It's been extremely hot every day. Just commuting to work makes me sweat a lot.
I'm sure the deodorant spray industry is doing well. Also, the parasol industry, the handy fan industry, and the industry for cool-looking things you wear around your neck are doing well too.
By the way, the word "sweating"
In addition to referring to the phenomenon of fluid coming out of sweat glands, it is also used to mean "working hard."
Yesterday was a perfect day for that double meaning, as I sweated a lot, both literally and figuratively.
Yesterday happened to be a day when we were short on staff.
Basically, Bokumo is run by three people: the chef, me, and a part-time staff member. We share the work (not long ago there were four of us, but we renovated and reduced the number of seats, so it's now like this).
However, yesterday the staff happened to be unable to make the schedule, so it was just me and the chef working.
The shifts are decided long in advance, so I knew that there would be a shortage of staff that day. But it was a weekday, so I thought I could do it without any problems. But I was naive. My prediction was wrong, and yesterday was a day of happy screams.
First of all, I worked up a sweat preparing for the opening of the store, which was a first for me in a long time.
I usually get the staff to do the various pre-opening routines, but when I tried doing them myself for the first time in a while, I discovered many things I could do a little better, and I went here and there around the small store. And before I knew it, it was time to open.
Immediately after opening, we were greeted by a person from a trading company that imports New Zealand products from Tokyo. Since it was a course meal + wine pairing, we had to be quite glued to the table. Then, people with reservations and regular customers started coming in one after another, and it got busy all at once.
Additionally, yesterday a university student who wanted to try working part-time at Bokumo came by with his father to have dinner and take a look around.
There's a lot to talk about. I want to talk to the regulars too. I need to take care of the courses. I need to suggest wine pairings. New customers are coming in too. I bring along a few types of wine to suggest to customers when they order by the bottle. I get orders for wine by the glass. I also get orders for cocktails. It's all hectic and chaotic. I'm sweating profusely.
Once things had calmed down a bit, I got a phone call asking, "Can we accommodate seven people now?" There were no seats available, so I apologized, but to be honest, I was a little relieved. Of course, that's not good for a manager.
However, the food and wine were good, and the chef was kind enough to cover everything.
Feeling pleasantly tired, I left many wine glasses behind and hopped on the last train (when this happens, the staff has to clean the glasses before the bar opens the next day).
I thought about it in the car.
I need to do something like this once in a while. I usually stay at the store in a supervisory role, but I realized that it's also important to be a player on some days.
When I checked LINE in the car, I was surprised to find that...
The staff member who is supposed to come in tomorrow has hurt his hand. I was told that washing dishes might be a bit difficult.
Yes, yes. I'll come in a little early today as well. I'll remember the faces of yesterday's customers and diligently get ready to open the store again.
I want to work up a good sweat today too.
Oh, I should buy some deodorizing spray.
