May 17th, 2018 {SB}
Thursday night… in the service bar.
As Mr. Solo once said, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
It’s no secret, my love for the service bar. However, it does have limitations. On the weekends, Friday & Saturday nights? It’s a gold mine. Any other night of the week? It’s the abandoned ghost town adjacent to the gold mine. It’s like all the gamblers forget it’s there. I’m well acquainted with this reality, so the knowledge that I’m booked for the service bar on Thursday night was not something that filled me with boundless joy. All the same, I attempted to keep a positive face on it and hope that perhaps things have turned around a bit since the last time.
Spoiler alert for you : No. No , they haven’t. Not at all. The parking lot outside was slim pickings to begin with, but … ouch.Not a happy time to be in the service bar. I was able to watch most of a hockey game, and the last half of the Ric Flair 30-for-30 film on ESPN with very few interruptions.
Our supervisor for the night (Rickie) had forgotten anyone was going to be there tonight. Our barback for the day had also forgotten, as I had no ice at all, all the booze was locked up, and no garnish tray had been prepared. Granted, by the time it all got squared away finally I’d only had to tell one little old lady that I couldn’t get her a bottle of water. Good and bad, I suppose. Gpod and bad.
One nice thing though was geting to chat a bit wit Cherry, our recently returned barkeep whose absense was so lucrative last mont. We talked a little hockey as we’re inclined to, and I headed down to the lounge to cover her breaks periodically.
After I’d done this the second time, I arranged for Frankie to come by the service bar, at which point she offered to let me free a few hours early. Given that I was bored spitless at that point, I could hardly refuse.
Closing observations :
- While it can be nice to have things you can rely upon, the during-the-week horrors of the service bar was one I could have done without. I must remember to talk to Charon about this. It might be that I could talk my way into the Lounge spot instead on Thursday night.
- Down in the Lounge, the little machine that keeps the beer lines cool is starting to make distressing noises. I have a deep sense of forboding about this one.
Next up : Saturday