Notes: Originally written for Rivulet027 for the Power Rangers Universe Building Exchange. Having never worked in a pizza parlor, I had to extrapolate my experiences in the ice cream industry to this instead. I hope it translates well!
"Yeah," the customer is saying as Fran spies her coworkers running out the door to her left, "But do you have anything that doesn't have dough? It's just so unhealthy."
Fran ignores the inclination to roll her eyes. "I'll check with the chef," she promises, closing up her pad and heading over to the door.
She stands in front of it, hands out to either side as RJ comes skidding to a halt. "Oh no!" She says, shaking her head. "Not you too. Not today. Or do you want this pizza parlor to fold?"
RJ looks stricken. "Fran…"
Fran sighs. "Fine," she says, dropping her arms but not moving, "But if this is going to be a one woman show, I'm going to be making some changes around here," she warns, narrowing her eyes.
"You know we're sorry," RJ says, gently gripping her shoulders and scooting her to the side of the door, "But duty calls! Make whatever changes you want," he says, waving over his shoulder as he pulls the door open.
Fran huffs, and then RJ pauses, and sticks his head back through the door. Narrowing his eyes suspiciously, he says "But don't mess with the recipes!"
Fran cracks a grin, tosses her rag at him as he closes the door. She looks around at the half full pizza parlor with trepidation. Another day in the trenches, she thinks, sighing and getting to work.
Fran has stress dreams.
She's alone at JKP, and customers are demanding their food.
"I wanted my pizza without olives!" One shouts.
"Mine wasn't supposed to have any cheese!" Another adds.
"When can I get my refill?"
"I'm not tipping for service like this!"
"But what about my tomato-less sauce?"
Fran starts awake, opening her eyes in the darkness and jolting up a bit. She breathes deeply, reaching over her head to toggle on her small reading lamp.
"Not again," she mutters, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.
Hands on her knees, RJ's voice echoes in her head. "Make whatever changes you want," he'd said.
Well. So be it then.
She gets there bright and early, uses her key to let herself in. Upstairs RJ and the rangers are sound asleep still, so Fran sets to work measuring. By the time they get up and start prepping for the day, she has a whole list of things to do.
She spends the morning on the patio with her warm tea and her phone, making calls, while everyone else opens the shop.
Around 11, as she's hanging up the phone with the contractor, they all come rushing out.
"Fran!" Lily says, stopping and looking remorseful. "There's a monster down on the beach."
Fran waves a hand loftily over her head. "Go on then, get going! Duty calls!" She says with a small smirk.
This makes everyone stop. "Your being decidedly calm about this," Theo declares suspiciously, and then RJ comes billowing out the door and scoops up his trainees.
"Come on, no time to waste, acid breathing lizard in the bay," he says, shooing them away.
"Have fun kicking lizard butt!" Fran calls after them, and then she hangs the closed sign on the door and goes inside.
RJ won't approve of the dough maker.
The DoughXpress TLRDL-800 Triple Action Press for 12-20 inch pizza dough was slightly more expensive than she'd anticipated, but the delivery guy had made it fit in the space they had and it was already running nicely. Plus, it had a lifetime warranty.
It was one less thing she'd have to do in the kitchen when she was by herself.
They didn't have to use it all the time, of course. When everyone was working they could make dough the usual way. She also wasn't convinced it would taste as good as freshly thrown dough, but. Some sacrifices had to be made.
Next comes the delivery from the print shop.
"Alright, 2000 custom order forms, in the shape of a pizza slice," he says unloading the boxes, "And two storage racks. Sign here."
Fran signs, and after everything is loaded in she begins setting things up. She thinks, at least, RJ will approve of these. They have a very RJ feel to them.
Then she rearranges the dining room. She gets out the ladder and hangs the new sign explaining how to use the new order forms, moves the soda machine to the front room, uses the space it occupied in the kitchen to put her order form hanger, and turns on the oven.
Fran surveys her new kingdom and nods. She ties her apron, puts on her hat, unlocks the front door, and flips the sign to Open.
The others walk in halfway through the dinner rush.
"Oh," RJ says, looking around, "We must be in the wrong place. Excuse us."
He turns to leave, despite the others giggling, and Fran comes running out of the kitchen to stop him.
"RJ!" she calls from the kitchen, grinning. RJ turns, seems to realize he's in the right place, and then frowns. Fran comes out to see him.
"Hmmm," he says, considering the changes, "No, I'm sure. This isn't how I left this place this morning."
Fran grins. "Nope, it's better!"
Lily giggles, and Casey looks intrigued. "Oh really?" He asks, and Fran nods.
She pulls out the new order form. "I've completely eliminated the needs for waiters when you're not here," she tells them, handing them out, "See, customers fill out what they want on these slices, here's the checkbox for size, and I've added a salad to the menu-"
"You what?" RJ asks, raising his eyebrows. Fran ignores him.
"Drinks are now self serve, I ring the customers up as I'm preparing their food so their bill comes at the same time their food does, I reorganized the kitchen-"
"What about the kitchen needed reorganizing?" Theo wonders, and Casey grinningly smacks him upside the head.
"Wow, Fran," Lily says, impressed, "You did all this in a day?"
"Well, the ideas been formulating for a while," she admits, turning to admire the changes, "But if I'm going to be expected to do it all by myself while you're gone, I had to improvise."
"I…" RJ starts, and then he hems and haws a moment. "I am impressed," he says, grinning at Fran, "But I could have hired you an assistant."
Fran scoffs, rolls her eyes, "Right, because we want so many more people knowing your secrets."
"Woman's got a point," Casey says, inclining his head to RJ.
"Alright," RJ says, "I'm game for change. Change is good. It's healthy," he says, and then he's wandering off to the kitchen talking about change.
"I'm beat," Theo says, picking up his hat and apron, "How much longer til close?"
Fran grins, lifting her head. "You know, I'm fine," she says, rubbing her hands together, "Why don't you guys take the night off?"
All three of them raise their eyebrows.
Fran waggles a finger at them. "But don't get used to it!"
"I'm curious," RJ says as Fran comes into the kitchen behind the others, who traipse tiredly up the stairs, "Where you got the money for such extravagance." He indicated the dough maker.
Fran shrugs. "I memorized your credit card number."
"Ah," RJ says, amused, "That explains it."
"Don't worry," Fran says, coming over to place a consoling hand on his shoulder, "It's an investment. I've turned more tables tonight than I ever could by myself before."
"I suppose that is a plus side," RJ agrees.
Fran laughs, and then she grabs a dish towel and shoves it at him. "No rest for the wary!"
"Didn't you just give my team the night off?" RJ calls after her, but he doesn't complain about doing the dishes.
By the time they defeat Dai Shi, most of the regulars know Jungle Karma Pizza as "Fran's Place".
Business doesn't drop any with the self order and self serve philosophy, and if anything, it becomes even more popular with some of Fran's fellow bookworms who get anxious talking to people too much.
She's made such an impression on RJ's customers that it's with much pride that he finally promotes her to assistant manager.
"I'd make you a partner," he tells her as they have celebratory sodas, "But I think you have bigger things planned."
"Mmmm," Fran agrees, sipping her soda with a grin, "First Jungle Karma Pizza, then the world!"