12: 30 p.m.
The lunch crowd is pouring in and the
tickets are piling up. I go up to the line
to help get orders out. I set up plates for
the grill and sauté cooks, and call out to
the servers to pick up their food. I prefer
working a station, but
I am always willing to
help out wherever I
am needed.
4:00 p.m.
I turn my attention to setting up my station on
the line. Once the lunch sauté cook is done, I
bring what I will need for dinner service.
9:00 p.m.
Things finally start to slow
down; the night went by in a
flash. I work with a good team,
so things usually go pretty
smoothly. The excitement of the
dinner rush and the satisfaction
of knowing that you are putting
out great food can’t be beat.
1 pm 2 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 3 pm
9 pm 10 pm
1:00 p.m.
We made it through the first rush and
have a moment to catch our breath
and wait for the restaurant to turn. The
second wave is not as overwhelming
as the first, so I make my way back
to the prep area. I work on Hellenic
chicken, chicken breast stuffed with
a feta cheese/spinach mixture,
then wrapped in foil
and par-baked. I lay
out my mise en
place and have 20
dishes knocked
out in no time.
2: 30 p.m.
Now it is time to get ready for
dinner service. I will be working the
sauté station tonight, so I get
together with the executive
chef to discuss specials.
One is a seared sea-scallop
dish with fried polenta cake
and smoked Gouda cream sauce.
I start the sauce, then I clean the
scallops. The polenta has already
been cooked and cooled and is
ready to cut into rounds.
5: 30 p.m.
Dinner service begins and things
are pretty steady. Before we know
it, the restaurant is full and the
board is lined with tickets. I am
sending out appetizers and getting
a little nervous,
because none
of the servers
are sending their
tables’ entrées yet.
6: 30 p.m.
By now, new tickets are coming
in, appetizers are being called;
it is the beginning of a awave
we will ride all night until
service is over. Now is when
I am happy I took the time to
stock my station well so I don’t
have to make unnecessary trips
back to the walk-in.
10: 15 p.m.
After the last few orders have
gone out, all that is left is to
clean up. I wrap things up, wipe
equipment down and carry lots
of dishes to the dishwasher. The
last job we do is sweep and mop
behind the line, and then it is
time to clock out and go home.
At the end of the day, I am happy
with how everything
went. I probably could
have chosen a bigger
and busier place to
do my internship,
but I am happy with
my decision.
