Running head: Observation of TGI Friday’s

Observation of TGI Friday’s
Psychology of Human Sexuality – PSYC 332 6380
University of Maryland University College
Alicia Montague
July 12, 2015

The TGI Friday’s is located not too far from my job. I have never dined at that particular location before, but heard from several people that it is a very lively on Friday’s. I figured TGIF on a Friday should be interesting. As I turned off of the main road I can see the huge TGIF sign reassuring me that I was heading in the right direction. The exterior of the building is really nice. Perfectly manicured lawn, shrubs, trees, and patches of yellow and purple flowers surrounds the brownish taupe structure. There are also several red and white stripped awnings all around the building, except the one by the main entrance, which is black with a red and white TGIF sign. I found a parking space not too far from the entrance. Above the entrance doors is a stripe that says “In Here, It’s Always Friday". I pulled open the F-shaped handles on the door and walked in.
As soon as I entered TGIF I was greeted by an elderly woman who offered me a menu and asked how many people would be seated. I accepted the menu and told her that I would prefer to sit in the bar area, so she told me to pick any seat I desired. I usually prefer to sit in booths, but for the purpose of this research, I decided it would be best if I was seated at the high top table in the corner, which gave me a view of the entrance, most of the bar area, some of the main dining area, and outside - that gave me the opportunity to see who was coming and going.
I arrived around 3:45 p.m. It was quiet and not really crowded, which was what I was hoping for. I wanted to get there before the Happy Hour (HH) crowd so I could get settled and take in the scene before it became packed. The majority of the customers that where there looked to be business professionals, taking some time out of their busy day to get away from the office. Some sat alone, eating, texting on their phones, on their iPads, or just observing the others in the establishment.
The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit. The bar stools were a red leather and the seats in the booths were black. The tables were a brown wood that matched the hardwood of the floors. There were red lamps hanging from the ceiling, giving the décor sort of a romantic feel. The walls were filled with pictures about TGIF, and various memorabilia. There were flat screen televisions surrounding the bar, and a few others were strategically placed on the corner walls of the bar area, allowing everyone to see a screen. The volume was on mute, yet every screen displayed Sport Center or CNN. There was lively, upbeat music playing in the background. The mix was very eclectic, a mix of R&B, pop, Hip Hop and soft Rock.
The atmosphere felt relaxing and comfortable and I wondered if I would feel the same way in an hour. As soon as I opened my laptop The Waitress came to take my order, and unknowingly became my first “victim”. I guess she was a typical waitress - trained to hide any negative attitudes or feelings she may have experienced that day in hopes of satisfying the customers. She was pretty, petite, and had very big breasts, or maybe it just looked extra big because of her frame. Her black shirt was buttoned all the way to the top and tucked into her black pants, and her red necktie swung from side to side with every step. She looked to be in her early 20’s and I wondered if she was a college student at the nearby University. She read off the specials to me and informed me that HH would be starting soon. There was nothing special about her demeanor and she didn’t seem overly friendly. I ordered two glasses of water with a lemon and pot stickers. I hate sitting in a restaurant alone so I asked my friend to join me and help me “people watch”. I also didn’t want to look like a creep, staring at people and typing.
I drew my attention back to the elderly lady who first welcomed me; I’ll call her The Greeter. She had fine grey hair, a thin frame and was a little hunched over. She was pleasant when she spoke and very complimentary of the guests when they entered; admiring their hairstyle, clothes, shoes, and kids. I noticed that she was not given a chair so she had to stay on her feet the whole time. Occasionally she would lean against the podium. Her shoes looked comfortable, but after a while, a person’s feet will eventually start to hurt if they are standing for a long period of time. She kept her head down as she worked on a crossword puzzle, only looking up when the door opened. As I looked at her, I wondered why she was still working and not at home with family or in a retirement community on a beach somewhere.
I then focused on the two ladies that were intently chatting in a corner of the main dining area. The lady whose back was turned to me, let’s call her Lady 1, had on a blue and white stripped “boyfriend” shirt from Express (I know because I have the same one) and her braids were in a ponytail. I had a much better view of Lady 2 who was seated directly across from Lady 1 and was dressed a lot less casual. She was clothed very business-like, light blue shirt, black suit jacket and I assumed she was wearing matching pants or skirt. Her hair was pulled into a high bun and her only jewelry was a silver watch on her left hand. Some papers were placed neatly in front of her and she would occasionally jot things down in her notepad. From what I can see, it looked like her interview was going well.
There was a very large group of people gathered closer to me, but in the main dining area. It looked like a work function for a special occasion, as there were gifts and cards on the table, as well as a half-eaten cake. The group seemed happy; they were laughing and joking with each other. There was one lady that stood out to me, I thought of her as The Party Pooper. She didn’t seem very engaged in the conversations amongst the group. She just sat there on her phone, either texting, scrolling social media, or playing a game. She occasionally nodded her head when spoken to and faked a smile when everyone else laughed. She looked like she rather be anywhere else but there! I guess I didn’t blame her. She appeared to be much younger than the rest her colleagues, and was probably only there because she had to be.
There was one particular man sitting alone in a booth, eating his meal, and not displaying any particular mood. Mr. Preoccupied didn’t seem happy or sad, just ate his food, looked at his phone, and stopped every now and then to play with the band on his wedding finger - he kept sliding it off and on. The Waitress came several times to ask him if he needed anything else, and he would just nod or shake his head in response, not even making eye contact. He smiled when his phone rang and actually looked happy as he answered the call. A few minutes into the call he clearly looked upset and started speaking loudly. I looked around to see if anyone else noticed, but there weren’t that many people around to pay him any attention. The bartender was chatting with a customer and The Work Group were still laughing and talking. I noticed that The Party Pooper was no longer there, maybe she left without me noticing. Mr. Preoccupied quickly hung up the phone, put some cash in the check holder that was already on the table and angrily walked out. I can see him hurrying to his car from my window, get into a BMW sedan (not sure which model) and sped off.
The Waitress came back with my order the same time my friend walked in. I waved TJ over before The Greeter could look up from her puzzle. She seemed very excited about my project and promised to assist me anyway she can. I assured her that her company was all I needed. We each ordered a Lemon Drop martini when the waitress came back and dove right into the pot stickers. There were delicious! TJ started to inform me of what a rough day she was having at work and how glad she was that she had an excuse to leave early. Despite her day, she was in good spirits.
As we were chatting I noticed this guy helping a female out of the passenger side of the car. He closed her door, and they held hands as they crossed the parking lot to TGIF. He also held the door open for her as they walked into the restaurant and I smiled to myself. It’s rare that I see a guy as young as him being so chivalrous. They spoke kindly to The Greeter and then took a seat at a booth in my section. I labeled them as The Young Couple since they looked to be in their late teens, maybe 18 or 19. They were both wearing blue jeans and a T-shirt. They slid into the same seat so they could be right next to each other instead of across from the other. She whispered something in his ear and then they started kissing. The Waitress looked annoyed, either by their open display of PDA or because she had to wait for them to stop so she could take their order. After what seemed like forever, the waitress interrupted them and introduced herself and the HH specials in a mechanical voice. The Young Couple didn’t seem to be embarrassed by what would normally be an awkward situation. They asked The Waitress to please come back since they didn’t have time to look at the menu. Go figure! I noticed she rolled her eyes as she walked away.
The crowd was starting to change. Lady 2 had left about 15 minutes ago and after jotting down some notes Lady 1 was packing up to leave as well. The Work Group was now down to two older men who were having a dispute over a game that was on one of the T.V. screens. It was funny listening to them go back and forth, taking jabs at each. They appeared to be close friends outside of work and it didn’t look like they were leaving anytime soon; a waitress had just brought them another round of beers. The Greeter shuffled past me and I hoped she was finally off the clock. I looked to see who was now in her spot and saw that she was replaced by two young girls. They looked friendly and ready to welcome the HH crowd.
The young girls did a great job with their reception at the door. I understood now why they needed two people at the door, it started to get congested fast. The Waitress came over (probably still wondering why TJ and I were still at her table), so we each ordered another Lemon Drop and some more food. Most of the crowd made their way to the bar area. There was a party of five guys that held my attention. Not because I was interested in any of them, even though they were dressed well and were attractive, but because they were too loud not to be noticed. One in particular was extremely annoying, so I will call him Mr. Obnoxious.
Mr. Obnoxious was the loudest in the group and probably in the whole restaurant. I could hear his entire conversation over everyone else’s combined chatter. He kept yelling at women that walked by him and tried to grab a couple by the hand. When The Waitress walked by he held her by the waist, but she didn’t seem that offended. He ordered (yelled) two rounds of Tequila shots for his whole table and even though he was finished placing his order, he didn’t let her go. When The Waitress finally pried herself out of his grasp, I noticed her top buttons were undone, revealing her cleavage. Her attitude seemed to have perked up as well; she was extra nice, extra smiley, and even flirted with the group of guys. I was shocked by how her demeanor changed. Was she really interested in these guys, did she want extra tips, or did she just enjoy the attention? Those were the thoughts that went through my head as I watched her “work”.
The time for me to leave was quickly approaching. I tried to signal to The Waitress that we were ready to leave, but she was too busy attending to the group of guys. TJ actually went up to her to ask for our check. I looked over to The Young Couple who were too involved in each other to pay anybody else any attention. The guys from the Work Group were still there, but now they were joined by a two ladies. They were still drinking beers and taking jabs at each other while the ladies sat there and smiled.
I enjoyed my time at TGIF and all the various personalities I observed. I was really affected by The Greeter and Mr. Preoccupied; they both lingered in my mind way after my observation of them was over. It bothered me that The Greeter still had to work at her age, far less at a job that required her to stand for hours at a time. Obviously, I do not know what her situation is, but it makes me sad. Even though she had a great attitude I can tell that she would rather be elsewhere. It made me review my finances for when I retire in hopes that I would have the choice of whether or not I want to work. I was also really affected by Mr. Preoccupied. His whole demeanor was depressing to me. I assumed by the way he played with his ring that he was having problems in his marriage. I really hoped everything worked out for him and I wondered if he made it safely to his destination, considering how rapidly he left.
I was a little worried when I first walked into the restaurant that I was not going to be able to observe enough to come up with the minimum amount needed for this paper. I was actually planning on visiting TGIF two days in a row, but after the first day I obtained a good amount of information. I enjoyed watching the diverse interactions and how people changed once they drank. That’s the most disconcerting part of this project, was to see how people changed once they had a few drinks in their system. That being said, I really enjoyed this project and I believe I am now more aware of individuals and how they behave in a certain environments – this being a casual dining restaurant.