Panera Bread

Walk into any Panera Bread and what do you see? Busy lines, appetizing breads, muffins, bagels, sandwiches and salads right? Well, go behind the scenes at an establishment and it takes away the appeal. For example, I hate watching how movies are made because it losses its magic, or illusion to what the movie is all about. Same thing when you go into the kitchen and see how the food is made or processed. The food at your plate, (or movie your watching) loses its special... I don't know... how do you say... maybe losses its appeal?

I recently started working at Panera part time, until I am capable of getting out of there and going to South Korea. I thought the work was going to be a lot of fun. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it at all. But I honestly didn't realize how stressful it can be. It can take a lot out of you. All new people must train in the dining room; meaning, they have to go around to all the trash areas, bus the trays, wash tables, wash the floors, change the sanitary bucket every 2 hours, make sure everything is stalked, change the ice machine and soda fountains, clean the windows, make sure the 4 coffees are changes every hour on the hour and there are other things I just can't remember them all. It's a nonstop pace when you work the floor.

I guess I did a great job, it usually takes someone 3 weeks to complete the dining room training and it only took me 1. :), that's what you get for hauling ass I guess? So, I recently got bumped up the Barista Station. I thought it was so cool how the employees at Starbucks were able to make such wacky drinks, when in fact it's WICKED EASY. It takes a little memorization and your good. The only problem that may be a struggle is when you have 7 orders at one time and people are waiting right there for your drinks and you're trying to go as fast as possible but you still feel like it's not fast enough. Do you ever get that feeling?

For what it's worth I have a lot of respect for the people that work there. I know a lot of them have probably been through some difficult times in their life, dealing with the cards they have been dealt and are trying to get by. You'd never know half of them were encountering these struggles just by talking to them. It's interesting, to say the least, but it's opened my eyes up to to a crowd of peeps I've never dealt with. I've worked lifeguarding jobs and when I bussed tables it was for the mega wealthy.

Here I am coming from a snotty town of North Andover, meshing into the people of "higher society." Where I never really took a step back to realize how hard my dad had to work and how hard other people had to work so people like me wouldn't have to do that. I feel like this type of work definitely builds character and pushes you to a new place in your mind and body. There is one woman I work with, she's very mellow and patient. To the point where you know it would almost be impossible to get her mad. But me personally, I feel her attitude makes me want to work harder. Just to prove that I'm capable of doing it and so she doesn't have to help me.

All-in-all this job is teaching me to not take things personally when it comes to dealing with people and to just go at my own pace and do the best that I can. If it's not good enough for them then clearly it wasn't a good fit for either of us. If I fail, I learn something and move on. I am accepting to myself that failure (as much as it sucks) is okay. And when we fail we learn something about ourselves and what we did in the process.