"You are late! Whatever you want to say, keep it to yourself until we are done with our shift!" Sofia said, pushing the door open.
As they immediately walked in, they were greeted by the bustling sight of individuals—the chefs, waitstaff, and several restaurant workers—all dressed in uniform and preparing for the day's service. The clatter of cutlery and the aroma of food filled the air.
Sofia continued to drag Elias forward, not allowing him to speak until they finally arrived at the locker room within a section of the storage area. She halted at a specific locker that held Elias's name on it.
After swiftly entering the locker's passcode, she brought out an attire and handed it to Elias.
"Here, I want to see you dressed and ready to serve and take the guest orders in the next five minutes," Sofia said sternly.
"Sofia, I really have something I need to tell you," Elias responded, shaking his head as he sighed deeply.
"Well, as I've already said, if you have anything you want to tell me, please do so after we finish our shift. I need to return to work as we are about to open soon. However, I expect to see you there within the next five minutes. Is that clear?" Sofia's expression remained fierce, her eyes locked on Elias as she awaited his response.
Elias nodded, lightly sighing. If he wanted to clarify his intentions of quitting his current work to Sofia, he would have to inform her after they were done working because, considering her fierce personality, she would most likely not be willing to listen to anything he said.
"Okay, then, come as soon as you can," Sofia added, removing her white headwear from her front pocket and putting it on her head. She gave Elias one last fierce pondering gaze before swiftly dashing out of the locker room.
Elias observed her departing before shifting his attention towards the attire in his grasp and exhaling heavily. "I'll use this opportunity to work my last shift before officially reassigning," he said to himself.
Elias walked to the changing area to change his attire and put on the restaurant's uniform.
….....…
"I'm here to take your order, sir?" asked Elias, dressed in a white shirt, black trousers, and a short apron tied around his waist. He adjusted his bow tie and grabbed his notepad to write down the orders of the middle-aged couple sitting before him.
As Elias made his way to the kitchen to relay an order, a commotion broke out at a corner table.
A man in his early twenties, dressed in an expensive suit, stood up abruptly, his face contorted in anger. Opposite him sat a stunning woman who appeared to be of a similar age, her expression filled with disgust and shock.
"This is unacceptable!" the man shouted, drawing the attention of other diners as he pointed at his plate with disgust, "There's an insect in my food!"
Elias was about to leave the issue for another waiter to handle. However, he quickly recognised that he had served them their meal, and remembering who made it, he quickly approached the table.
"Where's the manager? Call him outside here immediately!" the man shouted, his tone furious.
Elias quickly arrived at the table with an apologetic smile, "I deeply apologise for this, sir. Please calm down. Let's see how we can rectify this issue," he said, trying his best to defuse the situation or risk Sofia getting into trouble.
The man glared at Elias, his anger rising steadily, "Rectify? This is beyond rectifiable! How does a place like this allow such a thing? I thought this was supposed to be a high-end restaurant?!" he responded, his eyes fixed on Elias.
Elias nodded respectfully, "I understand your frustration, Sir. But I assure you that this is a mistake. Please, let us make this right for you. Your meal will be replaced immediately, and we will ensure it's up to the highest standards," he responded.
'I should have just resigned immediately instead of coming to work today,' Elias thought, inwardly sighing as he realised this issue wouldn't be resolved quickly. His mind raced, searching for the best way to handle the situation.
Soon, the other diners began to look in their direction, observing the unfolding scene with interest.
The stunning woman beside him, who was clearly beginning to look uncomfortable, tried to calm him down. "It's alright; maybe it was just a..." she began; however, she was immediately interrupted before she could complete her sentence.
"No, it's not alright," the man snapped at her, "This is supposed to be a high-end restaurant, not an infested shithole. You know what? I demand to see who cooked this terrible food. Call out the chef who made such a disgraceful meal," he added, refocusing on the waiter before him.
Elias hesitated momentarily, then nodded, "Please remain calm, sir; I'll get the chef immediately," he responded, understanding that it was best to get Sofia to rectify this issue herself rather than calling on the restaurant manager.
Elias informed another staff member to call Sofia from the kitchen and tell her about the situation while he remained to prevent the guest from taking more drastic actions.
Within moments, Sofia walked out of the kitchen and arrived before them. She gave Elias a side glance as though telling him to stay out of this and allow her to handle the situation before refocusing her attention on the couple before them.
"Good evening," Sofia greeted them respectfully. I'm Sofia, the Sous Chef here and the one who made your meal. I understand there's been a problem with your meal."
The man didn't wait a second, "A problem? Look at this!" He pointed furiously at the cockroach in his dish, "This is unacceptable! It's disgraceful!"
Sofia scrutinised the man and the woman sitting opposite him before shifting her attention to the dish.
A frown appeared on her lips at the sight of the cockroach, and then she shook her head in response, "I apologise for this incident, Sir. However, I can confidently say that this food was prepared perfectly, and this is an unfortunate and rare occurrence that does not reflect our cooking quality," Sofia responded confidently.