Way of the Sub...no wonder that location has a rep for being the dirtiest!

[patiokitty]

I now have a job with the Way of the Sub (yeah, obviously not the real name LOL) and I'm in the process of training in the art of sandwich slinging. As a result this has me working mostly at the head store under the training manager so I learn the 'right' way of doing things. Well, this past Sunday (yesterday) saw me working at the store I will regularly be working at...and oh my...

I am rather glad that it was extremely slow yesterday as I spent a large part of it cleaning the store. As in cleaning things that the girl who I was working with had no idea could/needed to be cleaned...and she's been at that location for at least a year. Apparently none of the other workers clean any of it either!

Pop machine - beyond gross. I took it apart and scrubbed at least a year's worth of grim and sugar off of everything.

Pop counter - about as bad as the machine sitting on it. I moved everything and scrubbed it all down. The handles on the doors for it were caked with syrup and grime. Ew...

Microwaves - all locations have two, and it looks like ours haven't been wiped out in ages. Well, they are sparkling clean now, thankfully.

Honey-oat and italian spice pans - yeah, caked in those toppings. I grabbed clean Cambro pans and started with fresh stuff in them because there was no way I was keeping the old.

Retarder - absolutely caked in honey oat and italian spices. When I started wiping it down the girl I was working with wished me good luck because she thought nothing would take the mess off. Well, hot soapy water made the job incredibly easy and the retarder is now nice and shiny once again. And it took maybe five minutes to do. Surprise! It CAN be done :P

Shakers - probably never cleaned. I found clean ones (and in one case a brand new shaker) and filled them all with fresh S&P blend, salt, pepper, and parmesan. And cleaned the rack for them because it looked like somebody had a ranch dressing explosion and never really cleaned up the resulting mess.

Knife holders at the sandwich bar - they were bad enough that I had to use degreaser spray on them!

Floors - I got the weirdest look from my coworker when I actually swept and washed them. Apparently that is another thing that rarely ever gets done.

Sneeze guard - it was looking rather gross so I cleaned it inside and out. Apparently that's never been done in about a year either...

Throwing out dried up tomatoes, cukes, and other veggies - I wouldn't eat them so why serve them, right? Well, apparently that's an odd thing to do.

Swapping dirty Cambros for clean on the front line - apparently these don't get changed until the product is gone. Um, gross...

Wiping tables and chairs - another thing that got me weird looks. They're dirty and they needed to be cleaned, c'mon!

I even wiped down walls, freezer and cooler doors, counters, and everything else - all things that are rarely ever done. It's no wonder that location has a reputation for being the dirtiest in the chain. We had a visiting manager come by to do our paperwork for the day and she even commented that it's rare to see that location so clean.

I could go on about the differences between the head office store where most of my training has been done and the one where I'll be moved to permanently once my training is done. Working directly under the training manager means that I am learning the way the big bosses for the franchise want things done, and it also means that I will be expected to bring that training into my store once I'm placed there. It's going to be an uphill battle the entire way, I think...

I can hardly wait to see what the reaction will be to me changing around their cold well and packaging their CCT meats the way the training manager (and our head office) wants us to do. Oh yeah, that will prove very interesting...especially when I have to tell people that the way I'm doing things IS the way we're supposed to. It might equal more work, but in the end it will mean more business because people will see everything we offer - and it will look clean and tidy so people will want to eat our product.

I already know that I'm expected to report back to the training manager about what I did and saw at my store. It's going to be a fun day tomorrow... I don't really give a damn if most of the employees at my store are lazy - if they don't want to do their jobs right then perhaps it's time for them to look for something else.

[Bright_Star]

The way that location had a reputation for being dirty, it surprises me that it wasn't shut down by the health dept. & it's sad, really, that you get weird looks for cleaning stuff. That alone should be a no-brainer in an eating establishment.

[patiokitty]

I'm surprised it hasn't been shut down either, to be honest. In a way I'm glad that it hasn't, if only because it means that I have a chance of turning the place right around. The store manager is going to be getting a bit of a shock from head office after my report, that much I know for sure - it's his job to make sure things are done properly but it's pretty clear that he hasn't been, for whatever reason. But it does explain why 1) I am being put into that store, and 2) why head office was incredibly happy that I have management experience. For some reason I have visions of me finishing my probationary period and being back at head office to train for management...of that store.

[rose_metal_nz]

Wow, good on you. I hope you do turn the place around, best of luck!

[patiokitty]

Well, I started working with the Way of the Sub last Tuesday...guess who starts management training tomorrow? That would be me. I expected to go my 90-day probationary period before they even started talking even junior management. Needless to say I was shocked this morning when I was told they wanted me to start training for management!

[RealUnimportant]

Whatever else may be said about them, I seem to recall that spotting potential has always been one of their big pluses. CONGRATULATIONS!

[Scorpodael]

Way of the Sub... sounds like a Taoist sandwich place. Or maybe Shaolin. Combination Yoga studio and grilled sandwich parlor!

[patiokitty]

Quoth Scorpodael

Way of the Sub... sounds like a Taoist sandwich place. Or maybe Shaolin. Combination Yoga studio and grilled sandwich parlor!

Considering that almost all the women wear black yoga pants for work it could definitely work! And for some reason I am picturing a series of adverts for the place that involves Shaolin monks

[42_42_42]

Congratulations on your pending promotion!

[TheTigress]

Have they had you change the dates on expired product yet?