Marla's Blog

Ready for a few days off.

We're closed tomorrow, the fourth of July and as a bonus to my staff, I'm closing the Restaurant on Sunday as well.  This will let my staff rest up and get a fresh perspective on each other and spend time with their families.  It's the longest break we've had in over a year and we're all looking forward to it.

This is the slowest week of the year and I've been warning my staff to save up their money, I know I did.

Right now I'm putting finishing touches on a new menu for next week and getting my orders together so I don't have to come in on Monday and do them.....but I'm chomping at the bit....

Success at the Georgia Dept of Revenue

Seems they stamped my Sales Tax check as arriving on the 29 instead of the 19th of January.  This caused me to lose the vendor's compensation I am allowed to take each month and so then I was short.  Check cleared my bank on the 23rd, so it's their error.  My account will be cleaned up shortly. (probably in a month).  I guess the new electronic filing is a good idea after all.

If you happen upon a business that is closed with a notice on the door from the Department of Revenue it is because the merchant did not pay their Sales Tax.  The department is ruthless, as it should be and applies hugh penalities and a little interest if this is not done.  And if you get behind, forget about it. 

Just so you know; the merchants collect the Sales Tax when you dine or shop and then pay it to the state by the 20th of the next month in a lump sum.  We do get to keep a little of it as "Vendor's Compensation".  3% of the first $3000.00 and 1/2 a percent of anything over $3000.00.  The City of Atlanta tacks on another 3% in Sales Tax on liquor Sales, in case you hadn't noticed, and this is submitted to the city my the 20th of each month too.

Back to the Georgia Department of Revenue

The Ga Dept of Revenue has a new way of submitting sales tax forms and payments.  The system took me an hour to wade through last week but I made it.  Then I looked and saw an error was showing up for my December Sales Tax and of course penalties and interest had accrued.  I had not received any notice by mail of this problem.    I pulled my paperwork this morning and found that indeed I had made an error, but had overpaid my sales tax by $24.00.  So I am packing up my paperwork and heading there on Monday.  I don't think this can be handled by phone....and so it goes.

Is is possible that since I overpaid my sales tax by $24.00 (an error), I do not receive my vendors compensation that was $104.00 which puts my account short?  Very possible.  We'll find out.

The week improved....

Ok,  I'm feeling better.  We had two private parties this week and I nailed them.  I went home Friday evening, bragging to my husband about what a good job I had done (because when you're the boss, no one else does this) and he reminded me of what I had said on Wednesday...see previous post.  Yes, yes...but I'm beginning to realize that I just really hate Wednesdays because my sous chef is off.  Oh and the never ending list of crap that needs to be fixed and attended to?...  I just wrote it all down and handed it to Greg, my repair guy.  I just can't do it myself anymore.

The job..

Sometimes I hate this job.   Deliveries were screwed up yesterday.  Back door electronic lock not working properly.  Open table software off line.  Cash out last night screwed up.  Closing duties were not done properly.  I am overwhelmed and feeling crummy.  I want to sleep for a week.

This is not a glamorous job.

Teenage Laundry

I'm at work prepping for a luncheon of 50 people arriving in 1 1/2 hours.  My daughter calls me with an emergency......She needed me to talk her through sorting her laundry.  AGAIN.  It's going to be a long summer.

Bad Reviews.....

  You know what they say about opinions.  Opinions are like %@#)%, everybody's got one.  I recently received a not too flattering review on Yelp. Guy came in for brunch and said the server got everything mixed up at the table and the food was uninspired.  This is right after another not so glowing review also on Yelp.  Who are these people?

   Just so you know, most of the chefs I know take this thing very very personally, at least for an hour or so, I know I do.  I want to pull the covers over my head and never go back to work.  I kick myself in the ass for not being everything to everyone at all times.  It doesn't matter that my back was breaking or that I had just called an ambulance for a customer having seizures in the dining room while trying to keep the driveway from being blocked by the fire truck so the 100 people or so in the dining room at the time could leave for the Va Highlands Festival on time and the party of 25 on the back deck could get in.

  Just how inspired does someone want a Sausage and Pepper Omelette to be for $8.75?

  But I don't take light of the restaurant saying that you're only as good as your last meal.  I liked Saturday night's crowd better.  The guys who said it's the best meal they have ever had and the couple who said I have the "perfect" restaurant.  Too bad the Sunday guy ruined my weekend.

Dumpster Diving

From time to time we have to clean the dumpster. Usually my trash company just exchanges it and gives us a clean one, but since I have started using a smaller dumpster, they no longer switch them out.

A couple of weeks ago I was washing dishes at home and tidying up the kitchen before leaving for work when I remembered that this was the day to clean the dumpster. It had been emptied that morning, and it was very, very warm outside which would make for a stinky dumpter during dinner service.  So I grabbed my unhappy husband, and since our pressure washer had been stolen from our home, we headed to Lowe's for a new one.

My husband picked out a very, very nice and expensive pressure washer. He asked me if I had safety goggles, and looked unhappily at my flip flop clad feet is comparison to his steel toed boots. We got to the restaurant and hooked everything up. As we started pressure washing the dumpster, we realized that the drain is 3 inches up the side of the dumpster. This meant that all the gunk was not able to drain out of the dumpster. My unhappy husband took a long landscaping timber, and pried up the side of the dumpster while I placed additional timbers under the edge.

Now as we sprayed, the water and gunk drained out very well. But when we sprayed too hard the gunk splashed back onto our "safety goggles", our hair, nose, ears, clothes, and flip flops. It was one of the dirtiest jobs I've ever done.  But now the dumpster is clean and smells fresh. 

Today I played golf with my mother and daughter.  I hate golf.  I'd rather clean a dumpster.

The New Youth

I'm a little worried about the future.  Just whose kids are going to become the next restaurant dishwashers ?  These are important people who clean the restrooms, mop the floors behind the bar, haul heavy loads of trash, scrub pots and pans, wash dishes, glassware and sort endless loads of silverware, break down boxes, scrub walk-in coolers and probably peel most of the potatoes in town and all for  $8.00 an hour.  My kid is not going to do it and neither are her friends.  Who is?  I guess the same immigrants who have been coming to this country for the last couple hundred of years or so. 

I am guilty of raising a daughter who does not know how to do laundry, complains when she's asked to unload the dishwasher (as if anyone likes to do it) and has a very dirty bathroom because I think it's time she cleaned her own.  She's perpetually bored even with her cell phone , I Pod Touch, Laptop computer, WII game system.  She wants to be entertained and in constant contact with friends, friends, friends.  She is in tears if she doesn't have someone to hang with.  And she can't cook.  

I plan on retooling my daughter this summer.  She does not know yet.

Private Parties

We had a private party for 80 people yesterday.  Lots of work:  special set up, cooks on overtime, special menu items.  My manager and I are both on 6 day work weeks because of it.  When the host got the bill, she was upset that the tax and gratuity and charge for valet were not included in the per person quote.  The proposal that I sent to her for a signature very clearly stated the price plus tip and tax.  It is stated in two places on the proposal.  She said she wouldn't have done it if she had known it was extra.  I said I would not have done it for any less.

That's why there are contracts.  I feel terrible about this, I really do.  But the margin is too small to make a cut.  Ah well.