My typical work day at the cafe' starts at 6 am. Granted I'm a morning person, but getting up at 4:40 am, getting dressed and putting on some makeup to hide the dark circles from getting up so early, feeding the cat and the dog then feeding myself, straightening up the kitchen and living room and then upstairs to kiss my still-sleeping husband goodbye AND make sure his alarm is set so he doesn't miss work - all of that and out the door by 5:30 am.
Work garb consists of black pants, sensible and comfortable (which means ugly) black shoes and a white chef's smock. Um, white just doesn't stay clean very long - what with coffee - brown, chocolate sauce - brown, espresso - brown. Notice a pattern here? Hmm, what about a brown chef's coat? Underneath the coat I wear a t-shirt because a toaster, coffee machines, ice cream machine and ice machine "exhaust", and espresso machine = H.O.T. And don't forget that lovely white hair net - not exactly a high fashion accessory. No matter how I bobby pin it on it sticks up on the top - I feel like a big marshmallow.
Opening chores consist of making coffee, filling cream machines, filling condiments, cleaning espresso machine, turning on the toaster (which I always seem to forget), turning on the ice cream maker, checking on the donuts/bagels/muffins, making orange juice, taking a trip to go "shopping". Oh and it also consists of being tortured by the wonderful smell of whatever the bakery has in the oven that morning - cookies, bread, yum.
Yes apparently I am the "dairy fairy". Meaning that the list of "we don't have any..." means I go to the shelves and grab milk, cream, half and half, etc. Um hello, this is a grocery store with an entire dairy section - go get what you need! Apparently its the dairy fairy to the rescue!
However I do enjoy the "regulars" who come in to visit in the morning. The "usual" consists of a variety of different things and I think I have about 20 people's "usual" memorized. It makes them feel special and brightens their day. I have my favorites too, the ones who come in and say "wow, I can't believe you have a 19 year old daughter! You don't look old enough!" What woman doesn't want to hear that?
And the people I work with are all nice. I am called "sunshine" at work due to the smile that is always on my face which is partly due to the coffee I have every morning once I get the cafe' settled. There is a camaraderie amongst the employees - one which is stronger in each department but crosses over to all departments. Many of these people who are full time work 50+ a week, and quite hard - it's a surprisingly physical job. Just about every departments consists of lifting and bending - dairy, produce, grocery, cafe', kitchen. Have you ever considered how much a case of 4 gallons of milk weighs? Or a case of potatoes - which can weigh over 40 lbs.
So, what may I get for you this morning - cream and sugar is in the dining area - thank you and have a nice day!
Opening chores consist of making coffee, filling cream machines, filling condiments, cleaning espresso machine, turning on the toaster (which I always seem to forget), turning on the ice cream maker, checking on the donuts/bagels/muffins, making orange juice, taking a trip to go "shopping". Oh and it also consists of being tortured by the wonderful smell of whatever the bakery has in the oven that morning - cookies, bread, yum.
Yes apparently I am the "dairy fairy". Meaning that the list of "we don't have any..." means I go to the shelves and grab milk, cream, half and half, etc. Um hello, this is a grocery store with an entire dairy section - go get what you need! Apparently its the dairy fairy to the rescue!
However I do enjoy the "regulars" who come in to visit in the morning. The "usual" consists of a variety of different things and I think I have about 20 people's "usual" memorized. It makes them feel special and brightens their day. I have my favorites too, the ones who come in and say "wow, I can't believe you have a 19 year old daughter! You don't look old enough!" What woman doesn't want to hear that?
And the people I work with are all nice. I am called "sunshine" at work due to the smile that is always on my face which is partly due to the coffee I have every morning once I get the cafe' settled. There is a camaraderie amongst the employees - one which is stronger in each department but crosses over to all departments. Many of these people who are full time work 50+ a week, and quite hard - it's a surprisingly physical job. Just about every departments consists of lifting and bending - dairy, produce, grocery, cafe', kitchen. Have you ever considered how much a case of 4 gallons of milk weighs? Or a case of potatoes - which can weigh over 40 lbs.
So, what may I get for you this morning - cream and sugar is in the dining area - thank you and have a nice day!
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