My First Day on the Job: The Philadelphia Burger Brawl

            As a chicken-etarian, (my own personal eating habit in which basically the only meat I eat is chicken) it would be expected that I would feel out of place at a burger competition. Not only were my eating habits not catered to, it was also my first day at my new internship.

            The event was The Philadelphia Burger Brawl, a competition between local restaurants to see who makes the best burger. There were two winners, one picked by judges such as Tony Luke, and one picked by guests who were given the opportunity to vote on their favorite burger. There were also awards for the best specialty cocktail. The proceeds are used to put new technology in Philadelphia schools. Gloss PR, the public relations firm I am interning with, helped run the event.

            I will admit, I was nervous. I had no idea where I was meeting my future coworkers or what I would be doing throughout the day. I didn’t even know if I was dressed appropriately (turns out I wasn’t, but more on that later.) Regardless, I took a deep breath and got out of the car. After a few seconds of aimlessly wandering around the venue, I miraculously stumbled upon my boss, who I had never met before. By chance, I heard her introduce herself to some important-looking people, and I waited around awkwardly for my chance to finally introduce myself. After the initial ice breaking, I was relieved. The awkward part is over, I thought to myself. Turns out, that wasn’t exactly the case.

            I was then instructed to follow the second-in-command, a recent college grad with a friendly disposition. For the next few minutes, I was basically following her around while she did important things, literally twirling my hair just to occupy myself. It’s not that she was being rude or unthoughtful, she just had more important duties than finding me a task at the moment. I completely understood, and therefore forced myself to push through the awkwardness with a smile on my face and my hair twirled around my fingers. This was right around the time when I noticed that all of the other workers were in jeans and white tops. I looked down, panicked, to become fully aware of my black pants and black and white chevron shirt. Great. Not only am I following around my bosses, blatantly out of place, I also stick out like someone wearing jeans at prom. Or in this case, black pants instead of jeans. Needless to say, at this point in time I wanted to run back over the Ben Franklin Bridge and into my bed.

            But just as things were looking bleak, I got an assignment. I was to work the registration table, checking in the VIPs and sponsors. I was led to the table and given instructions on how to sign in guests and where to direct them. This is more like it, I thought to myself.

            Before I knew it, the event was in full swing. I got the hang of it relatively quickly, learning new details along the way. Judges don’t have to check in, send general admission guests to the other table, I kept reminding myself. At this point, I really started to enjoy myself. It was a beautiful day, and I was surrounded by beautiful people in fabulous outfits. The crowd was very hip, classy, and cool. I couldn’t help but think that this was the type of event I would love to attend in a few years (and the kind of crowd I wouldn’t mind hanging out with.)

Guests filtering into the event.

             Even though it was my first day, the job perks were already evident. My registration tablemate, an outgoing restaurant worker with a larger-than-life personality, made me realize that. She seemed to know everyone walking in, hugging and kissing and joking with them. She had been with this crowd for years, and they liked her. So much in fact, that some people were even bringing her drinks. Suddenly, I realized that a lovely gentleman had dropped off two orange, fruity-looking shots. One for my tablemate, the other for me. I cannot say I wasn’t tempted. After all, it was a sunny spring day, Cinco de Mayo no less, and I was surrounded by lovely people and even lovelier cocktails. However, I know that drinking on the job, even when an important person offers it, is never appropriate. I gave my shot to my tablemate, who did not hesitate to take it. More power to her, but I was not about to drink on my first day on the job. I wouldn’t drink on any day of any job, for that matter.

            Soon it was time to start putting out the t-shirts, which guests would receive for free on their way out. As soon as I took out those shirts, I was the most popular girl at the party. People were coming up to me asking for prices, and once they found out they were free, they acted like kids on Christmas. They were asking for shirts in ridiculous quantities, as if they were some rare treasure.

            “One for my grandma, her florist, and all of my kids, even though you only have adult larges," was essentially the sentiment of these guests. But I figured, if all you need is a few free t-shirts to bring you joy, good for you. Just as my reign as most-popular-girl-at-the-party was ending, (aka when the t-shirts were running out), so was the event. I hung around for a little to wait for any more instructions. After moving a few chairs and boxes, I was free to go. My coworkers praised me for starting on such a hectic day and doing my job well, which was rewarding to say the least.

            I left The Philadelphia Burger Brawl feeling accomplished and inspired. I know you have to start somewhere, and if this was any indication of my future, I like where I’m heading.