By smcnay1
This dream was not only horrible because I was dreaming about work but I could not sleep through it and kept waking up.(It will make sense why in a minute)
I was dreaming that we got really busy and I had to hostess. (Why? I don't know, I never hostess!!) but I had to hostess. I was really tired so I sat on our waiting bench and tried to go to sleep. The only problem was that every time I was ALMOST asleep, both in my dream and in real life, I would be startled awake by the people coming in the door, who were stick figures drawn out of the red china marker we use to mark the available tables. It was truly a nightmare that I will never forget.
By Cristin D.
I'm working. For some reason, I'm wearing roller skates ( I worked in a bar/cocktail lounge that required me to climb airplane stairs all night. In heels). So, I'm trying to do my job (which sucked, but I liked the people I worked with) but I'm spilling drinks everywhere and suddenly, I have the whole restaurant IN ROLLER SKATES and I didn't realize I had the whole restaurant so now they're all pissed off and management is SCREAMING at me " you mean you haven't been to table 5 yet!!??" and I'm like " I didn't know, man!!!" and I'm just wanting to walk out NOW so here comes my friend( the smart one who went into computers) and she says " I have tickets to the carnival. Relax. It'll just be one minute. You can come back; no one will notice. I see the logic and head out. Just slip away. Cotton Candy, Ferris Wheels and ROLLER SKATES later and I think " S**T! I HAVE TABLES!!" I go rushing back and, like, all hell has broken proverbially loose. I apologize all around ( I am definitely NOT forgiven) and feel like shit when it is my one time to NOT WORRY ABOUT THIS KIND OF CRAP!!!!! Anyway, I will never forget this nightmarish version of reality and no amount of tequila sunrises ever erased it from my mind. I quit 3 weeks later.
By Rebecca G.
Well I've had the going to work naked dreams, having a bazillion tables and no food in the window dreams, I've had the I forgot my access code and there is nobody able to issue me another one for the computer dream. I began as a 16 years old hostess in a Denny's Like coffee/24 hour place, the worst was all the students that would come and study for 6 hours with all their study group friends, have coffee all night and then after they took up your whole station for your entire shift leave you a $2. tip. So I quit I had had it, then I went to work at a family/bar restaurant lots of fun and shorter shifts with more freedom, and NO Student studying. I was truly happy and began running the Banquet facilities for wedding rehearsal dinners, Frat and Sorority parties and even Rotary club meetings. I was really enjoying my new wait staff position, then I began to have these really evil nightmares about the food at our place. I had done a lot of the off premises catering events and one of the items we were frequently served was making me sick and I could even smell it in my dreams. The dream was of a Giant artichoke running after me and smothering me in the cheese dip we would serve. Then I started to get sick at the mere site of our most famous food even at work. Needless to say those were my final days as a waitress. Retired at age 22. I miss the customers and the easy hours but I will never forget the smell of that Damn Dip.
By Phoebe
When I worked for a famous seafood chain, I had the regular dreams of being at work while sleeping only to awaken and have to actually go there again. However one dream stands out. For decoration there were huge four foot plastic lobsters, fish, and such hanging on the walls. On Valentines night, of course we were swamped, the back of the house crew all walked out, the dishwasher broke, and management was playing hockey in the parking lot. So all the servers were trying to run the restaurant, but they elected me to be in charge. One more problem--I was nailed to the wall instead of the giant lobster decorations and no one would pull me off.
By Misnmic
My nightmares always came a few days (or the night before) I would start working at a new restaurant. This has happened to me at least 4 times over the past four years.
I walk in for my training and am told that over half the servers are out sick. I have to take tables. I don't know the sections or table numbers, and when I do figure out which tables are mine I am taking orders without knowing what is on the menu.
I try to get their drinks to the tables, but by this time my section looks different, or is in a different part of the restaurant.
I get all my tables orders, and then can't find the soup or service station. I am wandering around the whole restaurant looking for some soup tureens or the salad stations.
Needless to say this dream is very nerve wracking. But at least my first day at work has never been worse than my dreams.
By Brittney G.
I've been waiting tables for 4 years and the nightmares never cease (at least one per week--usually when I have to work the next day). But by far the worst one was when I dreamt that I had two large parties of 20 or more, both on completely opposite ends of the restaurant. I also had random tables throughout the place. Of course, I could not keep up. When I had gotten around to checking back with one of the parties they wanted all checks printed separately and to-go boxes all around. And I hadn't even rung up the check! The I come to learn that all the cooks have walked out in the middle of the shift so I'm left to cook AND wait tables. But wait, OH NO we're out of honey mustard hash browns (what?! we don't serve that, much less do I know what they are!)!!
I'm sweating in my sleep but the worst is yet to come. Somewhere in the middle of the dream I lose my shoes. I have to walk around in the kitchen barefoot through piles of water and prime rib blood and general dish area sludge.
Of course, I wake up screaming and grab a shower so I can head off to work.
P.S. Great site! I send this URL to all my friends who ask me if waiting tables could REALLY be that hard.
By Brad
My name is Brad and I have been waiting tables for four years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and here is my waiter dream for you.
I walked into one of the dining areas and when suddenly I was approached by my manager. He was sweaty and nervous. This frightened me because I knew he was about to ask me to do something. He told me a party of 700 just walked in and I was the only waiter he had available. I began to panic as the party of 700 was being seated by the hostess. The hostess looked at me with an evil grin like "How are you going to handle this". I began to take orders, and me with my experience I knew to take the drink order and entree order at the same time, this would make things faster. Every customer had dozens of substitutions... Seafood platter please but hold the oysters, shrimp, fish, gumbo, and crab, and in replace I want extra frog legs, crawfish, and lobster.
When I was finished taking the order my waiter pad was twenty pages long. Walking to the kitchen, I was stopped by the first customer of the 700. He said, "Where's my food?" Then the next guy grabbed me and said, "I've been waiting three hours and I have not even gotten my drink." I began to sweat like a horse. I got to the computer to place their orders and looked at my waiter pad. All of the writing had disappeared. I had none of their orders.
When I went out there to start over they began to throw plates and hushpuppies at me. I ran. All 700 people started to chase me through the streets. I ran all the way back to my house. I got inside and locked the door. They began to pound on the door. Then the windows. The noise was so loud. They were screaming, "Kill the waiter, Kill the waiter." I knew what I had to do. I grabed my 38 special that my grandmother gave me. It is a small pistol but it will work for what I want it to do. I put the barrel in my mouth and pulled the trigger. All of the sudden I was in my room on the floor. Sweaty, crying, and angry. Laying there dripping wet I realized two things. That it was only a dream, and I was ok.
By JoAnn
Hello ~ I am a waitress at a Truck Stop.
Well that in itself is a nightmare ~ But anyways, we have a seafood buffet on the first Saturday of each month.
You would think the seas and oceans were going to dry up and seafood would cease to exist! Crab legs and shrimp shells are flying everywhere! People line up for miles to get this buffet.
In my nightmare I dream that I am being chased by a giant mouth screaming "Hey lady, can I get more lemon butter and sweet tea over here?!?"
I also had one the other night that I had a coffee pot as a hand. People kept coming to my section wanting to be seated. It reminded me of those zombie movies you see ~ They just kept walking with their arms extended, drooling and chanting "Decaf! Decaf! Do you have fresh decaf?!?" Scary!
Thanks for letting me vent ~ My friends that are not waitresses think I am crazy when I tell them about my nightmares and dreams!
By John M.
I have worked in a popular family restaurant for 2 1/2 yrs. It is famous for being right along side the highway every were and we get mostly travelers. Well for the first year I worked there I had the same dream over and over again. Nothing new, I think that every server has this dream at one point in their serving career. I go to work and all the other servers have called in. I have the whole restaurant to my self, both the front and the back dining rooms!!!! That's like somewhere near 75 tables. Anyways, the dining room is full and we are on a 30 min wait. i can never get caught up and we are out of soda. And do you think the managers can get it? No, there to busy standing by the fire looking at the mess I am having to put up with. I have to go to the store and get more soda. What makes my dream weird is that my friend (the one who never has a date) is there on a date and when i get back from the store when all my tables are yelling and screaming at me she wants to talk instead of letting me take her order. I try to explain I am busy and can't talk she seems to understand so I go to the next table. Then she tells me I have a phone call on her cell phone. It is my mom and my sister has been in an accident. I try to explain to my managers that I have to leave it is an emergency and they just wont here it. I then turn around to face my 75 tables who are all out of drinks, needing their bread baskets refilled and complaining that they haven't received their food yet only to wake up and realize that i need a new job.
I have had another dream. In this dream I am in the food window expoditing, or whatever you would call it. I am the person who sets up the trays with the garnishes, puts the gravy on the mashed potatoes, gets the soups and all types of other things before the tray can be ran on a busy weekend night. Anyways, in this dream I have a window full of food and it just keeps coming. The cooks are cooking to fast for some reason and they keep putting food in the window and it is making the trays already there fall in the floor. I am yelling out names of servers to come and get there food and run them before the cooks throw them in the floor. Jen, Jamie, Ryan, Kim, Marry...... Then Ethan starts ringing the prep cook bell and as I am yelling at him to come and get his food and stop ringing the bell i wake up. But I was still somewhat asleep, and it was actually my boyfriend's alarm, and it came out all wrong...... "Ethan get over here and turn off that damn alarm!" Boy was my boyfriend mad. Wanted to know exactly who Ethan was.
By Marlene
I'm a waitress in Maryland (eastern shore). My name is Marlene and here is my nightmare, I go up to my first table, greet everyone and take a drink order then head in to the bar and lay down in one of the booths and fall asleep, my boss comes and wakes me up and tells me the table has left and I got another one and I keep doing the same thing over and over...wake up all confused...thanks for listening
By Chris L.
When I used to wait tables and took care of large parties, I always took the drinks out at once with the big oval trays. I'd carry up to 40 of them that way. I was real confident with a tray. One day I decided to get creative with a 60 top and stacked the drinks. Everyone thought I was nuts, but was anxious to see if I could do it. So I luckily got the tray up OK and started walking, I was Ok so far. One of the drinks started to wobble and then fell. I told myself that everything would be OK. Now I'm wishing that I never begun this challenge. Someone behind me said "Watch it!". Right then I lost it! All the drinks fell and crashed on the floor. It was no big deal after I cleaned the mess.
Sometime after that I had this reoccurring dream that I was carrying this heavy tray full of drinks and dropped it, thinking everything was Ok, I heard this lady screaming "My baby, My baby". I look down and see this dead baby in it's mothers arms covered with blood and glass shards everywhere (even though our place used plastic). I say I am so sorry, I didn't mean to. All the staff and guests are quiet and staring at me. One of the other waitresses says; "You shouldn't of been showing off Chris."
Now I do technical support and don't have to worry about it, but I have been told that I do technical support out loud in my sleep....
By Pugsly
Have you ever been sleeping but awake at the same time and having a dream? During one of these stages I recently dreamed that my bed was surrounded by seated customers waiting for me to wake up so that I could take their orders. Yikes!!!!!!
By Liz C.
One weekend I pulled three double shifts in a row. (That's 36 hours in 3 days) By the end of the third day, I was dead. I crashed the minute I got home and had a dream that I really didn't welcome at that time. I dreamed that I was on the floor by myself and that a 60 top walked in. That sucked because all the rest of the tables in the restaurant were already full. During this dream, I was walking around in my brothers room with my hand raised in a position like I was holding a tray. I had been sleepwalking quickly around my brothers room like I was busy. My mom heard/found me roaming around and put me back to bed. I never woke up but heard about it the next day.
By Roland
I work in a busy brewpub with a large patio. I get lots of the usual work dreams. This one kind of disturbed me because I'm not sure what it says about my mental state at the time. Two businessman sit down at a deuce right at the front of the patio. As I approach the table to greet them and give them menus the guy on the left starts cursing me and swearing. Without missing a beat, I kick the chair legs out from under him which results in him crashing backwards off the chair and smacking the back of his head on the patio stones with a sickening thud. I throw the chair into the face of his companion and then kneel on the chest of the guy lying on the ground. My hands go round his neck with my thumbs on either side of his Adam's apple. As I apply varying amounts of thumb pressure to his windpipe, effectively controlling his breathing, I outline how the rest of his visit to the pub is going to unfold. He was going to address me in a polite and civil manner and I was going to serve him promptly and courteously. After this brief tutorial, I pulled him to his feet, dusted him off and asked if they would like drinks. the rest of their meal progressed without further incident and they left me a monster tip. On the way out they both smiled and thanked me sincerely. Nobody was nasty to me in the least at work the next day. I think I took my dream resolution to work with me.
2005 De
Voss Restaurant Group