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

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JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Oh hey I didn't realize there was an industry thread apart from the bartending one! What-up thread? (not sure why I didn't bother looking for this sooner...)

7 years in the Vancouver industry here, FoH both bartending and serving; about a year ago after working 2 gigs 7 days a week for 2 months I got sick and tired of 3am mornings, quit everything and walked into a job at a local long-time breakfast place a 10 minute walk from my apartment, that closes at 4pm latest every day. Afternoons off is worth so much more to me than industry night-life.

VVV Fire me a PM next time you're in town and I'll try and point you to whatever you're into VVV

JawKnee fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Aug 23, 2014

# ¿ Aug 23, 2014 00:23

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 06:48

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

sounds like you're in a failing franchise location: get the gently caress outta there man

# ¿ Aug 31, 2014 20:59

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Labour Day breakfast service kicks rear end. Me and 2 other vets decided not to bring our on-call in and made bank

# ¿ Sep 1, 2014 23:06

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Kimitsu posted:

So after having basically just waxed about how amazingly easy I have it as a hostess, one of my ex-coworkers who is now a bartender is asking if I'd be interested working at her place, "even once a week is okay," because she makes the schedules. Problem is that management there is poo poo and they need bartenders right now because three got fired in one go this past weekend (one of them started a fistfight with the others while on duty), and I also have no experience bartending/barbacking.

I'm already racking somewhere from 35-41.25 hours a week (with overtime pay) as a host/cashier where I currently work because the school semester is starting and our cashiers are students, and I'm legitimately giving this offer some consideration because it would run concurrent to my current schedules.

Bartenders/barbacks in this thread, please give me horror stories to temper my clearly masochistic tendencies.

you will make so much more money as a bartender if this other place is even moderately busy/not frequented by cheap shitheads (students)

that said you're going to have a real rough time of it if you have no experience. See if they're going to train you at all, see what your friend thinks about your experience level.

# ¿ Sep 4, 2014 15:38

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

maaaaybe see if you like/have the job first

# ¿ Sep 6, 2014 01:30

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Errant Gin Monks posted:

I forgot how odd people are sometimes. So I had a great time tonight.

Bartender comes into the kitchen with a question

Her: can this guy get Monterrey jack on his cheeseburger?
Me: well yeah the cheeseburger we serve on the menu has an aged Monterrey jack on it. It's right there on the menu.
Her: oh well he didn't look at the menu he just wanted to make sure he didn't get plain old cheddar or something.
Me: well no he is fine the cheeseburger comes with Monterrey jack.
Her: ok!

Ticket prints out for bacon cheeseburger a few minutes later. No regular cheeseburger comes in.
I find that odd and walk out to the bar.

Me: no cheeseburger rang up, did he not want it?
Her: I put it in a minute ago.
Me: the bacon cheeseburger?
Her: yeah that.
Me: does he know he bacon cheeseburger comes wih a special cheese sauce we make to pair with the in house bacon? Because he might want to try it instead of Monterrey jack if he was just worried about cheddar.
Her: I don't know I haven't read the menu either.
Me: okay I will ask him.

I went to the customer and explained I would be happy to make a burger with Monterrey jack for him but if he would like I recommend he try the burger with the cheese sauce we intend for it, at which point he said "no if I can't get jack I just don't want it. Just cancel the burger."

So I just cancelled the order. I didn't really have time to explain it to a guy who just didn't seem to get it.

If your bartenders are regularly ordering food for customers it sounds like they should know what's on the drat menu

# ¿ Sep 8, 2014 15:31

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

That's weird and creepy but I've come across it once or twice - so while it's not totally out of the ordinary it doesn't speak well for his management style (overbearing)

# ¿ Sep 12, 2014 04:43

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

naked in the panoptikitchen

# ¿ Sep 12, 2014 04:49

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

why the gently caress are you still working at this place Black August? Leave now.

# ¿ Sep 15, 2014 16:20

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Simoom posted:

How long can bacon be left at room temperature and still be served? I ask because my chef says indefinitely, yet I ate some that was left out in the back of our kitchen for three days and now I can't stop making GBS threads mucus and slime. It really makes the ten hour shifts more fun. So does the older waitress getting super smashed after the shifts and aggressively hitting on me while complaining about her boyfriend.

e: and the stream of disgruntled former employees coming in to demand things. also in retrospect the guy who makes our staff meal doesnt wash his hands with soap after touching raw chicken so maybe that's the source of my malady. why must i constantly be pursued by a vengeful kitchen ghost

lol

# ¿ Sep 15, 2014 18:05

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Black August posted:

I've lived in Massachusetts for a majority of my life. I want to leave my family and life here behind and get around the world while I still got the legs to do it. Seattle has the weather I want, a better minimum wage, and I know people out there. I don't plan to work at the restaurant chain forever, I plan to use it as a landing pad so I can hit the ground running and make time to find better work. Besides, the chain is decent in a lot of locations, this one is just particularly odious. Seattle's might be leagues better and more profitable, but it can't be worse than this one.

man I hope you like rain, cause we got rain on the best coast

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 08:00

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Trebuchet King posted:

Does this make me evil?

nah you could've been a big anthropomorphic squirrel

# ¿ Sep 17, 2014 22:47

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Simoom posted:

Idunno I only worked a chain for a year but I were always paid on time whereas in this new place I am at I have just been told I won't be paid until October, and also yesterday the electricity went off and we had to close for the day while he made a payment, and I guess what I'm saying is I'm taking the day off to j off!

Also how do you pronounce Raita, as in the indian sauce?

stop working for free

# ¿ Sep 19, 2014 15:55

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Uncle Lizard posted:

Make it into a sandwich and I bet people would be all over it.

this

because pork-belly sandwiches are delicious

# ¿ Sep 21, 2014 22:22

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

besides the food, how is your environment different?

also have you stopped/cut back on drinking?

# ¿ Sep 29, 2014 22:13

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

just solo'd the floor of my 23 table breakfast joint from open to close

# ¿ Sep 30, 2014 22:46

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

lurker1981 posted:

Yeah, gently caress those people who want to succeed.

gently caress them.

I mean, seriously, instead of rewarding people for doing a good job, we should punish them.

I totally understand you, bro. I've got a really small penis, too, and I do whatever I can to make things difficult for anyone that is capable of doing things better than me. I take pleasure in making things unpleasant for anyone that is more intelligent than me.

My goal is not to have a business that works well because I hire the best and the brightest. My goal is to to destroy the best and the brightest because I have a small penis.

Hey, would you mind cooking me up another batch of roofies? I can't seem to convince any girls or boys to go out on a date with me.

I'm not a loser. I have a college degree. I paid people to give me the answers to tests, and write my papers for me. That means I am better than you. Because my parents earned a lot of money, and you simply exist for my amusement. And my parents paid for everything, and gave me an allowance, even when I was in college.

You don't seriously think I earned what I have, do you?

edit: On a more serious note, please don't be an rear end in a top hat to folks that have the potential to be really great. There is the possibility that one day they could be the one person that might save your life. Or not, if you pissed him or her off too much. There are some folks that actually don't like to be sexually harassed, believe it or not.

I think maybe you need another drink.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2014 19:37

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

sounds like your friend is going to make an exit from service sooner rather than later

# ¿ Oct 6, 2014 01:01

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

brick cow posted:

I really hate working for other people. So, I've been looking to buy a restaurant. I found this place thats a sportsbar near me for $17,000. A-loving-mazing too good to be true price. I call the guy up, his story is that he's had the place but he's only here on a green card and he's can't renew his business license because of it. I make an appointment to go check the place out. He never shows.

I call him up, he says sorry, we make another appointment. Again he doesn't show up. I call him twice while I'm there waiting for him. He doesn't even pick up. loving frustrating!!!

I want to give you $17000 for something you are trying to sell, why won't you show up?!?!

scam

e: seriously he's gonna tell you he had to leave the country urgently or something and needs to close on the business and could you maybe wire the 17k through western union?

# ¿ Oct 8, 2014 03:38

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

mindphlux posted:

why you'd want to dwell on how badly you're getting hosed is beyond me

Because of the possibility of changing it? Without knowledge of what others in similar positions are paid it's difficult to effect any changes to things like wages. I'm curious what your opinion of unions are, but given that you can't see the point of considering ones own financial situation, I imagine it isn't great.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2014 15:42

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

as if any company who was firing you for talking about wages would be stupid enough to put that down as the reason, even if they were stupid enough to tell you so.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2014 03:06

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

double-scheduled this morning on a single-open at 6:45

surprise day off!

# ¿ Nov 6, 2014 16:04

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Errant Gin Monks posted:

No they asked for two sides of ranch and doused that all over it. It broke my heart.

was gonna make a "pass the ranch" joke but figured it was too obvious of a 'you're a fatty' joke, haha

# ¿ Nov 7, 2014 08:35

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Senior Scarybagels posted:

Can't be any worse than the IT Career I have at the moment. I think I would get more working at Walmart.

uhh yeah it probably can

# ¿ Nov 8, 2014 03:01

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Senior Scarybagels posted:

I get paid minimum wage, I work in a server room, and I spend most of my day covered in strange brackish liquids, most likely oil, diesel and other liquids from our backup power supplies.

I guess it depends on what hours you like working, how many you like working, how much you like physical labor, and what kind of liquids you would rather be covered in

e: also man working IT for minimum? That does suck. But unless you're looking to make a career out of baking, why not just get a FoH job if money is what you want to make?

# ¿ Nov 8, 2014 03:11

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Vorenus posted:

Agh holidays. I have seen game shows where people show more decisiveness and speed with $1 million at stake than most people have in the past week in regard to a $10 lunch order. I mean hey, the guest is the focus as they should be but I have plenty of other things I could be doing that are more productive than--

"Do you need a bit more time --okay then, I'll come back in a minute or so"

# ¿ Dec 6, 2014 07:30

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Willie Tomg posted:

in the last two days he has done no prep whatsoever

Sounds like an excellent way to make enemies behind the line

# ¿ Dec 17, 2014 16:59

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

yeah, photograph it but otherwise not doing the job because you want to show someone else is incompetent will not impress any management

# ¿ Dec 21, 2014 22:12

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

Crazy Larry posted:

Today I had a server tell me that it wasn't her job to know the menu.

a shameful server.

today was the busiest day of the year for me and I suspect anyone else who works in a long-established breakfast joint.

me and 3 other servers on for the day, all of us there till close, still jam-packed 30 minutes to last call for food, champagne open for mimosas as the last table leaves the restaurant - god bless this stupid industry

e: and I'm starting in IT for the federal govt tomorrow and moving to 1 weekend day shift a week because my boss is awesome and making 250 on a saturday for 4 hours of work will never not rule.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2015 01:53

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

colbamf posted:

In his defense, the truck has already been around for about a year with two owners, he's just replacing the lovely one who didn't know anything about food.

what owner, lovely or not, would leave a profitable venture?

# ¿ Jan 13, 2015 20:43

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

stupid monkey brains just love their fat/salt/sugar

# ¿ Jan 17, 2015 06:12

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

how would less work make the job 10x worse?

# ¿ Jan 17, 2015 08:22

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

would you have hiring/firing powers?

# ¿ Jan 17, 2015 09:10

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

depends on what the grat is, how generous you are, and how good they are, no?

# ¿ Jan 20, 2015 01:51

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

good to see you're still just as angry on the best coast Black August

# ¿ Jan 30, 2015 00:24

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

A Man and his dog posted:

Ok people who run front of house, hell even head chefs. What do you guys prefer the best time to apply for front of house?

I know 2-4 is the dead zone. I work extremely low volume between 2-5 where I'm at now.

Basically is it kosher to go in the morning when the place is just opening. I just know people have long nights and just don't even want to deal with someone trying to get a loving job.

If you're actually willing to throw years of your life away in the service industry, don't go during rush times - this can vary by venue - obviously breakfast/lunch places are not going to want to see you from 10:30-1:30 or so, bars during weekdays won't pick up until after 4 or so, but may have a lunch rush so don't go before 2. Clubs will not want to see you at all during business hours.

If you have experience, especially if you have a decent amount, stress that. They may just want to throw you into a bussing shift or whatever, but if you can hack it, do so.

Also make sure your resume is no longer than one page, is not a wall of text, and has no spelling mistakes or weirdo grammar because it'll be laughed at and thrown away. Try to give it to the managers, but I, personally, have never thrown anyone's resume in the trash (but I have, and will talk poo poo about a bad resume/person who isn't personable).

# ¿ Feb 1, 2015 09:30

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

rayray00 posted:

I already know for a fact they won't be calling me in

rats or rebranding?

# ¿ Feb 1, 2015 17:56

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

oh geez, you mean it's a BAD thing when you make the decision to seriously use "fag it up" as a descriptor, like some 15 year old might do, I didn't get why a person would be all negative and then say 'do a good thing to it' haha

grow up

# ¿ Feb 4, 2015 17:41

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

quit one before you burn out dude

# ¿ Feb 17, 2015 01:46

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# ¿ May 4, 2024 06:48

JawKnee: Mar 24, 2007; You'll take the ride to leave this town along that yellow line

that's true. If I were working 5 days a week at my FoH breakfast joint I'd be making roughly 50k a year.

# ¿ Feb 17, 2015 04:49

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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