Waffle Street Page #4

in this book.

Of course not.

Milton is a name

best suited for economists,

not Casanovas.

Mary! Hey, we're going down. I need

you and Jim back on the floor ASAP.

What about Cody?

He had a summons.

Come on, girl. Let's go.

Thank you for your business

and come again soon.

Why is it like this?

Afternoon rush.

Happens every day.

I need you to bus table seven and

drop silver and menus at four.

I'm sorry. What?

Take this rag. Clean that table.

Put these on it.

Out of eggs. Out of cheese.

Almost out of bacon.

Hey, hey, Jimmy,

we're sinking fast back here.

We need a reload double time.

Get to the walk-in. I need

cheese, bacon, eggs, and butter.

Okay.

Hey, hey, hey, we need syrup,

strawberries, walnuts, and jam too.

- Okay?

- Okay.

Wait. Who covers the register?

Hey, man, look,

forget about the register.

What's that?

It's cheese.

I said, "Eggs, bacon,

butter, and cheese."

It's the first thing I saw.

Hey, seriously, man,

ain't you a college boy?

I mean, how did

you survive your last gig?

I worked with numbers

in the ether,

not toppings in a freezer, okay.

I dealt in abstractions.

Well, how about you

abstract more than one item?

You're not handling

nitroglycerin.

What's the holdup?

Where's the strawberries?

Apparently, Jimmy the genius

can't figure his way

past one bag of cheese.

Just...

Let's see...

Hey, hey, Jimmy, come on! I

need you to work with me, baby!

- Jim:
Sorry!

- Work with me!

Jimmy!

Uh...

- Oh!

- (clattering)

Jimmy, please tell me what wasn't

my last bucket of bacon bits.

Jacqui said

she mentioned the shoes.

She did. Yeah.

It's all right. I've seen worse.

Okay.

You're right. I haven't.

But the important thing is

you got back up,

and you finished the job.

Now, as stated

in the Rise and Shine,

all employees must complete

a week-long trial period.

But after

what I've seen today...

the ability to abandon all pride

in the line of duty...

well, I know Papa's material

when I see it.

You're part

of the family now, Jim.

I'm honored.

I know you are.

Hey, I hate to do this to you,

but I need you to come in a

couple hours early on Wednesday.

Okay.

We just got word the owner

is gonna pay us a little visit,

and I need

this place to sparkle.

Right.

That hurts so good.

I think my left leg

just went numb.

- You want me to stop?

- Don't you dare.

This is the only chance

I have of walking tomorrow.

All right, well,

besides getting maimed,

how was your first day

at making waffles?

That would require a promotion.

I am a server trainee.

Okay, how much

did my server trainee make?

Adding up my hourly wage and taking into

account the ruined shirt and slacks...

I think I'm only down

about $170.

You actually lost money

by going into work today?

Startup costs, honey.

Every business venture

is steeped in them.

You might find this interesting.

After seeing Mary's sales today,

and assuming

Jacqui did roughly the same,

I was impressed with the revenue

potential of the restaurant.

I mean, considering Papa's is open

24 hours with three shifts a day,

even if you factor in 70% costs,

it's still a healthy profit

for the owners.

More than both

of our salaries combined.

Well, my old salary anyway.

Yeah, it's interesting.

What?

You don't like it.

You do like it?

I missed something.

Can I buy a vowel?

Rhymes with...

maybe.

Baby.

You're pregnant.

You did it.

No, well, you had something

to do with it.

I can't believe this. This is...

This is so exciting.

- Is that all you have?

- No, this is really exciting.

Come here.

I love you.

I love you.

You know I'm terrified, right?

I do.

(laughing) I know.

In nine months, we're gonna be up to our

ears in burp cloths and dirty diapers.

We're gonna have

to buy a minivan.

We're having a child,

not a soccer team.

Is it normal

that I'm already thinking

about everything

that could go wrong

and everything we don't have?

Yeah, I think it's called

having a child.

You sure we're ready for this?

You mean because at some point,

I won't be able to work,

and you're only making

$2.13 an hour

plus tips?

Yes, that crossed my mind.

Yeah, mine too.

Jim:

I knew my enthusiasm for the job

wouldn't make up

for the lack of take-home.

With a baby inbound,

I need to make some real money.

$60 a shift wasn't gonna

buy me much time.

- Manuel.

- Hey, what's up, man?

Oh.

(laughs) It's cool, man.

It's cool.

Hey!

You the guy who slipped

on his ass yesterday?

Jim Adams, yes.

Yeah. Larry, assistant manager.

Those the same shoes?

Yes, but I...

You know I can write you up

for that.

I did order a pair of Crewsave

shoes from the catalog,

but they take a while to ship.

Consider this your verbal warning.

You only get one.

I thought Jacqui

was the assistant manager.

(sighs) There's the manager,

two assistant managers,

and the shift manager.

Well, I guess that ups the odds

for promotion, doesn't it?

Yeah.

For some people.

Any idea what

I'm supposed to be doing?

Ask Matthew. He's in the back.

- Matthew?

- He's out back.

Matthew:

I want us to talk about this.

Woman:
I'm not gonna sit here

and talk to you about this...

I can't stop!

You can figure this out!

- Nancy...

- Whatever!

Can we please...

Matthew?

You all right?

You need anything?

How about I just grab a bucket

and start on the windows?

Yeah.

Jimmy Flops, back again.

(chuckles)

I can always count on you

to be early.

Anyone serious about his job

would be.

Jim, we're out of visors. I need everybody

looking as hygienic as possible.

Everybody listen up!

Boss man is 10 minutes out.

Last looks. Let's stash

the cleaning supplies,

and let's pretend we haven't been

busing our humps all morning.

Hey, what are you doing

wearing that stupid-looking hat?

Management told me

to keep it sexy.

Just trying to fulfill the

mandate the best way I know how.

Then I say...

you nailed it.

Thank you, Kathy.

Jacqui:
There he is.

Every six weeks, like clockwork.

That's Papa?

Drake, Papa's protege.

Hey, don't let the lack of

polish fool you either.

He's one

of the richest guys in town.

You give that old man a 10 cent,

and he'll squeeze out a dollar.

Jim:
Miles Drake III was one of

the original five franchisees.

How's my favorite...

Jim:
In addition to his

10 Papa's locations,

he also owned a tire shop

and a beauty salon.

Two artificial knees didn't stop him from

inspecting every inch of the building.

No crevice was overlooked,

no detail too minute.

And just when I thought my

admiration had reached its summit,

he took to the grill.

Cooked his own Webster

with a side of hash browns.

Then sat down in booth seven to enjoy

his lunch with a cup of coffee, black.

Afterward, we were called

into the back

for what I anticipated to be a

hard-nosed yet inspired critique.

Well, I wanna thank you all

for being here with me today.

As many of you know,

I'm not a man to waste words.

It's been suggested

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