Have you ever witnessed something go wrong at a restaurant, like very wrong? Whether it is an outrageous customer throwing a hissy fit, a sassy waiter, people causing a scene, or a catastrophic event like all the food falling off a tray onto a customer? Reddit user dannymacauthor tells his story about his embarrassing experience as a busboy.
“I was working as a dishwasher of the Chinese restaurant when the boss asked me to bus tables one hot May evening. It was an emergency because a busboy decided to quit when he got a last minute for a date to the Prom. I was assigned the third of the dining room with the Japanese cooking tables.”
Sounds like any server or busboy’s worst nightmare!
“One of my jobs was to give water to everyone upon sitting down. The Japanese table sat 10 with six in front with two at each end. I started at one end and worked my way around the table being sure to serve from the left of each patron.
As I served the sixth person in the front, I discovered gravity does not take a time out for me not paying attention. When I lifted the glass off the tray, the two remaining glasses weighted the tray unevenly and they spontaneously fell.
The left one fell harmlessly to the ground. The right fell directly onto the lady sitting at the corner end chair. “Onto this patron” is an inaccurate description.
This lady was in her mid-thirties, nicely built and wearing an elegant evening dress. The dress had a V cut, low, but not over revealing.
This glass managed to land upside down perfectly within the V of the dress emptying it contents of ice water completely within the confines of this narrow opening and trapped by her bra. I do not recall seeing any ice cubes or water drops on the outside of her dress.
If guy was to purposefully try to do this, I do not think he could have gotten all the ice water contained in this narrow confine.”
This busboy sounds like a pretty nice guy. How would you feel if you were him? Could that scenario get worse?
“The sudden surge of cold started the lady breathing in. I was expecting a scream, but only heard repeated deep breathes inward. No exhaling, just huge intakes of air. I had a clean white towel hanging from my belt that covered an unbecoming spot in my pants, and immediately grabbed it to dry her off.
However, given the location of the spill, perfectly perched over her heart, I could not dry her. Without knowing her first name I considered impolite to touch a woman where the ice water accumulated. So, I just waved the drying clothe well above the affected area in an erratic motion as if would magically dry the effected area. I assume her husband was sitting next to her because he was laughing so hard his eye were watering and he held onto the table to keep from falling off his chair. I handed him the towel and ran to the safety of my dishwasher as any good coward would do.”
If you were her husband would you be laughing? I think I would be and maybe even allow her to dump water on me later for moral support!
“My boss followed me back a few minutes later urging me to regain my composure and enter the fray once again. I explained my embarrassment to him and in a not so gentle voice commanded me to the assignment given that night.
When I came out of the kitchen and turned to the Japanese tables, there was a round of applause for my reappearance on the floor. I noticed the shaken but not stirred iced patron coming from the restrooms. I apologized profusely and she said it was just water. I exclaimed it was “ice water” and I got a do not remind me look from her.”
Nothing quite like sheer embarrassment! He should have taken a boy or something. It’s a good thing the woman was a good sport!
“To the women out there, I would like to apologies to you if I brought up any bad memories of your husband, boyfriend or the neighbor kid that drop an ice cube down your front but it should give you a unique perspective on the event.
To the guys out there, when I said you cannot get a glass of ice water completely down a women’s front; that is not a challenge. Please do not attempt or you may end up with a tittle. No court anywhere will hold her responsible for dotting your eye.
To the youth that hear this story, I hope this account offers you courage. There will be a time in your life when an embarrassing moment happens. Whether you are the chiller or the chilled, I hope you persevere and finish what you started. The couple met up with me after their dinner they enjoyed. They were none to surprise to learn it was my first night as a busboy. They were pleasantly pleased with the service they received even after the frosty start and left me a $20.00 tip. In today’s money that is about $50.00.”
