Dead Plate. (DEADPLATE X TMC AU)

Day 1

ill just say this incase people come at me

no, this isnt my idea

yes im using the same concept of cesar and mark being vince and rody

@THISISCHIP wrote this au first (correct me if im wrong) and @kastellav made a post about it first (so ill roughly assume kastellav made this au first)

get mad at me if you want if i miss out anyone and tell me so i can include them

enjoy.
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Mark took a deep breath in, and then out before opening the door to the restaurant. His childhood friend, Cesar Torres, had recently reconnected with Mark and offered Mark a job at his restaurant. 

Considering how poor Mark was at the moment, Mark reluctantly agreed. He wasn't good at cooking, neither was he good at talking or serving people. But I mean, how hard could it be?

"Wow, you actually showed up for training-" Cesar's arms were crossed at the entrance, Mark simply flashed him a kind smile. "On time too!"

Cesar scoffed and put one arm on his hip. "Barely." Mark sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, hoping this wouldn't ruin his chances of having a stable steady job.

"This is a highly sought after position. Be grateful you're even getting the benefit of being told how to do your job." Cesar hissed, narrowing his eyes and taking out a few sheets of paper.

"Your resume showed many..MANY jobs in the service industry, so I assume you already have some of this down." Cesar looked Mark up and down, judging Mark intensely. "Though I'm choosing to ignore the rate at which you got new positions."

First day on the job..sheesh. Not that good. Mark sighed and lowered his head. He wanted this job desperately so he could support him and his girlfriend. But it seemed he wouldn't keep this job for long. (okay for clearification, i am NOT shipping mark with someone else. i dont want sarah as manon cause it feels off to me but that doesnt mean i ship mark with anyone.)

"Hey, having 28 service industry jobs over the course of 7 years is pretty impressive when you think about it." Mark sighed in relief when he heard Cesar say that. 'May God be on my side. I need this job badly. Please.' Mark prayed silently.

"..And even less impressive when you think about it for 5 seconds more than that." Cesar's scowl returned. "But with those jobs, you likely already know how to seat customers. Go to the counter and get them to the appropriate table."

Cesar points to the counter at the front of the shop. "Keep in mind how many people are dining, you don't want a large group crowding around a private area." Mark nods confidently, rushing to the counter to take the first person.

"Table for two please." A lady with short black hair and another lady with light ash brown black hair walked in, Mark quickly attending to them and getting them seated. "Good job. They'll take a moment to see what we're serving today. Once they're ready, they'll put their menu down and you'll go check in on them." Cesar observed in a corner.

" 'What we're serving today?' " Mark questioned. "Yes. Patrons don't pick what they eat, instead, we have a strict menu that changes daily." Mark nodded. So this was one of those fancy restaurants.

"You'd know that if you read the interview.." Cesar scowled, narrowing his eyes again, causing Mark to jolt in slight fear. The two customers raised their hands to get Mark's attention to order, Mark rushing over to them.

"I'd like an appetiser." The lady with light ash brown hair pointed to the menu, Mark jotting it down. "Once you have their meal ticket, bring it to the marker between the window and the door. That'll send it to the kitchen. The cooks will start work on whatever order you have right away but keep in mind they prioritise cooking the dessert, side, meal and appetiser in that order. "

"Don't pester or distract any of the cooks if it's taking too long." Cesar let out a "hmph", knowing how Mark was impatient and snappy in high school. 

The lady with black hair raised her hand to order now too. "I'd like an appetiser. Mark finished taking orders and ran to the window, placing the order for the chefs to cook. "Once your orders are finished, you'll find it at the window. Pick up the order and bring it to the customers." 

Mark picked up the first appetiser and gave it to the first customer, returned with a sweet smile and a gentle "Thank you!", Mark doing the same for the next customer. "Once they're done with their appetiser, they'll ask for more once you go back over. Don't keep them waiting long."

Mark repeated this cycle for both customers, eventually they finished their meal and got ready to go pay for their meal. "Once they're ready for the bill, go behind the counter to check them out." 

Mark received the money and neatly stuffed it into the cash register, waiting for the next order or customer. "Most customers will ask for the full course of appetisers, sides, meal and desserts. Once they're done with their meal, make sure to clean their table. I don't want guests thinking we leave messes out in the open." 

Mark sighed, going back to the table and clearing the plates. Then Mark noticed the trash was full. "Come back to the kitchen to check, the garbahe will be to the right of the back door." Mark went into the kitchen, the bin filled to the brim with scraps and trash. "Eugh. Yeah, seems like it is." Cesar gagged, waving at the air. "Take the trash and bring it out to the alley behind the kitchen to throw it out."

Mark struggled not to throw up too, taking the black trash bag and dragging it to the dumpster, throwing it in and dusting his hands. He thought he was going to have a simple job of serving people, no! He had to serve people, take orders, place orders, cash in the cash register AND take out the trash.

Mark muttered several curses before returning back into the restaurant, walking over to the table and clearing the plate. "I'll let you take this next customer on your own." Cesar stepped back, seemingly proud of how well Mark was doing his job.

Another customer wuth a hat entered the shop. "Table for one, please." Mark tended to the customer with a bright smile, leading him to a table. Repeating the steps he did, he served the customer. However, the customer had a question he didn't know the answer to.

"Yes. Do you have to-go boxes or a way to order ahead of time any chance?" Mark froze. Cesar didn't tell him anything! 

'Crap, crap, crap- make something up. There's a 50% chance you'll get it wrong anyways.'

Mark shook his head. "Oh, thanks for letting me know." The customer nodded, looking back at the menu again. "Good work. Though try to keep tone in mind too. I don't want our customers thinking our service is anything less than professional." Cesar whispered to Mark.

"But I'm a professional-" Mark protested quietly, causing Cesar to scoff. "Exactly." Cesar hissed. Ouch. The customer ordered a main, Mark placing the order at the window. But the customer was impatient too.

"This is taking forever. I'm leaving." The customer hissed, leaving the restaurant as Mark bit his lip nervously. Did he mess up? Did he take too long? What went wrong??

"Ugh. Did that one leave?" Cesar stood beside Mark. "They were probably expecting fast food level speed anyways. We wouldn't want them coming here." Mark sighed in relief. So it wasn't his fault. "The good news is they still have to pay for what meals they did eat. But in the off chance a respectable customer loses their patience and leaves, they likely won't be leaving any tips and won't be paying for any further meals. It's in your best interest to not let that happen."

"But that DID leave you with a dead plate.." Cesar's eyes wandered to the plate Mark was holding. "Unless another table wants that exact order, you're stuck with it until you throw it away." Cesar pointed to the trash again.

"A perfectly good meal gone to waste.." Cesar sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "Bring it to the trash can." Mark did as told, coming back to Cesar. 

"Good work. Some other things may come up but for now you seem prepared enough. We'll be opening in a moment, are you all set?" Mark nods with confidence.

He had to do this for Lila. For her to take him back.


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sorry if this was really shit and stuff its no excuse however ill write better in the future

i swear.



(edit: i forgot to change the titel sorry)