What Does "GB" Stand For? I
had a boss at the Marriott hotel when I was working banquets
who started after I did. He came on to replace a manager
that was moving out of town. He was one of those managers
who thought they knew everything, and wanted to think of
themselves as an executive in every sense of the word -
with monogrammed cuffs on their shirt, to the personalized
license plate on their leased Lexus.
When it was this fellow's first day on the job he came
around and introduced himself to his staff. He simply introduced
himself as "GB" and that was what he was to be
called. Naturally, it begs the question "What does
"GB" stand for?" His answer every time, with
a kind of serious expression was that it stands for "GB."
His personalized license plate even said simply "GB."
This wasn't a good place to start for him, as for everyone
it immediately caused a sense of distrust and inflated ego.
In a sense, it was "on." We had to find out what
it stood for. Do you remember that episode of M*A*S*H where
everyone was trying to find out what "BJ" stood
for, and it ended up standing for "Bee Jay." This
was the same challenge, and "GB" wasn't about
to budge.
There were many speculations as to what the initials meant
- "Good Boss" .....nah! "Giant Belly".....nope,
even though he was a bit portly. " We never found out.
I left the Marriott some time later to pursue a Banquet
Manager position at another hotel, so I didn't get a chance
to hear what it actually meant. I learned that "GB"
didn't last long at the Marriott either, so my guess as
to what it stood for was "Good Bye" as that is
probably a word he was used to saying.
I have worked in dozens of hotels, and have worked around
a lot of wedding planners, catering and banquets managers,
and food and beverage directors, and the majority of these
folks have a weird ego trip and some really peculiar habits
to feed that ego. It makes it difficult at times as these
folks often times have an unbending personality and a penchant
for confrontation.
My boss at another hotel liked to be called "Mr. Dollars."
His real last name was "Zollers."
A Banquet Manger Or Wedding Planner Is On Call
Like An Emergency Room Doctor - There is no greater
emergency than when a bride is freaking out. This isn't
to say that grooms don't freak out - it happens. But we
all know the legend of "Bridezilla" and that this
creature can possess any bride at any time if things start
to go wrong, or are perceived to be going downhill.
In every banquet/catering job I have ever had, I was required
to be "on call" almost all of the time, including
my days off. In Vail, where I worked banquets at several
resorts, I was made to wear a pager, or a radio that could
pick up signals for over 20 miles (Vail isn't that big,
so basically you could be reached anywhere). I remember
being on a hike, miles away from civilization and my pager
went off. I had to turn around, go to a phone, and then
scurry into work to take care of some "emergency."
Oh, the smells....Working in any industry
where there is food involved, like the wedding/banquet industry,
eventually makes your nose numb to the fragrant delights
of Prime Rib or Marinara Sauce. I remember coming home from
work (usually at 2 or 3 in the morning) and having my girlfriend
wake up next to me from the smell alone. I couldn't really
smell it, but apparently, I had a mix of odors that could
ignite at any moment. The smell that your work clothes eventually
take on as a banquet manager or wedding planner is a lovely
mix of sweat, cheap wine, cake frosting, mystery meat, and
sterno.
It's a dirty job - you wouldn't really think that it would
be on paper, or from the job description in the newspaper
(by the way, these descriptions are never really truthful.
They usually describe the elegant property, the benefits,
and that you get a free meal every shift. What they don't
tell you is that your shift might be 12 hours, and that
you probably won't have time to eat, or if you do sit down
to eat, you will be treated to a supreme guilt trip once
you get back to work. |
