I hate working parties. I make it well known that I hate working parties. I don't even pretend to enjoy it. I know it's easy money, but they can be a royal pain in the derriere.
The parties that are booked through our special events coordinator are set up to run smoothly, and they do.....sometimes. It's as easy as one, two, three. The first and second courses are already set, all the server has to do is take an entree order; of which there are only three to choose from. As for drinks, it's either by consumption, which is easy because there are no limits, or bottles of wine have been pre-selected, which is sometimes easy. Just serve and clear. Sounds simple enough, yes? WRONG. The problem isn't the way the parties are set up, the problem is the way the party people behave.
A good example is the party where the hostess showed up and had us re-arrange the room. And added passed hors d'oeuvres at the last minute. Passed hors d'oeuvres for fifteen people is ridiculous. Just so you know. They also added a nice little cocktail hour. Which is nice, but the hostess kept pulling whatever employee she could to get drinks, ( which they already had ), and pass hors d'oeuvres, ( which they didn't want ). Now, I understand that you want your party to run smoothly, and I understand that you want to look good for your clients, but realize that our business is not all about your party. Of fifteen people. Because we don't have other guests that we need to take care of. If you feel the need to add on special little touches that might require more manpower, we need a little bit more time than a phone call half an hour before you show up. Then things can be moved around. Our special events coordinator is pretty good at spotting the potential pains in the asses, this lady last night completely flew under her radar.
If your party drastically changes size, it would be nice to know before you arrive. Just last night there was a group of 16 that turned into 24. One or two people is ok, but eight is excessive. A group of eight counts as a party on it's own, now we have to magically squeeze 24 people into a room that fits 20 max. And by max I mean it's tight. If it's busy, forget about it. Remember, finding the space for your extra guests isn't the only problem. If you have a set menu, the kitchen has set up for the number of guests that your party was confirmed for. So now they have to rush to get the extra courses for your growing party, as well as continue to do what they do for every other diner in the restaurant. I'll bet you didn't think about that, did you?
On to my next issue. Know this: when you go to a private function at any high-end steakhouse, the steaks will be done either medium-rare or medium-well. Some places will just do medium. We give you a choice, so when I ask you, "medium-rare or medium-well?" don't reply with, "I'll take medium", or, "can't they make it rare?" or "I'll take it medium-rare, but tell them to put it on the medium side, haha". Funny people. I'd like to see you try to choreograph the cooking of anywhere from 10 to 50 steaks that range in temperatures from rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well done. Let's not forget the guy who wants his charred, and his friend that wants it medium-plus. Oh, and don't forget everyone else in the restaurant. The point of limiting temperatures on party steaks is not to be puckish, the point is that it enables your party to run smoothly. By the same token, don't ask for something that isn't on your little set menu. This is a money issue, and if your asking for something that costs more, then you need to take it up with your host. In the same vein, if your party's host has decided that you will only drink the house wine, then you need to take it up with them if you want something nicer. It's not my fault they're cheap.
Party hosts who completely overlook the fact that some of their guests might be vegetarian are completely rude. The pharmaceutical reps do this a lot. I'm sorry, but in a group of Indian doctors there's bound to be at least one vegetarian. Make sure that one of your menu options, we can certainly do it. I've had a couple of ladies order the salmon just because they didn't realize that we could do something vegetarian for them. We fixed it, but that's just rude on the host's part.
Oh, you know there's more, but that will have to wait until another day. Just remember to call ahead.
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