When I was younger my dad would take me to Chi-Chi's in the summer and have them put the silly sombrero on my head and sing "Happy Birthday" to me; my birthday is Oct. 6. I look annoyed in every complimentary Polaroid. I might be saying this now as a bitter server, but even if it was my birthday I still would have looked pissed.
Here's a secret about something that happens in the kitchen of a restaurant, don't worry nothing bad is going into your food. No one cares or wants to sing "Happy Birthday" to you. I understand that you may be trying to make this a special day for someone, but chances are you're getting a free scoop of ice cream and a bunch of kids reluctantly singing a song.
For a brief shining moment in my career at Outback we didn't have to sing the birthday song. The song was originally "Bonzer Birthday" with clapping, but the men upstairs decided that the clapping distracted other guests too much. The general manager of the restaurant decided that we sounded awful singing the birthday song with no clapping, so we didn't sing and just dropped off the dessert with a smile. I think it might be because of the restaurant motto "No rules, just right," but I take so much pleasure in telling my guests no. The shocked look on their face gives me such a satisfaction knowing there is nothing they can do about it. Then that manager quit.
Now we don't even get to sing the "Bonzer Birthday" song, we just sing the regular old "Happy Birthday" song. Sometimes, just to be naughty servers, we sing the "Bonzer Birthday" song. The new manager got so upset one night, he scurried around the restaurant attempting to find out whose decision it was to sing the wrong song.
Don't get me wrong, there are some servers that have a great time singing the birthday song. They'll shine the lamp from the table on them and sing the loudest of everyone in the bunch. Maybe it's just because of my multiple unbirthday experiences at Chi-Chi's as a child, but when I think of restaurant birthday singing I agree with the little kid who saw us coming around the corner with his free scoop of ice cream as he gasped "Oh no," and then banged his head on the table.
About Me
- Beth!
- I am 24 year-old student at the Universty of South Florida. I will be graduating in the spring with a degree in mass communications, focusing in public relations. In the mean, time to pay my bills, I work at Outback Steakhouse and have been there for two years.
4 comments:
The whole birthday song fiasco made me laugh. Oh, the stresses of the restaurant world.
Hi. So i just started at an Outback in Massachusetts (came from Cheeseburger in Paradise in Indiana, which is an Outback affiliate), and "our" birthday song is just the regular old "happy birthday to you" schtick. I hate it. Like, to the point where I'm ready to contact the ASCAP just so they'll make my restaurant sing something else. How does the Bonzer Birthday song go?
The Cheeseburger one was really simple and quick, and although all servers hate singing birthday songs, it's not as bad as it could be:
*Clap Clap Clap Clap*
"This is your birthday song,
It isn't very long,
See ya"
I had dinner at Outback tonight and the manager told us that they don't sing "Happy Birthday" anymore because of a lawsuit. Apparently a woman in Alabama was so traumatized by the out of tune singing that she got post traumatic stress disorder. There was a settlement apparently. I find this hard to believe. But we are in the land of lawsuits...
Hope the customers you were so happy to say "No" to gave you "No" tip.
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