Pantry help, trainees, and leadership

I haven't posted anything in a while but there's been some interesting developments during the weekends, namely having two pantry cooks. At times like these, depending on who's in pantry with me, I'll let my former trainee be as independent as possible. The best trainees are the ones who ask plenty of questions or the ones who just get things done with minimal input. Once they know what needs to be done then I can go do other things. Kitchen staff rarely needs help so I'll do some things for the servers like putting away the silverware or other dishes, stock, or other miscellaneous... server tasks. Occasionally the kitchen staff will ask me for something.  Sometimes servers ask me to do something. Sometimes management asks me to do something. Sometimes I ask myself to do something. The biggest request, by far, is:

It's been requested a few times

Unofficially, of course. Front end management isn't an officially sanctioned position. I shy away from management positions because I've done it before and it's not quite up my alley. I will do it if it's necessary and I have been stepping up my game. I suppose we can't expect me to do the same thing every single day without some growth! Besides, what's the challenge with doing the same old shit on a different day? My coworkers won't let me view the job that way anyway because each person brings something new to my experience. In turn. I'll bring something new to the table... err... counters... Keep it fresh. Keep it fun!

In order to step up my game I've been learning more about the front end from the servers. Just a little bit at a time just so I have another tool in my toolbox. I've been mostly putting away dishes that the servers normally do because that helps out Dish too. The dishwashers need their racks and bins back. The point is, in my mind, to keep the front end running as smooth as possible with very little worry. I shy away from management positions because I hate telling people what to do. The servers have their own form of leadership anyway, COs and DCOs who assign tasks to each other.

Pantry, at this restaurant at least, can help out with most positions in the restaurant. It's technically a kitchen position but it helps the servers. I'm taking this as an opportunity to do more and making it into a habit (because I'm forgetful). I'll bet the kitchen staff would like to have a few words though...

I heard that pantry has enough on their plate as it is, but as often as I get sent home early I see it as not enough.

In other news, I had this rather cryptic message on this ticket from the bartender:

Paranoia...

To which I reply:

My coworkers keep things interesting!