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| "Welcome to the PCH Grill, now as we all know PCH stands for Pacific Coast Highway, and we're in southern Califonia, so let's start in the south and work our way up north! As we get in our "cars" and go we'll be able to see some highlights along the way." - My opening to the dinner "buffet tour" I gave guests, featuring our God-awful carpet |
Today was my last day working at Disney after a little over two years! It was definitely a bittersweet last shift as I was surrounded by co-workers I have grown to love over the course of my college experience. And today I wanted to honour the occasion with talking about what Disney(land) has come to mean to me.
I had originally applied to Disney as one of many in a flurry of part-time job applications during my sophomore year of university. Of all the restaurant positions I had applied to, Disney was the only one to contact me back. After a few months of waiting and interviewing, Disney wanted to have one last follow-up with me and to schedule my orientation during the summer of 2015. The only problem was that I was in Cambridge. So almost the day after I got off a plane from England, I went immediately to the casting centre to start my path of becoming a Disney employee.
I was excited to work for the Mouse (like everyone, I grew up on Disney films), but I was more excited to receive a pay cheque. Orientation, however, could never have prepared me for what I actually dealt with every day. My first day on the job I remember being a sponge - overwhelmed with a lot of information, but also excited to observe and take it all in. I remember I didn't know where to go, and after wandering to (what I now know is) the lobby bar, Davina showed me backstage to meet my trainer and get my costume. The first thing I was asked to do? Check people into the restaurant. I was the person who greeted you at the front podium when you had reservations. It was easy and fun, and I really didn't understand a lot about hosting until a lot later.
I had bangs, I was quiet, and all I wanted to do was check people in. I really didn't want anything to do with the restaurant proper until much later (after I had been at the job for about six months). I remember that I actually came to eat at PCH in January of 2016, but I was still so relatively unknown (due to being so quiet when I was hired) that only the hosts, Lisa (one of my leads), and Steve (one of my still favourite servers) knew who I was.
A lot of this changed when I got a taste for assigning. I don't remember the first day I assigned, but I knew I loved it. It was the thing I had been eyeing since I had become a host, but I didn't have enough seniority to ask to do it. I also knew it was what I wanted to do because I originally applied to become a busser. However, during the interview, the woman thought I would make a better host after hearing what I did in film school (which was schedule and coordinate) because of the fact that hosts assign tables.
(Warning: A lot of technicalities about being a host ahead. Skip ahead to the "interesting" part of discussing "what working at Disney has meant to me/my reflections on the job" if this doesn't interest you)
What does this mean? You, who are not in the restaurant or hosting business, may ask me. What does it mean to be the "Assigner"? Essentially at my restaurant, it meant that I was the person who determined what table you sat at, what the wait time was, and which parties (or groups of people) each server received. In essence, it seems like an easy job. In reality, it was one of the toughest jobs I've ever had. It was more than just "here's your table and here's your server".
A typical day as an assigner played out like so:
Roll-call information before we opened: We have, say, 500 guests on the books for today (our restaurant is only open from 7:00am-11:30am and our restaurant capacity is technically 224). We also have a breakdown sheet to see where most guests come in at what time, and how big the parties are. Typically "busy" times were from 8:30am-9:30am and from 10:00am-10:30am. We usually had a sprinkling of "large" parties ranging from 8 people to 25 people (although some days we would have more or less big parties - the largest party day I ever remember having [that didn't just book the entire restaurant] was a party of 50 and a party of 40 on the same day). There were usually around 10 or so of these "large" parties. Almost always scheduled at our "busy" times.
My task? To get all the reservations in on time and to get as many people inside the restaurant as possible.
The Obstacles?
1) Most guests changed how many people were in their party. Sometimes it was "no big deal" like a party of 2 changing to a party of 3 (they forgot to count their two-year-old in the reservation). But a lot of the time it was a larger change (one week I had almost every single large party drastically change sizes - so a reserved party of 16 people became a party of 20, a party of 20 people became a party of 10, a party of 8 became a party of 12, and so on).
Although from a guest perspective this doesn't seem like "a big deal", in reality, it means the difference of an entire server's rotation because a party of 16 could potentially take three tables (as in putting three tables together) while a party of 20 definitely needs at least four tables. This means that a server could have "Three Rotations", or turns pass, or "Four Rotations" occur depending on the party size. Not to mention the fact that if you don't save enough tables the guests will be unable to sit on time, and you'll end up waiting for someone else to finish eating and for the table to be cleaned in order to "add it" to your large party table set up. So having an incorrect guest count was a huge problem.
Each day a "breakdown" was similar to a film schedule (to me). Nice to have, but in practice both become more of a "guideline" than what actually happens, and you have to become experienced to know how to still fit everyone in on time (or in the case of film, get all the shots you need while still getting out on time).
None of this is even to mention the sheer volume guest requests (aka complaints) I received every day (ie why is our wait time so long, what do you mean you can't find my reservation, no one told me there were no characters at night, on and on and on until I wanted to just close the restaurant early and go home - fun fact, you may be "hangry" but I am too because I work during the times most people eat - and I don't take it out on you).
2) Managing "Rotation" (aka my co-workers' personalities). Don't get me wrong, I don't intend this to be an "I'm better than everyone else" statement or a "I'm a manager so I know what I'm doing" statement. I'm just a "lowly host" and proud of it. What I mean by this is knowing which parties match with certain stations, servers, bussers, and leads. This requires an insane amount of "managerial skills" just because as the assigner you are the one that sets the ball up for the rest of the team to catch. And how you set it up right means making sure to have the most winning combination all around for what station, party size, server, and busser is chosen.
For instance, in my restaurant, we had eight "stations". For those not in the food and beverage business, this means that the layout of the restaurant was broken down into eight sections. Each section had six tables. Some of these tables were "four-tops" and some were "six-tops" (meaning a four-person or six-person table). Each server was assigned to one station and (usually) there was one busser for every two (paired) stations.
In theory, when you check in, the way your table is determined is by "Rotation". This means that the names of the servers get put onto a list. Usually whichever server opened will be first, then it goes down the line by seniority (with some exceptions, etc). Each section the server is assigned is also on a rotation (mixed with seniority if you or another server didn't work the previous day). So for instance, if Steve opened he would be first in Rotation. If his station was station three (because he worked the day before in station four), and you were the first party to check in, I would assign you to sit at station three and Steve would be your server. Then the next server would be Mitz, and she would be in station T1, and you're the second party to check in, and so on. Each table counts as one rotation (so for instance if you were a party of four that took one table you counted as one "Rotation" whereas if you were a party of 10 that took up two tables, you counted as two "Rotations"), and once you were assigned your respective table(s), your turn was up, and the next server in line got the next party. Easy peasy, right? Wrong.
For one thing, True Rotation is a horrible thing to do. In theory it makes sense, but in reality, it makes everything backed up and impossible. For instance, if it was Ellen's turn to receive a party of four, but she had no open tables, then she would be skipped. But if her tables "camp out" (stay for an extended period of time) and she gets "backed up", or skipped, for several more rotations then she falls behind and it's not fair to her. Then, if all of her tables leave and get cleaned at the same time, her station will become "slammed" (as in we seat her more than one party at the simultaneously) in an effort to "catch her up" to her proper place in True Rotation. This becomes a problem for her because now she has to take care of multiple parties at the same time, which may impact her ability to be a quality server. Additionally, it affects the busser because then he will become "slammed" by having to clean six tables all at the same time, and we become "backed up" as hosts, unable to seat Ellen until her tables are clean. And then rinse and repeat.
Additionally, because of this, what ends up happening is that a true "Rotation" looks like the hosts are being unfair to servers. For instance, if you have a party of 20 at 7:00am and another party of 20 at 9:00am the easiest thing to do would be to give the same server both parties. The tables are already set up to accommodate them, they'll all be cleaned at the same time, and most likely due to how people check in (and your available tables), that server is honestly your best option for getting the guests in on time. Moreover, the server that had the party of 20 at 7:00am most likely fell behind in Rotation because you were unable to seat more of their tables (since they were all being used by the party of 20), so it's still fair to them to seat them the next party of 20 to "catch them up".
Moreover, each station was not made "equally". Although each section had six tables, the amount of people you could reasonably fit in each station varied drastically. If any of my servers, bussers, or fellow hosts paid enough attention to how I assigned over the years it pretty much always followed the same pattern: Station 3 and T3 were my "small party" stations. At most I'd give them parties of 8-12 because of the types of tables these sections had, and the layout of the station (plus there was a huge pillar in the middle of them). Stations T1 and T2 were traditionally my "big party" stations (any combination of 10-30+ party size). Stations T4 and 4 were also very similar (parties of 10-20 were preferred here). And stations 2 and 5 were a "mix and match" station (either lots of small parties of parties or small and large parties around 8-16 people [in station 2] and 14-18 people [in station 5]).
However, this also varied according to the server-busser combination. If I had a busser who was slower at cleaning tables than another I took that factor into major consideration. I got extremely familiar with which servers were which busser's favourites (and vis versa), and as a result became knowledgeable in which "combo" was my fastest "turn around" station (the amount of time from when a party was seated to when they leave and the table is clean and ready to go for the next party). If I had a party of 20 that would equally fit on T4 or 4 I would usually look at the busser to determine who would "get" the party. If it was a fast busser, I knew he could handle it and usually gave them the larger party. By "handle it" I not only mean offering support to the server by clearing dishes, etc. ("pre bussing") but also for how fast he could get the tables ready after they left (as previously stated, large parties use a lot of tables). If it was a slow busser, I took this into consideration (would I need those tables immediately after the party left? Could I work with fewer tables for a while, etc.), but I usually ended up giving the slower bussers the smaller tables to clean so they would be more staggered in when the guests got up and left, and as a result I would have more tables to work with.
Not only all of this, but it also depended on who the server was. Some servers were better at turning their tables faster while others let their guests stay for as long as they wanted. Of course this also depends on the guest, but in general, you could usually count on the same servers to be either fast or slow. In the same fashion, you began to figure out which servers handled lots of small parties better or one large party. You also got to know which size parties servers preferred, and what time they preferred them at.
For instance, some large parties would have a reservation time less than an hour before we closed. In that case, I knew which servers would be willing to stick around and which ones weren't. Again, the choice of the server to serve their station (or be "cut", as in the server would stop taking any new tables so they could close our their cheques and go home) was a huge factor in why pure Rotation is a bad idea. If there is a server unwilling to take (or at least will complain heartily about taking) the last table of the day, but it's their turn in Rotation and they aren't "cut", then a huge problem occurs as the assigner and it becomes the latest "work place drama".
So what did I learn to troubleshoot all of this? Essentially to pre-assign tables. What this means is that at the beginning of the day before we opened I would look at the breakdown and choose which large parties went to which section/server.
Again, it goes back to the "breakdown" and "pre-assigning" being a "guideline" more than something hard and fast (because of the previously mentioned problem of guests changing their party size), but it's super helpful. For one, it makes sure everything is incredibly fair. You know which sections hold which party sizes best. Assigning a section to a large party before you start for the day allows you to make sure to save the appropriate tables (and not over or under save tables for reservations). For another, it allows you to be judicious in giving servers an equal amount of large parties (for instance, I always tried to make sure each server got at least one "big" party. If it was on the smaller end like an 8 or a 9 I usually tried to give those servers two of these sized parties, while servers who got 12+ people usually only got one party that size for the shift). Finally, it allows you to manage your server and busser personalities/combinations better (for instance, I always tried to give one server larger parties in the morning because I knew they would complain about not getting a large party otherwise, but also refused to take a large party late in the shift, or I would try to give another server the larger parties during the "busy" hour of the day because I knew they did better with one large party versus six smaller ones, etc).
And then? After conquering all these obstacles with a lot of sweat, tears, and "opinions/requests" (aka complaints from both guests about wait times, servers about parties/Rotation, and bussers about servers)? We would close for the day and I would complain about the host side work of cleaning high chairs (I will forever be triggered into feeling a sense of dread whenever I see one - it was always the one thing standing between me and going home).
(End of technicalities. Read on, folks!)
And thus, over the course of two years, I learned how to be a good host - and a better team player and friend through this job. I began to associate Disneyland with hard work, getting to interact with a LOT of people (and entitlement to varying degrees - yay customer service), and a sense of intrinsic satisfaction for a job well done (on good days) or a sense of frustration and a loss of faith in humanity (on bad days). But even better, I also began to associate Disney with some of my favourite people. Disney is the first place I learned how co-workers can become family.
I think the real turning point for me in realising all I had learned and grown during my time at the restaurant (and how much I loved the people I worked with) was when Ike visited a few weeks ago. He couldn't believe how "popular" I was with both front and back of house. But most importantly, how loved and supported I was by my PCH family - and he told me so.
I am proud to say that I was the "first work friend" of a lot of people who were hired on as hosts after me (like for Daniela, who eventually "abandoned" me to work back of house). But more importantly, I can not emphasize enough how much kindness and respect I was the blessed recipient of over the two years I worked at the PCH Grill.
Aimee was always up for a laugh and a game to whittle away the boredom of working nights. Yoshi gave me a cactus when he heard my old one had died (although I think that was out of a sense of humour more than anything else). Eric and I had great conversations about literature and philosophy in between cleaning tables (and cleaning high chairs). Lisa always tried to work with my schedule and let me leave early if I had school or other job conflicts. JJ helped get me the day off when I had important personal conflicts with work. Peter was the first person to call me "miha" and make me feel like I belonged at work. Ellen gave me a wonderful David Bowie bag (which I use almost every day) because she thought of me when she saw it. Robin bought me a salad when she found out I felt ill after living on nothing but a diet of ramen for a week. Steve was the first friendly face I connected with and server to know who I was rather than "That New Host?". And Bianca, Monica, and Cecy became my first true "work besties" that I've ever had and taught me the value of friendship at work (and beyond).
These are just a few of a very very VERY long list of acts of kindness, thoughtfulness, camaraderie, and sense of family I experienced every day at work from all of my amazing coworkers (I'm sorry if I didn't mention you by name! But seriously each and every one of you was in my thoughts when I was writing this, and I realised I had to stop at some point - Jasmine, Kim, Mitz, Brian, Will, Daniel, Stephen, Brenda, Kevin, Tammy, Mark, James, Joey, Tiff, Robert, Helen, Trina, Crystal, Jamie, Carla, Kristina, Mandy, Caine, Jonathan, Natalie, Jim, Christina, Christian.... I literally can't list all of you and the excellent memories and laughs I have with all of you).
Don't get me wrong. There were days where I wanted to punch some of my fellow PCHers in the face (and many many time I just wanted to leave work out of sheer exhaustion from dealing with my beloved drama llamas). But just like family, the times I got frustrated or upset with them often just faded away after the shift. After all, at the end of the day we all have difficult jobs, and personalities can clash, and the next day we get to do it all over again - fresh and ready for the challenges ahead.
I still can't believe how incredibly blessed I am to no longer associate Disney with being the "Happiest Place on Earth", a place where "Dreams Come True" and a certain mouse like most guests. Instead, I will always think of my first work family who may not have made Disney the "Happiest Place on Earth" so much as the "Most Cynical and Sarcastic Place on Earth" (you guys understand my soul). Not to mention being the place where I could be myself (sarcastic, no-nonsense, and in posession of a good sense of humour) and learn so much more about leadership, management, and how to be a good coworker and friend.
Although I will say that my time at the PCH Grill was truly a place where, after I announced I wanted to move, everyone helped, supported, and encouraged me to make my own "Dreams Come True" (also, thanks guys for teaching me all about Mexican food, culture, and swear words).
♡♡♡
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