My Role, (continued)

              You know how when you go into work and you just have one of those days where you are running around, trying to get five things done at once, ten more pile on, stress continues to build and things just keep moving faster and faster? That's where I come in.
              Envision yourself as a server for a minute, you have a whole section to yourself about seventeen tables, that's roughly 68-70 chairs. All of those chairs are filled with guests ranging from the 90 year old with a birthday today who also ordered a cake, the granddaughter just graduated college and needs a celebratory item, both of her parents are their who just had a new born and her little brother who likes to throw tantrums. Then you have 16 other tables with different things happening; CEO's of a company are meeting, birthday celebration, retirement, guest dinner, bridal shower, the works. You're an employee who makes so much money plus tips and your job is to make sure those guests are happy so at the end of the day your pocket is full and your happy. Now pretend your a chef, sous chef or pastry chef; your choice. Right now you have 125 guests sitting down all within 10 minutes of each other. That means that every other 30 seconds you are getting new orders from each server for certain tables. You're cooking almost 8-10 different items from the menu at once. You are trying to communicate with your prep line, your food expediter, your main kitchen and the servers. You are making sure that that order is picture perfect because if not the server is going to come back irritated because not only did the guest not enjoy it but now that will affect the servers tips and they have to come back there, and they aren't in a good mood now. Now your a host/hostess. You have to make sure that reservations are being put into the computer correctly, checking for allergies, celebrations, certain aspects the guest is looking for. You are also seating about 4-8 people every 30 seconds. On top of that you are answering phone calls to put through to different areas in the restaurant, taking more reservations besides the online ones, switching menus from breakfast to lunch to dinner and trying to be charming and make guests feel right at home and that they are number 1 which is how all people should be treated especially when they are paying for a certain service. Now take that all, subtract cooking, and you get the job of a supervisor. Now that doesn't include the jobs on top of what supervisors are in charge of, (overseeing staff, checking tables, checking side work done by employees, checking outside conditions, checking weather conditions, checking food as it is sent out, speaking with guests, etc...)
             Now, what your thinking is, "wait a minute you said, that's where I come in; what does that mean?" Well I'll explain. All of these people are going through these different little scenarios, their job description. They're doing exactly what they applied for and then after pending approval signed up for. My job is when that server comes in the back upset, that chef is trying to send food out, that host/hostess is trying to make people happy but has all different phone calls coming in, plus many other jobs from different people; I'm the one who speaks to them directly, poignantly, with a smile on and tells them exactly what is happening what they are going to do next and why certain things are happening; calmly.  They might be all flustered and tired, yourself included from doing the same thing but on a larger scale, but you, the supervisor, are the one they're  looking to for direction. They need you to tell them this is happening, they need direction because without information they can't plan what to do next. They have 90 other things they can be prepping while they wait for something. My job is to make sure they understand everything that is happening in the most simple ways, "your food has two more minutes, this food is missing garnish, that party has permission to sit outside, this silverware needs polishing," and the list goes on.
              The supervisor, I like to think is the peacekeeper between everyone in the restaurant and outside. They're the ones making sure everyone is happy, be it employees or guests. They are almost like a music director; a music director takes in all of these different sounds and noises, quiets it down to a null, gives it direction and some guidelines (music sheets) and creates a symphony with all these different instruments that sound nothing a like, but together make the sweetest song, the joie de vivre, (joy of living). That's what I do.