Upon Leaving the Restaurant
My affiliation with the Peasant Bistro began several weeks after having made the drive to Atlanta in a recently purchased, cheap Nissan Pathfinder from Brooklyn where I had lived and commuted to the Manhattan area for two years. The scarce job market that I was faced with when the recently nine month temp position with a financial firm had ended left me feeling daunted about facing yet again a grueling NY job search process and instead led to my decision for heading back to the roots of my upbringing in south. Upon first arriving to Atlanta in early July, I set up several interviews: one with a financial company and a few at area restaurants before occupying a several day stint working in a small diner near the Fox Theater. Shortly there after, an interview with the Peasant Bistro came about. On the spot, the position as a waiter was offered to me by one of the owners and I returned to start the first evening of training about an hour and a half later that day. This was a little less than four years ago.
During this time I've had the chance of growing with the restaurant, witnessing a flow of turnover among coworkers, line cooks, head chefs and developing meaningful bonds with many of these colleagues along the way. Most importantly, being able to provide a caring service and doing what's to be expected to ensure that a great restaurant keeps striving to do the best for it's guests has been a true pleasure.
My position as a waiter not too long after I started was changed to evening food runner and a daytime server for reasons of which I like to think was in part due to my adequacy in overseeing a big picture responsibility for delivering food to the entirety of tables in the restaurant particularly on those busy nights when food is flying out of the kitchen.
Running up the flight of stairs on your way to a table, knowing where to place the food before the guests, how to subtly and courteously interact with each table which in turn would often prompt a gesture of gratitude in exchange for their plate of food have been meaningful components of the job.
During part of my tenure, I also worked at a local bank where the experience was meaningful with an enjoyable clientele while also offering the opportunity to pull part time evening and weekend shifts running food at the restaurant. When my interest with the position at the bank subsided, I left feeling confident that I'd have the position at the Peasant Bistro to provide some income while I also pursued the idea of doing some web development in my free time. Offering flexibility and a welcoming environment to go into, is something for which I greatly valued as an employee particularly during the last year and a half.
Throughout the whole of my experience there, many occasions have given reason to feel energetic and proud to be a part of the Peasant Bistro and a recent weekend during the midst of activities surrounding the final four basketball tournament also stand out as memorable. Several hundred thousand people were in town and just across the street from the restaurant's entrance as part of the festivities, was an immense stage for three days of concerts including the musicians 'My Morning Jacket', 'The Dave Matthews Band' and 'Sting'.
Having worked all three of these days and nights was a delight from the steady influx of upbeat customers, attractive female clientele(a minor perk of the job) and being able to hear the concerts so close when stepping outside to serve tables on the sidewalk of the restaurant. Things for must everybody that weekend seemed to have been an all-around success with customers leaving happy, employees exhausted but feeling gratified and confident in their busy days of work.
As things got back into a slow start though the next few days once the frenzy quieted down after Monday night's championship game, a few whispered rumors passed among some members of the staff. Then came the shocking news on Friday afternoon from our manager who had been on staff for about nine months as relief for the two owners who had become absorbed in other matters such as a second restaurant location and family health issues which had made their regular presence nearly obsolete. Yakup, our befriended Turkish American gm announced that the restaurant was closing and that it would be effective immediately.
Upon the writing of this memoir, it has been a mere two days since the decision was made known to myself and the other staff. During this time I've hardly had time to accept the actuality of a place that I genuinely cared a great deal about will be closing it's doors of business for good.
The last night of service was Saturday for which I was partly dismayed a bit by the request of our tenacious, young line cook of the need for me to go in late that afternoon to cover the dishwasher shift. Apparently Ronnie, our regular guy, had something unexpected come up that prevented him from coming in. Without much grievance though I went in under reluctant acceptance of yesterday's announcement. Then a few hours into the evening as the orders started to stream into the kitchen and expo line, I managed to slip into uniform and get a few laps of running food up the stairs to customers in a sentimental last evening of work at the Bistro.
For now, the next few days will consist of removing all of the restaurant's items and helping to transport them to another location in nearby midtown where a newly envisioned concept by one of the owners is in the works of opening in 3- 4 months.
At present, I'm saddened by the fact that business has ended for a restaurant that's been a big part of my life for nearly the last four years. So for now, I venture onward undecided about work opportunities in the same industry in addition to dedicating time spent on this website. It should be interesting, yet surely a challenge to close this chapter of responsibility and move into the next phase of what life may have to offer.
Oeuvre Bistro!