Quitting/putting collecting on pause

Damien said:
Literally anything that can happen in the universe has happened at an IHOP at some point in time.
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Oh yeah. Our last call hangout IHOP eroded over the time I used it. Pregnant waitress hit in the stomach with a carafe. Goths vs gangbangers. Tarantino character drug deal. Some fedora kid telling the waitress he would only tip her if she went out with him. Two rednecks threatening to beat my friend up because they didn't like his voice, but leaving when I slid out of the booth and said Let's do it. A coworker asking me on a pancake date at 3:00 a.m. before the Black Friday shift, and then her boyfriend showed up and started crying he and I just really thought we were getting pancakes before work.
 
I mean, to be fair, it was 2012 or so, so I don't think Hot Toys were quiiiiite as expensive or good quality, but still.

I worked at IHOP for years, even before I was legally allowed to; my Mom worked there and became fast friends with the night manager, who was a real mama bear to all the regulars and troubled youth who came through; she pulled some strings (and probably fudged some paperwork) so I could work there too and help pay the bills- we'd have been homeless otherwise. It was my first job, and man did it teach me about life. I worked there for a good 5 or so years, so needless to say, I have no shortage of IHOP stories.

Knockdown fights, people shitting in urinals, slicing my finger open pretty deeply on a pancake (yes, a pancake- super thin, crispy batter and just the right angle and speed), servers horrifically burning themselves on hot plates, boyfriends of the aforementioned troubled youth coming in and dragging their girlfriend out in front of everyone, drug deals gone right and wrong in the parking lot, people OD'ing in the bathroom, you name it. I'll never forget the night our owner forgot to order pancake batter, so we couldn't make the food that's literally in the name of the restaurant. All our cooks walked out, but being the crew chief at the time (and still young and naive), I was told I couldn't, so I had to stay and take the brunt of people's fury. I was probably 17 or 18 at the time, and man, some people seem like they're just waiting to unload their fury on a kid. Well, any service worker, to be fair.

Met some of my favorite people there- many of whom I still keep in touch with- and many of the worst people imaginable. Working the graveyard shift, I saw it all. Only upside was that, once the bars let out, sometimes the drunks wouldn't realize how much they were tipping, so I would sometimes get like a $50 tip on a $10 ticket. It all evened out though, because drunk folks would also walk out on their tab, and the way our owner worked, it had to come out of my pocket to make up for it.

It was because of that job and the little bit of extra money I had from it that I was able to start buying my own figures, so I guess IHOP is indirectly responsible for my poor financial decisions.
 
Someone allowing Hot Toys Joker to be dipped in chocolate milk could only be the result of a marital dispute. I would expect this sort of behavior at a Waffle House, followed by a flying chair, and someone filming the fracas in portrait mode.
The eBay listing would be interesting. No box, Collector owned, display only, pants may have maple syrup stains.

I've never been to IHOP or the Waffle House, but I've seen things on the internet.
 
joshsquash729 said:
I'll never forget the night our owner forgot to order pancake batter, so we couldn't make the food that's literally in the name of the restaurant.
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Chili's - the restaurant - no longer serves chili. It's not on their menu at all.

I could not believe this and the waiter had zero desire to explain why beyond "we don't have any". Like - have chili in the freezer so when people ask for a bowl it can be reheated at the LEAST. Insane to not serve the namesake of the restaurant.

I'm hoping the Hoy Toys Joker was a hand-me-down or a thrift store pick-up from people who had no idea what it was. I feel bad maiming regular price figures for customs - that's a whole other level!
 
Schizm said:
Chili's - the restaurant - no longer serves chili. It's not on their menu at all.

I could not believe this and the waiter had zero desire to explain why beyond "we don't have any". Like - have chili in the freezer so when people ask for a bowl it can be reheated at the LEAST. Insane to not serve the namesake of the restaurant.

I'm hoping the Hoy Toys Joker was a hand-me-down or a thrift store pick-up from people who had no idea what it was. I feel bad maiming regular price figures for customs - that's a whole other level!
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I thought Chili's was named after the chili pepper? Which is why they have one in their logo? Could be both, I suppose; I'm not caught up on my Chili's lore. But you'd think a place called Chili's would have chili on the menu. Come to think of it, do they even have anything with chili peppers in it either? Furthermore, why is it that the more you say a word- in this instance, Chili- that it starts to sound weird and incorrect?

Oh yeah, IHOP and Waffle House aren't that far apart. It's funny- at IHOP we would always pride ourselves on being more classy than Waffle House, but with some time and distance, I can confidently say that the difference is miniscule at best. I can probably count the number of times I've been to Waffle House on one hand- it's always had the reputation of "if you come here, you're taking your life into your own hands", but honestly? Sometimes it's worth it for a good waffle or hella greasy fried chicken.
 
My IHOP story: Back in my early twenties, I went with my then-girlfriend and a friend for a midday meal at IHOP. While we were sitting there visiting, I had to step up and threaten an old man in the booth across from us who kept slapping the ever-loving shit out of his two small grandchildren. The mother of the kids got all upset, got up to get the manager, and was threatening to call the cops. I told her "oh PLEASE DO! I'd love to tell the police how your father was backhanding two and three year old children". Realizing this scenario wouldn't work out well for her, she then said she was going to call her husband to come up there to kick my ass. Again, I said "yes, that is a fantastic idea, since I can promise you someone in here will have already called the cops for your little child abuse bit you have going here. Let's make sure those kids get taken away from you immediately, and get your garbage husband and piece of crap father thrown in jail". The manager ultimately told her there was nothing he could do, and as she walked away muttering "I'm so sick of this happening everywhere we go", the manager thanked me for saying something, since he had been specifically admonished by his superiors for previously intervening in a similar incident.
 
Sad but true. In a couple places that I worked, IHOP included, we were told that we weren't allowed to intervene with any customer incidents. That included when someone would get in a fight or slap their kid or what have you. One of my coworkers, who I really liked, ended up getting fired because, when the aforementioned abusive boyfriend came in to drag his girlfriend out by the hair, she stepped in and tried to get him off her. Don't remember exactly what was given as the reason by management to fire her, but it was along the lines of "it makes IHOP look bad for someone wearing our uniform to get combative." Certainly wouldn't want to tarnish the spotless reputation of IHOP. :rolleyes:

A year or so later, I worked at a local Italian restaurant, and one of my tables ended up leaving me a homophobic note on the back of one of my receipts (long story). Ended up making the news and all that, and like THEE top dog from corporate flew down just to tell me in no uncertain terms that I'd be fired if I gave an interview to anyone, since apparently it was in the contract I signed to work there not to politicize the company in any way. Yet they released their lovely blanket statement that "everyone was welcome to work there and they supported all their employees." :rolleyes:

Just to tie it in to the thread topic, this was about the time I stopped "collecting" food service jobs. No customer service job is glamorous, but food service is a whole other beast.
 
joshsquash729 said:
,but it was along the lines of "it makes IHOP look bad for someone wearing our uniform to get combative." Certainly wouldn't want to tarnish the spotless reputation of IHOP. :rolleyes:
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In any line of work I was in, it was always because it costs them more money if you get stabbed or shot intervening. Many a job where a co-worker got binned because the risk tolerance and cost just wasn't there.
 
Like clockwork, my BBTS fed Ex shipment goes from Maple Grove, MN (20 minutes away from me) to Kansas. Every time. Ugh.

Well, I should still get it tomorrow. Then after that I have nothing on preorder until April when the glorious Balrog and E Honda Jada figures are supposed to come in. There is really nothing on my radar between now and then. It's a good feeling and Imma do some saving.

Don't know why I decided to put this here......
 
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