The Worst Restaurants to Work For

The Worst Restaurants to Work For | Work + Money - Yahoo! Shine

We all enjoy eating out," Restaurant Opportunities Centers (ROC) writes on the website for its National Diners' Guide 2012. "Unfortunately, the workers who cook, prepare, and serve our food suffer from poverty wages, no benefits like paid sick days, and little or no chance to move up to better positions. When the people who serve us food can't afford to pay the rent or take a day off when they're sick, our dining experience suffers."

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Ninety percent of the more than 4,300 restaurant workers surveyed by ROC reported their employers did not offer employees paid sick leave. Two-thirds of those surveyed reported that their employees routinely cook, prepare, and serve food while sick.

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Workers are entitled to a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour if they do not receive tips and $2.13 per hour if they do, as well as overtime pay, if they work more than 40 hours per week; if tips and wages don't add up to $7.25 per hour, the employer is obligated to make up the difference. But many workers aren't aware that they're entitled to payment for all of the hours they work, let alone at what rate, the guide noted. And a wage gap exists even among workers making the bare minimum that the government requires employers to pay. "Women, immigrants, and people of color hold lower-paying positions in the industry, and do not have many opportunities to move up the ladder," the report found. "Among the 4,300 workers surveyed, we found a $4 wage gap between white workers and workers of color, and 73 percent reported not receiving regular promotions on the job."

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Race based wage discrepancies, sick workers contaminating food for the rest of us and no social mobility. Welcome to the union free future everyone.

Was there a union dominated, upwardly mobile restaurant industry of the past that I missed?

i really, really hate when the person preparing my food is sick.

i have worked with some pretty nasty microorganisms in the lab. you wouldn't believe the amount of hoops we had to jump through to work with BSL 2 organisms in the lab. we actually had to shut our lab down for two months just to prepare it for inspection and approval. but someone suffering from a highly contagious illness can come to work and make a sandwich, and it's not necessarily because they want to; they can be fired if they don't.

about thirty miles from my town, a chain restaurant was recently shut down for a month because someone with norovirus was making sandwiches and created a mini-epidemic. probably another situation in my "fire at will" state where they said come in or you're fired.

i wouldn't have a problem with a restaurant being closed down permanently for requiring a contagious sick person to prepare food. in fact, i'd possibly support even more financially punitive measures.

And? I worked in the restaurant industry for 5 years at 3 different restaurants. Most don't offer paid sick leave and race has little to do with it.

And as far as opportunities and positions. Well, thats where you start and communications abilities could further impede advancement. Are you going to make someone a manager who speaks little or broken English?

If you offer 5 paid sick days, how many employees will use less than 5? OK, now what happens on sick day #6? The idea that sick leave makes people not come to work when they are sick, is great in theory but not in practice. Even if the leave was pooled, so that those that needed it could use it even for a two week illness, and those that did not need it would be less likely to simply "fake" it, it still would likely not work as planned. Many use ANY leave as simply a given, likely to go to work when sick and use the sick days when they feel fine, but don't like the assigned shift or have an opportunity to go fishing, go to a party or see a sporting event. Any boss that would fire a worker for missing a day or two while sick, is a moron that you won't miss working for anyway.

Hatuey said:

The Worst Restaurants to Work For | Work + Money - Yahoo! Shine

Race based wage discrepancies, sick workers contaminating food for the rest of us and no social mobility. Welcome to the union free future everyone.

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If you have a unionized restaurant to compare with a non-unionized restaurant for sick workers contaminated food, please post it, I'd like to see it.

I worked 5 years as a busboy, server, front manager, etc. When I was sick, I said so - I can't think of a single instance where I was told to stay and work when I had a potentially infectious disease. The last thing anyone needs is for a negative story on the restaurant like that getting out. Every manager knows like it was tattoo'd on his face that people will typically tell at least three times as many people about a bad dining experience as a good one. I am... suspicious that this would be more than anything but a case of isolated, stupid managers.

Lone restaurants shouldn't be legal. Eating is supposed to lead to intimacy, so you should have to have a hotel or inn on the side.

If every restaurant was organized like that, I doubt workers would ever be treated poorly.

Daktoria said:

Lone restaurants shouldn't be legal. Eating is supposed to lead to intimacy, so you should have to have a hotel or inn on the side.

If every restaurant was organized like that, I doubt workers would ever be treated poorly.

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...you have GOT to be kidding.

Hatuey said:

Race based wage discrepancies, sick workers contaminating food for the rest of us and no social mobility. Welcome to the union free future everyone.

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I managed a unionized food and beverage operation once, at a sports arena where the local hockey and basketball teams play.

We could only promote employees based on seniority, and never based on skill, work ethic, or production. If I had a great employee who wanted to learn how to be a bartender, she couldn't. Seniority, you see. I had a couple employees who liked to assault their co-workers. Sometimes I'd send them home (with full pay of course), sometimes I had them arrested. They couldn't be fired, of course. I had one employee who had a phobia for toilet paper and would return from his bathroom breaks with visible feces on his hands. He refused to wash his hands, and he couldn't be fired because he had been with the union for more than 10 years. Would you like extra poo on your hot dog today? No problem.

Oh yeah, those poo-flavored hot dogs were $8.50. Welcome to a unionized restaurant.

Unions have no place in businesses where safety, performance, and quality are factors.

OpportunityCost said:

...you have GOT to be kidding.

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No...

...if you're not getting laid after eating, then you obviously have a bad imagination.

Whether that means you didn't help cook or have no idea where your food came from is another story, but the point is eating is one of the closest acts you can have with someone else. If it doesn't lead to having a good time, you're doing it wrong.

GJ Flash said:

I managed a unionized food and beverage operation once, at a sports arena where the local hockey and basketball teams play.

We could only promote employees based on seniority, and never based on skill, work ethic, or production. If I had a great employee who wanted to learn how to be a bartender, she couldn't. Seniority, you see. I had a couple employees who liked to assault their co-workers. Sometimes I'd send them home (with full pay of course), sometimes I had them arrested. They couldn't be fired, of course. I had one employee who had a phobia for toilet paper and would return from his bathroom breaks with visible feces on his hands. He refused to wash his hands, and he couldn't be fired because he had been with the union for more than 10 years. Would you like extra poo on your hot dog today? No problem.

Oh yeah, those poo-flavored hot dogs were $8.50. Welcome to a unionized restaurant.

Unions have no place in businesses where safety, performance, and quality are factors.

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I'm sorry, but I have to call that into question. Seriously, who the f___ is afraid of toilet paper?

ttwtt78640 said:

If you offer 5 paid sick days...

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Paid or no, sick food handlers should not be handling food. Whether the workers get paid or not for staying home when they're sick, they should be sent home.

Mr. Invisible said:

I'm sorry, but I have to call that into question. Seriously, who the f___ is afraid of toilet paper?

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Don't be sorry, I know it sounds like an exaggeration. He was also afraid of paper towels, the paper hats everyone else had to wear, even the cash register recepts. Not an uncommon disorder, I understand.

I'm not exaggerating, though. I'm not going to tell you about the sores on his face and arms (and I'm assuming everywhere else) that constantly oozed pus, or the fact that his hair was so greasy and dandruffied (sp?) that he looked like he had grey hair even though he was fairly young, or the fact that he wore the same pants, with the same stains in the same places for months at a time, or the fact that we would have to instruct the cashiers to tell customers that we were out of food, so sorry, if he was working the grill (or any of the food handling positions), or that sometimes he stunk so badly we would just send him home, with pay (8 hours' worth), just so we could breathe. Then you'd really think I was exaggerating.

My point was, I tired to fire him four different times. Once was for refusing to wash his hands after using the bathroom (14 documented warnings). Once was for assaulting another employee (arrested, charged, and convicted). It wasn't until the assaulted employee threatened to sue the company for forcing her to work next to her attacker that we were finally able to get rid of him.

Money trumped the union, and both trumped public health and safety. Nice system we have there, unions. Let's do that in more places.

Hatuey said:

The Worst Restaurants to Work For | Work + Money - Yahoo! Shine



Race based wage discrepancies, sick workers contaminating food for the rest of us and no social mobility. Welcome to the union free future everyone.

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So, instead of bettering themselves, learning a new trade that pays more, or going to college and getting an education, someone needs to come in and make things better for them? How much should a short order cook, or a dishwasher make?

I'm thinking that anyone who doesn't like their two-bit resturant job should do something about it. If they don't have the ambition to do that, then they need to play the hand they were dealt and STFU.

GJ Flash said:

I managed a unionized food and beverage operation once, at a sports arena where the local hockey and basketball teams play.

We could only promote employees based on seniority, and never based on skill, work ethic, or production. If I had a great employee who wanted to learn how to be a bartender, she couldn't. Seniority, you see. I had a couple employees who liked to assault their co-workers. Sometimes I'd send them home (with full pay of course), sometimes I had them arrested. They couldn't be fired, of course. I had one employee who had a phobia for toilet paper and would return from his bathroom breaks with visible feces on his hands. He refused to wash his hands, and he couldn't be fired because he had been with the union for more than 10 years. Would you like extra poo on your hot dog today? No problem.

Oh yeah, those poo-flavored hot dogs were $8.50. Welcome to a unionized restaurant.

Unions have no place in businesses where safety, performance, and quality are factors.

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To be honest, I think you're only 66.6% right on that one. The one thing I can compliment unions on, is that they do create and enforce safety rules and procedures on the job.

Fishstyx said:

And? I worked in the restaurant industry for 5 years at 3 different restaurants. Most don't offer paid sick leave and race has little to do with it.

And as far as opportunities and positions. Well, thats where you start and communications abilities could further impede advancement. Are you going to make someone a manager who speaks little or broken English?

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Sure. It would make handling complaints easier. Just say "No hablo". LOL.

cpwill said:

I worked 5 years as a busboy, server, front manager, etc. When I was sick, I said so - I can't think of a single instance where I was told to stay and work when I had a potentially infectious disease. The last thing anyone needs is for a negative story on the restaurant like that getting out. Every manager knows like it was tattoo'd on his face that people will typically tell at least three times as many people about a bad dining experience as a good one. I am... suspicious that this would be more than anything but a case of isolated, stupid managers.

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Granted, I am older than you, and thus my experience is a bit more dated, but I also have several years of restaurant experience from my younger days, and in my experience and observations it is your experience and observations that are the isolated cases. The ONLY times an employee would be to *told* to go home was in only the most extreme scenarios. And even then most employees would fight going home because they were low-wage employees who needed the money and every dollar counted. It wasn't ideal, and everybody knew it, but it was hard reality.

In one job I instantly went from the store manager's favorite cook to the bottom of her list because I had the audacity to take 5 days off (with a doctor's note) when I contacted mono. Seriously. I was expected to ignore the doctor's advice and work anyway. And while that one instance is extreme in the other direction, I worked in enough different places to know that that mindset was the norm, not the exception.

I read the story and thought about how sheltered and naive people are when they act shocked that this happens. It is far more common than people want to think.

ttwtt78640 said:

If you offer 5 paid sick days, how many employees will use less than 5? OK, now what happens on sick day #6? The idea that sick leave makes people not come to work when they are sick, is great in theory but not in practice. Even if the leave was pooled, so that those that needed it could use it even for a two week illness, and those that did not need it would be less likely to simply "fake" it, it still would likely not work as planned. Many use ANY leave as simply a given, likely to go to work when sick and use the sick days when they feel fine, but don't like the assigned shift or have an opportunity to go fishing, go to a party or see a sporting event. Any boss that would fire a worker for missing a day or two while sick, is a moron that you won't miss working for anyway.

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A great many people in these jobs are also people who are younger and/or haven't fully developed responsibility traits yet, and will often abuse the idea of sick leave and take sick days for hangover, or even just because they were too tired after playing games online all night. Then, when they really get sick, they'd have nothing left to lean back on anyway.

Daktoria said:

Lone restaurants shouldn't be legal. Eating is supposed to lead to intimacy, so you should have to have a hotel or inn on the side.

If every restaurant was organized like that, I doubt workers would ever be treated poorly.

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I almost never understand anything you say. This is one of those times.

GJ Flash said:

I managed a unionized food and beverage operation once, at a sports arena where the local hockey and basketball teams play.

We could only promote employees based on seniority, and never based on skill, work ethic, or production. If I had a great employee who wanted to learn how to be a bartender, she couldn't. Seniority, you see. I had a couple employees who liked to assault their co-workers. Sometimes I'd send them home (with full pay of course), sometimes I had them arrested. They couldn't be fired, of course. I had one employee who had a phobia for toilet paper and would return from his bathroom breaks with visible feces on his hands. He refused to wash his hands, and he couldn't be fired because he had been with the union for more than 10 years. Would you like extra poo on your hot dog today? No problem.

Oh yeah, those poo-flavored hot dogs were $8.50. Welcome to a unionized restaurant.

Unions have no place in businesses where safety, performance, and quality are factors.

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In a scenario like that, if I were the manager, I would have called the health department and reported it as an anonymous tip, and let them fight it out with the union.

I disagree with your conclusion in your last sentence, though. But, I do feel that it is stuff like this... defending the ethically and morally indefensible... is why unions have lost so much respect and clout in today's society.

radcen said:

Granted, I am older than you, and thus my experience is a bit more dated, but I also have several years of restaurant experience from my younger days, and in my experience and observations it is your experience and observations that are the isolated cases. The ONLY times an employee would be to *told* to go home was in only the most extreme scenarios. And even then most employees would fight going home because they were low-wage employees who needed the money and every dollar counted. It wasn't ideal, and everybody knew it, but it was hard reality.

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that bolded is still true - no one liked getting sent home when your income counted. But again, I don't recall ever walking up to the boss and saying "boss, I'm sick, and I need to go" without him either A) sending me home or B) assigning me someone else's non-food service tasks (okay, take over cleaning the parking lot and I'll have Jim wash up and replace you as busboy) to do before going home. He has a business to run, and that business, while requiring labor, also requires keeping a good reputation if it is going to survive.

In one job I instantly went from the store manager's favorite cook to the bottom of her list because I had the audacity to take 5 days off (with a doctor's note) when I contacted mono. Seriously. I was expected to ignore the doctor's advice and work anyway. And while that one instance is extreme in the other direction, I worked in enough different places to know that that mindset was the norm, not the exception.

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then your boss was an idiot. I only worked in 4 restaurants, admittedly, but if you had something like mono, (or a cold, or the flu) you went the F home and don't talk too close to me while you're here.

cpwill said:

I worked 5 years as a busboy, server, front manager, etc. When I was sick, I said so - I can't think of a single instance where I was told to stay and work when I had a potentially infectious disease. The last thing anyone needs is for a negative story on the restaurant like that getting out. Every manager knows like it was tattoo'd on his face that people will typically tell at least three times as many people about a bad dining experience as a good one. I am... suspicious that this would be more than anything but a case of isolated, stupid managers.

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I don't think the concern is managers not letting sick employees go home. The concern is sick employees not telling their managers they're sick because they cannot AFFORD to take a day off.

Sarcogito said:

I don't think the concern is managers not letting sick employees go home. The concern is sick employees not telling their managers they're sick because they cannot AFFORD to take a day off.

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Both.

When one of my kids was at the ER because he knocked a tooth out there was a mother there - her daughter stopped breathing, they were doing cpr and some other emergency procedure. She and the staff called - and called - and called the restaurant that her husband (the father) worked at - they never passed on the message. . .he never called to say he was coming immediately or anything. She was on the phone screaming for them to get him and put him on the phone - and they didn't.

I don't know what happened to that child - or with the work situation - but it really sounded like they could give a **** less about the kid possibly dying - they had customers who wanted their orders done *right now*

Restaurants are ****ty places to work - period - because some people are just slobby lazy ****s who don't want to cook for theirselves, are rude as all hell, impatient and disgusting people. . . and 'customer service' is #1.

It's all a bs web that I don't like to participate in - I keep my patronage to restaurants quite low and I refuse to ever *ever* be a bitchy dick, rude, impatient, or tipless. You never *ever* know what more serious issues are going on that are far more important than your stupid steak.

apdst said:

To be honest, I think you're only 66.6% right on that one. The one thing I can compliment unions on, is that they do create and enforce safety rules and procedures on the job.

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You're right, I'm painting with too broad a brush. My personal union experience is limited to a handful of jobs, and each experience was worse than the last. I've worked in two unionized workplaces that serve food, and both were the dirtiest, nastiest operations I had ever been a part of.

My point being, unions are not the be-all-end-all answer. People may think that unions could solve problems like restaurant sanitation and food safety, but in my personal experience they have had the opposite effect.

Aunt Spiker said:

Restaurants are ****ty places to work - period - because some people are just slobby lazy ****s who don't want to cook for theirselves, are rude as all hell, impatient and disgusting people. . . and 'customer service' is #1.

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I worked in reastaurants (and bars, and night clubs, and sports arenas, and casinos, etc. etc.) for more than two decades, and I couldn't possibly disagree more. As a waiter and bartender, I loved my job. Come to work at 5pm, be off by 10pm, average $50/hour (and then put some of that money in savings, just in case you get sick and can't work). Yes, you have to deal with the occasional arsehole customer, but that's true in nearly every job.

For people with highly-developed social skills, the hospitality industry is a great place to work. Good times.

radcen said:

In one job I instantly went from the store manager's favorite cook to the bottom of her list because I had the audacity to take 5 days off (with a doctor's note) when I contacted mono. Seriously. I was expected to ignore the doctor's advice and work anyway. And while that one instance is extreme in the other direction, I worked in enough different places to know that that mindset was the norm, not the exception.

I read the story and thought about how sheltered and naive people are when they act shocked that this happens. It is far more common than people want to think.

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No, it's really not. I'm not saying that there aren't bad/stupid managers out there, because there are. I'm saying that it takes an incredibly stupid manager to make the decision to place the health and safety of their customers in jeopardy for any reason (and managers eat out of that same kitchen too, remember). Poor sanitation practices lead to lawsuits, which can (and will and do) put a restaurant out of business. Bad managers and dirty kitchens are the exception, not the rule.

It's too bad you guys didn't work in my restaurant. You'd have loved it.

radcen said:

In one job I instantly went from the store manager's favorite cook to the bottom of her list because I had the audacity to take 5 days off (with a doctor's note) when I contacted mono. Seriously. I was expected to ignore the doctor's advice and work anyway. And while that one instance is extreme in the other direction, I worked in enough different places to know that that mindset was the norm, not the exception.

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engaging in this kind of negligence should result in losing your restaurant.