It's been over a week since I first walked in to King + Duke in Atlanta. Tonight will be my 6th shift in a row without a day off, and while I'm ready for a day to myself, I am also very happy with my position. I thought, by now, I would be raging and foaming at the mouth because I've been working for almost a week straight, but I'm not. I'm HAPPY. I have never worked in a restaurant where everyone is happy. There is not one sour face in that place! Everyone wants to be at work, and if they don't, at least they remain professional and put on a good smile for their entire shift. It's amazing.
Now, no place is perfect. I have, during my time at King + Duke, spent about half of my time plating desserts, and the other half washing dishes. For whatever reason, we only have one dishwasher when we are supposed to have AT LEAST two. I think the ideal amount is four, but nothing is ever ideal. I have stayed at work for several nights until around 1:00 AM washing dishes with the rest of the line, but let me tell you, even when we get done serving 300+ people and we step off the line to wash dishes, we are all still laughing and joking around. It's not even a bad time when we're having to bust our asses to clean up a station that is not ours. I am so surprised with everyone's attitude at this place, and I hope it lasts.
Also, we do SO MANY COVERS. (A cover=a guest). On Saturday, the first time I was by myself for more than a few minutes, we did 400+ covers and made $24,000. We were only open from 5:30-11 PM. I am not kidding when I tell you that I have only ever been that busy a few times in my life, and I have chosen not to remember them. The most people I ever plated for at Restaurant Eugene was around 120, so I stepped into a situation where I'm plating for 3x that many! However, I hope you guys don't think I'm complaining. This is the exact opposite of that, actually. I am so proud and excited to be a part of this restaurant group. People love our food and our service, and I am so stoked to be providing them with awesome desserts to finish off their time in the restaurant.
Things at home are great as well. Daniel and I are LOVING our new apartment, we don't have any complaints so far. Any time we have had a problem, maintenance comes right over to fix it. For example, when we moved in, our dishwasher was busted. I called the office manager and he put an order in. The maintenance men came to check it out the next day, and ordered the new appliance as soon as they left. We just had it installed a few days ago, and it is awesome. Speaking of appliances, my dad also drove up from Jacksonville to deliver our washer and dryer! He also installed it, and saved us a lot of time and effort. Our house is becoming a home!
So, to conclude, everything is awesome. I am so excited and happy about my decision to come back to Atlanta, and I hope that my enthusiasm for this place continues to build as time passes. I hope all of my readers get a chance to come visit me, if they can. I would love to have some guests to show around! Much love, everyone.
Monday, February 24, 2014
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
First Atlanta Update
We're here! We're settled in, with the majority of our boxes unpacked and disposed of. I am sitting comfortably on the couch, watching television, waiting out a nasty cold, and waiting for Daniel to get off of work. He started today, while I just had my orientation with Rocket Farm this morning. I start my new position at dinner service tomorrow.
Orientation today was very enlightening. It started with a 3-hour talk by a man who has lived all over the world, and trained the employees of many types of restaurants and resorts. He gave a lecture about the proper way to give great service, and used several very inspirational stories from his past. It left me feeling very excited and ready to work for this company. At first, I was a little annoyed with having to do this orientation, but after it was all said and done, I felt relieved. I feel like I work for an ACTUAL company, not just some thrown-together organization that only deals with problems as they arise. This company has policies in place to deal with every day kitchen problems like sexual harassment, drugs, alcohol, and even vacation days. I never thought I would fit in well with a "restaurant group", but I'm happier than ever. The Rocket Farm Group cares so much about their employees, and I'm excited that my first job in the real world is with them.
I haven't started work yet, and I'm sure once I get there, I will discover things that I don't love about this place. Until then, though, I am very impressed with their policies and expectations of their employees.
Now, as promised, I will leave you guys with a few pictures of our finished apartment!
There ya go! This is our new life, starting now. I am so ecstatic that Daniel is here with me to share these experiences. So now it's time to start! Here we go! I'll update as life starts progressing!
Orientation today was very enlightening. It started with a 3-hour talk by a man who has lived all over the world, and trained the employees of many types of restaurants and resorts. He gave a lecture about the proper way to give great service, and used several very inspirational stories from his past. It left me feeling very excited and ready to work for this company. At first, I was a little annoyed with having to do this orientation, but after it was all said and done, I felt relieved. I feel like I work for an ACTUAL company, not just some thrown-together organization that only deals with problems as they arise. This company has policies in place to deal with every day kitchen problems like sexual harassment, drugs, alcohol, and even vacation days. I never thought I would fit in well with a "restaurant group", but I'm happier than ever. The Rocket Farm Group cares so much about their employees, and I'm excited that my first job in the real world is with them.
I haven't started work yet, and I'm sure once I get there, I will discover things that I don't love about this place. Until then, though, I am very impressed with their policies and expectations of their employees.
Now, as promised, I will leave you guys with a few pictures of our finished apartment!
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| Bedroom #1 |
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| Closet Space |
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| Upstairs Hallway |
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| Full Bathroom |
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| Staircase |
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| Second Bedroom |
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| Living Room from the Staircase |
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| Front Door |
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| Kitchen |
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| Kitchen! |
Friday, February 14, 2014
Georgia on my mind.
Well, I'm here.
Daniel and I drove to Atlanta in the midst of a terrible ice storm, but we made it. Not only did we make it, we pulled into our apartment complex and promptly unloaded the entire 17' U-Haul by ourselves. Our new two-story apartment went from completely empty to chock-full of Erin and Daniel within a matter of hours. We're still working towards organizing the final few boxes of miscellany, but we're almost done.
It feels strange, but it feels amazing. I'm here, I'm home. I love this city, despite it's HORRENDOUS drivers, and the slower pace that comes along with living in a southern city. Our apartment is great, our new jobs will be great, and the people we have already spoken to since we got here have assured us that we will feel welcomed and happy throughout our entire stay in this place.
I want to thank my parents, mostly, for our success in getting here. Without their financial and emotional support through all of the crappy stuff that kept happening to us, we never would have made it. Literally, they paid for the truck that housed all of our stuff. They never cease to amaze me when it comes to supporting their children, and this is just one testament to how much they want to help us succeed. Mom and Dad, you guys are seriously the best. I could not have asked for better parents.
I will be sure to post pictures of our apartment when everything has a place, but until then, I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day. Much love, everyone.
Daniel and I drove to Atlanta in the midst of a terrible ice storm, but we made it. Not only did we make it, we pulled into our apartment complex and promptly unloaded the entire 17' U-Haul by ourselves. Our new two-story apartment went from completely empty to chock-full of Erin and Daniel within a matter of hours. We're still working towards organizing the final few boxes of miscellany, but we're almost done.
It feels strange, but it feels amazing. I'm here, I'm home. I love this city, despite it's HORRENDOUS drivers, and the slower pace that comes along with living in a southern city. Our apartment is great, our new jobs will be great, and the people we have already spoken to since we got here have assured us that we will feel welcomed and happy throughout our entire stay in this place.
I want to thank my parents, mostly, for our success in getting here. Without their financial and emotional support through all of the crappy stuff that kept happening to us, we never would have made it. Literally, they paid for the truck that housed all of our stuff. They never cease to amaze me when it comes to supporting their children, and this is just one testament to how much they want to help us succeed. Mom and Dad, you guys are seriously the best. I could not have asked for better parents.
I will be sure to post pictures of our apartment when everything has a place, but until then, I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day. Much love, everyone.
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