As a lot of you know during covid-19,a lot of resturaunts closed down and went to delivery or takeout only. My job was closed till May 4th. During that period the steakhouse where I was at was takeaway only. Business was hella slow. I was being sent home early usually due to lack of business. I went to apply at a salad bar resturaunt. It was a resturaunt where the lady had laid off her workers after just being there a year before Covid first hit. This is where the story starts.
I went in for a interview. The lady whom I'll call "Sally" (name has been changed) told me she used to be assistant manager of the steakhouse where I work. She said she'd love to have me on. But, she said some pretty bad things about the managers there and was being an ass about our kitchen and food. She also kinda made a smart ass joke about my handwriting being atrocious.
A couple days later she calls back saying she wants to hire me as a dishwasher for the same rate of pay as I make at the steakhouse. Then I had a choice to make. Either I can stay at the steakhouse or go to the nicer, everything's fresh Salad place. So... I decided to kill 2 birds with one stone. I was gonna pull double duty and do both places.
So, here's where the trouble started. I had let the steakhouse know I had a second job. They had told me usually most people in the resturaunt industry were not supposed to work in other resturaunts. But an exception could be made in my case. I have never had any disciplinary action and never was late. The other waitresses kept telling me maybe I shouldn't do it because they knew how she was as assistant manager, but more on that later. So I get to day one. I find out it's rather slow. The set up is nicer and the equipment is newer. But it's rather small. Most of the people she had working for her were somewhat related to her. Everyone was calling her "momma" even the employees who aren't related. Thats kinda creepy. The dishes coming back were few and far between. At the steakhouse I had several coming in per hour. At the salad place i might have done like 4 or 5 loads an hour what was not washed in the 3 compartment sinks. Usually there might be 2 or 3 customers a night.
The employees were rather cliquish. The servers and waitresses would be standing around the cash register whispering and giggling. Usually when I was up there. Most of the workers and regulars there were family. So she was very nepotic. There was one dude there who was cool and got along with well who was one of the cooks and salad preps. The owner also made a few comments about how my other job was making me behind somewhat. Usually on Thursdays and Fridays the 2nd shift dishwasher is late because he also has a primary job in a factory so I have to wait on him before I can go. I had mentioned this to her before and she was fine. However due to lack of business she kept closing earlier and earlier each night until she decided to indefinetely close at 3 pm each day. Its in a downtown area. She approached me on Sunday and asked if I could work Saturday and Sunday till closed and to tell my work I'd be late because I worked at the steakhouse on Saturday night. I told her I'd have to ask my boss.
Here's the thing: The steakhouse is still my primary job. She knows that. You don't just ask your primary job if you can be late because someone else wants you too. That's very disrespectful to them in my eyes. Now to go back to the days she was at the steakhouse. The waitresses said she was rather snooty and not easy to get along with. She also tried to over throw the manager there who had been there for over 30 years. They had also mentioned she had owned another resturaunt before with her brother and he robbed her blind. She also was a trainer manager at Burger King for years before she had a nervous breakdown and cut off her own hair in the middle of a resturaunt.
The biggest thing I didn't like was the whole do this not that mentality. I don't like to be told you gotta do this a certain way or this is how it should be etc.. I would like to develop my own system and work how I find it efficient. The salad place pretty much wanted me to stick to my own area and not put things up in the other sections where they go. They said the others would come get their stuff as needed. At the steakhouse I sweep the parking lot, take trash out, wrap baking potatoes, mop up spills and take dishes where they need to go in the resturaunt. At the salad place I stayed at the dish room the whole shift as I was told. At the steakhouse I can cut up with the waitresses and food preps but the salad place was kinda dull.
I decided to just stay at the steakhouse and be who I want to be there. Sure it might suck at times but at least it's busy and gets good business. Plus the waitstaff and other workers aren't afraid to have a good laugh and will talk to you while working. Overall I learned that the grass isn't always greener on the other side even if you are promised a rose garden.
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