Bill plated the four-top. It was easy enough, three steaks and a burger all with fries and no veggies. He did not have to leave the line at all.
Marie stood by him and drank her beer but did nothing to help him, not because she didn’t want to or didn’t know how to, but because he was in his rhythm and she did not want to upset that. Simply put, it was easier and more efficient for him to do it himself. She knew from experience that he would ask her for anything he needed if he needed anything.
Marie did remove the two new orders from the spindle. She called them to Bill after he asked her what they were so he was able to get them started quickly. When the four-top was gone and the new orders were working, Bill lit a cigarette and leaned his butt against the steam table shelf. He stood next to Marie sipping his beer.
“What’d you say to Alfreda?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
“You said something.”
“I was just messing with her.”
“Well what’d you say?”
“I told her I wanted to lick her everywhere.” As Bill said this, cigarette in mouth and beer in hand, he moved toward the broiler to flip what was working.
“Wanna lick me everywhere too?”
The last orders were two burger tables, a total of seven burgers all well done. Being all well done, they were simple to prepare. He had them lined up across the hottest spot on the grill and let them go, flipped them every so often so they did not burn anywhere. Purposefully, he did not answer her.
“Well? I like being…”
Bill interrupted her before she could finish what he already knew she was going to say. “I need four setups. Would you make them for me?”
“I like lollipops too,” said Marie before she went back to her station to make the setups. “Just four? You want all fresh ones?”
“Nah. I’ll use the ones I have. They’re good.”
Almost right behind her, Bill walked down the line to the reach-in freezers and pulled out a bag of fries. He ripped the bag open and dumped the contents into two fryer baskets then dropped each basket carefully into the hot grease. That done, he walked back to the Garland, flipped the burgers quickly, then pulled seven buns from a fresh package he took from underneath the steam table. The buns they used were pre-split, so he opened the Garland drawer, flipped the burgers again then put the buns face down on the front of the grill. He closed the drawer and stood over it watching the buns toast.
Marie came back with the setups. As was his way, and part of which made him a highly efficient cook, Bill had already lined up seven plates from the plate warmer. Marie put her setups on the plates and then took the tray with the three setups Bill had and plated those. Bill quickly took the buns, hot potatoes, and put them on the plates. Since none of the burgers were cheeseburgers, he plated all seven one after the next, then slid down the line and picked up the fries, one basket in each hand. He let the baskets sit hooked on their rack over the grease to drip for a second, then, from underneath, he tapped the basket handles so the grease would drip some more. Then, one basket at a time, he shook generous orders of fries onto each plate.
Marie stood to the side closest to her station and watched him work. She saw him, after he’d returned the baskets to the fryer, lift the plates two at a time up under the warmer lights. Right after he lifted the first two, he tapped the bell so Victoria and Lorraine would know the orders were ready.
Marie walked over to the fryer and reached into a basket for one of the leftover French-fries.
“I do like to lick,” she said.
