Dateline: high school. My buddy worked as a 'chef' at a Ponderosa, which is a grab your tray and move down the assembly line ordering system, pay at the end. Maybe like a Sizzler, same concept. Salad bar included. Basically, low price & low-quality steaks, cooked quick and brought to your table. Where the Walmart crowd goes for 'a night out.'
The head manager's name, I kid you not: Bob Nimchuck. That is his actual name. Probably still is. It would be a challenge to find a larger asshole manager, or actually: asshole person, but I'm sure there are many contenders. Bob acted like he was master of the universe, managing all these minimum wage kids in horrid polyester. He also walked with an exaggerated swagger that I recall vividly. And! A weird high-pitched voice, like he was in pain. Swung his shoulders side to side way too much when walking. Here's an asshole example: he would roll the grills from the wall (8 ft wide) after the joint closed, and with a white napkin in hand reach way up into the exhaust vents, some crevice somewhere, wipe grease onto it, and show to us. We made minimum wage. This wasn't our job to be chimney sweeps. Well, to him everything was our job I reckon. Oh and forgot: pornstache.
I wasn't in attendance for this next event, just heard about it. A group of employees went to his house late one night and vandalized at least his car. Supposedly one guy dropped a deuce either in it or on it. Nimchuck grilled me about it the next day but I truthfully pleaded innocence.
But here's the kicker: another manager, we'll call him Tom Fuller (also: pornstache), basically attacked me one day. Yelling at me in front of everyone. There were rumors of coke use but who knows & who cares. I called up the district manager and Tom got chopped. When my pop heard about it, he threatened to sue. We met with an insurance adjuster in his car, he didn't want to get out. This guy surely went over 4 bills, he basically spilled over most of the front seats. It was like talking to Jabba the Hut. Anyhoots, they paid me $1,000 in exchange for dropping it. Tom was a popular manager, and I recall some idjit student shouting at me in the high school hallway (she worked at pondo) about getting him fired. Around then I started to clarify to myself just how ignorant people can be, esp when they shout at others, esp in public (although it's never good to yell).
Later that year, I had the house to myself for a week and threw a party. Lotsa pondo folks showed. 4 guys came early, I vaguely knew them. They had a bottle of vodka. One of them, we'll call him Jon Leras, got super drunk and started brawling in my house with his buddy. An ugly, bloody brawl. It was broken up, his buddy was by my front door leaving and Jon sprints at him and tackles him so they go over the front porch brick retaining wall, onto the cement steps below, and continue brawling in my front yard. I recall locking the front door and turning out the light so it wasn't as visible. There were one or two dozen underage drinkers there. How the cops never showed still amazed me. I recall going out there and pointing to Jon where his car was parked and walking him there. He was covered in blood, surely in a blackout. He gets in, turns car on, points at me and slurs 'Imma kick your fucking assssss' and drives off, somehow. I heard later, at school, that somehow, he and buddy showed up at another party and continued brawling.
Anyhoots. Pondo was also where I learned to actually talk to girls, prior to then I was comically shy around them, your typical brainiac dork. Had my first crush, girl named Shannon. I looked her up on the fb a few days ago. Her profile is filled w/bible quotes. Ergo, wouldn't have worked out ha ha. Had almost my first sexy time experience, a knee buckler named Becky (who ended up marrying, to this day, the guy in high school with his locker adjacent to mine). I saw Becky at my 20 yr reunion and chatted w/her briefly & awkwardly. No longer a knee buckler, but then again, who is compared to high school.
I also learned then that I was funny as shit, and could get people to laugh at me, but that I could control it, for a change. I could actually 'be funny.' Example, we were driving around after work and someone saw Tom's car in a bar parking lot. They said 'he's always here.' I said 'does he work here too?' to much delight.
It was a real knee slapper.
My 1st three months was as a dishwasher, loading this assembly line thing, spraying the plates, sending it through, unloading and stacking everything. Riveting stuff. I would get quickly soaked. All this for sub-minimum wage too. After paying my dues there I was moved to the grill where I stayed. Learned how to be a short order grill guy, juggling multiple tickets, timing it all. It's a skill actually, to do it well.
I made some great friends and had fun times. I also met many who were on the fast track to nowhere. Even as a teenager, you can tell if you're observant about their attitude towards themselves & their future.
Working in a big 'restaurant' as a teen sure is a good way to meet others, for next to no pay, in soaked filthy polyester as a bonus.