Sounds of Service

The heavy wooden door lets out a high-pitched squeak, followed by a small creak, and then a short, but thunderous slam. Upon entry, the host, in a soft-spoken, chipper demeanor, assists each guest accordingly.

From the point of entry, music - maybe a bit too loud - blares from the speakers. Still, I can hear the contentment in the chatter of each patron as well as the sharp hum of chair legs scraping against the floor as they are pulled and pushed.

The servers are promptly taking orders and answering questions in a pleasant and knowledgeable tone. Their recommendations land nearly every single time. Oh, and let us not forget the bar. Things are a bit more rowdy over there, but what sticks out the most over the pounding of empty shot-glasses hammering onto the bar-top, is the crackling of ice being shaken in a metal tin as the stoic bartender works on their next creation.

Ah, yes, let us now journey onto the back of the house, where we are met with the screaming of tickets being printed, seemingly nonstop, as the cooks - almost on a timed loop - yell “PICK UP!”. Seems a bit chaotic.

Lastly, ensuring that said chaos remains somewhat controlled is the dish pit. Here is where the sweaty, exhausted dishwasher is approached by all parties mentioned previously. Dirty dishes rattle as they are clumsily stacked on top one another and almost immediately swept up by the dishwasher and loaded into the machine - wushhhhhh!

The cycle continues, day in and day out. It is music to my ears.