And So it Begins...

Today was "Observing" day.  Watching the kitchen, evaluating staff, efficiency, food, cleanliness... the whole nine.  Then there were meetings... consultants, GMs, owners... There is so much information to process and so much still left to gather.  My head is spinning and my mind is racing and if I'm being completely honest, I'm already stressed out.

Oh, did I mention that the Health Inspector came to pay a visit today to.  Yep, first day, inspection day.  Luckily he wasn't the world's greatest inspector.  That's all I'll say about that.

I feel a little dirty.  You see, the person running the kitchen isn't me yet.  There is another guy... and I'm there under the guise of a "consultant."  It doesn't really do me any favors with the rest of the staff to keep up this rouse for long.  I need them to trust me and I'm doing one of the only things that will instantly lose you respect points with your staff... you know, other than that no-call, no-show bullshit.

I've been looking at schedules... tomorrow I'll look at inventory.  Wednesday, we'll "clean house" and I'll be that person in charge.  I have no idea what the hell I'm doing.  I could identify about thirty blatant problems today.  I'm afraid I'll find thirty more tomorrow.  Where the hell do I even start?  I've never had to keep up with numbers in this field.  I've never had to make sure I hit any reasonable levels in this field.  Sure, I've done inventory and product control in a couple of other industries, but will it translate?  I guess only time will tell.

What I do know is that there are a lot of people looking to me for answers already.  There are a lot of people who are depending on me.  The fate of this place lies solely on a few key people and I just happen to be one of them. That is a lot of pressure for someone who spent most of the summer slinging hash, making coffee, and washing dishes.  My pedigree is short, but it is large.  I hope I have learned enough in the last 5 short years to help me make it through this.  I hope I learn enough, quickly enough to make this transition work for everyone.  I don't want to let anyone down.  I don't want to let myself down.  I guess it's my make or break time... It's my time to shine.

Chapter 39, Page 1

This is where it gets good...