The Time I Caught Little Caesars Hot-n-Not-Ready

Even though I've claimed to not go out to eat much anymore, Red Lobster still draws me in on the rare occasion I can afford it. From the crack-laced cheddar biscuits to the kid-friendly tank of lobsters shouting "We who are about to die salute you," it's always a pleasant dining experience.

I also used to work there, so I probably annoyed my wife and kids when I took them last night with a gift card from my sister. I couldn't help but get excited over the updated hosting equipment or point out that the Molten Lava Cookie is delicious even though they just unwrap and microwave it in the kitchen.

I won't tell if you won't tell. Oh, wait....
Image credit: Kiari Dudley on Pinterest

And then, of course, my poor wife had to hear all my favorite stories again. Like the one about the time my boss and I created panic at a nearby pizza joint.

My wife doesn't have to read the rest of this if she doesn't want to.

I was finishing a double shift one busy Friday night when my boss called me into the kitchen. He opened up a cash drawer, handed me a hundred-dollar bill, and said, "Pick us up some pizzas, will ya?"

Five minutes later a pimply teenager most likely named Kevin greeted me across a metal counter. "Welcome to Little Caesars," he said. "Want to try some Crazy Bread?"

I slid my hundred-dollar bill across the counter the same way masked men sometimes start a bank robbery. "I want as many pizzas as this will buy," I said. I would have liked to add "Act natural--no sudden movements, no cops," but I held my peace as Kevin looked into the nearly barren pizza warmer then went pale.

"Th-that'll be f-fifteen to twenty minutes," he said.

I smirked all the way back to a chair in the corner of the store. "Hot-n-Ready" my eye, I thought. More like "Hot-n-Not-Ready!" 

Shouts rang in the open kitchen. Dough spun. Sauce splattered. Cheese and pepperoni flew. Customers lined up while workers crammed the oven full of pizzas. And each time Kevin told another person "It'll be about fifteen minutes," his head twitched in my direction.

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"
Image credit: Little Caesars Probs on Twitter

The stacks of pizza fogged the windows of my tiny car, but I made it back to Red Lobster without incident. Carrying the pizzas as if they were a rescued maiden, I kicked through the kitchen door like some romantic hero to the cheers of all my coworkers. Drinks were filled and dishes summoned.

At closing time in the Red Lobster kitchen, we made a feast.

Image credit: eBaum's World

Like any job, working in a restaurant had its moments--like spontaneous pizza parties in the kitchen--but in general, nothing too exciting happened. Life is like that. But that little dose of adventure now and then, that one memorable moment, can turn any job, any life, into a story. Now, no matter how monotonous or hard my job got, I always smile when I pass by that Red Lobster.

What's your story? Share your memorable work moments in the comments!