Personal Narrative: Olympia Family Restaurant

When I was twelve I started helping with my parent's business, Olympia Family Restaurant. I did the little things, such as cleaning tables when people were finished eating and putting dishes away after they were cleaned. I was more of a " behind the scenes" type helper, which meant not really having to interact with other people. I had always been very shy around this age and having to interact with customers was one of my worst fears. I dreaded the times my father would ask me to "pre-bus", which is where the customer is still sitting at the table but is finished with their food and you ask them "Can I get that plate for you?". Often times when my dad would ask me to pre-bus I would beg him not to make me do it or pawn it off on my brother. Around the age of fifteen my mom started training me to be a waitress. This of course meant interaction with other people and overcoming my shyness. At first I would shadow behind my mom and not say anything, just to observe what she says to customers when waits on them. Then I started asking the questions, I still had my mom by my side, but I was the one communicating with the customer. Still overcoming my shyness, I found myself all the same very nervous to talk to customers alone. Sometimes I would neglect to ask all the necessary questions for an order and I would have to return to the table. I learned quickly that having to go back and ask a detail that I neglected was more nerve racking than asking in the first place. During training, I made many mistakes that proved to be quite embarrassing. I took food to the wrong table, placed orders incorrectly, and gave customers the wrong kind of drink refill. Today I am a fully trained waitress at Olympia. I greet customers as they come in, and I go to tables with confidence. I have learned how to interact with all different types of people and have small talk with people I have never met before. Waitressing at Olympia really helped me come out of my shell and