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Is it time to quit my job?
MPCanes
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
OK, Let's see if I can give a somewhat brief summary while hitting all of the bases. I apologize in advance for any clutter/lack of cohesion, but I'm typing this at work as it comes to me as I need to start getting advice.
Started working at the restaurant I work at 2 years ago when I graduated college. Part time, some server shifts, mostly the host - minimum wage stuff, but I didn't care because I was living at home and didn't need the money, and I didn't know what I wanted to do.
So the owners of the restaurant were a husband and wife. They were in the middle of an ugly divorce when I joined. After one year, the divorce was final - husband got one restaurant, wife got the other 2 (one I'm at). The husband was an immigrant-from-poverty-rags-to-riches story, but he's like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi - shirts clean and pressed or sent home. Facial hair crooked? Home. 2 send homes, fired. Etc. But, he knew the business and was successful. His wife (my boss now) is nice, but doesn't really know the business - she just thinks she does. While her husband was scrubbing the floors, fixing the toilet, bussing tables, cooking food - whatever was needed - she was out front laughing, drinking wine, shmoozing - doing nothing, really. So when the divorce happened, everyone was thrilled where I worked - the reign of terror was over, the Nazi was gone, and we'd all be able to loosen up a bit. But now one of the managers was gone, and someone had to step up.
So she then said she was looking for someone to take the assitant manager position so she didn't have to work (basically), and I offered to try out, and I was picked on the spot - went from part time to 5 nights a week open to close manager, health insurance, 2 free meals a day. I couldn't complain - My first real job, and I had no bills to pay so it was all pure profit.
Then I decided to move out of my parents house, started paying all of my bills (not that I had many, but things like my phone, cable, internet, etc) - and now I basically live paycheck to paycheck. I don't mind, I'm 24, I finally now started saving some money (probably about 5k by the end of the year), but nothing serious - I have 0 credit card debt, no loans to pay off, so I'm not backed up on bills or anything, but I've never really made enough money to start saving seriously.
Fast forward a year - Business is slow in the summer, since it is seasonal in our area - our business nearly triples in the winter months as opposed to April-October, and this year is bad.
Now, I haven't mentioned my real boss - the GM. We'll call her Mary. Mary is a sweetheart. Busts her ass. Works 12 hour shifts, makes pizzas, cooks - she was trained by the husband and expects people to work hard. Her staff is extremely, feircely loyal to her. Customers know her as the face of the restaurant. She has been the one to train me on all of my manager tasks - within one month I was alone on her nights off watching the restaurant myself. Customers began to know me more, as well, and all is well. We are a family restaurant - 8 servers on staff, 2 hostesses, 2 takeout girls - the shortest tenure server is 1 year. In the restaurant business, that is incredible, since most restaurants have a revolving door of scum of the earth people serving. Everyone is about my age, we all work hard, and then go out and play poker, bowl, etc. It's really a fun place to work, and it's why people still come back. Our sales are enough to make the owner about $250,000 a year, if she were smart with money and didn't have other restaurants to float.
Well, here's the problem. My boss Mary is miserable. She is underpaid, often gets asked to work 7 days a week (with no overtime pay), has thrown out her back twice in the last 2 years, and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She's looked into opening her own place, but most people advise against it because of the slumping economy and the fact that owners don't make *that* much money. She's been with our boss for 10 years, but they fight all the time. She called out for the first time ever today. (I'm at work typing this now).
Now here's where I come in. My pay also, sucks ass - I've been cut to 4 days a week, and I make roughly $11.00 an hour (plus my benefits listed). My schedule is a joke, constantly being rearranged at the whims of our boss - like on a Monday at 8 PM, can you come in and make Pizzas tomorrow? Even though you don't even know fucking how to make them? She also decided to open another restaurant, with a different menu, in the exact same plaza where we work. It went horrendously over budget, it's currently making no money, is overstaffed, and she has absolutely 100% 0 capital. Her other restaurant, which I haven't mentioned, is also a disaster. It has been in the red for over a year, so we were floating that all of last year. So now, with the new place, we are supposed to support it, the place I work, and the old shithole. She had to delay paychecks a day to borrow money from a friend to pay us. My desserts weren't delivered today because he hasn't received a check in months. We're going to COD soon on certain suppliers. I gave our meat supplier a check today dated June 15th. Etc. Etc. Checks bounce all the time now - Someone's tip check for $23.00 bounced last week.
But here's the kicker - I have an out. I'm going back for my MBA this fall, and I luckily come from a well off family where my father can take care of my rent/bills (~$800 a month) for as long as I need to find a new job. The thing is, I don't want to take hand outs - I enjoy working and paying my own bills.
But to me, the writing is on the wall, and I need to get out before I get fucked any harder. My evil boss now wants me to go to our other restaurant (the new one) on Mondays and Fridays since the GM quit the day of opening and she needs to have someone watch the place (and can't afford to hire someone else). The guy currently running the place is a titantic asshole, rude to the staff and thinks he is gods gift to the restaurant - meanwhile basic things like food going out hot, and tasting good, are not happening, while making sure the plate is being held at the proper spot is absolute 100% priority. And if you touch the stem of a wine glass too low? He fucking screams at you in the kitchen, making you feel like shit. This is all what I've heard from Mary, my boss, who was sent over there for damage control, but also has asked to not be sent down there. Basically, neither of us wants our names/faces anywhere near this new place.
Trying to talk to the owner is like talking to the wall. It's always "This is the business, I pay your checks, you do what I say", meanwhile I'll call her saying there is a problem - and she is shitfaced at a bar at 8 PM on a Wednesday and telling me to fucking figure it out myself.
As you can tell by the confusion of my own post (I read it quickly and realized it jumps all over the place), I like my job - really, I don't do shit right now. Where I work - that that Mary has set up and runs is on autopilot, I just stand around and make sure nothing goes wrong. I like my boss (Mary). But the evil owner sucks, and is killing myself and the GM, and I fear, the entire place. I have a paid vacation in 3 weeks time that I want to make it to, and then through the GMs vacation (she has 2 weeks paid vacation she is taking after I get back).
I haven't gotten into things like our Pizza guy badmouthing me to the entire staff, threatening physical violence against me (and not being reprimanded), etc - the place is basically a fucking joke since the wife took ownership.
TL:DR - Restaurant in the red. Trying to float owners other businesses. I'm Underpaid. Other manager underpaid and unhappy. Going back to school in 3 months. Wealthy family can pay my bills for now. Confused as hell.
I'll try to clarify later if there are any questions, but I seriously just scrapped the surface and want some opinions.
Started working at the restaurant I work at 2 years ago when I graduated college. Part time, some server shifts, mostly the host - minimum wage stuff, but I didn't care because I was living at home and didn't need the money, and I didn't know what I wanted to do.
So the owners of the restaurant were a husband and wife. They were in the middle of an ugly divorce when I joined. After one year, the divorce was final - husband got one restaurant, wife got the other 2 (one I'm at). The husband was an immigrant-from-poverty-rags-to-riches story, but he's like the Seinfeld Soup Nazi - shirts clean and pressed or sent home. Facial hair crooked? Home. 2 send homes, fired. Etc. But, he knew the business and was successful. His wife (my boss now) is nice, but doesn't really know the business - she just thinks she does. While her husband was scrubbing the floors, fixing the toilet, bussing tables, cooking food - whatever was needed - she was out front laughing, drinking wine, shmoozing - doing nothing, really. So when the divorce happened, everyone was thrilled where I worked - the reign of terror was over, the Nazi was gone, and we'd all be able to loosen up a bit. But now one of the managers was gone, and someone had to step up.
So she then said she was looking for someone to take the assitant manager position so she didn't have to work (basically), and I offered to try out, and I was picked on the spot - went from part time to 5 nights a week open to close manager, health insurance, 2 free meals a day. I couldn't complain - My first real job, and I had no bills to pay so it was all pure profit.
Then I decided to move out of my parents house, started paying all of my bills (not that I had many, but things like my phone, cable, internet, etc) - and now I basically live paycheck to paycheck. I don't mind, I'm 24, I finally now started saving some money (probably about 5k by the end of the year), but nothing serious - I have 0 credit card debt, no loans to pay off, so I'm not backed up on bills or anything, but I've never really made enough money to start saving seriously.
Fast forward a year - Business is slow in the summer, since it is seasonal in our area - our business nearly triples in the winter months as opposed to April-October, and this year is bad.
Now, I haven't mentioned my real boss - the GM. We'll call her Mary. Mary is a sweetheart. Busts her ass. Works 12 hour shifts, makes pizzas, cooks - she was trained by the husband and expects people to work hard. Her staff is extremely, feircely loyal to her. Customers know her as the face of the restaurant. She has been the one to train me on all of my manager tasks - within one month I was alone on her nights off watching the restaurant myself. Customers began to know me more, as well, and all is well. We are a family restaurant - 8 servers on staff, 2 hostesses, 2 takeout girls - the shortest tenure server is 1 year. In the restaurant business, that is incredible, since most restaurants have a revolving door of scum of the earth people serving. Everyone is about my age, we all work hard, and then go out and play poker, bowl, etc. It's really a fun place to work, and it's why people still come back. Our sales are enough to make the owner about $250,000 a year, if she were smart with money and didn't have other restaurants to float.
Well, here's the problem. My boss Mary is miserable. She is underpaid, often gets asked to work 7 days a week (with no overtime pay), has thrown out her back twice in the last 2 years, and is on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She's looked into opening her own place, but most people advise against it because of the slumping economy and the fact that owners don't make *that* much money. She's been with our boss for 10 years, but they fight all the time. She called out for the first time ever today. (I'm at work typing this now).
Now here's where I come in. My pay also, sucks ass - I've been cut to 4 days a week, and I make roughly $11.00 an hour (plus my benefits listed). My schedule is a joke, constantly being rearranged at the whims of our boss - like on a Monday at 8 PM, can you come in and make Pizzas tomorrow? Even though you don't even know fucking how to make them? She also decided to open another restaurant, with a different menu, in the exact same plaza where we work. It went horrendously over budget, it's currently making no money, is overstaffed, and she has absolutely 100% 0 capital. Her other restaurant, which I haven't mentioned, is also a disaster. It has been in the red for over a year, so we were floating that all of last year. So now, with the new place, we are supposed to support it, the place I work, and the old shithole. She had to delay paychecks a day to borrow money from a friend to pay us. My desserts weren't delivered today because he hasn't received a check in months. We're going to COD soon on certain suppliers. I gave our meat supplier a check today dated June 15th. Etc. Etc. Checks bounce all the time now - Someone's tip check for $23.00 bounced last week.
But here's the kicker - I have an out. I'm going back for my MBA this fall, and I luckily come from a well off family where my father can take care of my rent/bills (~$800 a month) for as long as I need to find a new job. The thing is, I don't want to take hand outs - I enjoy working and paying my own bills.
But to me, the writing is on the wall, and I need to get out before I get fucked any harder. My evil boss now wants me to go to our other restaurant (the new one) on Mondays and Fridays since the GM quit the day of opening and she needs to have someone watch the place (and can't afford to hire someone else). The guy currently running the place is a titantic asshole, rude to the staff and thinks he is gods gift to the restaurant - meanwhile basic things like food going out hot, and tasting good, are not happening, while making sure the plate is being held at the proper spot is absolute 100% priority. And if you touch the stem of a wine glass too low? He fucking screams at you in the kitchen, making you feel like shit. This is all what I've heard from Mary, my boss, who was sent over there for damage control, but also has asked to not be sent down there. Basically, neither of us wants our names/faces anywhere near this new place.
Trying to talk to the owner is like talking to the wall. It's always "This is the business, I pay your checks, you do what I say", meanwhile I'll call her saying there is a problem - and she is shitfaced at a bar at 8 PM on a Wednesday and telling me to fucking figure it out myself.
As you can tell by the confusion of my own post (I read it quickly and realized it jumps all over the place), I like my job - really, I don't do shit right now. Where I work - that that Mary has set up and runs is on autopilot, I just stand around and make sure nothing goes wrong. I like my boss (Mary). But the evil owner sucks, and is killing myself and the GM, and I fear, the entire place. I have a paid vacation in 3 weeks time that I want to make it to, and then through the GMs vacation (she has 2 weeks paid vacation she is taking after I get back).
I haven't gotten into things like our Pizza guy badmouthing me to the entire staff, threatening physical violence against me (and not being reprimanded), etc - the place is basically a fucking joke since the wife took ownership.
TL:DR - Restaurant in the red. Trying to float owners other businesses. I'm Underpaid. Other manager underpaid and unhappy. Going back to school in 3 months. Wealthy family can pay my bills for now. Confused as hell.
I'll try to clarify later if there are any questions, but I seriously just scrapped the surface and want some opinions.
MPCanes on
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Don't try to get your Master's and work full time. You'll either be miserable, or you'll fail because you can't focus on both (unless you're made of steel, which I guess is possible).
After you get your Master's, you'll have a good amount of work history in the restaurant business if you want to (or if you need to) continue down that path, or at the very least, you'll have work experience on your resume and pocket cash saved up in case things don't get running right away.
Out.
Really, most of the stuff about being in the black/red isn't your responsibility or something you should be worrying about most of the time.
Your dad is willing to pay for your bills until you get back on your feet, great. There is nothing wrong with accepting support from family/friend, even if you want to add in the clause that you will pay him back for the support (which, as someone who likes to do everything on his own might not be a bad idea). I think it would be beneficial to be in the right mindset when you're starting up school again and a stressful work environment isn't going to help you any.
Get out.
In the restaurant business, especially non-chain, it's absolutely something to worry about. They don't tend to offer severance packages when they have to lay you off.
As soon as you find out the restaurant at which you work is showing signs of tanking, it's time to start looking for a new job.
(Caveat: Virginia (where I've worked) is an at-will employment state, they don't have to even notify you you're being let go, so YMMV if yours is different)
Fortunately, the OP is being proactive about it. He is going back to school soon which is a built in excuse to leave, and has the fall back of his family helping out with the bills incase things go sour sooner than expected.
I still stand by my original point, which is that he shouldn't leave until he either finds a new job or goes back to school, whichever comes first.
2. If your parents are willing to support you through school, don't work. Use it as a challenge to do better.
This. For any number of reasons. One of the primary being it is generally easier to look for the job you want when you have a pay check coming in. Having no money will tend to make you much more eager to take something not adequate potentially landing you in a situation like you're in now.
Also, restaurants are notorious for overworking and underpaying performers. Guarantee your replacement has a better package and shorter hours than you, sure as I'm sitting here.
The upside is that you're getting screwed right now, so pretty much anywhere is going to be a step up
It's highly likely the restaurant will go under and you won't have a job in three months anyways. Best of luck getting your vacation/pay/etc.
Does Mary have plans of bailing? Is she searching for jobs etc? Get her phone number, email, whatever, and keep in contact with her. The economy is in the tank now, but at some point she may be able to get the money to start her own restaurant, where you may be of some help should you choose to use your shiny new MBA in the restaurant business. Also she'd make a good reference.
I would search for a new job right away, ideally in the same business.
Mary should definetely do the same, and I'm opposed to the "don't open your own place" advice. Provided she can secure the capital needed to open a place, and seeing how she's run a successful place for 10 years, she should have no trouble getting customers. Getting good staff is easy - get them from the current place (minus the crazy pizza guy and such). Provided this happens, you have a good chance to continue your working relationship.
Morale in the staff will increase despite the continued low wages, and the group will become closer.
Also, if they are delaying payroll and bouncing checks(!) they are going out of business. Fuck it, I wouldn't even give notice.
It sounds like the owner's running the place into the ground, and I wouldn't be surprised if she owes money to your suppliers or that she's bounced checks to them. I'd bet dollars-to-doughnuts the owner's doing the accounting, too, and that she has no idea how to do it. Get Mary and your friends out of there AND her other restaurant- I'd bet it's just as bad.
Again- get your friends and bail. Quickly.
I can has cheezburger, yes?
The rest of what you said matters. But this here? This is the worst part. You take care of your fucking people before yourself. If you can't afford to pay your employees, you've fucked up big time.
Get out of there. Get everyone you care about out of there as well.
https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561197970666737/
Got off the phone with my academic advisor this afternoon, classes begin October 5th. So I'll likely be gone around there.
My last paycheck cleared, so I'm at least safe for now.
No need to leave in bad stead with her if you can help it and it's another two weeks pay.
Satans..... hints.....
If they're douches about it, you can always just quit outright.
This is great.
You are basically at a place where you can set your own limits: only work under Mary at the pizza place, can't miss more than 1 pay check a month, etc. Make this clear to your boss, she fires you? Oh well. You have a job you like, but its starting to get bad and you have no financial presures to stay in the job; this means there is no real incentive to leave as long as things get worse and no real incentive to stay if things do get worse.
One last note: Having your parents help you out as you go to college and get on your feet is not taking hand outs. Your dad giving you money while you are being responsible and building your future is nothing to feel bad about, its a blessing. A blessing that most people don't have, there is no need to consider it taking handouts.