Firing Employer Rant (1 Viewer)

[th3f00l]

Sorry for venting in here but I am so angry with the company that recently fired me.

I left my job to go work for this company a year ago, opening the second location of a well known craft beer bar. This one was twice the size as the original with 100 taps, and a high volume full service restaurant. I did all of their opening kitchen work (menu design & costing, ordering equipment and food, staff training, etc) without any training from the company. This despite the fact the company had an executive chef at the time (who 1 week into the hellish opening abandoned his position, and since has not been replaced).

The entire opening management team was working no days off 100+ hours a week with minimal help. We kept at this for 2 months after the opening. The thanks we got for that was a guaranteed 1st quarter bonus. My bonus ended up being pro-rated because I started 1 month into the quarter.

In the following months I developed the special events/banquet offerings and brunch menu, which has been used for future store openings. I helped develop training materials for the future management staff. I consistently met or exceeded my labor, cost of goods, and customer satisfaction goals.

During my time working I had 2 write ups. The first one for getting too drunk at the bar after I got off work. I was drinking with one of the managing partners of the company. Nothing happened, I didn't say or do anything inappropriate. I just had to have a cook drive me home. The second was for over sleeping on a day we were closed for cleaning and renovation. I got put on 6 months probation. This was after a new managing partner came on board. He was trying to overhaul the company and make it more structured and corporate. He also brought in one of his former employees to be our director of operations.

Fast forward to the week after I get back from my wedding... five managers got fired including the GM. They were accused of abusing comps. The remaining management included only myself, the assistant kitchen manager, and a manager that had recently been hired. Less than two months later I get fired "officially" for being an hour late. There was a miscommunication with the schedule when I switched with my assistant so I could make sure I was there to prepare for the upcoming 1 year anniversary event. He scratched out "OFF" on the schedule, and wrote in 11am, but I had talked about 12pm with him. The director of operations was filling in until the new GM started (who coincidentally was from the same previous company). He waited until I did the ordering and sat me down and fired me.

While looking at job listings after I was dismissed I saw an ad on Craigslist for my job, from the day before I was fired.

My unemployment was denied because of absenteeism/misconduct. I am trying to appeal that now.

I just saw on their Facebook page that they are going forward with a Beer dinner menu that I had written for a special event next month. I know that I don't have creative rights, but it is entirely my menu and I don't even know how they plan on executing it without me. They must be counting on the fact that I wouldn't leave the assistant kitchen manager high and dry like that.

I don't have a conclusion, anyone who took the time to read this can draw their own. It gets better I guess.

 

[johnnycakes]

You did a lot of work for them, but it doesn't look like you were ever a good fit to their culture. If their way of doing things isn't the same as your way, it can make for a tough situation. You should be happier at whatever you do next.

As far as all the hours go, that should have all been factored into the compensation when you took the job. You certainly knew some big hours were in the offing when you signed on.

As far as unemployment goes, hopefully you live in a state where they tend to side with the employee when in doubt. That could go either way.

What was your job title and ballpark salary range?

 

[Native]

Sorry about losing your job. Im sure youll end up back on your feet soon.

FWIW at my job I wouldnt tolerate oversleeping or coming in late either without prior notice. Wedding planning is not an excuse - doesnt matter if you are a Managing Partner or part of the kitchen staff. Changes in management are tough for sure, but that just means you have to up your game even more to hang onto your job.

Hopefully you gained some valuable work experience (and life lessons) and will find a better gig soon. Good luck.

 

[th3f00l]

You did a lot of work for them, but it doesn't look like you were ever a good fit to their culture. If their way of doing things isn't the same as your way, it can make for a tough situation. You should be happier at whatever you do next.

As far as all the hours go, that should have all been factored into the compensation when you took the job. You certainly knew some big hours were in the offing when you signed on.

As far as unemployment goes, hopefully you live in a state where they tend to side with the employee when in doubt. That could go either way.

What was your job title and ballpark salary range?

Executive Kitchen Manager, 45k-50+k depending on bonus. Full medical, dental & vision. Crappiest part is the base pay was less than the job that I left. I had an acquaintance that was president of the company who hired me. He left for better things shortly after we opened.

 

[johnnycakes]

You weren't the only one fired, either. Five managers got canned at once before you got fired. There was instability at the top and that just rattled down through the ranks. Probably was a tough place for everyone to work regardless of how high up or down they were.

This just lets you get something better. You'll be better off in the long run.

 

[th3f00l]

You should be happier at whatever you do next.

This just lets you get something better. You'll be better off in the long run.

Hopefully you gained some valuable work experience (and life lessons) and will find a better gig soon. Good luck.

Yeah, we are trying to sell our house now. We are planning on moving back to Austin, where all of my family is. I'm sure better stuff is ahead. Thanks for your encouragement.

 

[LarryAllen'sJockstrap]

I got lucky and was able to find a different job in my company before I was let go, but I saw the writing on the wall. For the last 7 years, I busted my butt at one position, I worked weekends on top of a regular 40 often. I was on call 24/7 for computer support. Unfourtanately, we had a large management overhaul in early 2013. The task I performed was one the leadsrship not only had no experience managing and didn't understand, but they didn't even take the time to learn about. My blood, sweat and tears for years meant 0 to them. The first year with the new mgmt, I got the lowest performance score the company had, not cause I sucked, buy my mgmt had no interest in fighting for me. I knew I wouldn't make it another year. It's sad, but I bet if I said I'd kill myself if I was let go, they'd still have let me go to meet their bottom lines and make their numbers.

 

[hotdogcollars]

go to their biggest competitor, explain your story, your motivation, and your desire to make something good out of this situation. Don't play up the "revenge" angle or push your own vendetta. Just convey your confidence in the plans you put in place and willingness to do whatever it takes

ETA; be honest with yourself. Was there anything else you did? Something you may be too embarrassed to post here, or maybe would just rather forget. If there is, don't bother posting it here, just think about it, learn, and move on

 

[Christo]

You did a lot of work for them, but it doesn't look like you were ever a good fit to their culture. If their way of doing things isn't the same as your way, it can make for a tough situation. You should be happier at whatever you do next.

As far as all the hours go, that should have all been factored into the compensation when you took the job. You certainly knew some big hours were in the offing when you signed on.

As far as unemployment goes, hopefully you live in a state where they tend to side with the employee when in doubt. That could go either way.

What was your job title and ballpark salary range?

Executive Kitchen Manager, 45k-50+k depending on bonus. Full medical, dental & vision. Crappiest part is the base pay was less than the job that I left. I had an acquaintance that was president of the company who hired me. He left for better things shortly after we opened.

Seems like he's the one you should be mad at.

 

[SWC]

hey brohan you were killing yourself for them and they did not care so hey move on get a better job and be thankful that you are not working at that place where you had to look over your back looky here i do not make much were i am at basically i am not drinking fruit fraubraus out of a brass cup with my collar up but i have a good thing i know people above me get my back and want me to stay and whenever i have told them that i need a little more jingle they have come thru but i try to be good about not just asking and asking and anyhow for me and that is one hell of a thing to have especially the last ten years or so when so many others have gotten cut or pink slipped or laid off or just had there place close down period anyhow i hope that you can find the same thing but with more pay take that to the bank bromigo

 

[Ignoramus]

I'm sorry you're temporarily out of s job, but why would you want to work for a company like that?

 

[The Duff Man]

I have made this mistake when I was younger. Work your tail off and assume you will be taken care of, or assume they know how valuable you are.

They dont!

The incompetence in middle and upper management in many companies is atrocious. Either people who have been there long enough to move up the ladder, or people with the right credentials but no substance.

Go out and make your own success happen, and make this firing the best thing that ever happened to you.

 

[Mario Kart]

Take your complaints to court... the Yelp! court. Put bad replies on Yelp! and watch them go into bankruptcy.

 

[T Bell]

Sorry for venting in here but I am so angry with the company that recently fired me.

I left my job to go work for this company a year ago, opening the second location of a well known craft beer bar. This one was twice the size as the original with 100 taps, and a high volume full service restaurant. I did all of their opening kitchen work (menu design & costing, ordering equipment and food, staff training, etc) without any training from the company. This despite the fact the company had an executive chef at the time (who 1 week into the hellish opening abandoned his position, and since has not been replaced).

The entire opening management team was working no days off 100+ hours a week with minimal help. We kept at this for 2 months after the opening. The thanks we got for that was a guaranteed 1st quarter bonus. My bonus ended up being pro-rated because I started 1 month into the quarter.

In the following months I developed the special events/banquet offerings and brunch menu, which has been used for future store openings. I helped develop training materials for the future management staff. I consistently met or exceeded my labor, cost of goods, and customer satisfaction goals.

During my time working I had 2 write ups. The first one for getting too drunk at the bar after I got off work. I was drinking with one of the managing partners of the company. Nothing happened, I didn't say or do anything inappropriate. I just had to have a cook drive me home. The other was for over sleeping on a day we were closed for cleaning and renovation, and I was up late doing wedding planning the night before. I got put on 6 months probation. This was after a new managing partner came on board. He was trying to overhaul the company and make it more structured and corporate. He also brought in one of his former employees to be our director of operations.

Fast forward to the week after I get back from my wedding... five managers got fired including the GM. They were accused of abusing comps. This left only myself, the assistant kitchen manager, and a manager that had recently been hired to manage. We received a little help from corporate. Less than two months later I get fired "officially" for being an hour late. There was a miscommunication with the schedule when I switched with my assistant so I could make sure I was there to prepare for the upcoming 1 year anniversary event. He scratched out "OFF" on the schedule, and wrote in 11am, but I had talked about 12pm with him. The director of operations was filling in until the new GM started (who coincidentally was from the same previous company). He waited until I did the ordering and sat me down and fired me.

While looking at job listings after I was dismissed I saw an ad on Craigslist for my job, from the day before I was fired.

My unemployment was denied because of absenteeism/misconduct. I am trying to appeal that now.

I just saw on their Facebook page that they are going forward with a Beer dinner menu that I had written for a special event next month. I know that I don't have creative rights, but it is entirely my menu and I don't even know how they plan on executing it without me. They must be counting on the fact that I wouldn't leave the assistant kitchen manager high and dry like that.

I don't have a conclusion, anyone who took the time to read this can draw their own. It gets better I guess.

Print out the Craigslist job posting which, IIRC, contains the information as to when it was posted. That will help you in your unemployment appeal.

Otherwise, #### them and find something better which is undoubtedly out there.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Your situation sucks for sure, but you make excuses for everything too. Just sayin.

Good luck.

 

[th3f00l]

Your situation sucks for sure, but you make excuses for everything too. Just sayin.

Good luck.

I took out the up all night one, that was a lame excuse. Not knowing someone scribbled out "OFF" and wrote in 11am when I specifically told him 12 I see as a completely reasonable excuse. I was fired because of chicken scratch on a schedule. The person firing me didn't even know we made the change or why. I was having to change the schedule to be there when I needed to. I wasn't changing it around for personal reasons, I was doing what was best for the business.

 

[Quez]

Take your complaints to court... the Yelp! court. Put bad replies on Yelp! and watch them go into bankruptcy.

This is actually pretty good advice. Places can be destroyed off bad rankings these days. Post the name of the place here and I am sure a few people would 1 star them.

 

[thayman]

Sorry for venting in here but I am so angry with the company that recently fired me.

I left my job to go work for this company a year ago, opening the second location of a well known craft beer bar. This one was twice the size as the original with 100 taps, and a high volume full service restaurant. I did all of their opening kitchen work (menu design & costing, ordering equipment and food, staff training, etc) without any training from the company. This despite the fact the company had an executive chef at the time (who 1 week into the hellish opening abandoned his position, and since has not been replaced).

The entire opening management team was working no days off 100+ hours a week with minimal help. We kept at this for 2 months after the opening. The thanks we got for that was a guaranteed 1st quarter bonus. My bonus ended up being pro-rated because I started 1 month into the quarter.

In the following months I developed the special events/banquet offerings and brunch menu, which has been used for future store openings. I helped develop training materials for the future management staff. I consistently met or exceeded my labor, cost of goods, and customer satisfaction goals.

During my time working I had 2 write ups. The first one for getting too drunk at the bar after I got off work. I was drinking with one of the managing partners of the company. Nothing happened, I didn't say or do anything inappropriate. I just had to have a cook drive me home. The second was for over sleeping on a day we were closed for cleaning and renovation. I got put on 6 months probation. This was after a new managing partner came on board. He was trying to overhaul the company and make it more structured and corporate. He also brought in one of his former employees to be our director of operations.

Fast forward to the week after I get back from my wedding... five managers got fired including the GM. They were accused of abusing comps. The remaining management included only myself, the assistant kitchen manager, and a manager that had recently been hired. Less than two months later I get fired "officially" for being an hour late. There was a miscommunication with the schedule when I switched with my assistant so I could make sure I was there to prepare for the upcoming 1 year anniversary event. He scratched out "OFF" on the schedule, and wrote in 11am, but I had talked about 12pm with him. The director of operations was filling in until the new GM started (who coincidentally was from the same previous company). He waited until I did the ordering and sat me down and fired me.

While looking at job listings after I was dismissed I saw an ad on Craigslist for my job, from the day before I was fired.

My unemployment was denied because of absenteeism/misconduct. I am trying to appeal that now.

I just saw on their Facebook page that they are going forward with a Beer dinner menu that I had written for a special event next month. I know that I don't have creative rights, but it is entirely my menu and I don't even know how they plan on executing it without me. They must be counting on the fact that I wouldn't leave the assistant kitchen manager high and dry like that.

I don't have a conclusion, anyone who took the time to read this can draw their own. It gets better I guess.

I've been in the industry for a long time, although the grounds for your dismissal may be a bit questionable you deserved to be fired for drinking at the bar.

 

[Quez]

I've heard of many people drinking at the bar they were at when off the clock...

 

[sublimeone]

Take your complaints to court... the Yelp! court. Put bad replies on Yelp! and watch them go into bankruptcy.

This is actually pretty good advice. Places can be destroyed off bad rankings these days. Post the name of the place here and I am sure a few people would 1 star them.

What if this guy is a lying POS (not saying he is) and was legitimately fired and your fake slanderous reviews hurt a legitimate business?

 

[Sand]

I'm sorry you're temporarily out of s job, but why would you want to work for a company like that?

No joke. Way better off in the long run not working for these jackasses.

 

[cstu]

See, kids, this is why you don't work hard for a company.

 

[Judge Smails]

Blessing in disguise. Don't be bitter. Find something better and don't look back

 

[Penguin]

F that. 45-50k for a 100+ hour a week job that requires skills, they did you a favor. I can't imagine working a skill based job that pays 50k for a 40 hour work week unless I was fresh out of college, that's $24/hour. You were making a little more than $9/hr straight time with benefits. What part of the country is this?

 

[Quez]

Take your complaints to court... the Yelp! court. Put bad replies on Yelp! and watch them go into bankruptcy.

This is actually pretty good advice. Places can be destroyed off bad rankings these days. Post the name of the place here and I am sure a few people would 1 star them.

What if this guy is a lying POS (not saying he is) and was legitimately fired and your fake slanderous reviews hurt a legitimate business?

We would have to do a little due diligence on his board cred before issuing an all out FFA Yelp assault.

 

[Tom Skerritt]

Your situation sucks for sure, but you make excuses for everything too. Just sayin.

Good luck.

I took out the up all night one, that was a lame excuse. Not knowing someone scribbled out "OFF" and wrote in 11am when I specifically told him 12 I see as a completely reasonable excuse. I was fired because of chicken scratch on a schedule. The person firing me didn't even know we made the change or why. I was having to change the schedule to be there when I needed to. I wasn't changing it around for personal reasons, I was doing what was best for the business.

More excuses. Why are you relying on someone else to change YOUR schedule, and why would you not check YOUR schedule to make sure it is accurate, particularly when there is a change.

 

[Jutz]

hey brohan you were killing yourself for them and they did not care so hey move on get a better job and be thankful that you are not working at that place where you had to look over your back looky here i do not make much were i am at basically i am not drinking fruit fraubraus out of a brass cup with my collar up but i have a good thing i know people above me get my back and want me to stay and whenever i have told them that i need a little more jingle they have come thru but i try to be good about not just asking and asking and anyhow for me and that is one hell of a thing to have especially the last ten years or so when so many others have gotten cut or pink slipped or laid off or just had there place close down period anyhow i hope that you can find the same thing but with more pay take that to the bank bromigo

 

[the rover]

sounds like every restaurant I ever worked for.

 

[Officer Pete Malloy]

sounds like every restaurant I ever worked for.

Yep. Things never change.