Crew Member Nomination

Restaurant crew stories

1. The Birthday Surprise: It was a regular Tuesday evening when a table of four walked into our small-town diner. One of them, a cheerful elderly woman, mentioned in passing that it was her 90th birthday. We couldn’t let such a special occasion pass without fanfare, so the entire crew sprang into action. The cook baked a small cake, the servers decorated a corner of the restaurant, and even the usually grumpy dishwasher put together a playlist of classic songs. We surprised her with our makeshift party, and her joy made every effort worthwhile.
2. The Mystery Order: We had a recurring customer who would always order our signature spaghetti dish with a side of… applesauce. Yes, applesauce! It was strange, but hey, the customer is always right! One day, curiosity got the best of one of our new servers, and she finally asked him about his odd pairing. The man laughed and shared that he had grown up poor, and that his mother would often serve leftover applesauce with pasta. It became a comfort food for him, reminding him of his mother’s resourcefulness and love.
3. The Power Outage Panic: One winter evening, a fierce storm caused a sudden power outage in the restaurant. We were in the middle of a busy dinner service with a full house. It could have been chaos, but instead, the crew pulled together amazingly. The cooks used the light from their phones to finish cooking on the gas stoves, the servers used the same method to deliver dishes and check on tables, and the host lit up the dining room with an array of candles. Despite the unexpected challenge, it turned out to be one of the most memorable and intimate evenings we had.
4. The Extra Mile: We had a regular who loved our house salad dressing, and she was moving to another state. On her last visit, she joked about missing our dressing. The next day, our head chef spent his day off perfecting a batch of the dressing, bottling it up, and shipping it to her new address with a note wishing her well. We later received a heartfelt thank-you message from her, touched by our kindness and thoughtfulness.

Each day in the restaurant business brings new challenges and rewards, and it’s the people – the crew, the customers – that make every moment worth it. These stories are a testament to the heart, humor, and resilience found in every restaurant crew.

Working at a fast food hamburger place was not my first choice for a job, but it was a necessity at the time. I needed to earn some money to pay for my college tuition and other expenses. So, I decided to apply to a nearby burger joint and was hired on the spot for about $13 per hour. Little did I know that this job would teach me some valuable life lessons and give me a new perspective on the fast food industry.

Once I was hired, I attended a training and orientation session. During the session, I learned about the company’s policies, procedures, and expectations. I was also trained on how to use the cash register, take orders, and prepare food.

During my time at the restaurant, I worked in various positions, from taking orders at the counter to cooking burgers on the grill. It was a fast-paced environment, and I had to learn quickly to keep up with the demands of the job. I also had to deal with difficult customers, long hours, and the pressure to meet sales targets.

I was a student at Texas Tech, I found myself juggling classes, studying late into the night, and trying to make ends meet. It was during this whirlwind that I decided to take on a part-time job at McDonald’s. I figured it would be a flexible way to earn some cash while still focusing on my studies. Little did I know, this experience would be filled with outrageous moments and valuable life lessons.

I remember my first day on the job vividly. I walked into the McDonald’s on 19th Street, my nerves buzzing as I donned my crisp black polo and the iconic yellow cap. The smell of fries and burgers wafted through the air, and I could hear the sizzle of the fryer in the back. My job was primarily at the fryer station, where I would be responsible for cooking fries, chicken nuggets, and the occasional batch of crispy McChicken patties.

The fryer itself was a beast—industrial-sized, with multiple baskets that could hold up to 5 pounds of fries each. I quickly learned that timing was everything. If I didn’t pull the fries out at just the right moment, they could go from perfectly golden to overcooked in the blink of an eye. I recall one particularly hectic Saturday afternoon when the drive-thru line seemed endless. I was frantically dropping basket after basket of fries, and at one point, I accidentally dropped a whole batch into the fryer without realizing it was set to the wrong temperature. The result? A smoky disaster that sent me scrambling for the fire extinguisher while my coworkers burst into laughter.

Cleaning up was another part of my job that I didn’t anticipate would be so entertaining. I remember one evening, after a particularly busy dinner rush, I was tasked with mopping the floors. Armed with a bright yellow mop and a bucket filled with soapy water, I was determined to make those tiles shine. As I was in the middle of my cleaning routine, I slipped on a rogue ketchup packet that had somehow escaped the trash can. I went down hard, but instead of embarrassment, I found myself laughing along with my coworkers who had witnessed the whole thing. “Welcome to the team!” shouted one of them, helping me up.

One of the most memorable experiences happened during a late-night shift. We had a group of college students come in after a football game, and they were in high spirits, singing and dancing around the restaurant. They started a spontaneous chant of “Fry Guy! Fry Guy!” as I worked the fryer. I couldn’t help but laugh and play along, and before I knew it, I was doing a little dance while dropping fries. It was one of those moments that reminded me of the joy and camaraderie that can be found even in the most unexpected places.