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"Sucky Customers"? "Cursing out Co-workers"? "Morons in Management"? Definitely "War Stories"! Where to post this? Like the restaurant business, this one is all over the place!
A friend of mine was "volunteered" to fill-in for management at another restaurant. She insisted that our District Manager sign a statement that it was only temporary, and that she'd eventually return to our location. After reading her story about just one night's atrocities, I understand why. This accounting of events must be shared - it would be a crime not to. I've edited her story (a) to remove names, and (b) because it's my nature. Behold ...
Palsgraf,
Last night was the winner so far of ridiculousness! My day started off with me realizing I had a hole in my shirt right on the seams (not a good way to start the day).
Keep in mind I opened at 10:00am. My opening server shows up at 10:00, and the next server isn’t supposed to be in until 11:30am. She picked up a shift from someone else so she could have more hours. So she calls me at 12:10pm to let me know she's running late and she's on her way ... ugh, you think you're late cause you're SCHEDULED at 11:30??!! Then at 12:30/12:45pm, after she's been here for 15 minutes, she asks if she can leave and come back later since there’s nothing going on. I agreed, ‘cause it was stupid to have her here (but if you didn't want to make the money, then why did you pick up the shift anyway?).
Moving on ... [General Manager] calls me about 1,000 times today just to tell me random stuff.
I’ve held the pre-shift meetings basically being a turbo-Nazi because I'm fed up with all the crap that goes on here. So I'm laying down the law and people just keep talking. I raise my voice and ask them if they have something to share with everyone. They answer “no,” and I keep moving on. And yet again they keep talking so I wait and again repeat myself: “Do you have anything to say?” Yet again, the answer is “no.” To finally cap off the meeting I said to them, “SO HELP ME G-D if any of you pick fights or bicker today I will send all of you home and I will run the place myself! I am not having it; today you guys need to work together. Any questions?” With dead silence I said, “Great. Have a good shift.”
A little later, one of the hosts comes to get me and says, "[G.M.] is on the phone for [Assistant Manager], but I can't find her. Do you want to grab it?” So I ask some servers if they know where [A.M.] is. The response: “She's probably outside smoking. That's usually where she is if you can't find her.” Okay. So I'm thinking, “Well this is great because we're a NON SMOKING company with a NON SMOKING policy that we make EVERYONE sign off on!” I head outside and, lo and behold, there's [A.M.] smoking with a host!!!!! So I go, “Two things: One. You really shouldn't be doing this! Two. [G.M.] is waiting on the phone for you.” [A.M.] goes, “Yeah, I know” ... and then she and the host keep smoking! I'm like, “Do you want to finish and go in?!?!?!” This is ridiculous!!
Then after this episode we're getting started on the evening ... a table wants to talk to me because they're mad. Great! Can't wait! So I go to find out what they need: basically, they were cold and wanted to move to a table that didn't have vents blowing on them. Okay ... we get them a new table.
Next, I go up front and guess what! Another guest wants to see a manager. This time, these guests just need a new plate and a set of silverware (Why a server couldn't have just done this is beyond me!) Oh yeah, and they needed blue cheese stuffed olives. Okay. I bring them olives; they're fine.
Next, a guest is extremely pissed off and wants to see a manager. Great! I go up front and this guy is livid! First of all it's his first time dining with us and he's freezing! I ask if I can move him to another table and he yells at me, “NO I ALREADY WENT OUTSIDE TO GET OUR COATS!!” Then he continues … it's his birthday, and this is just the beginning. Then we give him a server who can't speak any English. He can apparently understand broken English, but this was ridiculous! So as I go back to grab a new server, I realize that the original server had gotten someone else to help him (this other server happens to be [a non-native English speaker] as well). I ask them to not take that table and that I don't want to take the chances so I'm just going to send over someone else. The second server asked me if it was the language that the guy had a problem with. I said, “Yes, and let's just move along.” Okay, great! One more fire put out. The table ends up being fine.
Now we're at 7:30pm. When our [specialty large-party] table is supposed to be sat and guess what ... guests already at the [specialty large-party] table from 5pm say it's ridiculous that we set an out-time for them, even though it's a specialty table ... so they decide to sit there as long as they want. A fourth dessert ordered, a paid bill, and 30 minutes goes by and we finally get the second [specialty large-party] reservation sat. THEY are happy!
Then a host comes and grabs me and says, “[Hostess] needs you at the door right now!” We're now at 8pm. I go up front: “What's the problem?” “Well, these guests waiting in the front have a reservation at 7:45pm. They showed up at 7:30 and we told them it shouldn't be much longer for their table.” After a chat with them, some free appetizers, and 45 min. after their reservation time, we get them sat and they’re happy!
Then I walk around and, oh wait! “Someone needs a manager up front!” “Great. Do you know what it's about?” (No). So, going up, I’m blindsided by this guy who's pissed that he's sitting in the bar which he's never had a problem with before, but he's there with his family (wife & two kids), and there's three couples about 40 years old at the bar yelling out “f- this,” “f- that,” and whole lot of “g-d damn-its.” I ask if he would like to be moved, and he says “No, but as the manager, can you go and ask them to quiet down?” So I'm like, “Sure ....” So we head into the bar and as we start to turn in you can already hear them yelling. I walk up and ask them if they wouldn't mind quieting down and watch what they say because there's a family behind them and others all around the restaurant. They agree kindly.
Great. Another table happy ... OR NOT! Not even five minutes later, one of the bartenders comes RUNNING to me and says, “You gotta go back to table 12 and talk to them!” I ask why, and she says that as the couples were leaving, one couple went up to the table and started telling them off: “F- you for telling the manager on us ...” (and apparently a whole lot of bleeping)! So I go to the table and the wife is checking out the bill. I ask if I can take that from her, because there was no way after their experience tonight I was going to let them pay for what had happened to them. Okay, so they were very happy after that. I just couldn't believe what had happened. So I go behind the bar and am talking with [bartender] about what happened and he just said it was so bad he couldn't believe what was said and that he wouldn't even repeat it.
This only to be followed by the same server who called at 12:10 for her 11:30 shift says, “I need you.” And because my brain is fried I asked if she would be able to talk to [A.M.]. Turns out she’d had a guest’s cake in her hand ... one that the customers brought in from the store, and she frickin’ dropped it on the floor!!!!! At this point I was ready to scream! I just wanted to blow my brains out! I’d finally had enough and just needed to go. But first, as I'm coming around the corner, I realize that the server didn't even clean it up! She was too busy blaming other servers for her own faults! Oh my G-d! Get me out of here!!! So that was my Saturday ... a rough summary for you! Hope you get as much joy and amazement as I get out of it! Talk to you all soon. For now, I have to head back out of the office to see what's going to happen today! I'm sure I'll have more great stories to cover with you soon!
- Marjory
A friend of mine was "volunteered" to fill-in for management at another restaurant. She insisted that our District Manager sign a statement that it was only temporary, and that she'd eventually return to our location. After reading her story about just one night's atrocities, I understand why. This accounting of events must be shared - it would be a crime not to. I've edited her story (a) to remove names, and (b) because it's my nature. Behold ...
Palsgraf,
Last night was the winner so far of ridiculousness! My day started off with me realizing I had a hole in my shirt right on the seams (not a good way to start the day).
Keep in mind I opened at 10:00am. My opening server shows up at 10:00, and the next server isn’t supposed to be in until 11:30am. She picked up a shift from someone else so she could have more hours. So she calls me at 12:10pm to let me know she's running late and she's on her way ... ugh, you think you're late cause you're SCHEDULED at 11:30??!! Then at 12:30/12:45pm, after she's been here for 15 minutes, she asks if she can leave and come back later since there’s nothing going on. I agreed, ‘cause it was stupid to have her here (but if you didn't want to make the money, then why did you pick up the shift anyway?).
Moving on ... [General Manager] calls me about 1,000 times today just to tell me random stuff.
I’ve held the pre-shift meetings basically being a turbo-Nazi because I'm fed up with all the crap that goes on here. So I'm laying down the law and people just keep talking. I raise my voice and ask them if they have something to share with everyone. They answer “no,” and I keep moving on. And yet again they keep talking so I wait and again repeat myself: “Do you have anything to say?” Yet again, the answer is “no.” To finally cap off the meeting I said to them, “SO HELP ME G-D if any of you pick fights or bicker today I will send all of you home and I will run the place myself! I am not having it; today you guys need to work together. Any questions?” With dead silence I said, “Great. Have a good shift.”
A little later, one of the hosts comes to get me and says, "[G.M.] is on the phone for [Assistant Manager], but I can't find her. Do you want to grab it?” So I ask some servers if they know where [A.M.] is. The response: “She's probably outside smoking. That's usually where she is if you can't find her.” Okay. So I'm thinking, “Well this is great because we're a NON SMOKING company with a NON SMOKING policy that we make EVERYONE sign off on!” I head outside and, lo and behold, there's [A.M.] smoking with a host!!!!! So I go, “Two things: One. You really shouldn't be doing this! Two. [G.M.] is waiting on the phone for you.” [A.M.] goes, “Yeah, I know” ... and then she and the host keep smoking! I'm like, “Do you want to finish and go in?!?!?!” This is ridiculous!!
Then after this episode we're getting started on the evening ... a table wants to talk to me because they're mad. Great! Can't wait! So I go to find out what they need: basically, they were cold and wanted to move to a table that didn't have vents blowing on them. Okay ... we get them a new table.
Next, I go up front and guess what! Another guest wants to see a manager. This time, these guests just need a new plate and a set of silverware (Why a server couldn't have just done this is beyond me!) Oh yeah, and they needed blue cheese stuffed olives. Okay. I bring them olives; they're fine.
Next, a guest is extremely pissed off and wants to see a manager. Great! I go up front and this guy is livid! First of all it's his first time dining with us and he's freezing! I ask if I can move him to another table and he yells at me, “NO I ALREADY WENT OUTSIDE TO GET OUR COATS!!” Then he continues … it's his birthday, and this is just the beginning. Then we give him a server who can't speak any English. He can apparently understand broken English, but this was ridiculous! So as I go back to grab a new server, I realize that the original server had gotten someone else to help him (this other server happens to be [a non-native English speaker] as well). I ask them to not take that table and that I don't want to take the chances so I'm just going to send over someone else. The second server asked me if it was the language that the guy had a problem with. I said, “Yes, and let's just move along.” Okay, great! One more fire put out. The table ends up being fine.
Now we're at 7:30pm. When our [specialty large-party] table is supposed to be sat and guess what ... guests already at the [specialty large-party] table from 5pm say it's ridiculous that we set an out-time for them, even though it's a specialty table ... so they decide to sit there as long as they want. A fourth dessert ordered, a paid bill, and 30 minutes goes by and we finally get the second [specialty large-party] reservation sat. THEY are happy!
Then a host comes and grabs me and says, “[Hostess] needs you at the door right now!” We're now at 8pm. I go up front: “What's the problem?” “Well, these guests waiting in the front have a reservation at 7:45pm. They showed up at 7:30 and we told them it shouldn't be much longer for their table.” After a chat with them, some free appetizers, and 45 min. after their reservation time, we get them sat and they’re happy!
Then I walk around and, oh wait! “Someone needs a manager up front!” “Great. Do you know what it's about?” (No). So, going up, I’m blindsided by this guy who's pissed that he's sitting in the bar which he's never had a problem with before, but he's there with his family (wife & two kids), and there's three couples about 40 years old at the bar yelling out “f- this,” “f- that,” and whole lot of “g-d damn-its.” I ask if he would like to be moved, and he says “No, but as the manager, can you go and ask them to quiet down?” So I'm like, “Sure ....” So we head into the bar and as we start to turn in you can already hear them yelling. I walk up and ask them if they wouldn't mind quieting down and watch what they say because there's a family behind them and others all around the restaurant. They agree kindly.
Great. Another table happy ... OR NOT! Not even five minutes later, one of the bartenders comes RUNNING to me and says, “You gotta go back to table 12 and talk to them!” I ask why, and she says that as the couples were leaving, one couple went up to the table and started telling them off: “F- you for telling the manager on us ...” (and apparently a whole lot of bleeping)! So I go to the table and the wife is checking out the bill. I ask if I can take that from her, because there was no way after their experience tonight I was going to let them pay for what had happened to them. Okay, so they were very happy after that. I just couldn't believe what had happened. So I go behind the bar and am talking with [bartender] about what happened and he just said it was so bad he couldn't believe what was said and that he wouldn't even repeat it.
This only to be followed by the same server who called at 12:10 for her 11:30 shift says, “I need you.” And because my brain is fried I asked if she would be able to talk to [A.M.]. Turns out she’d had a guest’s cake in her hand ... one that the customers brought in from the store, and she frickin’ dropped it on the floor!!!!! At this point I was ready to scream! I just wanted to blow my brains out! I’d finally had enough and just needed to go. But first, as I'm coming around the corner, I realize that the server didn't even clean it up! She was too busy blaming other servers for her own faults! Oh my G-d! Get me out of here!!! So that was my Saturday ... a rough summary for you! Hope you get as much joy and amazement as I get out of it! Talk to you all soon. For now, I have to head back out of the office to see what's going to happen today! I'm sure I'll have more great stories to cover with you soon!
- Marjory
Wow, I've never seen such incompetent workers! Your friend must have been ready to kill everyone...
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