Crowds of people squeeze in through the small entryway of Vine, a chinese and thai restaurant located on Broadway across from Columbia University.

While the hostess frantically tries to seat everyone at a clean table, a small high school girl presses her 5 feet 5 inch body against the glass door using all her energy to prop it open for incoming guests. Tired from being the doorman for about three long seconds, she and her group of girlfriends are called to be seated, giving a sigh of relief of hunger.

All waiters and waitresses weave between each other, focusing on their task to please the guests. Every black-uniformed waitperson seems to either come from the kitchen door, or the sushi bar located across the counter at the entrance of Vine, so when seated there, guests can look beyond the chefs and view the busy streets of New York.

The high school girls begin to chatter away at the round table while their waiter swerves around the ornamented walls and other rectangular tables to receive their orders. Shelves are filled with various sizes of traditional Japanese vases, while others are placed with identical wooden boats. Each wall is elaborately decorated with the same material. Bamboo. Bamboo barrels, bamboo paintings, and bamboo stalks contrast the chaotic atmosphere happening in the restaurant.

Sweet smells of chicken terriyaki and miso soups fill the air as the waiter begins to serve their orders.

“And the girl told Sarah about the thing and then--” one red haired girl excitedly stated.

“Remember the time when she sang to us?” another friend interrupted.

Everyone began talking over each other’s voices, leading to a roomful of hungry screamers.

Meanwhile, a foreign couple finished their Japanese dinner leaving the table with spots of soy sauce and puddles of water. The worker, with minute drips of sweat flowing down the sides of her face, quickly throws all silverware and dishes into her brown-colored water filled bin while wiping the table with a damp washcloth.

The party of five girls continue their jabber as they exit the restaurant each picking up one pack of green chocolate covered mints.

The hectic schedule proves not only the restaurant’s superb quality of food, but also their efficient preparation time.