Have you ever accidentally served a vegan a breakfast burrito with bacon in it? No? Congratulations! I have. Thankfully, I caught this mistake before my bright, bubbly customer took a bite. Of all the waitressing memories I have, that’s the most mortifying by far.
I studied at University of Westminster in London from September 2019 until March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced me home. As I was on a Tier 4 Student Visa, I had the option to work while abroad. Luckily, I’d saved enough money to scrape by without a job during fall semester. But, after returning to England for spring, I knew I needed to (quickly) find a job before resorting to a life fueled solely by digestive biscuits and instant coffee.
After applying to more than 20 serving gigs via Indeed, I was invited to interview at the Clerkenwell location of Grind, a chain of coffee/cocktail bars in London. I spent a few days doing some serious social media snooping before taking the tube journey from Northwick Park to Barbican for my interview. Approximately 15 minutes and 10 questions later, I was hired by my new manager, Marco.
Because I had previous experience, I was already aware of the ins and outs of restaurant work. Grind’s menus were also fairly small, which made them easy to remember. The daytime menu was for brunch/lunch items and the evening menu included sharing plates, casual entrees, and craft cocktails. The only major difference was that at Grind, I was paid a living wage and not the $2.83/hour I received at my last restaurant job in the United States. Not having to rely on tips to survive was refreshing to say the least.
Working with people from around the world was amazing. There was the Indian chef who made our shift meals and invited me on cigarette breaks, which I always (politely) declined, the English barista/bartender whose mojitos were elite, and a waitress from Russia who could carry 3 massive server trays at a time without issue. I was settling in well with the team and couldn’t wait to tackle the next few months of work with them
Then, on the morning of March 16, the world stopped. Given less than a week’s notice to pack away my life in London, I didn’t have the opportunity to say a proper goodbye to Grind or the co-workers that I’d grown fond of. It’s been nearly 7 months since I stepped through their doors, but I’m still craving a shift meal and one of Grind’s oat milk lattes. I only hope that I can return someday, to enjoy a vegan breakfast burrito.
