The restaurant I worked for prided itself on fresh food, no cans in the kitchen at all. Everything was made fresh at least twice a day. The salsa was made hourly and was extremely popular. People would love to come in and scarf down free chips and salsa all day long. One lunch we were packed to the gills with such chips and salsa munchers, the wait for a table was up to an hour. We were so busy that our Floor Manager, Dan, was taking tables.

Dan was the typical corporate middle manager. He was new enough to the company and still interested in climbing the ranks that he was really excited about being there. His enthusiasm for the job could be contagious, or nauseating, depending on the day. All in all though he was a downright decent guy. He was always positive to talk to and always tried to make you feel better about everything around you.

Dan had picked up two tables, each one in a different server’s section, and was running around trying to do his regular job as well. When he picked up his third table things were already starting to go downhill for him, he was in over his head, and no one to turn to for help. The third table was a rich looking couple in their forties. As he approached them to take their drink order the man glowered at him and slid the salsa bowl off of the table and right onto the floor.

“This salsa is awful, it is certainly not fresh.” The man said. His wife simply scowled up at Dan.

“My apologies folks, let me go get you some salsa.” The smile didn’t leave Dan’s face, though he knew he now had to stretch his already strained staff even further to clean up a mess. He hurried off and got a new bowl of salsa and grabbed a wet towel to clean up the floor. He returned, set down the bowl of salsa and bent down to clean up the mess they had caused earlier.

“What did you wring the towel out in this stuff?” The man said as he slid the second bowl off of the table and right down onto Dan who was busy wiping up the first one. The bowl splashed salsa all over Dan’s white button up shirt, our required uniform.