There's Very Little Meat in These Gym Mats: The Restaurant Industry Thread

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > There's Very Little Meat in These Gym Mats: The Restaurant Industry Thread

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Kenning: Jan 11, 2009; I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.

bunnyofdoom posted:

Me too! But only in the bedroom! (Cause I am pathetically single).

Is it bad that everyone who I talk to asks me why I am not/ no longer a chef?

Practice your thousand yard stare.

# ? Mar 1, 2014 10:44

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# ? May 10, 2024 06:06

Skinny King Pimp: Aug 25, 2011; Skinny Queen Wimp

bunnyofdoom posted:

Me too! But only in the bedroom! (Cause I am pathetically single).

Is it bad that everyone who I talk to asks me why I am not/ no longer a chef?

I assume you don't talk to anyone who is/was in the industry, haha. Also, I just show them my gnarled hand from being told to shuck oysters (that like to shatter and are really hard to get into the hinge) really fast, never having done it before, and mention health insurance and vacation days.

I would mention the health of my liver, but I'm starting grad school in the fall, so obviously I'm just planning on trading out for a new one once I hit 45.

# ? Mar 1, 2014 12:28

kaitline: Sep 17, 2006; glub glub

Have any of you ever been taken off the schedule after attempting to put notice in? I haven't put in my notice yet, but I'm very concerned.

I have been an assistant manager on salary for a year, and worked as a server/bartender/shift manager for 2 years prior to that. When I was made rear end-man a new GM was appointed and I have loathed her from day 1. She delegates all of her duties away,is extremely unprofessional, makes all decisions based on feelings, and takes everything personally. The owner spent some time as the GM before that, and used to be very involved in the day to day operations. After the new GM was appointed, he never showed his face much. I had weekly meetings with the owner and gave him honest feedback on the GM, and he urged me to try to get along with her, learn how to "manage" her, convince her that my ideas are hers,etc.

Although she hand picked me, she starts complaining about my performance, mainly because I butt heads with her. For example, she "banned" me from the bar, because I was comfortable there. Not drinking at the bar or hanging out there, but spending time during my management shifts assisting or talking to the bartenders.I was also banned from talking to regulars. She told me that she only wants me speaking to people in the restaurant for the first time. I find out later she has asked other employees for details on regulars so that she can lie to the owner and act as if she speaks to guests at the restaurant. I have seen her speak to a guest about 3 times in the year I have worked with her, she avoids it at all cost.

My restaurant is a >100 seat farm-to-table concept, but the restaurant group is expanding, with two new restaurants opening at the end of the year. The owner makes it clear that he considers it automatic that I will be a GM, and even asks me which restaurant I want. This gets to the GM and makes her feel threatened, and I believe she starts to make up stories of me being incompetent or weak. One day she is yelling at me, and as usual I'm not reacting much. I think back to the owner telling me to do what it takes to get along with her, so I give her what she wants: I begin to cry. I think of dead pets, getting broken up with, whatever it takes until I feel tears strolling down my cheeks. I start to blubber something about my parents never being there for me or some bullshit. She has a weakness for young people with bad parents, if you give her a parent story any lateness or rule breaking usually gets hand-waved. Its well known and the staff makes jokes about it. I also blubbered out that I didn't want to be a GM. And it was true! I missed bartending, I missed making money and having fun with guests and only working 40 hours a week.

Ever since that day, her attitude completely changed towards me. I could bend rules and she doted on me. She decided that I needed time to work on training(including for the restaurants that are not open yet) and started scheduling me for 2-3 "office" shifts a week. However it is made clear that I am no longer being set up for a GM position, but "Training Manager". No pay raise. For a few months it reignited my interest in my job, but that quickly waned. I told her about my passion for the bar aspect of restaurants, and how I wanted to start studying for some sort of somm certification. I was told that was a waste of time because the restaurant group would have a beverage director. I am off schedule with my training goals because she keeps asking me to test over more information. A vegetable test, a coffee test, a non alcoholic beverage test,etc.. There are so many tests I would have to give three or four tests each day of training. I have tried it out on some new servers, and it is too much for anyone.

My former GM at a previous restaurant has been coming in to visit me at work and is telling me about the really cool coffeeshop/bar he is building downtown. Eventually I realize he is trying to poach me without asking outright. I have a series of meetings with all the owners, and they hire me on. They know it will be ready to open soon, but can't guarantee a date. The end of march is the ideal, but I have been told that there is no way it will take longer than the end of April.

So, how do I put my notice in? I want to be professional and give a month of notice, but I also don't want to be treated like the enemy, or just taken off the schedule. One of the main reasons I'm leaving is how people get treated. People that leave are usually treated as traitors and taken off the schedule as soon as possible.
I do also want to meet with the owner and tell him of a few behaviors I think he would like to know:
1. Her niece works as a hostess and is above the law. She spends most of her shift in the kitchen harrassing the cooks to give her free snacks. When she is late the GM usually calls in on her behalf. When another hostess goes out to a bar with her an mentions having a crush on the same server, the poor hostess's hours get cut suspiciously..
2. Once she taunted a former sous by showing him that one of the buss boys made more tips than the sous's salary.
3. Servers and bartenders get on her "poo poo list" for little to no reason and are passively aggressively punished. Once a bartender did not reply when the GM walked in and said hello. It was brunch and the bartender was making about 12 bloody marys at once. All day I have to hear, "Does she know who I am? I'm the GM, I could FIRE her for that!" and for weeks afterward the bartender is accused of being a weak link, getting drunk all the time, coming in to work "looking like poo poo". Needless to say, none of this was true.
4. Sometimes the best servers get on the "poo poo list" and I am forced to either put someone weak in a hard section, or to get pulled off the floor and get a lecture for up to an hour(during peak business!) about how server X is a piece of poo poo and does not deserve to make money. Sometimes she then also insinuates that she thinks they are a drug addict. One of the frequent victims of this claim is a smart,perky mother of a nursing baby.
5. She refused to help me get former employees their W2s that did not make it to them. She told me, "I don't care if they get to do their taxes, they left the company and are a drug addict." I secretly visited the company accountant who actually helped me, and said, "You didn't need to come all the way to my office, I told GM exactly what to do with these days ago."
Also other things, but this post is getting too long. Sorry for being so longwinded, most people I know have been telling me to quit this job for months and don't want to hear about it anymore. Thanks for listenening.

# ? Mar 1, 2014 21:31

Willie Tomg: Feb 2, 2006

kaitline posted:

Have any of you ever been taken off the schedule after attempting to put notice in? I haven't put in my notice yet, but I'm very concerned.

I've worked in some primo grade A shitheaps and while I've heard some things from friends of friends, IME schedule fuckery is more a passive-aggressive way of shooing an employee out the door without laying them off and *gasp* maybe paying some unemployment maybe.

If you're the kind of responsible where you give notice before leaving, and the kind of skilled where you get poached by prior employers, generally the logistics of replacing you on the schedule are gonna be pretty dicey without a new hire waiting in the wings anyway.

quote:

So, how do I put my notice in? I want to be professional and give a month of notice, but I also don't want to be treated like the enemy, or just taken off the schedule.

"Hey boss, got a minute? I've been offered a position at this great new place opening up in April and lately I've been thinking its time for me to move on. Consider this my notice, I'll get it to you in writing at such a point if you want blah blah." Its that easy.

If pressed for specifics when having the mirror of this conversation with the owner then obliquely mention some friction with the GM and how you really thought you were going to get some advancment. If pressed further, then get into particulars but absofuckingloutely not until then. The owner hired that GM, the owner clearly trusts that GM, and entrepreneurs who are dissatisfied with their businesses tend to make it known so he clearly does not share your value judgments of her. If losing you is such a blow that the owner is burning to know what went wrong then you'll get a chance to say your piece, if not then not and best of luck in your future endeavors.

quote:

One of the main reasons I'm leaving is how people get treated. People that leave are usually treated as traitors and taken off the schedule as soon as possible.
I do also want to meet with the owner and tell him of a few behaviors I think he would like to know:
1. Her niece works as a hostess and is above the law. She spends most of her shift in the kitchen harrassing the cooks to give her free snacks. When she is late the GM usually calls in on her behalf. When another hostess goes out to a bar with her an mentions having a crush on the same server, the poor hostess's hours get cut suspiciously..
2. Once she taunted a former sous by showing him that one of the buss boys made more tips than the sous's salary.
3. Servers and bartenders get on her "poo poo list" for little to no reason and are passively aggressively punished. Once a bartender did not reply when the GM walked in and said hello. It was brunch and the bartender was making about 12 bloody marys at once. All day I have to hear, "Does she know who I am? I'm the GM, I could FIRE her for that!" and for weeks afterward the bartender is accused of being a weak link, getting drunk all the time, coming in to work "looking like poo poo". Needless to say, none of this was true.
4. Sometimes the best servers get on the "poo poo list" and I am forced to either put someone weak in a hard section, or to get pulled off the floor and get a lecture for up to an hour(during peak business!) about how server X is a piece of poo poo and does not deserve to make money. Sometimes she then also insinuates that she thinks they are a drug addict. One of the frequent victims of this claim is a smart,perky mother of a nursing baby.
5. She refused to help me get former employees their W2s that did not make it to them. She told me, "I don't care if they get to do their taxes, they left the company and are a drug addict." I secretly visited the company accountant who actually helped me, and said, "You didn't need to come all the way to my office, I told GM exactly what to do with these days ago."
Also other things, but this post is getting too long. Sorry for being so longwinded, most people I know have been telling me to quit this job for months and don't want to hear about it anymore. Thanks for listenening.

yeah heres a surprisingly comprehensive list of things you should not say unprompted when giving notice, anywhere, ever

I feel you so hard about a restaurant you like, and like working at, turning into a circular firing squad because of managerial incompetence imported from eldritch angles, but you gotta get real about the fact that the owner is 100% cool with that behavior as exhibited by the fact that she got the GM position and you did not and even if he isn't, frontloading your spiel with OMG GM'S poo poo IS WEAK AS gently caress AND HERES WHY is the exact thing that makes you the bad guy, especially if you're planning on hanging around for another month.

e; vvvvvv And yeah, what this person below said too, 100%

Willie Tomg fucked around with this message at 00:42 on Mar 2, 2014

# ? Mar 1, 2014 22:51

Sir Spaniard: Nov 9, 2009

Give notice to owner directly if you're so close, and see what happens. If you're as close as it sounds, he may force her to not react (at least openly). And even if she does, it's only a few weeks.

# ? Mar 1, 2014 23:56

brick cow: Oct 22, 2008

And a month is too long to give notice. Hostilities will fester and you'll be treated like poo poo the last couple weeks.

Only give two weeks.

e: i amend that, if you are pretty close to the owner and you don't fear reprisal from him then a month is fine. But it doesn't sound like that is this situation.

brick cow fucked around with this message at 02:58 on Mar 2, 2014

# ? Mar 2, 2014 02:12

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

kaitline posted:

Have any of you ever been taken off the schedule after attempting to put notice in? I haven't put in my notice yet, but I'm very concerned.

Yeah, two weeks ago. Went from the only overnight baker they've ever kept more than six months to 'your last night's tonight, give us your keys and gas card'. Give two weeks, expect none of it, and check your local labor laws on when they're required to give you your last paycheck. A quiet inquiry about the company policy on paying unused PTO is a good idea before giving notice as well.

Hilariously, I've been chatting with my ex-customers now that I can hang out in their coffee house without it being a conflict of interest, and apparently the bakery hired a new girl, gave her 3 days' training, and set her loose on my old schedule alone. It is not going well, and I am smug as gently caress.

Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 06:27 on Mar 2, 2014

# ? Mar 2, 2014 06:21

kaitline: Sep 17, 2006; glub glub

Update:
The GM is currently on vacation and the owner has scheduled a meeting with all the managers that the GM will not know about. The head chef has heavily implied that it will be some sort of a request for feedback on her. I think I still want to quit,even if she gets fired :/

The owner and I are fairly close, he has taken me on an all expenses paid trip to NOLA for tales of the cocktail (GM is very jealous and still brings it up when she is mad at me.) Once the GM was complaining to him that I had to cancel a meeting on her because my dryer at home exploded and I had to run to the laundromat; the owner then had a new dryer sent to my house as a surprise. He is a really great person, but there have been a lot of times I have warned him about things or asked him for permission to act on something and he did not listen. I'm conflicted, but ultimately think I'm ready to move on.

# ? Mar 2, 2014 20:14

MAKE NO BABBYS: Jan 28, 2010

Why do you feel such loyalty to someone who is so incompetent and lovely at their job? Even if you like the owners, they hired her and continue to allow it to happen. gently caress them and don't give her notice. Wait until a week before, tell her you quit and she will demand your keys and throw a tantrum, enjoy your few days of vacation before starting the new place. Document all the bullshit in the mean time and prepare a DoL complaint if poo poo gets more sideways on you. A months notice? Pffffft.

# ? Mar 3, 2014 00:10

Willie Tomg: Feb 2, 2006

You know who else was loyal?

thaaaaaaaats right!

# ? Mar 3, 2014 00:34

bongwizzard: May 19, 2005; Then one day I meet a man,
He came to me and said,
"Hard work good and hard work fine,
but first take care of head"; Grimey Drawer

I don't know, a random gift of a dryer is kinda nice, if weird. Even weirder if you are not close enough to just talk to the dude.

# ? Mar 3, 2014 03:01

GigaFool: Oct 22, 2001

I couldn't have been more loyal to my boss; he trained me, gave me consistent raises, and helped turn my life around. When my opportunity to move on came, I gave my two weeks notice and he wished me luck. This is your life, not theirs.

# ? Mar 3, 2014 05:19

Naelyan: Jul 21, 2007; Fun Shoe

GigaFool posted:

I couldn't have been more loyal to my boss; he trained me, gave me consistent raises, and helped turn my life around. When my opportunity to move on came, I gave my two weeks notice and he wished me luck. This is your life, not theirs.

This. It's been stated in this thread again and again, and it's especially hard in this industry because a lot of us are loyal to a fault even when we shouldn't be. Any successful business is always going to put the business ahead of an employee - their main concern is doing what is best for the business. Yeah, they might give you a raise or training or responsibility or gifts or whatever - all of that is, at the end of the line, good for the business. That means that in order for someone to be looking after you, when all is said and done, YOU have to look out for you. If the best decision for you is to find something new, any actual decent employer/manager/owner/whatever will understand. If they get lovely about it, then they weren't actually as caring as you thought they were.

# ? Mar 3, 2014 06:51

Plan Z: May 6, 2012

Liquid Communism posted:

Yeah, two weeks ago. Went from the only overnight baker they've ever kept more than six months to 'your last night's tonight, give us your keys and gas card'. Give two weeks, expect none of it, and check your local labor laws on when they're required to give you your last paycheck. A quiet inquiry about the company policy on paying unused PTO is a good idea before giving notice as well.

Hilariously, I've been chatting with my ex-customers now that I can hang out in their coffee house without it being a conflict of interest, and apparently the bakery hired a new girl, gave her 3 days' training, and set her loose on my old schedule alone. It is not going well, and I am smug as gently caress.

I hit this. I had a breakfast job at a large hotel where I was taking amphetamines just to keep up with it. Apparently, they've got 3 people doing what I did now, and they're constantly having people quit. Before that, another restaurant, I and about five other guys quit because although everyone loved the chef, he wasn't worth us working ridiculous hours for below-average pay.

I got the talk for a while from my parents: "Keep it up. It'll pay off. It was a mistake to quit." They've both worked jobs with security and benefits and eight hour days and mandatory breaks (Dad once told me to say "screw you, I'm taking my break" to the chef, which is when I gave up on them) all their lives. I've pretty much figured that I need to find my place and earn it. If it's not going to happen, I just do what I can to get another reference. I'm currently working something of my own, and have been loving it. I did so well last season, that I could take some months off and do volunteer work and start an actual healthy relationship with a person.

I've seen how easily I almost got trapped, and how many cooks do. If I can get some help with my business, I'll pay them as much as I can, but only as much as I can, even for what's quite a lot of work. I just promised myself that I'll be honest with anyone who works for or with me.

Plan Z fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Mar 3, 2014

# ? Mar 3, 2014 08:05

Alobar: Jun 21, 2011; Are you proud of me?

Are you proud of what I do?

I'll try to be a better man than the one that you knew.

Don't get stockholm syndrome.

....the gently caress is a "vacation"?...

# ? Mar 3, 2014 22:50

Chef De Cuisinart: Oct 31, 2010; Brandy does in fact, in my experience, contribute to Getting Down.

I'm on paid vacation right now. :woop:

# ? Mar 3, 2014 23:20

zerocrash: Apr 14, 2009

Finally moved to day shift after 6 months. I am so happy.

# ? Mar 3, 2014 23:25

Alien Arcana: Feb 14, 2012; You're related to soup, Admiral.

Alobar posted:

....the gently caress is a "vacation"?...

A Spanish cow with an extra electron.

# ? Mar 4, 2014 21:38

BuckFitches: Mar 3, 2014

kaitline posted:

Have any of you ever been taken off the schedule after attempting to put notice in? I haven't put in my notice yet, but I'm very concerned.

It honestly depends. I worked in the back of a cracker barrel for 3 months. I say worked in the back because i never really knew what my job title was, i was a dish guy but then was forced into cleaning bathrooms. Anyway i personally got laid off when i wrote in the book i would be unavailable for a week.

BUT if they are gonna cut you as soon as they can for any reason. there are a few warning signs.

1. they cut your hours to insane levels. (mine were cut from 30 hours a week to 3. in one hour increments 3 days a week.)
2. trying to convince you to go part time. (i was convinced that i could go form 30 hours to 25 if i went part, which i took for schooling reasons, and then was instantly put on the three hours list)
3. ask you to leave home early. (i was frequently told to go home early before the part time thing, mostly due to new dishwashers takeing up slots, but it was always me

if any of the above happen, then your SOL my friend.

but maybe not, your place doesn't sound like a dump. but they usually go for the same ER people every drat time. my buddy who worked at a steakhouse got the same shaft i did.

# ? Mar 4, 2014 22:50

Wroughtirony: May 14, 2007

Alien Arcana posted:

A Spanish cow with an extra electron.

That was way funnier than it had any right to be.

# ? Mar 4, 2014 22:55

BuckFitches: Mar 3, 2014

But honestly i enjoyed my time otherwise, taught me that opening level jobs are you being the poo poo off of someones boot.

good bit of humility for a teenager to hear.

BuckFitches fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Mar 4, 2014

# ? Mar 4, 2014 22:57

Kenning: Jan 11, 2009; I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.

Wroughtirony posted:

That was way funnier than it had any right to be.

Yeah I was pretty impressed too.

# ? Mar 4, 2014 23:40

ohemgee: Jun 24, 2006; drink to bones that turn to dust

BuckFitches posted:

I say worked in the back because i never really knew what my job title was, i was a dish guy but then was forced into cleaning bathrooms.

oh hey, cb employee here. checking the restrooms is actually a host duty, but if there are no male hosts available they'll send someone from dishpit to do it.

that's also some of the most passive aggressive scheduling i have ever heard of, jeez.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 05:32

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

Welp, just finished packing up my whites and checks for storage. Signed an offer Friday to go back to datacenter operations for double what I was making in the bakery. What is it with the food business and IT, anyway?

I'm going to miss it a little, but having health/dental/401k and paid vacation time will make up for it. :p

# ? Mar 5, 2014 15:17

Black August: Sep 28, 2003

Decided today I'm going to push hard for server, since I can tell I'm being hosed with, and save up some money until the start of Fall, and then I'm outta here and off to Portland for a new start (of doing the same thing, just not in miserable loving Puritan MA).

Am I the only one who takes too much joy in the stupid little inside jokes endlessly repeated on the line and at the windows that every place seems to have one or two of? I can yell "TZATZIKI SAUCE, I NEED EXTRA TZATZIKI SAUCE" and watch like 2 people break out into stupid giggles and it just never gets old and nobody else understands or could.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 16:20

Cercies: Dec 3, 2010; Living the dream

What is the minimum you all would take a salary position for in your restaurants?

I just got offered $27,500 at my job to move to salary and I said that is way too low to work the 60+ hours a week. My chef is trying to trade on her b-list star chef credentials to underpay on the position. They laughed at me and said I wanted too much at $30,000. I said I will just stay at hourly, and I already have a position with one of the top rated restaurants in the country next door that I will move in to in two months after I finish up my culinary degree.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 17:45

Black August: Sep 28, 2003

Cercies posted:

What is the minimum you all would take a salary position for in your restaurants? I just got offered $27,500

What hosed up reality do they live in where that's a liveable wage?

# ? Mar 5, 2014 17:56

The Midniter: Jul 9, 2001

Black August posted:

What hosed up reality do they live in where that's a liveable wage?

But don't you see, s/he should be grateful for the opportunity coming from the Job Creator making the offer. $30,000 would be a princely sum!!

# ? Mar 5, 2014 18:05

No Wave: Sep 18, 2005; HA! HA! NICE! WHAT A TOOL!

Cercies posted:

What is the minimum you all would take a salary position for in your restaurants?

I just got offered $27,500 at my job to move to salary and I said that is way too low to work the 60+ hours a week. My chef is trying to trade on her b-list star chef credentials to underpay on the position. They laughed at me and said I wanted too much at $30,000. I said I will just stay at hourly, and I already have a position with one of the top rated restaurants in the country next door that I will move in to in two months after I finish up my culinary degree.

Don't take salary unless it's mandatory, it further misaligns your incentives especially in the restaurant business, which inevitably leads to frustration even without factoring in the lower income

Also, they wouldn't be offering it to you unless it was saving them money

# ? Mar 5, 2014 18:33

brick cow: Oct 22, 2008

Cercies posted:

What is the minimum you all would take a salary position for in your restaurants?

I just got offered $27,500 at my job to move to salary and I said that is way too low to work the 60+ hours a week. My chef is trying to trade on her b-list star chef credentials to underpay on the position. They laughed at me and said I wanted too much at $30,000. I said I will just stay at hourly, and I already have a position with one of the top rated restaurants in the country next door that I will move in to in two months after I finish up my culinary degree.

Last salaried job I had I was making 37k as an assistant manager at Pizza Slut. And I felt under paid and almost like an indentured servant. So, there's a my frame of reference.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 22:07

pr0k: Jan 16, 2001; "Well if it's gonna be
that kind of party..."

Way back in the stone age, I was working broiler at a ponderosa. Dickhead manager decides to boil out one of the two fryers during dinner service. I tell him - "that is your fryer - I am NOT watching it." He says no problem. Ten minutes later he turns his back and it boils over into my in-service fryer right next to it.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 23:05

Liquid Communism: Mar 9, 2004; Out here, everything hurts.

brick cow posted:

Last salaried job I had I was making 37k as an assistant manager at Pizza Slut. And I felt under paid and almost like an indentured servant. So, there's a my frame of reference.

Always just do the math. Figure 'If I work 60 hours a week, what does this make my hourly?'. No matter what they tell you, if you're on staff and OT exampt, you're going to be at or near 60.

# ? Mar 5, 2014 23:48

brick cow: Oct 22, 2008

I technically got overtime but it was chinese overtime , so it wasn't that great. The only reason I agreed to it was because I was waiting for a brand new store to be built for me to take over. Then drama-poo poo happened which isn't related to money but just how lovely pizza hut treats it's employees and I ended up walking out before my store was built. (And that particular one never ended up being built.)

On topic. 37k is what assistant managers can make at a lovely corp fast food place, if you're in a good restaurant your time should be worth a lot more than 27k.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 00:38

No Wave: Sep 18, 2005; HA! HA! NICE! WHAT A TOOL!

brick cow posted:

I technically got overtime but it was chinese overtime , so it wasn't that great. The only reason I agreed to it was because I was waiting for a brand new store to be built for me to take over. Then drama-poo poo happened which isn't related to money but just how lovely pizza hut treats it's employees and I ended up walking out before my store was built. (And that particular one never ended up being built.)

On topic. 37k is what assistant managers can make at a lovely corp fast food place, if you're in a good restaurant your time should be worth a lot more than 27k.

The sad heuristic of the culinary world: really good restaurants pay less than profitable bad/mediocre ones. There are exceptions, but that's the general trend.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 00:46

Uncle Lizard: Sep 28, 2012; by Athanatos

The general rule I've been told to abide by is no less than 35k with benefits for no more than 50 hr a week.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 00:48

Action George: Apr 13, 2013

brick cow posted:

On topic. 37k is what assistant managers can make at a lovely corp fast food place, if you're in a good restaurant your time should be worth a lot more than 27k.

If you get into a decently profitable one it's actually more than that. The Applebee's I worked at salaried managers started at basically 50k once you factored in bonuses. Not that I would ever recommend going that route, but if someone is offering you only 27k for a spot you either better really love the job or the chef better be so good/famous that it's understood that within 2-3 years you're going to get poached for a head chef position that pays 3-4 times as much.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 02:36

Kenning: Jan 11, 2009; I really want to post goatse. Instead I only have these🍄.

Your employer is still obligated to pay you overtime, even if you're salaried, unless your primary duty is managing other employees, rather than producing a product or performing a service. I know restaurants have gotten good at convincing people salary = no overtime ever again, but it's a lie.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 03:44

breadingbutter: Dec 28, 2013; by Ralp

kaitline posted:

Have any of you ever been taken off the schedule after attempting to put notice in? I haven't put in my notice yet, but I'm very concerned.

I have been an assistant manager on salary for a year, and worked as a server/bartender/shift manager for 2 years prior to that. When I was made rear end-man a new GM was appointed and I have loathed her from day 1. She delegates all of her duties away,is extremely unprofessional, makes all decisions based on feelings, and takes everything personally. The owner spent some time as the GM before that, and used to be very involved in the day to day operations. After the new GM was appointed, he never showed his face much. I had weekly meetings with the owner and gave him honest feedback on the GM, and he urged me to try to get along with her, learn how to "manage" her, convince her that my ideas are hers,etc.

Although she hand picked me, she starts complaining about my performance, mainly because I butt heads with her. For example, she "banned" me from the bar, because I was comfortable there. Not drinking at the bar or hanging out there, but spending time during my management shifts assisting or talking to the bartenders.I was also banned from talking to regulars. She told me that she only wants me speaking to people in the restaurant for the first time. I find out later she has asked other employees for details on regulars so that she can lie to the owner and act as if she speaks to guests at the restaurant. I have seen her speak to a guest about 3 times in the year I have worked with her, she avoids it at all cost.

My restaurant is a >100 seat farm-to-table concept, but the restaurant group is expanding, with two new restaurants opening at the end of the year. The owner makes it clear that he considers it automatic that I will be a GM, and even asks me which restaurant I want. This gets to the GM and makes her feel threatened, and I believe she starts to make up stories of me being incompetent or weak. One day she is yelling at me, and as usual I'm not reacting much. I think back to the owner telling me to do what it takes to get along with her, so I give her what she wants: I begin to cry. I think of dead pets, getting broken up with, whatever it takes until I feel tears strolling down my cheeks. I start to blubber something about my parents never being there for me or some bullshit. She has a weakness for young people with bad parents, if you give her a parent story any lateness or rule breaking usually gets hand-waved. Its well known and the staff makes jokes about it. I also blubbered out that I didn't want to be a GM. And it was true! I missed bartending, I missed making money and having fun with guests and only working 40 hours a week.

Ever since that day, her attitude completely changed towards me. I could bend rules and she doted on me. She decided that I needed time to work on training(including for the restaurants that are not open yet) and started scheduling me for 2-3 "office" shifts a week. However it is made clear that I am no longer being set up for a GM position, but "Training Manager". No pay raise. For a few months it reignited my interest in my job, but that quickly waned. I told her about my passion for the bar aspect of restaurants, and how I wanted to start studying for some sort of somm certification. I was told that was a waste of time because the restaurant group would have a beverage director. I am off schedule with my training goals because she keeps asking me to test over more information. A vegetable test, a coffee test, a non alcoholic beverage test,etc.. There are so many tests I would have to give three or four tests each day of training. I have tried it out on some new servers, and it is too much for anyone.

My former GM at a previous restaurant has been coming in to visit me at work and is telling me about the really cool coffeeshop/bar he is building downtown. Eventually I realize he is trying to poach me without asking outright. I have a series of meetings with all the owners, and they hire me on. They know it will be ready to open soon, but can't guarantee a date. The end of march is the ideal, but I have been told that there is no way it will take longer than the end of April.

So, how do I put my notice in? I want to be professional and give a month of notice, but I also don't want to be treated like the enemy, or just taken off the schedule. One of the main reasons I'm leaving is how people get treated. People that leave are usually treated as traitors and taken off the schedule as soon as possible.
I do also want to meet with the owner and tell him of a few behaviors I think he would like to know:
1. Her niece works as a hostess and is above the law. She spends most of her shift in the kitchen harrassing the cooks to give her free snacks. When she is late the GM usually calls in on her behalf. When another hostess goes out to a bar with her an mentions having a crush on the same server, the poor hostess's hours get cut suspiciously..
2. Once she taunted a former sous by showing him that one of the buss boys made more tips than the sous's salary.
3. Servers and bartenders get on her "poo poo list" for little to no reason and are passively aggressively punished. Once a bartender did not reply when the GM walked in and said hello. It was brunch and the bartender was making about 12 bloody marys at once. All day I have to hear, "Does she know who I am? I'm the GM, I could FIRE her for that!" and for weeks afterward the bartender is accused of being a weak link, getting drunk all the time, coming in to work "looking like poo poo". Needless to say, none of this was true.
4. Sometimes the best servers get on the "poo poo list" and I am forced to either put someone weak in a hard section, or to get pulled off the floor and get a lecture for up to an hour(during peak business!) about how server X is a piece of poo poo and does not deserve to make money. Sometimes she then also insinuates that she thinks they are a drug addict. One of the frequent victims of this claim is a smart,perky mother of a nursing baby.
5. She refused to help me get former employees their W2s that did not make it to them. She told me, "I don't care if they get to do their taxes, they left the company and are a drug addict." I secretly visited the company accountant who actually helped me, and said, "You didn't need to come all the way to my office, I told GM exactly what to do with these days ago."
Also other things, but this post is getting too long. Sorry for being so longwinded, most people I know have been telling me to quit this job for months and don't want to hear about it anymore. Thanks for listenening.

ok i read this and obviously: whatever you do, make sure the problem manager is out of the loop. file a report with HR (since the company is expanding I assume that they have a central office to handle hire-status'). talk with your owner about moving on, what your goals are, and what the problem is , and if you put in an ultimatum ("i'll be leaving the company in 2 weeks") with chance to move or rehire. this will get her noticed and if your leaving helps the company by leaving a strike against her, would that be the right thing to do?

it sounds like you're in a fairly new company, so hire-load shouldn't be too much of a problem for a competant office. just remember to be patient, think things through, and remember that you have value and options. i hope everything works out for you, stranger

# ? Mar 6, 2014 11:51

breadingbutter: Dec 28, 2013; by Ralp

personal update - well i ran a few computer simulations and found out how to boost my productivity in the dishpit substantially. i know i'm making the house money, and i've kept my mouth shut for these months, listening to the cooks mouth off and biding my time. new restaurants have been casting lines, looking for this talented dishwasher (more skills are more important to me than a $1/hour raise).
almost 2 months after my 6-month review (no advancement) i am left with no choice but to offer a notice of self-termination of employed status. i have already applied for transfer or rehire. i am being as kind as possible and doing this during a slow season and offering to train a replacement.

at best i will be working pantry during the summer and increasing my skills, at worst i'll be drawing unemployment.

a pretty wordy "eff you" but an "eff you" nonetheless.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 12:13

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# ? May 10, 2024 06:06

Action George: Apr 13, 2013

breadingbutter posted:

personal update - well i ran a few computer simulations and found out how to boost my productivity in the dishpit substantially.

No offense, but if this is true then you're way too goddamn serious about being a dishwasher.

Honestly, reading your posts, if your attitude in them is showing itself at work then that might be what's keeping you from getting ahead any. I mean, it's all well and good to take pride in being good at your job, but in pretty much every restaurant I've been in you're at the bottom of the totem pole as a dishwasher and really have to earn the right not to act like it.

# ? Mar 6, 2014 13:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Goons with Spoons > There's Very Little Meat in These Gym Mats: The Restaurant Industry Thread

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