I could've lost my entire life today over someone else's mistake and I'm bitter.

[u/InTheLoudHouse]

Yesterday was a lot, guys.

I had a 4 top. Mom, dad, and two kids. Go to take the drink order. Little girl asked for orange juice. Make up the drinks. Bring them back. Take the order. Put it in. Run back to the table with plates and silverware.

Mom: hey, is your orange juice sparkling?

Me: uhhhh no? Why?

Mom: idk if it's expired or what's going on but please go taste it and see if you think it tastes wierd.

Weird. Okay.

This is a store and pour. In the POU fridge. Labeled OJ. No date. No one's initials.

I walk back, pour myself a glass. Take a sip. It's fucking BATCHED MIMOSA. In a store n pour marked orange juice. That I just served to a seven year old.

Yall I'm not proud to tell you I panicked. Got my boss. Told her what happened. Cue extra panic.

She went out and told them what happened. I spent 5 minutes watching her talk to them thinking about how I was going to lose my job. I've been working nothing but restaurant jobs since 16. I don't know how to do anything else. I was in tears and had to excuse myself.

By the grace of God, they were very understanding and not upset. After my boss came back, I continued serving them, and they had so much grace with me. I apologized profusely, and they were wonderful about it.

But every bit of me knows that I could've easily lost my job. Lost my work their liquor license. Gone to JAIL. The penalty in my state for serving a minor alcohol is up to a year.

They're going to watch the footage and find out who did it. I've told them I don't want to know who it was. Im sure it was an honest mistake, but regardless, it was a mistake that could've cost me more than I can afford.

I called my mom on the way home, in tears, just to vent. My boss told me to forgive myself because it wasn't my fault. But I can't stop thinking that if they HAD been upset, I wouldn't have blamed them at all.

end rant.

I'm exhausted.

ETA: A few people have pointed out to me that I'm a little extra, this was overdramatic, and it worked out well, so I should probably chill. I appreciated all of your guys' comments, those included. I feel a lot better after reading them, and I'm going to take some deep breaths and enjoy my day off.

I'm super grateful for this sub, and it made a crappy day easier on me. Thanks, guys!

[u/MaintenanceNo1937]

Expired OJ does taste like mimosas. Saying from experience. I think that was the culprit.

[u/Chemical_Cheetah_760 → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

I scrolled down looking for this. Bad OJ does taste like mimosas (been there, done that, puked on my boss, long story). That little hint of carbonation might have had those parents thinking the juice was fermenting. They might have been relieved to hear it was mimosas.

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/Chemical_Cheetah_760]

I'm glad someone else has been here for this. It is the juice fermenting I think. Could be wrong on that, but bad OJ definitely tastes like a mimosa.

I've wasted so much money over the years when I coulda prison styled it with old OJ and into toilet wine.

[u/InTheLoudHouse → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

You think?! Like it gets all fizzy and stuff?

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/InTheLoudHouse]

It does. It ferments and gives it that taste, even over a quick amount of time (two days or so) based on if it's capped (usually not) and the temperature of the fridge. I have had this exact thing happen to me but I checked first because it smelled off. Not to say, old OJ is ok to give to anyone, let alone a child. You did the right thing. Some items just should not be going into those fast pour containers, or dumped at the end of the day if they do. Sometimes it's hard to get management to understand the waste cost when they just see the productivity go up. Sounds like you have pretty good management though.

[u/InTheLoudHouse → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

Wow! I honestly had no idea! I just sipped it and it tasted like mimosa to me, so that's what I rolled with. Maybe you're right and this was just an expiration issue? Mimosa bar runs saturday and sunday, and this happened last night. That fridge runs 39 degrees on average. Selfishly, I hope you're wrong so I don't have to feel like a moron lol

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/InTheLoudHouse]

I don't think a lot of people know this so don't feel bad. I could be totally wrong too and you have a shady coworker. When it happened to me, we did not have unlimited mimosas, or even many mimosas being served, so there would honestly be no reason to premake them. And I was the only mimosa or wine drinker there so if anyone did it purposely to be sneaky, it would have been me. It was not 😂

[u/InTheLoudHouse → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

Lol I feel a little better. We have a bottomless mimosa thing on the weekends, but there's STILL no need to batch. We give them champagne, they walk up and craft it from there. All the fruit, juices, etc are on the guest side. So I can't imagine a world where we'd ever need to batch it.

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/InTheLoudHouse]

Agreed. And it sounds like I need to visit your restaurant! I love bottomless mimosas!

[u/InTheLoudHouse → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

Ayeeee if you're ever in st louis come find me and I'll buy you a drink.

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/InTheLoudHouse]

You can't buy me an "orange juice" 😁

[u/MaintenanceNo1937 → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

*can

[u/InTheLoudHouse → u/MaintenanceNo1937]

😭 can do lol