I want everything I can get for as cheap as I can get...

So my lovely restaurant runs this ridiculous happy hour. It's a corporate thing done at every chain but it is still insane. Well, customers over it, servers on the other hand, not so much. Basically Monday-Friday from 3:30-6:30 we feature a happy hour menu with insanely cheap food. I'm taking the food ranges from $1.95-$4.95. You can get a half pound cheeseburger AND fries from $2.95, and it's the same burger on our regular menu, no rip-offs or anything. That's cheaper than the McDonald's down the street! Well this inevitably leads to people coming in and thinking it is McDonalds, which is never a good thing. The only clause to this happy hour is that there is a drink minimum per person, but since we can't force people to buy alcohol, it can be a soda, just not free water.

Well, I worked this happy hour for a good five months straight and despised it. I cocktail waitress in the New Jersey location, but it's a whole different ballgame here and I hated it. I was never hired to cocktail waitress here either, they just stuck me in against my will when someone else was fired. Well after five months of waiting I had a lovely chat with human resource to clear that all up, however, I still find myself stuck helping out working cocktail shifts when they need someone because I am just oh so great of a team player. Yeah right....

So a few nights ago, I was stuck working a cocktail shift. It was a weird night. I had a big party in there that actually ordered a lot of dinner food, which is extremely rare for happy hour, but even though that was good because it was a large check, it threw off my swing of things. (I usually have managing that section down to a science, oh and mind you this is one waitress running an 11 table section alone.)

Well a family of 6 decided to squeeze themselves into one of the booths in the corner that really only sits 4. We are stuck with Dad sitting on the end of the booth in my walking path (which is technically a fire hazard for us) and Mom squeezed in with the two children (under 5 years old) and Grandma and Grandpa on the other side. Well I came over got their drink orders and some food orders and put it all right in along with a few other orders I just took. It was about 5:30 so this is when everyone starts coming in all at once. So after a few minutes, somewhere between 5 and 10 probably (mind you this is a packed happy hour, so the bar is running about 10 minutes on all bar drinks as it is) I deliver the drinks and they decided to put in an order for cheeseburgers. First they want some without cheese, which isn't a big deal so I say alright, but then they ask for the fries to be extra crispy. Now in the dining room, I would obviously say sure not a problem, but this is happy hour. You are paying less than $3 for your cheeseburger and it says on the menu no substitutions. I very kindly tell the Grandfather that unfortunately we really can't modify food for happy hour. (Because there are about 20+ other burgers being cooked at the same time that don't want extra crispy fries and to try to make another batch n keep those burgers separate just would not happen in that kitchen during happy hour.) He quickly replies with a fine forgot it!

Whatever.

So I continue to run in circles to accommodate this large section and about 5 minutes later, I see the Grandfather yelling at my GM in the middle of the dining room (opposite side of the restaurant from cocktail, so he went and hunted him down). He's yelling about the music is too loud, he doesn't like the crowd and type of people that are there, it is too crowded, they don't have enough room, it is not acceptable for him to have his grandchildren in that, and I wouldn't accommodate that. SERIOUSLY?!?! It's happy hour in a bar, and you expect it to be an acceptable atmosphere for your very young grandchildren. How self absorbed is this guy??? He basically wanted the cheap cheeseburgers but in the fine dining atmosphere, NOT GONNA HAPPEN.

So my GM, of course, tells him we'll take care of it, tells another sever to take care of the table, makes their burgers how they want, and comps some of the check. WTF.

I love ending up as the one in the wrong when all I did was follow protocol.