Big Event Fail: An Unexpected Splash
Melanie Papandrea
As we have shared thus far in the Big Event Fail series, there are many mistakes that can be made with a party’s guest count, event space, menu items, weather elements, and much more. Some mistakes, unfortunately, can occur from human error while in the stressful and busy environment on the job. Melanie Papandrea, Director of Events at Casey Moran’s, Deuces & The Diamond Club, and Sugar Factory shares an event fail that occurred while she tried her absolute best to accomplish a task as a server.
“On one specific day while I was working as a server, I was serving a group that was seated out on a far corner of an outdoor patio around the pool. The group had ordered a large round of 20-plus drinks, so I was tasked with bringing the HUGE tray of drinks from one end of the patio to the other end of the patio where the group was seated. The patio was jam-packed with guests, so the only route to get to the group would be by crossing the walkway over the pool. I picked up the humongous tray of full drinks in my hands and proceed over the pool walkway ahead. Well, the next thing I knew I slipped on the walkway and landed in the pool with every single one of the drinks splashing in with me. I was soaked with beverages and pool water!
“I quickly got up and picked up the mess around me with the help of those who had unfortunately witnessed the fall. Luckily no one was injured in the incident, and I was able to easily get a new round of drinks for the group to enjoy. The guests had seen the fall take place, so they were understanding that it was just a mistake and could be fixed. Everyone was shocked and caught off guard by the fall, myself the most, but it is one of those things that must be laughed off.
“After this serving incident, I learned that maybe next time, 20 drinks is too many to serve on one tray. The group would have understood if the round had to come in two shifts, or a coworker could have helped bring the second tray to the table with me. The restaurant business can be stressful and chaotic, but ultimately I was only trying to do my job as efficiently as possible to please my customers.”
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