Food Service Heroes and Heroines

[johnnyd]

This is a true story.

Portland, Maine is a summertime tourist destination on the American Northeast coast. It's 300 year-old, red-brick waterfront has a number of restaurants with decks over the water that are packed with cruiseship passengers and out-of-state families on any given day in-season.

One day last week, a server stationed on the outdoor deck picked up the bill tray with a cheery "I'll be right back," and swung toward the register, sending the guests credit card cascading through the air and down between the slats of the deck flooring into the ocean below. The card's owner, needless to say, went beserk.

"Well," said the server, "You can cancel the credit card or come back at low tide and we'll probably find it then,"

"Those are not options!" said the guest, clearly imagining his vacation in ruins.

Perturbed but not defeated, the server put her tray on the guest table then went to the far side of the deck and called over to one of the island water taxis that tie up to a dock below the restaurant.

"Hey!" she yelled, "Do you have a scuba mask on board?" The pilot replied that indeed he did. She climbed down a ladder off the deck to the dock, pulled her top off, adjusted the scuba mask on her head and in her sports bra and Capri jeans slipped into the 65°F seawater and began searching.

After a short while she found the credit card. She emerged, completely soaked, hoisted herself onto the dock, towelled off on the water taxi, put her top back on and shimmied up the ladder back to the restaurant deck.

"Your credit card, sir."

The customer, nonplussed, took the card and left without a word.

So far, the rumor downtown is that he left without tipping, she continued working the shift, and I hear the rest of the customers on deck gave her a rousing ovation, but I can't confirm that yet. She is now, without a doubt, an Old Port Legend.

I think this would be a good space to add similar acts of heroism. But they have to be true. Who's next?

[Daniel Rogov]

Wonderful story! The waitress, no matter what else she does in life, will find her place in paradise. As to the customer - as far as I can see, he can go straight to hell!

[Synergy]

I hope that, even if the customer didn't tip her, all the other ones who witnessed the event did.

[Domestic Goddess]

Johnny - what a wonderful story! If I was there, I would have tipped her generously. That guy is such a .... cad. (I have other choice words for him but it is unprintable for this forum).

[docsconz]

That is a great story, Johnny, but where are all the lifesavers out there? I'm sure someone must have performed a Heimlich or some such service. I guess it is difficult to make that into such a remarkable story though.

[Carrot Top]

I did CPR on an old guy that dropped right out of his chair onto the dining room floor with a massive heart attack one day but he died anyway.

No risk to my own life, and anywhere near as daring as that wonderful heroine you mentioned, Johnny, but I was wearing a miniskirt that day and when I turned around for a moment as we were bent over him on the floor I noticed that all eyes were focused on my behind.

Embarrassing. I get a chance to be a heroine and the only thing I do is let them see my behind by mistake.

Edited August 22, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[Jozef]

wow.. that's a crazy story. I wonder what her manager's reaction was? I know if any of my staff did that i'd be showering them with praise. I guess she must have a great sense of duty, wish I had a couple of staff like that!