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I started work at Who Song and Larry’s on Sunday, March 24, 1996 by filling out all the paper work. I trained Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 1-4 PM and 6-9 PM which basically meant being a waiter’s slave and not getting any tips. On Thursday I took, and passed, a test and on Friday got an abbreviated station. My diary notes say, “worked floor 6:30-10:30--made $35--netting $28 after tipping out--hard work!” I was off on Saturday and was scheduled to work brunch Sunday. I had to get up at 7:45 AM to be there at 9:45 AM--don’t ask--I am not someone who jumps out of bed ready to go, especially at 7:45 AM! “I worked brunch and dinner--9:45 AM to 10:30 PM and grossed $104.81 walking out with $81.50 after tipping out which is NOT a good start! Lots of work involved like taking buffet down, side work, etc. but it was fun with the Mariachi Band and I made my first guacamole table side and did a great job!”
I worked at Who Song and Larry’s from March 24, 1996, until they closed their doors in February, 1997. I was averaging $2,000 to 3,000 in tips per month which wasn’t very good but I had money coming in for a change plus, most of the time, it was a fun job. The tipping out was high and the hourly pay of $1.85 an hour didn’t add up to much but almost immediately I started getting call parties and had the reputation of making the best guacamole in the restaurant. I got to eat all the chips and salsa I wanted not to mention the fried ice cream which was something new for me. I learned a whole new vocabulary of food terms and the difference between burritos and a Chimichanga, along with corn and flour tortillas plus how to make different salsas and all the different peppers available to make dishes mild to piping hot and all the various sauces for steaks, fish and/or poultry using those same peppers.
My second week there I got a party of 2 and everyone was buzzing about the guy I was waiting on. I certainly didn’t know who he was and a couple of the other servers looked at me as if I came from another world. Finally one came over to me and said, “It is Marilyn Manson!” After a ‘So what, who is he?’ look he explained that he was a best selling Goth like singer. Okay I was 60 years old so I’ll use that as an excuse to not know who he was. The bottom line, to me, was that he left a good tip!
Though things were going well all of a sudden in May I started having bad car problems and after bringing it into the shop I was told I either needed a new engine or I had to get it rebuilt which would be about $2,000. In addition I had to rent a car which cost $110 a week--hey, this was 1996! In June I needed a new transmission and a paint job but the ‘icing on the cake’ was on August 23rd I came home to find my place has been robbed! The robber or robbers not only took the VCR I had bought 2 weeks before but had the chutzpah to use my 2 suit leather luggage bag to steal what ever he, they, could put into it!
