The end of 2010 is upon us. And it would be nice to end the year on an up note; and one would assume that with a job as "easy" as mine that the up note would be a given. Alas, 2010 was not a smooth ending. Let me tell you what an "easy" job looks like:
The store opens at 11am, and I usually arrive at 9am, to give me time to prep the store and begin production of cakes, ice cream, etc. This morning was as usual. I was opening the store, and noticed a few flavors were missing from the dip cabinet. I went to the freezer in the back to retrieve the missing flavors only to find they were soft and melty. Ok, maybe they were made last night and weren't completely frozen. But just to be sure, I started checking all the flavors in the freezer. All of them were melted. 56 gallons of ice cream soft and un-servable. Great start to my morning.
The freezer had been acting up, the temp kicking up every now and then. I told the shift leader if the temperature did not come back down to call me. He did not, and now I had 56 gallons of ice cream soup on my hands.
I still did not have the store ready for opening, so I did my best to get through that and think of a way to solve my "soup" problem. I notified the owner via text and kept going. I decided to shove all the ice cream from the melting freezer to the solid freezer and keep plugging away. I had a Tweety cake to decorate that was due today. The owner was texting me asking if I had contacted the freezer guys, but I was a little busy trying to finish that cake. Then a shift leader let me know she was sick and couldn't come in and another employee called to check their schedule, a woman called to see if we had Star Wars cakes, and this all happened at the same time. It was constant hustle and bustle. Not to mention the rest of the day was busy as well.
But people don't think about what happens before they walk in the door. All they know is what they want and they want it now. So here's to all the work that goes on before you open the door. Here's to a new year!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Maternal Manager
When people find out I'm married, the typical follow-up question is, "Do you have any kids?" Now I've started responding, "Yes, I have 10. They are all high-school or college age and work for me." That's how I feel sometimes; like a mom. I love this group of kids, but sometimes they drive me absolutely crazy! I'm under the impression that is the essence of motherhood.
They each have their unique personality, quirks, strengths and weaknesses. Even if I don't remember the schedule, I can usually tell who closed just by the signature their work leaves. They forget a lot and don't always do things the way they are supposed to (and there are consequences for that). These kids have come to learn when I say I will do something that means I will. When I tell them I will take money out of their tip jar for a lousy closing job, I do it! And I put it where they can see it. Of course, they can earn it back by doing a good job. I just want them to know I mean what I say. Don't worry, I'm not all discipline! We have fun too!
And while they make mistakes (sometimes BIG ones), I still enjoy working with them. And when people are rude to them, or disrespect them, it makes me furious. Youth does not equate stupidity, so I don't understand why customers can be so condescending to these hard-working, fun-loving kids! One woman went so far as to accuse my employees of being thieves! I won't tolerate that! I can yell at them, but you sure as heck can not! More on that story tomorrow.
These guys will come in to work on a moment's notice, trade shifts to help each other out, and come in to just hang out when they are bored or tired of school. I don't know how many restaurants can say their employees will come to work for fun, or work for free just to hang out with their co-workers. We have a great family here, and I am really proud to be the "mom."
They each have their unique personality, quirks, strengths and weaknesses. Even if I don't remember the schedule, I can usually tell who closed just by the signature their work leaves. They forget a lot and don't always do things the way they are supposed to (and there are consequences for that). These kids have come to learn when I say I will do something that means I will. When I tell them I will take money out of their tip jar for a lousy closing job, I do it! And I put it where they can see it. Of course, they can earn it back by doing a good job. I just want them to know I mean what I say. Don't worry, I'm not all discipline! We have fun too!
And while they make mistakes (sometimes BIG ones), I still enjoy working with them. And when people are rude to them, or disrespect them, it makes me furious. Youth does not equate stupidity, so I don't understand why customers can be so condescending to these hard-working, fun-loving kids! One woman went so far as to accuse my employees of being thieves! I won't tolerate that! I can yell at them, but you sure as heck can not! More on that story tomorrow.
These guys will come in to work on a moment's notice, trade shifts to help each other out, and come in to just hang out when they are bored or tired of school. I don't know how many restaurants can say their employees will come to work for fun, or work for free just to hang out with their co-workers. We have a great family here, and I am really proud to be the "mom."
Monday, December 27, 2010
Ice Cream is Interesting?
You may be asking yourself the question above. How can frozen dairy treats be interesting? Add people. People always make things interesting. I'd like to share interactions I have with customers, employees, and vendors and I already have a story from today.
It was a slow day, which one might expect on a cold winter day after Christmas. The phone rang and a man on the other line said he would like to order an ice cream cake for that afternoon. I responded by telling him that we need 48 hours notice for custom ice cream cake orders, but we have pre-made ice cream cakes at the store and he could come in and select from one of those.
(Ice Cream side note: It really does take 48 hours to make an ice cream cake, we don't just make that up. The cake is made in a metal mold, much like you would bake a conventional cake. However, the bottom is a separate piece that can be pushed out. We put the cake mold on the counter, with the bottom in it. We smash white or chocolate cake in the bottom then pour fresh ice cream into the mold. We then put it in the freezer to allow it to freeze to the shape of the mold. It's much like jello molds; they need to set. You can't take the cake (or jello) out until it has set. That takes about 12 hours. We can then run the cake mold under some running water and pop the cake out, and decorate it, which is done on the 2nd day of the 48 hours. Just FYI)
The male caller then said, "But I'm a surgeon, and I don't get off of work until 5pm." I find it interesting that he thought it necessary to interject his occupation into the dialogue. A good majority of American's get off from work at 5pm, so I don't think the surgeon comment was needed. You went through med-school, congratulations. When I call a restaurant I don't say, "I have an MBA, and I would like a reservation."
I digress. I replied, "Well, we are open until 10pm..." I then mentioned again that he could come select any cake that we already have made in the store up until 10pm. He then said in a snide tone,"So you can't put anything on it (i.e. write on the cake)... You're awesome (sarcasm) thanks" and hung up on me.
He didn't ask, "Can you write on the cakes you already have?" He assumed for whatever reason that we couldn't write on the cake. How he came to that conclusion, I don't know.
I thought he was rather curt, and a poor communicator. So I did what he didn't expect: I used the caller ID and called him back. After it rang 4 times, I said with a smile, "Hi, is this so-and-so (because I did remember his name)?" I told him who I was and what store I was with. "We can write on the cakes we already have here. And I can have it done by 5pm so you can pick it up after work. Is there a particular flavor you are looking for?"
Why he found it necessary to be so rude puzzles me. If he had said from the beginning, "Oh, ok, I'd like one of the cakes you have in the store. Is it possible to have Happy Birthday written on it? And can I get it before 5pm?" Apparently they don't teach communication or people skills at med school.
It was a slow day, which one might expect on a cold winter day after Christmas. The phone rang and a man on the other line said he would like to order an ice cream cake for that afternoon. I responded by telling him that we need 48 hours notice for custom ice cream cake orders, but we have pre-made ice cream cakes at the store and he could come in and select from one of those.
(Ice Cream side note: It really does take 48 hours to make an ice cream cake, we don't just make that up. The cake is made in a metal mold, much like you would bake a conventional cake. However, the bottom is a separate piece that can be pushed out. We put the cake mold on the counter, with the bottom in it. We smash white or chocolate cake in the bottom then pour fresh ice cream into the mold. We then put it in the freezer to allow it to freeze to the shape of the mold. It's much like jello molds; they need to set. You can't take the cake (or jello) out until it has set. That takes about 12 hours. We can then run the cake mold under some running water and pop the cake out, and decorate it, which is done on the 2nd day of the 48 hours. Just FYI)
The male caller then said, "But I'm a surgeon, and I don't get off of work until 5pm." I find it interesting that he thought it necessary to interject his occupation into the dialogue. A good majority of American's get off from work at 5pm, so I don't think the surgeon comment was needed. You went through med-school, congratulations. When I call a restaurant I don't say, "I have an MBA, and I would like a reservation."
I digress. I replied, "Well, we are open until 10pm..." I then mentioned again that he could come select any cake that we already have made in the store up until 10pm. He then said in a snide tone,"So you can't put anything on it (i.e. write on the cake)... You're awesome (sarcasm) thanks" and hung up on me.
He didn't ask, "Can you write on the cakes you already have?" He assumed for whatever reason that we couldn't write on the cake. How he came to that conclusion, I don't know.
I thought he was rather curt, and a poor communicator. So I did what he didn't expect: I used the caller ID and called him back. After it rang 4 times, I said with a smile, "Hi, is this so-and-so (because I did remember his name)?" I told him who I was and what store I was with. "We can write on the cakes we already have here. And I can have it done by 5pm so you can pick it up after work. Is there a particular flavor you are looking for?"
Why he found it necessary to be so rude puzzles me. If he had said from the beginning, "Oh, ok, I'd like one of the cakes you have in the store. Is it possible to have Happy Birthday written on it? And can I get it before 5pm?" Apparently they don't teach communication or people skills at med school.
Well hello there!
Everyone (well almost everyone) enjoys a scoop of ice cream now and then. I manage an ice cream shop; we are one of those stores that make our own ice cream, ice cream cakes, and other ice cream concoctions.
I come across interesting situations and people, and I would like to share them with you. So you will get the inside scoop on what it really takes to run a simple ice cream shop!
I come across interesting situations and people, and I would like to share them with you. So you will get the inside scoop on what it really takes to run a simple ice cream shop!
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