In the Weeds

In the Weeds

By:

Stevie Stephens Burden

It was early but Mickey was already in the kitchen. She worked on all the front of the house chores that had to be done before she could open the coffee shop. She needed to find out what their baker had come up with overnight. Then she would need to put them in the display cases. Mickey, never knew what to expect on any given morning or day despite being co-owner of the restaurant. It was just the nature of the business.

She prepared for another busy day of tourists, locals, serving three meals, coffee, and the infinite number of things that would happen to pull her out onto the floor to help with whatever the problem was. The front of the house, coffee shop, dining room, wait staff, bussers, bar, patio, outdoor seating, take out, and the always growing wait list were her domain. Her husband ran the kitchen and was the inspiration behind the wildly popular little family run establishment. They were known for fine dining in a casual beach atmosphere. The restaurant was in the coastal town that Jed and his family, now her family, were from. They had lived in this valley for generations and had managed to evolve with the changing times and adapt to the loss of their livelihoods when the logging industry became less and less and tourism became more and more.

Jed’s parents, who were coming in tonight, owned a book store that was infamous for it’s tall stacks of shelves with their rolling ladders and the myriad of nooks and crannies lined with beautiful shelving built to fit the personality of the space and genre. The children’s section had a little trunk full of small free toys and trinkets for the well-behaved reader and all the wood was carved with vines and leaves with a “Jack and the Beanstalk” center pole that supported a spiral staircase leading to an upper floor that was filled with treasures for older children and teens. Here you could find comfy seating, privacy, and everything from Treasure Island and Tom Sawyer to A Wrinkle in Time and Harry Potter. 

There wasn’t much in the way of books and maps that you couldn’t find in the quirky two-story store with its equal quirky shop owners Podge and Steve, Jed’s parents. They still ran the store but were getting on in age and preparing to retire. Jed and Mickey’s daughter Rose was 18 now and attending a local community college where she was studying literature and business management. She and her cousin Malykai had approached their grandparents and presented them with a two year plan to take over the Shop, as the family called it, and the older couple had quickly agreed.  They were all working hard to be ready.

Mickey smiled at the thought. She loved that Jed’s folks and the Shop, one of her favorite places in the world, were right next door and would stay open. She could continue to get lost in the Classic Literature and Fantasy sections for hours; sitting happily in an overstuffed chair with her nose in a book and not a thought about dinner orders anywhere to be found. 

The thought of dinner service reminded her that she had to restock the bar before they opened for lunch. The dinner rush last night had been a record breaker and they were cleaned out. She put it on her mental checklist and went about opening the coffee shop, now fully stocked with an assortment of fresh scones, muffins and big fluffy cinnamon rolls still warm from the ovens, a favorite with her customers and staff alike. She had three sheet trays of the sweet gooey rolls and pulled six off, cutting them into pieces and leaving them on the prep table for the staff to enjoy during the morning shift. 

The early crew including their other daughter Grace, who was learning the restaurant business, showed up ready for what they knew would be a very busy day. Every day was busy but this one was expected to be particularly brutal; summer break, incredible weather, and a midsummer festival and farmers’ market that was being hosted by a neighboring town would guarantee it.  There was always spill over and lots of hungry people looking for a table and good food. Mickey and Jed’s restaurant served excellent food. A combination of fresh farm/sea to table dishes from an eclectic chef who excelled at creating amazing food from whatever was available that day. She didn’t know what they would be serving yet but she knew that it would be delectable. It always was.

The front staff got the coffee shop pumping out lattes, tea, and pastries to the line of people who had just rolled out of their vacation rental beds and wanted something quick before they hit the beach. 

“Yes, it would be a very busy place this weekend,” she thought to herself.

She was not complaining, it was these hot summer days that made up for the slow winter ones when it was constantly raining, although even then they were always busy.

“No rest for the wicked I guess,” she mumbled to herself as she walked into the back office.

She needed to check in with Jed and see what he had found at the markets. He would already know by now what he wanted to serve. As predicted, she found him making his prep list for the kitchen staff. 

“Are you talking to yourself again, my dear?” he asked smiling at her as she came into the small space they shared.

“Probably. I never pay attention anymore.”

He chuckled and turned back to his lists, “what do you think about Fresh pan-seared Chinook Salmon, with Beluga Lentils, Sesame roasted Baby Bok Choy and a house made Gochujang Blackberry BBQ sauce?”

“Sounds great. The blackberry is a new addition.”

“I know but I just couldn’t resist them at the market. They’re beautiful.”

“Sounds like a lovely dinner.”

“I thought so, I already picked out a dozen of the best fillets for family dinner tonight.”

“Family dinner” was what they called the meal the kitchen and front of the house staffs would eat together before the dinner service started. They all gathered around the big farm table that was used for doing prep work, folding napkins, taking a break, and eating that night’s special so they could talk about it before they served it. Mickey and her staff, as well as, the kitchen prep crew would be heading into their third meal of the day after having opened up and serving lunch. Jed had left for the farms at 6:00am. 

The two of them thought it was important to feed the staff not only to acquaint them with the menu but to keep their energy up and as a way of saying thank you for showing up and working hard. It was gesture of love and appreciation for their staff. This crew was a family, both by blood and by the bonds created from doing demanding work in an unpredictable environment. You just never knew what the day would bring, so there was always food and drink available to fortify yourself with. Then during the hour that they were closed between lunch and dinner, before they took on the difficult task of trying to please everyone, they took a break and ate together.

When the staff finished, they filed into the dish pit and put their dirty dishes in the racks, Mickey took a deep breath and prepared to open the doors for the dinner service. There was already a line forming outside so she would start by putting the sign in sheet on the podium out front. Then they would open the doors and invite people in to be nourished with the best food and service they could provide.

She stepped out the door to put up the Specials board and noticed that there were several big groups of at least six already waiting. Staff would have to do some table rearranging to accommodate them all but it was nothing they couldn’t handle. She stepped back inside the door to give Jed a heads up and alert her staff.

“Hey you all,” he called back to his crew in the kitchen after her report, “at least two six tops and one of them may be an eight, so get ready to hit the ground running we’re going to be in the weeds from the minute we open the doors until we all collapse at the end of the night.” 

There were chuckles, groans and a refrain of, “Yes Chef!” from the kitchen. 

The first seating was a madhouse but all the customers at the end of the service filed out with full stomachs and happy smiles. The last seating only had one six top and a bunch of four and two tops on the list. The staff gave a sigh of relief. It would be manageable, busy but manageable.

Mickey stepped out the door and called names in the order they had signed up, until the dining room was full again. The wait staff sat them as they stepped in and the bussers gave them tall cold glasses of ice water while they waited to order. As she sat the party of six, she learned it had become a party of eight. That would take a second to set up but she knew they would still be okay as she motioned for an extra table. It was then, she noticed the new additions to the group were a bit louder than everyone else and appeared to already be “in their cups”, as her father would say. The staff would have to be careful about how much alcohol this group got and they would need to get food onto the table fast. Hungry inebriated people could make life difficult for everybody. She sat them closest to the door so she could keep an eye on them. Then she gave her lead server, Kal the table, knowing she could handle them.

As dinner progressed Mickey noticed that there wasn’t the normal quieting in the dining room; that moment when all of the tables had some kind of food in front of them. Usually, as mouths filled, talk and laughter became quieter, more subdued, but not tonight. She stepped away for the hostess desk and gave a quick look around the dining room meeting Grace’s eye and looking in the direction her daughter indicated with a pinch of her lips. She saw the reason instantly. The eight top she had seated earlier had escalated. They had gone so far as to open up a paper bag and pass everyone in their party a beer. They were all now opening the cans, and toasting themselves.

“Shit. Shitshitshit,” she whispered as she looked around and caught Kal’s eye. Mickey gave an infinitesimal nod of her head toward the kitchen and Kal began to weave her way across the dining room following Mickey out, with Grace hot on their heels.

“Is it as bad as it sounds,” Micky asked as they stepped in to the large area devoted to stainless steel tables, takeout food, the cash register, and the cacophony of sound that is the background in every busy kitchen.

“It’s getting there. They haven’t even ordered yet,” Grace answered.

“I didn’t see them pull out the beer until I walked over here,” Kal added, “We can’t let them keep it. The Liquor Commission would shut us down in a hot second if an inspector came through. What are we going to do?”

“Well let’s start with the easy approach first. Go ask them to give up the beer and offer them a free beer sampler for the table. See if that fixes it. If not, I’ll step in.”

“You got it boss.”

Kal headed back to the dining room and Mickey turned to pick up the two take-out orders that Grace had just brought up. She went outside and gave the waiting customers their orders and then stepped back in the door and saw Kal in the prep area again nodding for Mickey to join her.

“What happened?” she asked as Kal scowled toward the dining room.

“Well let’s just say they didn’t accept our offer,” she hesitated and then turned toward Mickey, “And boss, I think they have an urn of ashes on the table.”

“A what?” Mickey squawked quietly as she spun on her heel to look over at the table.

Sure enough, there in the middle surrounded by half-empty beer cans, that they had not served, sat a large bronze urn. There was no way to tell if it was full or not but this had all of the makings for a disaster. The restaurant could be penalized for so many reasons at this moment; over service of alcohol, open container, probably a few health code violations, not to mention a roomful of diners looking increasingly displeased at the escalating noise emanating from the big table. Her plan of setting them front and center seemed to be backfiring. She looked over her shoulder but Jed’s attention was completely focused on getting the current pile of orders out while still making each plate look like a work of art. He was slammed. She was on her own.

Mickey walked up to the table, “Good evening, everyone,” she said in her most polite tone of voice.

Only a couple of the people at the table paid any attention to her so she put on her slightly louder and firmer voice, “Excuse me folks. I need you attention for just a moment.”

She had most of their attention now and the couple at the end of the table were quickly corralling their more intoxicated friends, “I just need to let you all know that according to our state laws, you aren’t allowed to bring your own liquor into the restaurant. We could get fined and even closed down if we allow you to keep it.”

“Big deal! We’ll just drink it before anyone even knows the difference.”

“I’m sorry sir I can’t let you do that. I am going to have to have my servers come and pick them all up.”

“You can’t do that they’re ours,” he piped up again.

“Actually, I can do that. As a matter of fact, I’d be in trouble if I didn’t. So how about I send a beer sampler over to the table on us and we’ll take care of your open containers,” she kept her voice calm, firm, and pitched so the rest of the restaurant wouldn’t know there was a confrontation going on. Nothing led to dulled appetites quicker than conflict and agitation.

“I’d like to see you try!” the new addition at the end of the table bellowed as he lifted his beer can with a flourish.

Unfortunately, the drunken man hit the urn squarely in the middle with his sloshing can and over it went. Equally unfortunate was, that said urn, was in fact full, the remains of a human or animal and ash now spilled into a pile on the table. Everyone who saw it happen froze as their mouths dropped open. Then in a flash the knot of servers and bussers in the room dispersed. Some descending on the table siting in stunned silence, quickly removing the beer and using crumb scrapers to delicately gather up the ashes that had settled on the tabletop and righted the spilled urn. The ashes were unobtrusively and quickly put back in the vessel. while the silverware and tablecloth were quickly removed from the room. 

Meanwhile the rest of the staff busied themselves moving about the tables of diners distracting them from the awkward and bizarre scene unfolding at table two. Mickey threw a look at the coffee station and rolled her eyes which sent Grace into the kitchen to let her dad know what was unfolding in the dining room. Almost immediately he was standing next to Mickey as she again told the group how sorry she was for the upset and informing them that she could not give them back their beer, nor would she serve the perpetrator anymore alcohol.

“How about we get you a nice platter of our assorted appetizers with our compliments instead,” Jed offered in his most conciliatory voice, but Mickey could tell he was angry.

As the man at the head of the table and perpetrator of this surreal situation began to bluster Jed quickly added, “or you are certainly free to take your remaining beer and business elsewhere. Now.”

The rest of the table squirmed sheepishly while their leader stood up exclaiming, “fine but I’ll never eat here again and neither will any of my friends!” and the group uncomfortably followed his lead and prepared to leave. 

All, that is, except for one. A tall man sat quietly at the far end of the table and took a sip of water.

“Come on Tom let’s go!” 

Tom turned to his companion with a scowl and said, “no I don’t think I will. While you might not care if you ever eat here again, I, on the other hand do. I’m actually looking forward to eating many delicious meals here, with these gracious people and their very tolerant staff. You, however, I never want to take another bite with again. Ever. And I think everyone will feel much better when you’re gone so I think it’s time for you all to leave now.” 

Then he stood up, handed Mickey five crisp $100.00 bills, at least double what the entire bill would have likely been. Then he left without another word. Even the drunken man realized that it was time for them to leave and under the firm grip of a very angry wife, he and their party walked out the door in silence. Taking their mostly full urn of ashes with them.