9:55pm Sunday 14th March 2010
By Michael Duffy
The end of a busy weekend with Saturday night packed out with a hen party alongside a family celebrating a 90th and all topped off with Bushey Symphony Orchestra and what seemed to be half of their audience following their concert down the road at Bushey Hall.
By the time we`d cleared up and I`d done yet another matrix version of the table plan for today it was past 2am though that did include the half hour that I spent printing off mini versions of the menus to take orders on whilst watching the highlights of Motherwell v Heats ( we won 3-1 ) and Scotland v England ( neither of us won ).
Mother`s Day dawned and despite staying up until 7am to watch the Manny Pacquiao fight Sophie arrived at 10 to finish setting up and sold the last remaining table.
At 12 on the dot the first of 135 customers arrived and it was heads down and into action for the next 6 hours.
Happy to report that our Mums & customers enjoyed themselves and the only negative comment I heard was that a portion of melon wasn`t ripe enough.
Instinct and experience helps tell when people are relaxed and having a good time, extra drinks are ordered, customers stay longer at their tables and above all there is a nice buzz about the place.
So thank you to Al, Kris, Gary & Jaime in the kitchen and out front Sophie, Hannah, young Michael ( we have 3 Michaels being me, young Michael & little Michael who isn`t actually little but he`s younger than young Michael ) and Katherine.
The only thing I got wrong was in forecasting the numbers of who would eat what, and for that I blame the pie phenomenon.
Since reaching the final of “The Great British Pie Competition” sales of our Beef, Mushroom & Guinness Pie have soared to the extent that today 45 of 135 customers chose it.
Which is why tonight, and probably for the next few nights, I am mainly eating salmon.
© Copyright 2001-2012 Newsquest Media Group
http://www.watfordobserver.co.uk/trade_directory/