Chapter 39: SURviving (Rachel's Reflections)

Published Jul 18, 2024, 4:00 AM

Rachel reflects on her first day working at SUR.

This is Rachel gos Rogue.

Welcome back to another episode of Rachel Goes Rope. This is your host, Rachel Savannah Levis, and today we're doing a new series. I'm gonna pull up some photos and dissect them one by one and dive a little bit deeper into my thought process and my inner workings of my mind during that time. And I would like to do this because I feel like the viewers of vander Pump Rules didn't really get to know me on a personal level all those years that I was on the show. Part of that reason is because I didn't open up too much until later on in the series. And then also another part of that reason is just the edit, and we didn't really dive deep. I wasn't like a full three D character, I feel like, so I would like to add some context. I've got my producers here with me today and We're going to look through my Instagram at some photos that I've shared during some really pivotal moments in my life and really dig deep into what exactly was going on during this time in my life and how those moments have shaped me into the person I am today. The first photo I want to talk about is from my first official day working at Sir And you can look at this photo on the Rachel Goes Rogue Instagram. You know what I'm talking about.

So, Rachel, this photo that you're talking about, do you remember taking it?

I do remember taking this photo. Guermo pulled me aside, and he's one of the owners of Sir Garma. Pulled me aside and took me out front and he's like, let's take a picture. And I was like, Okay, great, I'll just stand here and look cute.

So you've already told people out there that you weren't really aware of the show. You started dating somebody on the cast, you find yourself on this reality show, and now you're actually working at this restaurant. So were you excited to share that news or nervous or what were you feeling that day?

I was excited to share. I mean, yes, nervous working there for the first time because I never had like a waitressing job before. Before that point, I was working as a model and working in retail, and so it was definitely a new environment for working a new job description really, but yeah, I was excited to share the news because it was something that I was considering doing for a minute, then we made it happen.

And how exactly that came about because you're already are you already on the show at that point, and then take us to how you start working there?

Yes, so I joined season five of vanderpunk Rules. I started filming as James's girlfriend. And at this point we were doing a long distance relationship where I was going to school at Sonoma State and he was in la obviously. And then after two years of dating, we moved in together into our own place and I started filming more since I was able to film like all year round and not just in primary filming in the summertime. And I remember sitting down in my interview chair with Jeremiah, who is the executive producer. Jeremiah brought up the consopt of me joining the wait staff as sir. It would give me something to do in an extra way to make a little bit more money, because, let's be honest, your first few seasons on vander Pump you do not get paid very well. It's basically like volunteer work, literally like pay to play in a way, like I spent more money on my wardrobe than I received.

I think that's an important misconsern people probably have too. They think you get on a reality show and you're rolling in dough. But to your point, when you start out, you don't absolutely not take us back to that time. So those first two years were you dating all it was long distance for two years, and then you moved in together. Is that right?

Yes?

Okay, So now you're in LA and you have to sit down with Jeremiah, you know, going from that suggestion from Jeremiah to working what was going on in your life all the way around? Besides working there.

I graduated college with my degree in kinesiology, and that's the study of the body of movement, and I decided I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to pursue occupational therapy or not. I felt like I still needed to learn more about myself, and I was scared to commit to more schooling and make this huge commitment and then at the end that run be disappointed and not fulfilled in my career.

That moment, because that's a big deal for people, right, So this happened to me too. You think you know what you want to do, you go through school, and then all of a sudden, you're supposed to just love it and go sue a career. And then I think when and you correct me if I'm wrong, when that doesn't come to fruition like yours did and minded, and I'm sure millions of other people, you feel lost for a moment, right because you thought you knew it wanted.

Yeah, totally. There was an interview by where I said, like, im pageants, you have to choose a career and then pursue that. And I think the way that I worded it, maybe it didn't come across the way that I meant, but basically like you pretty much have to have like a career path when you do pageants. It's like what are you aspiring to? What are you working towards? And I knew I loved dance and I could see myself working with dancers as a physical therapist. So that's what I chose to pursue and wrote on my resume, and that's what I was working towards. But that's something that I chose pretty young, like as a teenager, and I think it's hard to really tell what you want to do for the rest of your life when you're so young. I felt like I needed to do some exploring and some searching of what really lit up my soul, and in the meantime I could live my life and get a paycheck for living my life. I felt like I cracked the code.

I think that's a very important statement because I think so many people go through what you are, and then you were presented with this opportunity. You didn't go seeking this opportunity. This opportunity kind of found you. You're still figuring out what you want to do. You're getting a paycheck, You're trying to do the best at it you can. So I think that's kind of an interesting point. All right, So now you graduated school, you have moved in with James into la you are part a little bit on the show, and now you're going to start working at sir. That wasn't the pandemic yet.

That was before the pandemic. So this was posted April twenty fifth, twenty nineteen, and the pandemic was a year later.

Basically got it okay, So tell us about the hiring. So Dermia suggests it, Now, what do you do? How do you get huted?

I mean I did get a little bit of special treatment because I was on the show already and it's very interesting because after I got hired, they had some meetings of like, hey, the show's coming around again. If you're interested in filming, and this is to like all the workers that work out SIR. If you're interested in filming, let us know, like fill out this form and we'll be in touch basically. So I thought that was very interesting because it seemed like each institution was recruiting from each other, like there's definitely a crossover there, and I think the intention was to make it more authentic. If you're working at SIR and interested in being on the show, then that would be like an easy mashup. But I don't know like what that process would be for the people that were interested, because not many people who actually worked at SIR were cast on the show. Even in season eight when they brought in Dana and Brett and Max. Max Boyan's was connected somehow through the restaurant chain, but Brett cap had no relation. Dana, I'm pretty sure had no relation. Charlie wasn't working at SIR at that time. Yeah, it was very interesting because like when I did work at SIR, I got to know the wait staff very well and we became friends, and none of those people were included in that. However, those people for the most part, did pick up jobs as well, like actual shifts.

Okay, but you were actually paid. You were paid as an employee. There is that correct?

Yeah? I was paid as an employee at SIR.

And then what was it like working with Sir? Because so sometimes the cameras would be there and sometimes they wouldn't when you were working, right, And so when you were working, was it the same when the cameras were there versus not.

No, it was very different when the cameras were there versus when they were not, and I was working. In fact, the show would ask me to not be scheduled the nights that I was filming at SIR, and it would become an issue. And this is more Dana's story to tell, but I remember with Dana like she really needed the work because the show is not paying her. And she was like, you're asking me to not actually work at SIR, but film at SIR, but you're not going to pay me, So how does that make sense? And it became an issue. I would try to not be scheduled on the nights that we were filming, and they'll usually give us a call time like the week of so you would have to like get somebody to cover you pretty last minute.

When the viewers watching television and we see the people servering, so are they really working there?

Like cast members that you see serving on camera are typically not working, like they're not clocked in to work that shift that night. They're not collecting their tips that night, if that makes sense. Basically, like when you are filming and your job description for filming the show is putting on a surer uniform and quote unquote working, you're not actually taking tables and taking orders legitimately and using your number in the POS system to put in the orders. They're there for the show, not for the restaurant jobs. So the extent of what we would do as workers at SIR while filming would be like running drinks to tables because we know the table numbers and if we were clocked in, we would just like help out in that way, so very minimal, so therefore we wouldn't get the tips that night.

The customers you're serving when you're on camera, are they real customers or are they extras versus when you're really working there and you're serving, because those are customers and bands. But when it's on camera. Are those people that you're waiting on are they customers or are they extras?

It's all real customers. Typically people travel out to West Hollywood and do like a Vanderpump crawl. So it's fans that will come in and hope that they get lucky, and they're there on a night that they're filming. And it's interesting too because when the fans do get lucky and they do come in on a night that we're filming, it's like a dinner and a show. They're literally like watching Lisa Vanderpumb walk through the restaurant and have a conversation with another cast member and they're just like eating and watching.

So in those nights too, they're getting their order taken by server A, and then suddenly a cast member could be delivering their drinks and then, like you said, they're watching somebody come through. So that that's quite you know, bonus for them right as a fan.

Yes, yes, absolutely, yeah. So basically it's b roll, which is scenes that you'll see inserted before or after a talking scene, and they'll have us like they'll follow us with a camera running drinks to tables or like checking in on a table and saying like, hey, my name is Raquel. I'll be your server tonight. Can I get you anything to drink? Or the special of the day is a pan roasted Chilean sea bass, and or like I recommend the goat cheese balls. And that would be just like an insert where you would approach a table and film that and then if they did order something, you would take that order to the server that was assigned that table for the server to input order.

And did everybody on the cast work at service.

At one point? At one point? So the premise of vander Put Rules is the drama that happens between the wait staff and like, you know, let's just say it how it is, Like it's it's a very ancestual environment where people are dating each other and then there's drama and then they're capturing that on camera. The premise is basically like these starving actors and actresses and models and people in the entertainment industry that are trying to make it in la who are working at a restaurant to make ends meet and to pay your bills so that you can be free for casting calls during the day. It started organically with the main cast members all working legitimately at this restaurant.

So then so did every one of the cast members, Laala, Tom did they work it Sir?

Okay, so Laala got passed later on. I wasn't there, so I don't know one hundred percent, but from what I hear, she didn't actually work as a hostess. They cast her as a hostess role because that's like minimal work for the job that needed to be done, so that prioritized her role on the show rather than actually working at Sir. But for everyone else, Tom Sandobal legitimately worked at Sir as a bartender, and Sheina did, also Arianna did, and some of these people were transferred over from Lisa's other restaurant over to Sir, and it was Villa Blanca at the time, but they were transferred over to add to the dynamic of the show. Katie and Stacy both worked there. I think that's why the show is so captivating at first, because it was truly organic from the beginning, but as the years went on, it became more and more produced and more and more curated.

Why was it important for you to actually work there?

Brittany actually worked there too at a certain point, and Jockson. I remember when I joined vander Pomp. I looked up to Brittany a lot. She came across very sweet. I felt like I could relate to her in that way because I was sweet too, And gosh, I already know, like I feel like people are gonna be apart for like, oh my god, how can you say you were sweet? You did this, this and this. But like, like, let's go back. This is before scan of all. This is before all this stuff happened. Okay, Like I remember Brittany like actually working at SIR. And at this time, most of the cast members who started season one and two weren't actually working at SIR. And then by the time I came around, I started working at SIR, and Brittany decided, you know, she didn't need to work at SIR anymore. And so I felt like I wouldn't be in integrity if I didn't actually work there. That's why it was important for me to actually take up two shifts a week and be on the schedule. And at that point, nobody else was.

Okay, So this is a funny thought. Do you still have your uniforms? I do from SIR.

I have several of them. I mean, if you've been following me for some time, you would know that I list some of my clothing to sell just to make more space in my closet. I saw it at a very discounted rate. But I was considering listing my sur uniforms, but I haven't done it yet. But yeah, I do still have them, but they're pretty worn out, like I've washed them many times, so like the sur foiling on the shirt, they get faded. I don't know if someone even wants it. Honestly, was working in a restaurant hard? It was?

It was?

It was very different. I had to do training. When I dedicate myself to something, I will absorb everything that I can, like a sponge, and so I did my very best. I think the most difficult part was memorizing the menu. But once you were able to memorize the menu and got it down and recommend certain things and describe the dishes with ingredients, it was fairly easy. But getting to that point was it had its challenges, like any job.

Well, you've also been very forthcoming with the fact that public speakings talking to people was kind of awkward. Do you for you did that? Is that something? Did that help you overcome.

Yes. Yes, it forced me to approach my tables obviously and introduce myself in a very confident way and kind of fake it till you make it. It was definitely challenging for me because I would be the person that would kind of avoid situations like that, well not avoid, but like I would prefer not to. They made me feel uncomfortable. I felt like it was a way for me to continue to push myself outside of my comfort zone.

What did you learn about yourself from that experience?

Well, I learned a lot about teamwork. I learned a lot about communication and communicating what I need, Especially in the summertime, it would get very very busy and we would be in the weeds. And you know, Peter actually was my manager, and Peter did work out, sir and maybe yeah, I think he's like the longest time standing cast member to actually work out, sir and to be cast on the show. But anyway, that's beside the point. I learned that when my manager is asking me if I need help, that means that they do have a free second to help you, and you should give them something to do off of your plate. That took me a little while to figure out, and I think I had to be in the weeds several times before I was like, Okay, how do I communicate what I need to this person so that they can help me effectively? And it would be things like, can you please close out the tables that I haven't gotten around to put the tip a mountain and close out their credit cards so that we can staple the receipt and put it with the rest of my receipts for the night. Or can you please go greet table five. I haven't gone around to greeting them yet, and they've been sitting there for about like five to seven minutes, and I'm still working on getting these other orders in.

Things like that, it's overall asking for help.

Right, yes, Yes, the overall asking for help was a huge takeaway for my experience working at SIR, and I'm so grateful that I've been able to have that experience because I feel like it has crossed over into my life, like real life interactions and also knowing that other people want to help you. For instance, like when I would clock in and it would be a really slow night and I felt like I wanted to do something. I realized that by giving them a job helping past the time for them, and before that I felt like I was a burden asking for help or asking for something, And so that's definitely helped shift my perspective on overall life as a whole, and especially too with pulling from my mental health experience and knowing that one of the pillars of codependency is being needless and wantless or not asking for your needs to be met or not knowing what your needs are are two ingredients that can make up for someone being a dysfunctional person. So learning about that, I've been able to pull from my experience working at SIR to really wrap my head around that concept as well.

Well. That sounds actually overall that your takeaway from really working at SIR was actually a pretty positive experience for you.

Absolutely, yeah, yeah, And it was fun. It was fun too, Like I got really close with the weight staff there, and Thursday nights in La are industry night, so after work a lot of people would want to go out afterwards and grab a drink.

So you just talked about all the good stuff and the friendships and the relationships that you were building with the actual staff. But was there any animosity because some of those people that were really working there weren't on the show. Was there special treatment from the management staff? And then was there any feeling of animosity for some of the other servers that maybe wanted to be on the show but.

Weren't, Not that I know of. But I feel like because I really pulled my own weight and I actually did do my time and clocked in my hours and dedicated myself to actually working, I think I earned the respect of my co workers where they didn't have some sort of like jealousy or animosity or yeah, I didn't get that vibe from them at all. I haven't thought about this in a while. I haven't thought about working at SIR in a while. I feel like I am very grateful for my experience at SIR because it has taught me like poor lessons in life that I'm able to take with me today. I learned a lot about work ethic and responsibility. I definitely prioritized having integrity with actually working there and not just posing and saying that I worked there when I actually didn't. I learned a lot of people's skills and communication and effective communication. I learned how to ask for help, and I also learned that people like being asked for help. I was kind of nervous to talk about this and bring this up on my podcast because ultimately I am trying to look forward and be in the present. But it was fun recalling these past memories and this experience because it was a core part of my life, and it's kind of fun pulling back the curtain a little bit and letting you guys see into the real logistics of how this show was created with working out sir, Thank you so much for listening to Rachel Goes Rogue. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for exclusive video content at Rachel Gohs Rogue Podcast