Job hunt, night and day

Today I went to two restaurants to explore potential job prospects. The first stop was a steakhouse that had a reputation as a good venue. I spoke with the manager over the phone and was pleased when they invited me to tour the kitchen. I dressed up a little, excited to be on the prowl. When I got there, however, my enthusiasm deflated. The manager apparently has a cold, she coughed into her hand and then held it out to shake hands. I was half-tempted to sneeze into my own to return the favor. Luckily, I didn't, but I was kind of turned-off from the start. She took me back to the kitchen, which, given the scope of the restaurant was unexpectedly small and rather shabby. The equipment looked neglected and grimy, a sad slab of meat lay ignored on the grill, the prep stations were haphazard, and the crew looked like they'd all just gotten out of bed in their dirty wrinkled clothes. I was eventually introduced to the head chef, a 24-year old young man who'd been there since he was 16. I was sorely disappointed with the lack of interest he displayed, he seemed to have little more than the slop-the-hogs mentality when it comes to food preparation. "Well, we get it out and we get it done," were his exact words. After a few minutes I decided that this wasn't somewhere I wanted to end up, I thanked the manager and the chef for their time and the tour, and left.

My next stop was at a new up-and-coming restaurant that had just opened in October. Already gaining critical praise, the whole air there carried the all-important Sense of Urgency. The workers were all busy at their stations, the manager/chef was more than happy to show me around, he carried himself as one who is proud of his establishment. That in itself made all of the difference! Here was someone who in his own mind had the greatest job in the world, he showed me every nook and cranny of the restaurant and kitchen, introduced me to the staff, and said to give him a call when I was available to begin. I got a copy of the menu, which they plan to update seasonally, and a few news clippings. As my interview/tour was winding down, guests started to arrive and so I left before I got trampled.

I still have a few more places left that I want to visit over break, but I felt like I was off to a good start.