Grand Opening Finale, 2003

Something didn't look right.  I came back from delivering Marlo his usual Pepperoni Pizza, when I saw the backs of Bobbo & Steve, the security guard, in the kitchen.  Next to them, was our friend, Pat.  

What the hell was he doing in there, I thought?

"C-mon, guys what's the big deal?  I'm twenty-one & I don't even work here," Pat was explaining to Bobbo, the Head of RAs (Resident Advisors).  Bobbo was handing him a pink slip (write-up) as I rushed through the side door.

Yuri saw me first & took me aside.  "Dude, they're shutting us down.  Pat's dumb-ass comes in here with Big Mac drinking beers outta red solo cups.  DP was trying to give 'em the boot but we got a rush & somebody must've narced us out!"

A big lump got caught in my throat & I began to feel nauseous.  

"He's got nothing to do with this!" DP was pleading his case to Bobbo.

"Well, then why's he in the kitchen?" Bobbo said.  "There's no booze allowed anywhere & you know it, Darin."  Steve nudged Bobbo with his radio in hand. 

"Snodgrass said to pull the plug on it," he said & then yelled out, "All right, everybody- we're shutting this thing down right now.  Time to go home!"  

Steve turned off all of the griddle knobs & killed the lights.  I stood by the kitchen door trying to process everything that had happened.  Steve leaned in close to me & said, "Mr. Snodgrass said he wants to see you in his office first thing tomorrow, young man." 

Our grand opening night felt like a dream- a bittersweet taste of actual restaurant life, that went really well until it didn't.  And, now I had a nightmare meeting with Snodgrass to deal with on top of it.

All because a couple of our regulars got bored drinking in their room that night & wanted to go somewhere else.  But, the problem with drinking at Lincoln was that you didn't have many options of places to go.  And, because of that & my friends' blatant disrespect for Mad Munch's boundaries, we were shut down yet again due to alcohol on the premises.