# oops stories.....



## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Offsite small dinner party for the board of a non-profit I do alot of work with.....old 100 year building on a major 8 lane street. Haul shtuff up the front steps (probably 15), go through a door, go through a locked door then into a 100 year old tiny elevator. One hand, the one with building/apt keys in it is holding open the elevator doors for staff, the other is juggling a couple of fish boxes of desserts. The keys drop, they don't drop in the elevator nor the lobby but down the shaft. We can't see them, so go up and down with looking on the ledges, pulling out tiny flashlights......the basement doors are locked and no super is around. Thank goodness we are early and very well prepped. My gold waitstaff diligently goes down to look some more as I wait for the apt owner to get home......golden staff sites the keys but they are two coat hangers worth away from access. So I set the table and the bar while she rigs the coat hangers together.....getting the keys. NOTHING like alittle drama.

It's been a while since we've had any of "those" stories......a year or so ago I had a major event and got locked out of the church, the alarm is on, the front gate is locked, entrance door is locked......and there I am at 4pm in the courtyard between locked gates and doors. THANK GOODNESS nothing was in the oven. Staff showed up within 20 minutes and we got in......not a fun way to start the night.


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## even stephen (Oct 10, 2005)

Feel your pain....did a party for about 250pp one time.....set up a small line on a deck that wrapped around the home.....very steep grade the house was
built on.....caribbean food....coming out real nice....about 100pp on the deck...*&@**&^%!!....the whole deck drops about 12 inches.....good thing I 
brought a change of pants.....we re-enforced the deck with 4x4's and continued on as if nothing had happened......all seemed to be going well....the
customer requested live parrots...and over a couple of months we lined up 4 large colorful parrots.....unfortunately, one had been rescued from an abusive home....as the bride and grooms parents sat down to eat next to this particular parrot.....it began to spew profanity as I've never heard.....the looks on their faces were priceless....fortunately, they all busted out laughing and ended up enjoyed themselves even more.......you just never know....


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

serious belly laugh.....I can totally imagine stark horror on your face until the first laugh comes. 
The Host of last week's party was not very mature, when I told him about the keys his response was in a dry voice, "that's not very helpful is it".......the co ordinator that hired me went down with said gold staff and was cool with it, "accidents happen".......attitude defines everything doesn't it.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Got another one, years ago....small 8-12 guest in home party with the who's who of older STL.....ie owner of Enterprise Car Rental etc....
It's 4-5 courses, me, one of my staff and then the hostess's maid washing crystal and china. Well, the coffee maker wasn't working, so we end up using another coffee pot and putting in the coffee in the container on the counter......caffinated. I got totally reamed out the next day from the hostess for giving her guests caffinated coffee....her maid was there and hadn't said a word.....nice learning curve. After that evening I chose to serve only decaf at night.

Nothing like staging a Women's event, in a hall next to an elevator that's letting out hundreds of children.....some 6-10years old.


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## ed buchanan (May 29, 2006)

Looks like you new the key to the whole affair!!!


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## tri2cook (Nov 25, 2007)

Most of my "oops" stories involve small, easy jobs. Things always seem to go pretty well for the larger jobs. Maybe I'm more worried about the potential for disaster with the large jobs and focus a little more. I don't know. 
The most recent "oops" was a small deliver and leave it dinner for a band and crew that was coming to town as part of the local "entertainment series". Everything was to be there for 5:10 pm because they wanted to eat at precisely 5:30 pm (it was actually written that way in the band's contract with the entertainment series). We're spot-on time, set everything up, prepare to leave and (entertainment series coordinator) "Soooo... didn't we order greek salad as well?" Ummmm yes, yes you did. So 5 minute drive back to the kitchen, bust out the fastest large bowl of greek salad I've ever done (fortunately the prep wasn't forgotten), 5 minute drive back. Drop the salad, make feeble apologies and head out. Met the band heading in on my way out so there was no disaster but it still sucked. :blush: Fortunately the band was very happy with the meal so, despite the opening blunder, the entertainment series has contracted us to do all of their events where catering is required.


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## bazza (Apr 2, 2007)

Got a regular lunch customer, been coming in for years, always on his own. About 5 years ago when we first opened he was so impressed that he asked if we would hire out the restaurant for a private event. Of course we agreed and started asking him for details like numbers, dates etc. but he was very vague about the whole thing. Anyway it turned out that he just didn't want to discuss it in front of other customers, so just before leaving he came up to the bar and produced a card and said "this is the group I want to bring in" It said "XYZ Naturist Society"  I imagined a bus load of people in raincoats arriving LOL :lol:

It didn't happen in the end, shame because we had an awful lot of staff who wanted to work on that day!!


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

naturist=nudist?


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## bazza (Apr 2, 2007)

Yes sorry language crossover.........Nudists!!!


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