Around 2013 financial stability became a problem, so I had to find a job. People had often told me that I would be a great bartender, so I decided to start as a server and work my way up. A friend of mine owned and operated a restaurant that was quite popular, and I could say on my resume that I worked there (sketchy, but I had to get in somehow). Another friend of mine put in a good word for me, and I wound up getting a job at Marathon Grill, on Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. I somehow convinced the managers that I knew what I was doing (although they must've had their suspicions). Meanwhile, I didn't have a clue. I feel bad for the people that had to train me. They had to know it was my first rodeo. When you walk behind someone, say "behind". That's something basic that every server should know. Someone had to teach me that, and supposedly I'd worked in a nice restaurant? It wasn't believable if you looked closely.
I learned quickly, though. I had to. They put me on the busiest shifts available. Why not? I was meant to know what I was doing. I tried my best not to give away that I didn't. My resume said that I had bartending experience, so they put me behind the bar as well. There were times when someone ordered a drink, I'd slink out of view and look up the recipe on my phone. In the early days that happened a lot, but like I said I learned quickly. Before long, I became pretty good at handling the stress of things like changing an ice bin in the middle of the dinner rush because a glass broke nearby. Before long, most of the servers that worked there left and I was the veteran.
A couple of years later, I got a job at a place called El Camino Real. It was located in a super trendy part of the city, much closer to my house. The people that worked there were super cool... some were in bands, and others were photographers, journalists, and artists of different kinds... I guess it would be appropriate to call them hipsters but I don't like that word. Drinking started to become a problem. At one point I was bringing a bottle of tequila to work with me and between myself and the staff, it was gone by the end of the night. I drank most of it. A group of 3 or 4 people didn't tip me one night and apparently, I went off on them and made a big scene. Then I went immediately to the server's station and did a shot. People had to tell me what happened, I didn't remember. I got fired for that, but those who witnessed it said it was epic, so I guess it was worth it.
After spending some time at another pretty cool restaurant, I wound up working at a place called Good Dog Bar. I'd been there plenty of times over the years and loved it, but I didn't realize it was one of the best spots in the city. I'm biased obviously, but I still say they make one of the best burgers around. The people that I worked with were awesome, for the most part. It was like a dysfunctional little family of sorts. I managed to get my drinking in check as well. Usually, it was so busy that I couldn't drink. The owners were cool as well, and I worked at another place across town that they ran. I was pretty good at the job, I was making some money, and the overall experience was great.
I worked at Good Dog Bar for a couple of years waiting tables and bartending at the upstairs bar. Large groups of people, organized for totally random reasons, would turn up with no warning. Being in the middle of downtown Philadelphia, that was no surprise. The staff, food, drinks, and overall vibe of the place were great, as well - so that doesn't hurt. Things were going great. They had to close for a few weeks due to renovations. During that time I had a stroke and working there was no longer possible. The owners and multiple people that worked there came to visit me in the hospital and rehab. I even wound up living with the owners after I had a stroke. They're awesome human beings.
I learned a lot from my time in the service industry. I drank a lot of great alcohol, ate a lot of great food, and met so many great people. I made some long-lasting relationships, as well. I probably wouldn't be writing this if it weren't for some of them. But beyond the obvious, I'm so glad I got to take part in what I look at now as a great social learning experiment. People that go out to hang out and eat are an amazing barometer of what's going on culturally, and the people that work in the industry are great. I would go out to eat all the time, and sometimes people would say, "You work at Good Dog, right?" and give me free drinks, and were great people to get to know. I think that being part of a tight-knit community is crucial, and the service industry definitely felt like family. The people that worked in the industry know what I'm talking about.
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