It was a Saturday afternoon at the restaurant where I work. It was usually busy on Saturdays and today was no exception. It was also the middle of summer and on this particular Saturday we were very busy, not slammed, but still pretty hectic. It was quite hot in both the restaurant and the kitchen but little did we realise that we were about to get heated up a little more.
My workmates and I were happily working away in the kitchen when all of a sudden the emergency fire evacuation siren went off. We were all sure this was another test, but our manager came up to us with a serious face and said that we needed to get outside NOW! From the tone of his voice we could tell that this was not a drill.
In the restaurant all the customers were sitting there looking confused and irritated. Following protocol we shepherded them all outside to the fire evacuation point. As we headed for the exit we passed a running department manager from the supermarket above us. He was yelling on his mobile phone that the smoke was coming from the top floor. While we waited outside for the all-clear, some of our ever so loyal customers decided to take the opportunity to run off without paying the bill.
After a while our manager informed us that the smoke had not been from a fire. It tuned out that the security guard who comes once every few days to collect our profits had dropped his secured case which set off its antitheft system and released the stunning smoke. Luckily no one was hurt and it gave us something to laugh about.
- Peace Lover
Tagged as:
kitchen staff,
owner/manager,
skipped tab
This is the same author who wrote Grief For My Boss and I would like to tell some stories of my crazy life as a kitchen assistant. Aside from dealing with snooty and bad tempered guys like my poor boss had to deal with in my first story, my workmates and I have experienced all sorts of strange and quite frankly crazy incidents - unfortunately many of which have happened to me! Here are two stories I would like to tell you.
1. The fire alarms once went off during rush hour and we all had to evacuate the building. An elderly lady refused to leave her table, moaning it was cold outside. One of the waiting staff had to practically drag her out of the door. It turned out that some nutcase had been smoking cannabis in the disabled toilets. The smoke was so thick it set the alarms off. It looked like the set of The Mist in there but without the monsters. It also stank of what smelled like old socks. Unfortunately the loser behind it managed to get away.
2. I don’t think anything could beat the time I accidentally turned the washing-up section into a giant bubble bath! I was just filing up one of the sinks in the kitchen and put way too much washing up liquid in. OK no big deal, I thought to myself. I’ll just keep an eye on it while it’s filling up. But typical me, I forgot all about it. And several minutes later when I returned there was a HUGE mountain of frothy bubbles building up that was steadily filling up that entire section of the kitchen! Needless to say it took a while to clean that up!
Tagged as:
drugs & medication,
kitchen staff,
senior citizen
I work as a kitchen assistant at a restaurant and I feel compelled to tell this story of what happened to my boss. He works both as the restaurant’s manager and host, so he has to meet everyone that comes in and show them their seats. I feel sorry for him as he has to deal with many stupid and arrogant customers, but when he told me this story I was shocked.
It happened on a bank holiday and I was not at work that day. It was also pouring with rain outside and the restaurant was very busy with only about two tables free. A snooty businessman came in and asked my boss for a table for ten people! He clearly did not notice the busy atmosphere. Anyway, my boss explains that they do not have any room for that amount of people. But this snooty bootie does not take no for an answer. The following argument went like this.
CUSTOMER: But I can see some tables free over there.
BOSS: Yes but there is still no room.
CUSTOMER: Well can’t you join them up together or something?
BOSS: There is no room to put all those tables together sir.
CUSTOMER: But there is plenty of room here!
He points to the space that the staff need to use to move from the restaurant to the kitchen doors.
BOSS: I’m sorry sir but the staff need that space to get to and from the kitchen.
CUSTOMER: But there is plenty of room!
BOSS: Sir if you all sat there, you would be blocking the other customers and staff and have food spilled all over you. I’m sorry sir but what you are asking is just not possible.
CUSTOMER: Well where else am I supposed to go then?
BOSS: Well sir on a rainy bank holiday, there are only two other restaurants I can suggest to fit in ten people, McDonald’s and KFC!
CUSTOMER: I WANT REAL FOOD!
I d0n’t know how it finished but there is absolutely no excuse for the way this snobbish son of b**** treated my boss.
Tagged as:
kitchen staff,
owner/manager,
seating,
snooty
This may never see the light of day, because the diner I work at is not just another diner from hell. It is a place of political anger, sexual harassment, drug abuse and perhaps even dare I say it………….direct from the owner statements of anger that border on direct incitement to commit assassination.
I had the misfortune to be hired 15 months ago in this business. Since then I have listened to the owner make statements and I quote “all americans are stupid and morons” they have committed genocide against all (read all cyprians/greeks/palestinians), have supplied armaments for the jews led by Henry Kissinger who is apparently trying to take over the world. the owner believes George Bush, Hilary Clinton and every american politician should be hung in front of a frothing crowd of who? I am not sure who he is ranting against, I believe he is angry because, as I said, he is hiring and employing a kitchen staff of at least 13 people who are undocumented, paying them “under the table”, they work 14 hour shifts 6 days a week, live in a house he bought for a song and he takes $300.00 a month off their cash money so they have a place to sleep before they once again walk to work to work the 13 or 14 hours. on his filthy line.
Servers daily text their drug dealers or have customers give them opiates/painkillers. I have been told directly by the owner that I am a moron because I am an American, never because I fucked up an order, insulted a customer, or in any way violated the unspoken agreement between employer and employee. I have in 15 months of employment watched 50% of our customer base disappear. I have watched 25% of the servers hired in that time buy drugs at work, talk or text on cell phones either placing bets, arranging drug buys, often delivered to the back service door of said diner, i have heard hispanic kitchen workers yell “quires comer” every time a waitress walks into the kitchen, and “quires comer” means “want eat?” and they ain’t asking is we want a sandwich. dinner salads are served from a salad bar every server digs through with bare hands…..no gloves, no tongs, i tell my customers the fruit cup or soup is a better choice prior to their dinner.
I have had enough of the insults to myself, my country, my gender and i don’t like serving toast to people that has been “buttered” with so called butter that has been dropped on the floor, toast that has been dropped on the floor, and hearing the owner say “its okay.” The food is okay, but I am a stupid moron American who has destroyed my own country and this is somehow connected to Henry Kissinger, The “Jews” and all the genocide I am personally responsible for after all I was born an American.
I know this post has zero chance of getting posted, but it is true. Do I believe the owner of this business is a threat to this country? No. I believe he is a shit businessman with no respect for the Americans, women, and a very biased view of the people he employs “off the books”, OSHA, the Department of Health, The Internal Revenue Service and let me stop now. I have had it with this shithole. I welcome any response, from the personal, to the official, that will close this asshole down. Send the mother fucker back to cypress where he can slaughter goats to his hearts content. i don’t want another finger pointed at myself telling me americans are morons and we deserve every suffering day we experience just so this particular cyprian asshole can serve food that is unclean, cooked by undocumented underpaid workers and finally when all is said and done……..he goes back to cypress and what happens to all of us? the morons, the undocumented. let the IRS, the Department of Health, and maybe Homeland Security investigate this lunatic.
Tagged as:
crime,
food & beverage issues,
hygiene,
kitchen staff,
owner/manager,
sexual harrassment
