Jazz hands!
Its a rude awakening when your best server calls in sick and the other guy calls in abusive. The “other guy” leaves a message saying “you better come take care of your restaurant”. I arrived a few moments later expecting to find a mess but everything was just fine – except him. This guy is in a state and its not Kansas. He’s almost literally spitting venom.
“Why don’t you go home,” I tell him. It was a directive intended to save his job, not a suggestion.
“I wanna see if you have the balls to talk to me right now,” other guy says. Ho!
“Let’s go,” I said.
We head out the back door and other guy lays into me in the most nonsensical way. ”I’ve never had any problem with you,” he says. ”But other people…”
“Which other people? What are you talking about specifically?” I ask. He can’t offer specifics. In fact, I know he’s stood up for me among the staff in the past telling people that on a relative basis, I’m not that bad. Awwwww, shucks. But now he’s angry but can’t tell me why. I’m told I suck as a restaurant owner, a total screw-up but he can’t provide specific examples (I could help him here but why make this easy?). I’m told the place runs better without me with all evidence to the contrary. I can’t figure this out until he tells me he’s got other issues and stresses going on in his life. Ok, its personal. We all have times like these. He tells me he loves this restaurant and that I’ve created an essential service for the city. After a few moments of discussion he shakes my hand, pats my back and we head back in. I offered to give him the day off. ”It’s okay,” he says “I’ll cover the patio.”
A few minutes later the slicer gets an emergency call that a relative has taken ill. He leaves and I jump on the slicing station. Not more than 20 minutes later, the other guy comes upto me at the slicing station. ”You want specifics, this is what I’m talking about,” he says. ”We don’t have any salad,” he’s really angry about the salad situation. I don’t understand but I’m knee deep in smoked meat and need to focus on my work. A few minutes later he comes back to the slicing station. ”I’m going to screw you and walk out,” he tells me. True to his word, the other guy leaves screwing me and a bunch of my unfortunate customers on the patio.
Oh, and this last bit took place in front of my brother and Mark Carney , Governor of the Bank of Canada.
Jazz hands.
May 21st, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Wait…how is this guy able to speak to you and behave in this way when you are his Boss? When he walked out, did he walk out on his job?
May 22nd, 2010 at 1:11 am
When we talked outside, he told me he had told the other staff “I’m going to get fired today.” By suggesting he go home at noon I was trying to protect his job because we had never had any difficulty. None. That’s why this was such a shock to me. I believe in second chances and he used that up when he insisted on working the shift. Walking out and saying “I’m going to screw you” means he’s done. Quitting the way he did was a final termination.
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:38 am
Too true. I’ve been there. No good deed goes unpunished.
June 21st, 2010 at 2:51 pm
Ouch…Jazz hands it is…shake em proud!
Tis the curse of the restaurant industry…lethal staff turnovers…but when you find the gems that stick around and enjoy the job – it makes it all worth it!