And Now the News

Friday. What a difference a week makes (yes, I've been in a few times). Kimmie's job in Raleigh came through. She's excited about moving to a new city and starting a new career, and she's nervous about it too. Anticipation is the worst part. I'm glad for her, though I'll miss her at Applebee's. I hope her new job is wonderful.

Saturday night. Joanie has her bachelorette party. It starts at Outback and ends up at Macado's. Ashley calls Macado's and asks if there is a group from Applebee's there. "Yes, they're at the bar and they're having a good time!" is the reply. No doubt! Ashley is getting ready to drive over to Macado's and insists that I join them. "You can stop in and have just one beer." Uh, no can do, Ashley. Sit down with a bunch of ladies half my age having a bachelorette party? Yeah, I'd fit right in with that crowd. They need me there like a fish needs a bicycle. It was nice of her to invite me, though.

Sunday. Bambi goes into labor five weeks early and delivers a six pound six ounce boy—Jacob Allen. Mother and son are doing well. I talk to her Monday morning. She is tired but in good spirits. She feels bad because she was supposed to work Sunday night and had to leave her co-workers holding the bag. "But I couldn't help it!" she explains. Considering the circumstances, I don't think anyone is going to be mad at her for not showing up to work.

Monday night. I go to the bar a half hour before closing and order a beer. I'm sitting there sipping my beer when I see a manager walking by. Now I must digress for a little bit: during the eight months that Bambi has been pregnant, I ask her about once a month, "Who's going to replace you when you're on maternity leave?" I always get the same answer: "They haven't trained anyone to replace me." Also, Joan's wedding date has been set for a year and she'll be leaving for two or three weeks. If I was a manager I would be scrambling to train some more bartenders. I don't understand why they appear to be doing nothing. When Bambi went into the hospital Sunday, they had to call in a bartender from Martinsville to cover for her. So when I see this manager walking by I ask him, "Who's going to bartend tomorrow?" He shrugs and says, "I don't know."

I find this astonishing. "Wait a minute," I say, pointing my finger at him for emphasis, "you're a manager here? And you don't know who's going to work the bar tomorrow?" "No," he says, backing away from me as though he had just spotted a land mine in front of him. Long pause from me. "O-o-kay," I finally say. I'm incredulous, but it's not my store. The manager mumbles something about getting somebody from Christiansburg to work the bar and makes a hasty retreat to the kitchen.

Sorry guys, but calling in people from other stores doesn't really sound like a plan. How's this for a radical idea: cross-train a couple more servers to be backup bartenders? And how about getting starting on that training a few months before you need them? That's starting to sound like a plan!

But what do I know? I'm just a customer.