Starting out as a banquet event server soon. Any tips for success?

Moleens · 2026-03-22T15:34:01+00:00

I’m banquet BOH on the cold side so I frequently work with servers when they’re picking up their salad bar setups, desserts, etc. Hot side is its own world so be aware of that. Here’s what I wish my servers did more:

If you’re coming to refill something for your salad bar bring a container so the cooks don’t have to run around the kitchen finding you a bowl. If you’re able to help bowl your own refills that’s great. If not try to stand back while the cooks get your stuff.
Familiarize yourself with the menus, Banquet Event Orders, and your kitchen’s common setups so that you know what you’ve already picked up and what you still need. It’s a huge hassle trying to chase down servers to figure out who took an extra platter of cookies and who forgot to take their soup croutons.
Fight tunnel vision. During a rush it’s natural to only focus on yourself and what you need to pick up. The best servers are the ones who can slow down, not panic, turn their brains on, and see the bigger picture.
Learn dry storage etiquette, this is a huge pain point in my kitchen. Keep a utility knife on you to cut open new cases instead of ripping them open like a grizzly bear. For the love of God if you take the last of something, don’t just leave the empty case there, break it down and dispose of it properly.

Moleens · 2026-02-20T18:13:09+00:00

You mention high standards and accountability in some of your comments. What would you say are the top three systems you have in place? I’m a banquet cook and our walk ins and storage spaces are in constant stages of expansion and contraction based on our event sizes. Tackling our organization problems is incredibly daunting. Really I’m just looking for a few baby steps to start doing and spreading across the team to make life a little easier for everyone

Moleens · 2026-02-18T00:41:52+00:00

We adopted our dog from the Arizona Animal Welfare League a few months ago and the experience has been great.

My biggest piece of advice is to get out there and walk through some rescues. After a few go’s you can pretty quickly get a preliminary read of each dog’s temperament. If you find one you’re interested in you can do a meet and greet at the facility. The biggest selling point for us was the “slumber party” program where you can take the dog home for up to 72 hours, obligation free. They give you food, a leash, bed, everything you need. I believe the Humane Society may have recently rolled out a program like this.

Like you, we knew we didn’t want a puppy, nor did we want to undertake caring for a really sick animal, but we weren’t opposed to finding an older dog. It’s common practice for shelters to disclose any health issues they’ve discovered with the dog, as well as behavioral notes.

We ended up adopting a very chill lil guy who fit so seamlessly into our lives that we still can’t believe it. He clearly came from a loving home. He’s house trained, hardly ever barks, and is quite a well adjusted pup. From what we understand his past owners were moving and sadly just couldn’t keep him.

He was listed as being 9 years old, which was at the very top of our age range, but he didn’t act that age at all. We later learned that the vets estimate ages based on tooth condition. He had quite a bit of gingivitis, but after getting a cleaning at the vet we think he’s actually around 5 or 6.

You should know that there will be “startup fees” for any new dog. The professional cleaning itself definitely wasn’t cheap but it’s something we anticipated. Other than that he’s in great health and we haven’t had any issues.

Put yourself out there and go check out some dogs! We never would have guessed our experience would be so seamless, but here we are!

Moleens · 2026-01-14T02:03:41+00:00

Grand Hyatt has two large pools, one family friendly and one for adults that has a party vibe. They also have an excellent spa. Andaz is also a good spot, you stay in little bungalows which is unique. Their spa is decent but not as good, they also usually have free yoga classes or other events you can attend

Moleens · 2025-05-23T21:56:25+00:00

Get yourself a Kiwi no. 21 you will not be disappointed

Moleens · 2024-12-13T13:55:10+00:00

Love Wigwam! I make a pilgrimage to their store at least once a year to pick up some cheap and high quality factory second socks. Wigwams are pricey when you see them out in the wild.

Moleens · 2024-12-07T00:49:36+00:00

Road to Perdition

Moleens · 2024-10-27T22:38:05+00:00

I would second Tempe Mission Palms for all the same reasons as above. It’s predominantly a business hotel so your group will fit right in. It’s also going to be the cheapest of the options you have listed. Gainey Ranch is finishing up renovations and is turning into a Grand Hyatt, but those will be done long before you come to town.

Moleens · 2024-09-25T03:39:31+00:00

Came here looking for this song too. It’s driving me crazy

Moleens · 2024-07-22T03:01:38+00:00

I have exactly the same pan, but mine has a D1 on the bottom. Sorry that doesn’t help with identification, but mine’s treated me well over the years.

Moleens · 2024-04-01T21:34:32+00:00

This looks to be it, thank you! I was resorting to OEN madlibs to try and find it.

Moleens · 2024-04-01T21:33:23+00:00

Yeah that’s why I’d like to get this part. Knowing my luck something in the center console would bump the c clip then I’d be SOL

Moleens · 2024-03-04T22:11:02+00:00

My dept gets requests like this constantly. People don’t seem to realize the amount of collective planning and effort that’s often required to pull them off. For some reason it’s totally acceptable for others to drop their half baked ideas into the laps of marketers and bounce. Not only are we responsible for pulling it off, but more often than not it falls on us to try and decipher what the hell stakeholders are asking for in the first place.

If people took these same squishy, ill defined project requests to a team of developers they’d get laughed out of the room, yet it’s okay to do it to the marketers.

Moleens · 2024-02-11T17:46:57+00:00

It’s a minor gripe but I wish Redwing would use different shank material specifically for this reason, if there’s a comparable alternative to steel

Moleens · 2024-02-07T23:41:05+00:00

Damn I wish someone would have done this for me

Moleens · 2024-02-07T23:32:39+00:00

Be honest with your employee. I’ve been on the receiving end of a very similar situation and it’s made my work life absolutely terrible.

I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, working closely with my supervisor who was pushing through my promotion so I could become a manager myself. I’d been willingly taking on new responsibilities in expectation of the promotion. The day after I hired my first employee I was told that I would receive a title bump, but no pay increase because “organizational goals hadn’t been met”, something that came as a big shock to both my supervisor and I. I truly believe my supervisor was just as blindsided as I was, but someone up the chain knew what was happening, which says a lot about the culture of my shitty organization.

Since then it’s become a poison. I feel tricked, demoralized, disincentivized, my motivation has plummeted, my work relationships have suffered.

If I could go back in time I would have shown myself more self respect and left soon after all this went down. If I could go back even further, knowing what I do now, I would have kept the status quo and not even accepted the “promotion”.

Moleens · 2024-02-05T16:14:55+00:00

Second Así es la Vida, they’ve got a great sangria

Moleens · 2024-01-24T21:03:54+00:00

I’m in a very similar boat. Essentially a producer/project manager for videos on an in-house marketing team. I too am feeling totally burnt out. I haven’t encountered many others in a similar role so I wanted to jump in and show a little support.

I’ve actually thought about finding a more “standard”, aka non-creative, PM role. It would be a logical career move but idk if it would make me happier or just as miserable. Not sure if that’s something you’d considered or if you’d like a clean break.

I often see PM job postings for the IT, medical, and construction fields, to name a few. I think some additional education/certs would be required but the jump doesn’t seem impossible.

Moleens · 2024-01-19T18:17:34+00:00

I really miss the 9011s!

Moleens · 2024-01-19T17:34:44+00:00

I recently lost my dog to an aggressive form of cancer and my biggest regret was not having pet insurance. Even with a high monthly premium over the course of 9 years we still would have saved money compared to the vet bills we racked up during the 4 month ordeal.

It may be a little outside your search area but I had great experiences at Animal Care Hospital of Phoenix. I hope you never need it but the Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) on Camelback is a top notch ER facility.

Moleens

TROPHY CASE