Serving it forth

A look at the hard work behind Tulsa's exploding food scene

(page 2 of 4)

Ashley*, waitress at a local diner
Ashley has been a server at an old-fashioned local diner for several years. Leaving office management after more than a decade, she’s come to enjoy a career as a server, which she describes as both demanding and fascinating.

I had a friend who was working here. I left office management because what I got paid in Boston is not a true match for what that pays here. Once I started working here, the social atmosphere of it — this is the most interesting job, bar none, I have ever had. Every time I walk up to a table, it’s a new story. It’s a new vibe. I’m almost on stage in a certain way, and every table has expectations. Some are reasonable, others aren’t.

Every walk of life comes in here, from homeless to city council [members] to judges. Sales and marketing teams come in to lunch and bring new energies. That’s something that I enjoy.

When you work here, you enjoy working here, so most people become “lifers.” There’s a good amount of people who’ve been here upwards of 20 years. [The restaurant] gives chances and opportunities to people working here who’ve had “troubled waters,” and this has been a great place to help people get working again and reestablished in their lives.

Working in a diner can be much more lucrative than working in any of the chain restaurants because you’re tied to three tables there, plus the structure and the strictness of sales modules. This is a much more relaxed, carefree, and busier place. It makes you stick around. It’s money that is fairly quickly made. Even when you go through those slow slumps throughout the year, in a diner you get regulars. My regulars will come in and save me right after Christmas or when the weather gets warmer and more people want to eat outside.

We don’t have health insurance or sick days, which is pretty standard in this type of small business. But I build that into my budget. I always have a little bit of cushion for my “just in case.” Three snow days just happened, and two sick days for my son. That’s an entire week. I always make sure I put aside for those things.

On a normal day, my section is several tables and the overflow room. I serve at least 200 people because these tables fill up repeatedly. The lunch hour is always a slam – six people in some of the booths and eight at the tables. Two separate parties will be sitting at one table. Granted, because diner food is cheaper, and I get some “dollar standard” tippers, the tips aren’t always huge. But I’ve gotten those $100 ones, too. That’s kind of the brilliant recipe here — attractive women waiting on lonely dudes or even lonely women. People that decide, “I’m going to be your blessing today.” And some people just really appreciate great service and want to do that.

We write everything down on an extensive menu that can be intimidating and we have to know every price. You have to be able to multitask in ways that can be extraordinary. I usually have a pedometer in my pocket so I can track my miles in a day. On a Friday or a Saturday, I’m upwards of 12 miles. That’s another part I really enjoy, the physicality of it. I’m a tomboy at heart. It makes me love my job, staying active.

It’s not just me getting your food. There is a whole machine that makes it hit the table. There are real rock stars back there in the kitchen who can whip things out. But in order to get it out timely and to your table and still hot – you want a well-done steak, and I want a two-egg simple breakfast? Match those two and get it in the window at the same time when you’ve got tickets coming out your ears! It’s quite a feat. Not everybody is very gracious. Some want their food and they want it now.

I work 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday through Friday and sometimes I’ll pick up weekends. We take each other’s shifts sometimes to help out. It seems like every holiday has landed on a weekday lately. It’s fine because I’m home by 2 p.m., so I can have dinner with my family and hang out with my little guy.

I have a 2-year-old. My schedule is so perfect for being a single mom. I’m not racing the clock. This week because of the weather, we went outside to a park so he gets what I call “the wiggles” out. By the time I get home, I can make dinner and pick up a little bit. I can be a participating mom in his life. I love to garden, and he’s helping me with my green thumb. Honest to goodness, there’s nothing more perfect than that. In any other position, I would be getting home in time for dinner-bath-book-bed.

I’m very careful about how much I disclose about where I live or my day-to-day routine. Frankly, there are some creepers, and it can become a dangerous situation. All the girls have a hyper-alertness when walking to the parking lot. There are cameras out there. On the late-night shifts, they’ll leave all together, or they’ll have closers who are men walk them out to the car. As far as I know, there’s never been an incident with late staff. A lot of women don’t want to seem helpless, but I don’t think that’s the case. It’s more about personal safety.

I love my job. It definitely has its ups and downs. I’m working with women who have Type-A personalities in close proximity. But you do become kind of like sisters. If anyone needed help, each one of us would go out of our way. Most importantly, I get to provide for my child and have a nice home in a nice neighborhood and have a safe automobile. That is more than a lot of people can say right now. I’m blessed.