When you religiously go to happy hour at Bentleys on Friday afternoon and order your usual spinach and artichoke dip and a Corona, do you ever bother to chat with the server who is running through the crowds of drunk college students to bring you your order?
One of the many hardworking servers at Bentleys is Carolina Parra, a junior government and politics major. Parra has been working at Bentleys since the beginning of September and has already been promoted to bartender and works the door.
She says her favorite shift to work is during happy hour because she “gets to see all of [her] friends, while making money, and gets to work as a team with the other servers.”
And while Parra loves serving during happy hour, she tells us that working door can be stressful because of all of the drunk students she has to deal with.
People have lied to her saying that the bouncers said they did not need to pay cover, and people frequently try to negotiate the price of cover with her, even when they are holding a $20 bill in their hand. Sometimes people tell her they only have $3, and she thinks to herself, “did you plan on having a good time at the bar with just $3?”
Parra also says she hates when people “try and be sneaky” and not pay cover. The bouncers see it happen and will kick them out, which is not fun for anyone.
So next time you are charged $7 for cover, just pay the $7. The girls who work the door don’t make the price of cover; it is just their job to collect the money.
Aside from dealing with scheming college students, she loves working at Bentleys. She explains that most of the Bentleys employees are also college students, so it is easy to make friends. Parra explains that since she started working at the bar, she has really become part of the “Bents family.”
Parra even admits that the bouncers some students are afraid of, are actually very nice. One night when she was working at the door, a bouncer made sure she had a seat and a heat lamp to keep her warm.
“At Bents, everyone looks out for each other,” Parra expresses.
When asked about the weirdest order she has ever taken, Parra said someone asked for a crab pretzel, but instead of the crab they wanted buffalo chicken on top. Parra was very confused by this order because crab pretzels are her favorite item on the menu and by substituting crab for buffalo chicken; it is no longer a crab pretzel at all.
Along with working about five days a week at Bentleys, Parra is also involved in Students Helping Honduras.
Last winter, Parra went to Honduras to help fight poverty through education and helped build a school in El Progreso, Honduras. Parra explained that it was one of the most amazing experiences she has ever been a part of.
Students Helping Honduras recently raised the grand total the organization needed to finish the school, so she would love to be a part of that this winter!
Carolina Parra is just one of the many great employees at Bentleys that you should get to know next time you go for happy hour or half price burgers on Wednesdays!