order an orange juice.

My eyes are first drawn to a group of five people sitting in uniform. One of them is playing a video game on his phone while the other ones are chatting away. The waitress comes back with my orange juice and asks if I am reading to order, not having even looked at the menu yet I told her I needed more time.

Sitting close by is a little old man sitting by himself reading the newspaper with his to go boxes ready in a bag next to him. The look in his eyes seem like he is a very sweet old man and I want to go sit with him so he won’t be alone, but I don't have to nerve to do that. He leaves almost 10 minutes after I get there being entertained only by the article he is reading.

Throughout the restaurant you can hear all the background noise coming from the kitchen, dishes clanking, some music, and every now and then the steam can be seen from whatever they are cooking. The waitress comes back and takes my order of eggs and chorizo, the special they had that day. She looks at me with confusion, because she can see all the scribbles I am writing on my napkin.

There is one older couple sitting side by side, they look to appear around their 50’s, holding hands. A second couple another elderly couple, maybe around their 60’s, sit in front of each other and they are chatting away like there is no tomorrow; smiling and laughing every now and then. It makes me really think about how special it might feel to have that one person you have always loved and over the years, there’s still so much left to talk about.

The group of five people in uniform leave, while a group of three a mother and her two daughters, I assume, because they look very much alike. The hostess greets them with a smile on her face saying “Buenos Dias”, and leads them to their table.

There are five waitresses, each walking around busily attending their customers. Towards the back of the restaurant where the kitchen is, you can see two of them singing together with the song that is playing in the kitchen, which to me is pretty amusing because they remind me of myself. As I watch them, one of the waitresses comes out from the kitchen and appears to be dancing, moving her hips from side to side as one leg goes back and then the other; however, she wasn't dancing, she was rubbing her shoes on the carpet that is right in front kitchen entrance, and I laugh at myself.

When I finish paying, I leave and I soon as I walk out the door, I can smell the stench of food that remains in my hair and clothes, but it’s alright because the food was worth it.

Field Notes

I have decided to conduct my fieldwork at my place of work, as I am very rarely anywhere else.  

I work at an upscale (as far as Las Cruces goes) dining establishment which we will refer to as the silver dollar. 

Before diving into the specifics of customer and intro personal relations of the establishment, I am required to preface an interesting aspect of the restaurant. It is actually divided into two seep rate restaurants: all owned by one person,  but with two different menus and two separate wait staffs. One is considered more "fine dining" and one is considered more "casual". These are polite ways of classifying our patrons, our dining areas, and our wait staff, into economically based caste systems. 

This first blog will detail the setting so as to get an accurate picture of the environment and feel of the place I work before customer relations even come into play.

Part I: hostesses/ seating

Before I began as a member of the wait staff, I was a hostess for over a year. I saw two full sets of hostesses cycle through and was the only one to remain for quite sometime. (Turnover rate for a hostess position is high and Otis perhaps because of the following)

When you host at the silver dollar for even a month you quickly begin to understand the basic clientele of both restaurants. Prominent figures in the community are often seen in the upscale area, wealthier people and visitors who can afford plate prices of upwards of 30$. Then the lower level restaurant attracts tourists, the blue collar after work crowd, appetizer and drink crowd. Most locals know the difference between the two restaurants and able to immediately tell the hostess which restaurant they would like. Tourists or first time patrons are usually asked which restaurant they would prefer and then pick accordingly. Sometimes, however, a patron will say "two for silver dollar" and the hostess (a pretty, peppy young girl hired for her smile and ability to filter the restaurant and control of the flow) is forced to passive aggressively explain based solely on appearance of the customer that they probably can not afford the restaurant they chose. 

In short: a hostess is hired to be very pretty and very polite. She is also hired to kindly explain to people the class system of the restaurant. It is part of the hostesses duty to maintain the appearance of the upscale dining room and those who eat there. Do they look like they can't afford the food? Do they speak another language? Do they have young children with them. Try and get them into the casual dining room. (Of course if a customer insists on the dining area we will seat them accordingly, but we do our best to field them)

This separation and classification of who is allowed to eat where is a fundamental aspect of how the restaurant functions on the basic and grandeur level, as well as giving the hostess the idea of superiority and mindset of judgment. This is not a commentary on the hostesses: it is a comment on what is expected of them, and the way they are forced to judge and look down upon people based solely on appearance. This can be used as a microcosm for classification issues we see in every day society and current affairs. 

Operating within a skewed paradigm of economic and social privilege that you may or may not fit into, the staff of silver dollar have already effectively judged, classified, and formed a perception of how we must treat you as patron and how this you will likely treat us: all before you've even gotten past the door.

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.

Coffee Shop

As I walk into the coffee shop I notice that the walls are full of different sayings, in different colors. While walking towards a table I notice a saying that my grandpa used to always say when I was little, “mas sabe el Diablo por viejo, que por Diablo.” Meaning that ‘wisdom comes with age,’ (or so I believe). As I’m looking over the menu I notice that the waitress is overwhelmed by the number of people in the room, after a few minutes she comes over introduces herself and asks what I’ll be having. With it being my first time in that coffee shop I asked her what she would recommend, I don’t think I will ever forget the way she expressed herself about the drinks and the food there. She said, “mira mija, tenemos una bebida para cada sentimiento, y una rebanada de pastel para cada pensamiento, solamente dime como te sientes y yo ago el resto.” (Look darling, we have a drink for every feeling and a slice of cake for every thought, just tell me how you’re feeling and I’ll do the rest.) As I laughed due to her response I said, “I’m feeling happy and a bit curious,” then she smiled and simply walked away.

While looking around the room trying to read all of the sayings, I notice an older couple sitting across the room, the lady was laughing with joy. As I watched them I couldn’t help but smile, they looked really happy. The waitress, Linda, comes over with a mango peach tea and a white chocolate raspberry slice of cake, she then says, “ellos son los Velasco, tienen 40 anos de casados y 20 de venir a esta cafeteria, tienen 7 hijos y aun siguen tan enamorados como el primer dia. A mi tambien me dan ternura, imaginate encontrar al amor de tu vida y estar casado con esa persona por tantos anos? Ya quisiera yo encontrar a mi principe.” (Those are the Velasco; they have been married for 40 years, have 20 years of coming to this coffee shop, and have 7 children. They’re still madly in love; imagine finding the love of your life and being married to that person for so many years? I wish I would find my prince.) As she walked away I stared at them, I couldn’t help but wonder what it’s like to find someone and be that happy with them.

While taking a sip of my tea I notice a guy sitting in the table across from me, he saw me staring and smiled, I smiled back. I noticed that he kept looking at his watch and then up at the clock that was hanging on the wall; he would pick up the menu stare at it for a few seconds and then put it down on the table. Linda goes over and asks how he’s doing, the guy, quickly responds, “oh no, I’m waiting for someone, I won’t be ordering anything yet.” Linda smiles and walks away. A few minutes pass by and his behavior is the same, stares at his watch, the clock, and then takes a quick look at the menu. I hear a loud laughter coming from across the room and I notice it’s the Velasco couple, as I smile and turn back to take a piece of my cake I notice that the guy sitting across from me is gone. I quickly look over the room, trying to search for him and nothing, he was gone. The fact that he kept anxiously staring at his watch and the clock made me wonder, had he been stood up? Or just afraid of meeting up with the person he was waiting for?

Taco Thursday

As my girlfriend and I walked into a familiar place on a warm and humid Thursday night, looking forward to our 50 cent taco feast, we were expecting the nice quiet atmosphere we have come to enjoy. But that is not what we encountered this particular Thursday night. This Thursday night was alive, noisy and had a celebratory atmosphere. At first, entering the restaurant I found myself feeling somewhat disappointed but that quickly changed as I realized that this was a good change in that it was a family atmosphere still with celebration alive in the air almost so thick you could smell it.

As we found our seats and the waiter came to get our drink and meal order, I observed that there were mariachis playing but not only were they just playing but a large family sitting at one of the tables found in the center of the room had joined in with the mariachis. Some of the family members were singing different songs which the mariachis seemed to enjoy, which they were, providing the instrumentation while one of the family members of this certain table belted out a Spanish love song.

Sitting there throughout my enjoyable 50 cent taco meal with my lovely girlfriend, I started to observe the other tables with other families. I began to wonder whether these families were enjoying the mariachis or whether they were annoyed by how this family seemed to have taken over the song list. What I observed was that some of these families did not even seem tainted or phased by the mariachis in the room much less the family that had joined in the song list. These families continued on with their meals and conversation, taking a bite of 50 cent taco madness, savoring each bite while drinking down a Mexican imported beer or a bottled coke imported from Mexico, with breaks of conversation or laughter within their family circle. Other families I found were very much enjoying and staying connected with the mariachis and family that had connected so well with the song list. I observed these families tapping their feet to the rhythm of the Spanish beat, with large smiles of enjoyment.

I walked out of this place with my girlfriend in arm and belly full of tacos and imported Mexican beer as well as my heart full of happiness, and recognition of the need of family and socializing with others in the spirit of celebration.

Royalty Burger

September 07, 2014

It is early afternoon and quite cloudy even after numerous similar days lately. The tables are properly bussed, there is very little trash on the ground from customers, and the workers seem to be comfortably lax. I believe I can reliably deduce that customer traffic has been slow today, probably partly due to the weather and perhaps due to the fact that it is Sunday.

Music, which I believe to be country, is playing softly on the overhead radio. A few portraits are displayed on the walls, however a couple of them have been taken down due to what appears to be because of wear on the strapping that would have held it up. The rest of these portraits depict food in a way which is not modest in comparison to what is actually being served.

An elderly man in slacks and a dress shirt enters. His hair combed and appears to be gelled into place. He makes a call to whom I believe to be his wife before ordering. It appears he is ordering something for his wife on the way home from what I would assume to be work. He quickly receives a strawberry shake and rushes out as if he has something urgent to attend to.

A Hispanic family enters pretty loudly. The man is wearing traditional cowboy-like gear. A straw hat, worn jeans with a belt, boots, and sunglasses. The woman is wearing a blue shirt with white pants and sneakers. Their two boys, Speedy and Climber are playing around the poles that form the line to the counter. Speedy is darting around and under the poles while his brother Climber is sitting atop it near his parents. They try to order in Spanish, but the worker does not appear to know very much, so he says “uno momento por favor”, which means “one moment please”. The worker, Mr. Nohabla, gets the manager, Slick, and they are able to order. Their order takes a short while to complete and they sit down in the lobby to eat their meal.

It has started sprinkling and the Hispanic family along with their children have left, making myself the sole person in the lobby.

After about 15 minutes a man holding a motorcycle helmet and wearing one the rug burn resistant jackets enters. Jack seems to be trying to make up his mind on what to get for a long time. After ordering he sits to eat in the lobby while chatting to someone, presumably a friend, on his cell phone.

It appears that Royalty Burger’s drive thru has picked up considerably since the employee Mr. Nohabla has started bagging take-out in more of a rushed manner.

Jack gets a refill and sits back down. Although he has finished eating Jack seems content to just relax in the lobby while talking on his phone. After about another 15 minutes since his refill Jack leaves.

Mr. Nohabla appears to cleared out the cars ordering at the drive thru and starts cleaning the lobby while Slick counts his cash drawer.

In The Evening

It is almost dinner time, and as I enter the establishment I notice that it is rather empty. On the far corner sits a girl, very concentrated on finishing her dinner presumably to get back to the book next to her plate. Next to the counter is a man waiting for the cashier to pack his order so he can leave.

As I approach to order I realize that the amount of people has increased. Behind me I see a mother and her two daughters, two couples, and three girls.  The mother orders the same for her daughters and a separate plate for herself. The two couples, although total strangers to each other, order the same thing. Finally the three girls approach the counter and discuss that they should order different things to share everything at their table.

Taking a seat near a window, I begin to try and make myself look busy while my order is ready. The couples have each taken a corner and have began discussing what I presume to be their day and maybe some gossip the acquired throughout the day. Precisely diagonally to me sit the three girls. I immediately observe that one of the girls is sitting on one side, while the other two on the other side. I can infer that the girl sitting alone is the leader because of the way she conducts herself. She begins to plan their weekend and start to give the girls options on what their evening would consist of.

Wondering if I will ever get my food I look up to see one of the workers hand me my food and head out to couple number one to deliver their food as well. As I follow her with my gaze, I see that couple number one has taken books and notebooks out of their bags and sprawled over the table. Probably trying to make the most of their time they continue to study and eat simultaneously. They would both only stop to ask and explain questions on one of the books in the center.

Couple number two has taken another approach to dinner, both still waiting for their order, but not minding one bit, because they seem very engrossed on something on the girl's phone. They get closer, trying to each get a fair view of whatever is on her phone. A few minutes later the guy receives a  phone call and proceeds to answer it. After a few words and a quick laugh, he signals his girlfriend to use her phone, presumably to look something up. As he ends his call they both get up, and take their order to go.

Long since done eating, I begin to observe the tables around me and notice the place has grown rather empty and dark outside. I look up just in time to see the three musketeers are just as ready to leave as me. As I start packing up I turn to the corner and see couple number one still studying oblivious to the time that has already passed.

VI

It is late in the evening and the dinner rush has died down. The restaurant is crowded with bored employees trying to find something to pass the time. One is in the managers office sitting reverse on a chair rocking back and forth. The others find themselves cleaning the same sticky spot on the table over and over again. I recognize a member of the staff; he is a former friend from middle school that I had lost touch with. The floor is cluttered with old fries and straw wrappers. The first cut is the deepest by Sheryl Crow is playing on the radio in the background.

There is a family of five sitting in the corner booth and one of the sons resembles me. They all seem to be too focused on their cell phones to even notice one another. The loud music makes it difficult to hear the few words that come out of their mouths. They order chocolate milk and strawberry lemonade.

A group of people walk into the restaurant, could be a double date. Both men have their heads shaven and one of the men has a giant tattoo of an M on the back of his head. M orders iced tea and stirs two sugars into it. It seems as if he is scoping out the restaurant and checking to see what the other people are doing also. He puts on his glasses and begins to read the menu. Once M gets his food, he lightly pours some salt and pepper. It seems as if he is not satisfied.

Another bunch of people walk in and immediately start complaining about the booth. There are two men and two older women. They order coffee and begin a conversation. The loud noises coming from the kitchen make it hard to hear what they are saying.

Two older ladies come through the door and are seated at the table next to mine. One could be in her sixties and the other seventies. The older one is walking on a cane and has trouble sitting down. Just after being seated they both agree to get separate checks. The lady in her seventies makes a comment about how much easier it is to get into a chair rather than a booth. They both ask for a senior citizens menu and begin to read through it. They are the only table that got a waiter and he is a young, good looking male. He must be wanting to take advantage of the situation and get a high tip.

Chit-chat

At a quarter to 5, people begin trickling through the door. With empty stomachs, groups of friends and family chatter among one another, anxiously waiting to devour bowls of chips and salsa. They soon get seated; a few older couples along with two sets of families are in the mix of customers. Sipping on iced teas and sodas, customers ask each other of their days.

The low hum of Mexican music ripples through the small speakers, as the building continues to fill with hungry patrons. A group of particularly chatty friends sit at booth; a man with a fedora, one carrying an electronic cigarette in his shirt pocket, and a blonde woman with hair tightly pulled back into a bun. After a round of drinks, their volume grows, laughing and chatting away. Across the room, sits a table of college girls, dressed in matching sorority tanks. With forks in one hand and their phones in the other, the girls catch up on their latest social media gossip between bites. Next to them, a young couple is ordering meals, green enchiladas and tacos. They are dressed well, he in a button down shirt, and her in a floral dress. Their body language suggests nervousness. Perhaps on a date? 

It’s slow for a Thursday, but the room is still buzzing with noise and laughter. Towards the back of the room, a man is accompanied by what looks to be his family--a woman of equal age, and two children--each holding gift bags. They seem cheerful as they sit and wait to be served on.

Meanwhile, the chatty friends moved from a booth, to a table by the window as more acquaintances join them. E-cig walks in and out of the nearby door, taking a puff of vapor as he goes. He meets people outside, and notions them to his nearby table. They've yet to order food, but seem to enjoy each other’s company while munching on chips. A new woman joins them, wearing scrubs with a medical name tag clipped on the left pocket, a nurse most likely? The nurse and E-cig, walk out once more, and sit on a bench opposite of their table. They share a cigarette, engaging in more conversation.

Almost forgotten, the family in the back of the room with gift bags has finished their meal. I am reminded of their presence by the jingle of Happy Birthday sung by jovial employees who serve them crispy cinnamon sugar sopapillas.  

The sun is almost set, painting the clouds a pinkish orange tint across the sky. The evening becomes late and the dinner rush has slowed down. To my surprise, button-down and floral are still on their date, this time they seem more intimate. Maybe the atmosphere of the now-calm restaurant has allowed them to relax. I am able to hear the music once more, without a realization it had been inaudible for a while.

I can see E-cig and the nurse have returned to their table, and are slowly filling their stomachs with dinner, seemingly too distracted by the multiple jokes fedora hat keeps making. They laugh, take a bite and laugh some more. I have to question how many rounds of drinks has gone around. Can people always be this rowdy?

The restaurant begins to close. Employee’s clean tables, flip chairs, and sweep floors. Floral and button down have yet to leave. They look to be too immersed in their conversation to even notice the rows of empty tables. Likewise, the rowdy bunch continues to converse. E-cig is the first to leave the table, again breathing in vapor as he walks out. One after the other fedora, the nurse, and their peers stand up, slowly making their way to the door. Floral and button-down follow their notion.  With leftovers in hand, the last of the guests exit the restaurant still chatting away.

Late Dinner

Two woman out late having coffee sit far away. They seem to be middle aged. They are very consumed with their phones. One is even charging the cell phone with the buildings wall outlet.

A family, older parents maybe mid-fifties sits away. Their son is a splitting image of the father. They seem to be a Harley based family. Curious.

Another family of all girls sits in corner. They're happy looking. Chatting about each other’s new starts to the school year.

The Harley's leave, they are mumbling something. They seem to be unhappy with the service speed.

The phone woman sit, oddly enough they seem to be sitting around doing their own anthropology work. They see a server or a customer and then giggle a bit. Chatting about who they're looking at.

The building seems crowded with an overabundance of staff. Most of them group up and chat.

The girl family in the corner seem to be eating a variety of different foods. This table looks like the happiest in here. Laughing and talking to each other.

The cell phone women look younger. Maybe 20 something's. Perhaps they are students come to enjoy coffee after the football game.

One server is desperately trying to find a cluster to talk to. It seems as though he is awkward to talk to.

The cell phone girls go on laughing and sharing things on each other’s phones. They have made it apparent to the whole restaurant that they are there. Everyone looks as they laugh and shout.

The awkward employee has found a chat partner in the busy manager. The manager seems to throw the awkward worker a bone. He puts out, "how is school going?". The worker jumps at the question but the manager finds a quick exit from the conversation.

A table far away is filled with older distinguished looking people. They sit looking like they work in local politics. Chatting conservatively but they have certainty been here for hours.

A student has come in. He asks for a table near an outlet. He seems frazzled. Like most students after a long week. He mouths the reading he is doing on his laptop. He looks determined to finish something. He orders orange juice.

The register girl looks tired. The receipt stack for the dinner rush is large. You can see the hours on her face. She tries to move forward after a long shift.

The cell phone girls both brandish hats and concert T’s from a country artist. One of them picks up the check for the two. The leave the store still giddy and giggling.

The distinguished table all focus on the words of one woman. She seems like the most important. maybe the leader of their group or the director of something they apart of.

The student rubs his head in stress, He is focused. But he has the time to question the stores selection of jelly or spreads. He reads the labels and then tells the awkward worker which he will have.

Finally one man from the distinguished table gets up to pay for the whole table. No one at the rest of the table is concerned with the check. perhaps they were all there on a treat from this man. They all leave. With suits on and hair done.

The student seems to be flirting with the waitress. She blushes as he makes a comment.

Two elderly woman sit in the table nearest. Maybe a mother and daughter but the daughter is over 60. They discuss the mother’s disdain for booths and how hard it is to get in them. The daughter teases that she is old. They ask each other when the last time it was they ate. And so on...

The student is still enveloped in his computer.

The girl family still enjoys the evening.

The awkward waiter has went home.

The tired register girl is still working hard.

McCallan's Ambiance

With such a nice evening during the day, the smell of warm tea, and a fresh sent of sandwiches bring quite a bit of students to the restaurant, much more than the number of non-college students. As I wait in line for my cup of tea an older couple, Dan and Mary, walk in as to observe the dining area. “There is a lot of college kids out here today, did you notice that honey?”  Dan assures his wife that it isn't unusual, but more as an excitement to notice more students attending the local university. As Dan and Mary await in line I've come to presume they are visiting their daughter as she slowly approaches them.

As the line moves slowly, more and more students walk in, to order their free cup of tea. McCallan's offers free tea to any student with their school I.D. I notice that the majority of the people who dine in are non-college students. As the line gets smaller and smaller the ambiance starts to calm down and the workers seem at ease.

Art work of an older time during the early cultivation of the city Las Cruces fill only one wall that is made of brick and decorations of dried fruit throughout the entire restaurant. The radio plays in the background ever so calmly and relaxing. A group of girl basketball players leave the dining area as to be in a rush for practice or an activity which they all might partake in.

Thirty minutes into my observation the dining room starts to fill up again with more people and the lines lead all the way to the door as it did when I first ordered my tea. There are two people to my far corner texting the night away. Conversation between the two doesn't seem to arise until three more of their friends arrive to the table. Cell phones are placed on the table and they engage in conversation.

A couple Eric and Lisa and baby daughter Annie are dressed as super heroes for the comic con event. An older couple with their granddaughter seem to be enjoying the evening with good food and a peaceful ambiance. The older man rises here and there and makes a walk to the parking lot for a cigarette as to enjoy the weather of the day as the clouds move west and the sun beaming gently. Two big gallons of hand sanitizer have been placed on the front two counters for the employees and is in use every other order taken, which I've noticed that the employees are on top of their cleanliness during a busy day. As the day progresses more customers are coming in for pick up I presume by the way the come in alone that they have made other plans to enjoy their meal on the go with family or friends. 

Friday Night Flavors

It’s approximately 7:45pm and the sun set is five minutes gone. The traffic can be seen bustling. There’s a big window in front of the building provides for easy awareness of the environment outside. The television located in the south east corner of the building is broadcasting the local news program.

At my arrival I walked past two females sitting at the first table and up to the counter. The cashier bid me good night and inquired about my order. He quickly noticed, probably due to my indecisiveness that I was probably a first time customer and said he was going to give me a minute.

The number seven on the menu seemed to have stood out. So that is what I ordered. Since I’m new to the place I guess lucky old number seven will work for tonight.

The two females mentioned earlier, whom we will call Queen and Princess; could be seen devouring their enchilada plate. They seem to be very close with each other as I could over hear them speaking about their weekend plans of a family trip to Albuquerque. Both Queen and Princess are of Hispanic descent. Queen is a lady in her forty’s and Princess seems very familiar now; I believe she was in my Chemistry 112 class last semester.

Mr. Regular hangs up his phone and starts a conversation across the room with the cashier. Both seem full of humor and frequently spoke in short dialogue about project happening around locally and funny encounters they had during the week.

The cashier then signals me that my food is ready and I quickly rush over to the counter and back to my table. About four minutes into my beef taco plate Mr. Regular gets up and asks the waiter for a to go plate. The waiter goes out back to the kitchen and grabs him a plate. Mr. Regular then packs his left over and tells the waiter to have a great weekend.

It got really quiet after Mr. Regular left. Only the mechanical juicers could be heard mixing away. The local news seemed to be over and proceeding was a program paying tribute to the late comedian Joan Rivers.

It seems like the drive thru is pretty much busier than inside the restaurant itself. I observed approximately one vehicle driving through to order at least every seven minutes. While the cashier was handling a drive through order Queen and Princess got up, passed me and emptied their treys. Queen had probably been watching me scribbling away in my notebook the entire time and upon her return from emptying her trey, I took a quick glance at her and I could see her smiling at me. She was probably wondering what was so interesting about scribbling in my book since I had barely touched my taco plate. They then approached the counter, got their receipts and left.

After they left I entered the second half of my man vs. food war. As I was pretty close to finishing my plate an elderly couple Mr. and Mrs. Johnny come lately came in. They seem to be very energetic and entertaining type of senior citizens. The waiter quickly greeted them, the husband was rapid to inform him that they had heard that the restaurant was one of the best in town. Mr. and Mrs. Johnny come lately also pointed out that they just moved to Las Cruces today and that it’s their first night here in their retirement home. The waiter then congratulated them. Similar to myself they were undecided and it took a little for them to order. They then walked over to the table where Queen and Princess had sat earlier.

I was never able to finish my plate due to the fact that the food here is served in very large portions. I got up and emptied my plate, then paid for my food. I then stepped out into the dark night and returned home.

The Lunch Rush

It is about 1:15 in the afternoon and for so many restaurants located in one place this lunch area does not smell like food. (There are five restaurants in this food court but one is closed for reasons unknown.) There is an American style restaurant that has burgers and other iconic American foods, a Hispanic style restaurant, a Chinese restaurant and a small coffee shop. The customers are mostly students ranging in age from late teens to middle aged men and women. There are a couple of construction workers and what seem to be professors but I could be mistaken. Most of the students seem to travel in groups of two or three, many of which enter through the eastern doors near the coffee shop. Almost all of which who enter seem to have a specific restaurant in mind and don't give any others a glance. About half of the young men that enter head straight for the American style restaurant and order burgers and fries, although most Hispanic men and woman prefer to go to the Hispanic style restaurant for lunch. A group of young men a few tables away finished their food in an astonishing amount of time and then returned to their conversation.

After about half an hour of observation I have seen the Coffee shop have a total of 5 customers, likely due to the time because they seem to have a more breakfast oriented menu. A young couple in white arrive and sit at the table next to me after ordering drinks and a bag of chips to snack on from the American style restaurant. They make small conversation about classes and homework they have while they eat their chips. While most patrons choose to sit inside there is also an outside sitting area that seems rather empty, this could be due to the humidity of the day. I observe one patron in blue who walks back and forth between an entrance and a trash can while on the phone. He has reached for the handle multiple times at points in which I suspect he believed the conversation would end, only to continue talking and walk back away towards the trash can. After about three minutes the conversations ends and he walks in and orders food from the Chinese restaurant. He is the first person I have seen walk in alone. Most males seem to travel in groups of two to five while the females I have observed travel in groups of two or with a significant other. The male in blue who was on the phone has opted to get his food to go and leaves quickly after getting it. The young couple beside me has also opted to go back and order food. They go back to the same restaurant and order two orders of burgers and fries.

As everyone leaves the group of males which began at three has now grown to five. Their food long gone but conversation not yet finished. While they talk they make very large hand gestures to accompany their conversation. The couple near me also finishes up there food and begin to talk about date plans for the coming weekend. After 45 min the group of men now begin to pack up there stuff and get ready to leave. While three of them go to get refills before leaving, the other two wait outside. As the lunch rush subsides the workers at in the American restaurant begin to clean their workstations. While one worker begins to clean, two other workers in the Hispanic restaurant (which was the most popular restaurant during this rush) are still serving their last customers in line. Customers still trickle in but the lunch rush is now over. 

A Touch of Thai

We enter the restaurant only barely expecting it to be open.

It is nearly nine o' clock and the lights--cylindrical frosted-glass hanging affairs--have been dimmed considerably. The webpage for the restaurant states that the place closes at ten, but everything seems ready to close now. Rows of glossy tables, looking recently polished, have sauces and napkins neatly stacked on their left sides. All of the chairs are pushed in. There are no people in sight. Fauna, however--of both the living and plastic variety--seems to be everywhere, along with colorful  paintings and posters with advertisements for Thai snacks.

Two prominently placed, carefully hedged spiraling plants attend either side of the cash register, which rests on a green marble desk decorated with a large golden vase in the shape of a Buddha. The Buddha has his head thrown back, appearing to swallow the bouquet of pink blossoms he holds in his mouth. Over the register is a large flat-screen TV playing the "Big Bang Theory" with the sound muted.

We seat ourselves, chatting. Our voices sound very loud in the otherwise quiet place.

An olive-skinned man who appears to be in his mid-thirties emerges from the kitchen. His eyes flash with surprise and irritation when he notices us, but he quickly hides it. He comes to our table unsmiling.

He speaks very quietly, his English slightly clipped. A couple of times, he stops and asks us to repeat ourselves, watching the lips of whomever is speaking carefully. The terms for the various Thai dishes we are ordering roll easily off of his tongue, but his English is strained and his expression while speaking it, uncertain.

After taking our order and forwarding our requests to the kitchen, he moves behind the counter and opens the register, counting money with quick movements, glancing up at us surreptitiously from time to time.

As we eat, a white man with a thick brown beard comes from the kitchen carrying a pen and clipboard. He, like the first man we met, is wearing jeans and a new-looking t-shirt. Unlike our host, the front of the bearded man's shirt is greasy. He seems to have come from washing dishes in the kitchen.

One of my friends makes a silly joke and the others laugh uproariously. The bearded man eyes us with thinly veiled exasperation before disappearing into the office next to the cash register.

One of my companions remarks quietly that it is only 9:30, and the restaurant closes at ten. He doesn't understand the overwhelming sense of unwelcome radiating from our host and the bearded man. I continue writing as my friends talk loudly to one another and laugh.

Our host begins to give us more pointed signs that it is time to go--the lights in the next room turn off, the Coca-Cola machines filled with beer next to the kitchen click off one by one. A third employee, an Asian man in a worn, oil-stained baseball cap, comes out of the kitchen with a plastic bag containing a take-out box. He doesn't bother to look at us, instead plopping down wearily in a seat and taking out his smartphone.

The host takes our cards for the split check and hurriedly rings up our food, returning within moments. It is now 9:45. We begin shoveling food into take-out boxes, tacitly arranging a handsome tip as an apology for showing up at what is apparently an inconveniently late time.

From behind his cash register our host stares at us without shame, waiting for us to go. When we leave, he does not return our "Good night" or "Thank you."

"Why would they be upset about earning an extra $40 tonight?" one of my friends muses once we are outside.

Thinking about the quietness of our waiter's voice, I begin to wonder if it was our boisterousness, rather than our arrival time, which irritated our hosts.