The Restaurant Biz

Hi! How is everyone doing? Things are still going well for us. Sharon has left for the states and I'm in charge of the restaurant...Scary, huh? Hasn't been too bad. Sharon's husband Bruce is still on the island has been helpful in most situations. Let's start with the kitchen help. We have Letty, Maria, Reina, Heidy, and Elena. Letty is the bubbly one. She's always dancing, singing and very happy. She also speaks very good english which helps me with the others. Maria and Reina are sisters and are very good workers. They party hard but always show up for work. Unlike Letty. She's the youngest and yesterday didn't make it in to work due to exessive dancing and late hours out. I will have to have a talk with her on Tuesday...JOY! Elena has taught me the most. I really enjoy working with her in the kitchen. We've beat the hell out of Conch (which makes it very tender), fillet fish and she's taught me the different varieties of fish. Lots of folks want to sell you fresh fish around here but you have to be careful of what you are buying. If you don't know the difference...They may try to sell you Snapper when it's really Barracuda. We purchase lots of Snapper, Mahi Mahi and Tuna. Heidy...She's the trouble maker of the pack. She hates Letty and really tries to stir up crap with her. Saturday night Bruce told her to knock it off and she decided to leave within 30 minutes of starting her shift. No worries...I enjoyed helping out in the kitchen when we got busy. Sunday is one of our busiest days and Heidy decides she's still pissed off and comes in an hour and 1/2 late. We try to have 2 girls in the morning shift (9-4); one in the afternoon (2-6) and 2 girls in the evening shift (4-10) especially Fri - Sun. Waitstaff/Bartenders: We have Danny, Laura, Kat, Vanessa and Sue. Why is it that there's always a princess wanna-be in a crowd? By the names provided can you guess which one is the "princess"? Kat! She's from Seattle and she is really pretty. There's just something about her that gets under the skin of the others. But with me she's been good. Although I had to question several of her tickets one evening for not charging the correct prices. As a rule of thumb, errors found are the responsibility of the workers to make up. She had some really big ones. I told her that we would need to collect for those errors. She doesn't want to discuss this situation with me any longer. She rather deal with Sharon when she gets back. Fine! I'm pretty sure Sharon will tell her the same thing I told her. Pay UP! Danny is a Honduran from the mainland, La Ceiba. He's great! Laura is from France and I really enjoy hanging with her. She's a trip. Vanessa and Sue are sisters and they too are from the mainland. Very sweet girls! Driftwood is opened Tuesday - Sunday (11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.) Tuesday will be my busiest day. That's when everyone gets paid. Staff and vendors. I will probably need to go buy electricity for the restuarant and definitely bank day. It's also the day where I call and order all the beer and meat for the week. So, lots going on all day. Sunday is staff's busiest day. We smoke briskets, offer Horseshoe tournament and we have a good mix of locals and expats on this evening. That's the biz as I know it so far! It has been long hours. I normally report in around 8:30 a.m. to audit the books from the night before. And I don't leave until 9:00 most nights. But its been fun! There's nothing like being on the water and watching boats drive by or meeting new people who hook up to our deck for cocktails. The restuarant does extend out over the water. Floating deck is what they call it. It's very cool and there's always a constant breeze. Plus I get free food and booze while I'm here. Can't beat that. Today is my "off" day and Bob & I are off to the beach for snorkeling. Tonight, I'm cooking for some friends at our place and we'll be gathering around for the season finale of Dr. House. Take care and always wishing you guys the best! Love, Bonnie (&Bob)