There are two types of people at my job. The ones I like, and the ones I don't. Here's a totally unbiased list of the characters I have met:
First there's Colin, the Landlord. He's quite like most of my previous bosses - high tempered, would rather do it all himself as other people get it wrong, and overall a guy who works into the ground and gets little money / life in return. I can get along with him, because he's my boss, I respect that, and I see how hard it is in the catering business. But I sometimes wonder if he needs to take a really good look at his pub and just shift things a bit. I don't think he's ever thought about changing the basic fabric of the pub's management.
Then there's Ify. He's 'general manager', apparently, but really he's just in charge of the bar. He's a hard worker, but he's totally disrespectful of how working in a kitchen is harder than working in a bar, but thinks that because he has read about how to work in a kitchen (as he's doing an NVQ at age 30), he does know. Also, he's 30. Why is he still working in the locks? He kisses Colin's ass all day long, and it's frustrating because the rest of us are girls, and don't care enough too, but if we did want to kiss Colin's ass, we'd have to be derogatory to our own gender, make crude sex jokes a lot and be rude to people behind their backs, especially customers. For some reason, we don't want to do that.
Other bar workers are not that bad. There is Demi, appropriately named as she's tiny, quite quiet but seems alright, and I'm pretty sure Ify only hired her because he thinks he has a hope / she wears flattering things behind a bar. The two Jacks are alright, one of them is a nice guy but smokes a lot, and the other hasn't said much but is known as 'fit Jack' so minimal complaints about him. There was Chris, he was cool, but he quit. Sonny is also quiet, but I think he's very good friends with Ify and might have heard a lot about me. That or he's just a bit shy. And Oliver. I'll come to Oliver later.
So to the Kitchen. I want to describe ranking order first. Colin is at the top, but if he isn't needed in the kitchen, won't be, as he knows other people find it hard to work with him. I don't, I just get a bit scared when I do, because I only ever make mistakes when he's there. Next is Alice, then Jasmine, then me, then Ebony, Dot, Steph and Mack, and at the bottom is Kate and Fiona. But, it shouldn't be that way.
Jasmine's a fucking good worker. Like, I may be bias, she is my new bestie, she's only 18 and comes from the Larkman but hell, she's worked hard at a-levels, she has a life plan, she wants to get out of her dad's shitty council flat and study to be a vet. She works every weekend at the Locks, and she's got it nailed. She just has it so organised, she's on top of keeping the kitchen clean, she helps with washing/drying/running/clearing and she's got a good chat with other kitchen girls so we all get along.
But Alice just isn't there. Alice is 17, and only really 'in charge' because Dom recently left, and she's been bumped up by default (one of the many things Colin needs to think about changing). I don't dislike her as a person, because she's fine with most things, but she doesn't clean. And the most important thing in a kitchen, apart from actually cooking food properly, is keeping it clean, safe, tidy, and bacteria-free. I have never seen Alice do the washing up, I've seen her dry up one plate, she won't go running (taking food orders to tables) because she has some skin-problem on her arms, and therefore won't clear either. She's good at what she does do, but really, stock taking isn't that hard, the fridges are easy to organise anyway, and we all prep food, so she shouldn't be the one calling the shots. She's also a bit like my sister in the way she just asks people favours, and whilst you're doing the favour you see her out back smoking, or chatting or texting, and think 'why couldn't she do this?'.
Ebony and Steph are aces. Like, they work so hard, and have my back when I cock up, and we all work well as a team. Mack is Jasmine's little brother, 14, bless him, and Colin thinks he's called Max. He's got what I used to have - he's not desperate for money, so finds work tedious and exhausting. But we keep him busy, and I try make him smile when I can, because he looks quite bored most of the time. A kitchen on a Saturday is NEVER boring! Dot I've only worked with a couple times, but is also nice. They're all under 18, and they kinda make me feel a bit young again, but also remind me that I was 18 quite a long time ago. Like, four years isn't that long - but University ago. Pre southampton, pre brighton. Pre Brighton feels like a decade ago anyway. Jesus I feel old.
Kate and Fiona are the ladies who come in on busy days to wash up and help out in the kitchen. They're lovely, and not having to do the washing up makes a day so much quicker and easier. God we need a dishwasher.
So all in all, the pub is a weird place to work, but we get there in the end. Most days end with me and Jasmine cleaning the whole kitchen, then having a drink and something sweet, then me driving her home, and collapsing. It's tiring, but it's money. Money is very crucial right now.