A mid-thirties server who reenters the restaurant industry after a failed career struggles with fear, loathing, and life complacency whilst falling for a young, new employee, who tries to wake him from his slump.

SYNOPSIS:

For JORDY RUSSO, a series of unfavorable events, which transpires over the first week of summer, sets in motion his emotional downward spiral. It begins Sunday night with a problem party which shows up minutes before closing. His drunk manager along with the unruly kitchen staff decide to make things awkward and uncomfortable. To top it off, Jordy slices off the tip of his finger and has to go home.

Jordy wakes in his studio apartment, which is the bottom half of a raised ranch, where he lives with a quirky woman and her two young daughters. Bills are piling up, and Jordy’s bank account app discloses financial trouble. He counts his cash and realizes that he may not make rent the following week. On his way to Saturdays, he sees a billboard for his former company—a constant reminder of his past failures.

He returns to Saturdays to pick up his paycheck from his friend and restaurant manager, JEFF who informs him he had to fire the floor manager. In a fit of stress-induced hysteria, Jeff’s heart gives out and he dies in the restaurant before he can officially offer Jordy the floor manager position. But Jordy understands that as far as his luck goes, this is par for the course.

Jordy and the staff of Saturday’s return later in the week for their summer menu tasting. They learn that the general manager, DAVID KOPINSKI, of the restaurant group is there to discuss his overly rigid expectations as well as to announce he will be on-site indefinitely. Not only does this throw Jordy’s cushy lifestyle out of whack, but it also complicates things with added shifts and extended hours he is now forced to work. Head CHEF BOB introduces his unique, yet disturbing weekend specials that have the staff up in arms with having to sell them.

Jordy, having a hard time with funerals, shows up late to Jeff’s wake and learns from his widow that he was Jeff’s favorite employee. She reminds him how detrimental a long life in the restaurant industry can be. It’s something he’s known, but hearing it from Jeff’s wife put a new light on the subject.

The first busy Saturday in the season is underway, now missing two managers, and the staff is highly stressed. GABBY, the bartender contends with her lazy coworker, SANJAY, as well as having to deal with a difficult wine snob at her end of the bar. MAURICIO is hiding out in the bathroom on their phone dealing with a barrage of texts from their estranged husband. DARNEL shoots his mouth off all night in earshot of the patrons about how awful Saturdays is. Jordy, trying to keep it together is overwhelmed by his full section and the fact he keeps getting over sat by MORGAN, the hostess, who has no place to put guests. The new hostess, GEMMA arrives to train, and Jordy, now crushing, begins to feel a little better about the weeks’ horrible events. As the night progresses, Jordy’s saving grace under pressure is his in-the-moment fantasies and his relentless internal dialog which gets him through each day, but more importantly, through each shift. Envisioning stabbing a patron in the throat with a broken wine glass can definitely relieve some stress. After smashing a whole tray of wine glasses in front of the entire dining room, he is reminded, that no matter how hard he tries, things just don’t seem to work out in the end.

The shift ends, as Jordy cashes out and heads across the street to the local dive to meet up with his coworkers who are ripping shots. We’re introduced to the bar staff, RICKY, and OZZY, who are friends with the Saturday staff. Gabby and her sister, IZZY, confide in one another regarding Gabby’s infidelity and the soon-to-be problematic living situation with her boyfriend who may be on to her. Jordy officially meets Gemma and they have an electric conversation, hitting it off. At the end of the night when Jordy thinks he may have a chance to take things further after the bar, she is picked up by a guy in a truck, which she fails to mention is her boyfriend. It’s the final kick in the crotch after a long week of disappointment.

Jordy wakes the next morning to a call from Gabby, who wants to meet for brunch with some interesting news.