Update on the job front, and a surprise visitor!

Okay, so it's been a few weeks since the shit hit the fan the new company took over, and people are dropping like flies quite a few employees have decided to move on to other jobs.


I'm pissed at the ones who just walked out.  A few of the crew kids thought it would be fun to walk out in the middle of their shift, on a  busy Friday night, hoping to cause chaos.  Didn't happen.  Fortunately, we had managers and trainers from other stores in to help with proper training and they took over hosting and bussing duties.


Our general manager discovered via a cook that there were want ads on our website, for a GM position and a kitchen manager position.  When he asked if his job was in jeopardy, the response from our new District Manager was, "Well, are you doing your job?" (he wasn't... he is why so any are jumping ship).  He packed his stuff and left.  Rumor has it that he went back to his former store and tried to get his kitchen manager job back, but was turned down when they found out he walked out of this job.  If he had waited until he got fired, he could have collected unemployment.  Now he's screwed.


As of now, about 20 employees that I can recall have left.  We are in the process of hiring and training new servers and hosts, as well as cooks and dishwashers.  Soon we will have an entirely new staff working here! And they will all be trained properly!  Our former General Manager was filling the place with bodies, didn't matter if they had any kind of training whatsoever.  


The thing is, with leaving a job like serving, when you go to a new restaurant, no matter how much experience you have, you are still the new kid on the block.  You need to earn the right to get good hours, good sections and make decent money.  You WILL be one of the first ones out every night.  You WILL get the crappy stations to work in.  You WILL get smaller sections until you prove you can handle more tables.  


I did learn when I validate someone I get a higher hourly wage AND I keep their tips!! Woo hoo!!!  I made an extra $50 on Monday night!  So I'll work extra hours when they need me if that's going to happen!  Validation is when a server in training takes tables and I follow them around to make sure they are doing everything correctly.


We have managers and trainers from a few of our other stores to help out, mostly from New York.  We have a temporary General Manager until they can hire someone permanently.  I want her to stay forever!  I HEART HER A LOT!!!  She's fun.  She's energetic.  She doesn't take shit from anyone, but is quick to bestow praise when she sees it.  I've seen her sit down and have quite a few little "chats" with disgruntled employees.  Our place of employment is supposed to be energetic and fun.  These folks are bringing fun back to our jobs!  She gave me $5 the other night for answering a question correctly!!


There are two in particular that I will be happy to see leave this place and I hope it's soon.  They are both disrespectful and rude to fellow workers, me included.  They both had chats with management and I'm guessing their days are numbered.  Good riddance to them.  I don't need negative rude people around me. I like my job and I want to have fun when I'm there.  This is a new company.  If you don't like the rules, there's the door.  See ya later.  Bye.  There are so many people willing to take your job and play by the rules.  We don't need you.


We are cleaning (literally, with soap and water and Windex and degreaser, etc.) our place up, really good.  They are getting us tons of new equipment.  Everyone is getting proper training. We are going to be awesome!!  


And in other news.....


While I was at work yesterday I had a visitor!  It was none other than Matty from Matty Thoughts!!  Matty stopped by to say hello!  We've been reading each others blog for a couple of years now, and we live not far from each other.  Matty's been telling me he was going to drop by one of these days and yesterday he did!  He happened to be in the mall where I work and dropped in to see if I was working.  We didn't have much time to chat, since I had tables to take care of, but we did get to chat for a minute.  It was a pleasure meeting you, Matty!  You look just like your picture!


And a great big WAY TO GO and an OO-RAH for our Navy Seal Team who took out Osama Bin Laden!  Even if the photo going around Facebook is a fake, I still think it's a good look for him!  And we can handle anything those extremists throw at us!  Maybe now, some of the 3,000+ families can have some peace and closure.  God Bless America!

When the smoke clears, I wonder who will be left standing, besides me?

I see mutiny on the horizon, at work.  Rather than be concerned, I'm finding this all quite amusing!


Here is what happened.


I work for a national restaurant chain.  We were part of a 7 restaurant franchise.  Um... where I work, it's always Friday.  Got it?  Good!


Several months ago, we got word that our owner was selling off the franchise to a company out of California.  Big changes were a comin'!  Five of the seven stores were sold.  We were told this new company would be running the stores like the corporate stores (i.e. STRICT!!)  I heard some grumbling from some of my fellow employees.


I wasn't nervous about that.  I did 12 years of Catholic schools, in the 60s and 70s.  We had corporal punishment when I went to school.  Playing by the rules at work would be a piece of cake!


So the new company takes over.  We're all now on probation for 6 months.  We are all considered brand new employees.  Those of us left standing on September 4 would get back our seniority (I have 8 years in)  and our vacation pay (I was getting 3 weeks paid vacation).  But we all have to prove ourselves!  OK, I can do that.


All of our perks were gone!  No more extra pay to be shift leader (I am a shift leader a couple of times a week).  No extra pay to train new servers (I was a trainer.  Easy extra bucks each month).  My manager told me what was going on.... no reflection on me, blah, blah, blah.  This is the way the new company runs things for all 25 of their stores, blah,blah, blah.  I told him I wish we were still getting the little perks, but I was happy to have a job.  He seemed relieved.


Then, they put in a new computer system and brought people down from NY to train us on the new system.
I felt like a brand new server, left alone on my first day!  Now?  Easy peasy!!  I zip through ordering!  I still have questions from time to time but I'm getting it.  Some, ok a lot of the employees didn't like one of the trainers, but did like the other one.  The one they didn't like doesn't take shit off anyone.  The other would sneak out to smoke with them.


I hear grumbling from some of the other employees.  Some aren't happy.  They don't like the way things are changing.   I want to tell them to shut up and do their job or leave.  No one is forcing them to stay.


Lots of the rules are changing.  The new company didn't realize how things were before (aka lackadaisical, we could pretty much do whatever we wanted).  Now people are getting written up or sent home for being late.  Business is slow but the new company wants more servers on the floor, so less money for us (for now).  


Now they are putting their foot down regarding smoking and also drinking after work.  Lots of employees will go into the bar and give back half their tips in booze.  Now we are no longer allowed to drink in the bar, period, even if it's our day off.  We can sit in the restaurant part and order alcohol, but not in the bar ever.  This rule is company wide, not just the franchise.  No smoking on the property ever.  In Pennsylvania, there is no smoking inside the restaurant, but employees used to be able to go out back by the dumpsters and smoke (I'm sure you've all seen cooks and servers hanging outside a kitchen door, smoking and chatting.)  I don't smoke, and I don't drink (well, hardly ever), so it's no problem for me.  


Every few days, someone else leaves, usually just walking out, like someone did today.  Buh,bye!!  


What all these people who are bitching and moaning don't realize, and I wish I could be there when they do, is that, if and when they go to another restaurant to work, they are going to find the smaller sections, no drinking in the bar after work, they have to tip out everyone like they do here,   They'll be considered new servers, so they'll get lousy sections, cut early, less shifts.  Management could be super strict.


Everyone was spoiled because the manager we had until last year, when he got caught stealing the deposits.  Our old manager wouldn't fire anyone or reprimand anyone (well, hardly ever) because he didn't want to make any waves!  He was trying to fly under the radar so he wouldn't get caught!  Our owner wasn't much better!  Wouldn't give us money to get things fixed or replaced properly, was late in paying bills so we'd lose internet and other things.  


So now that things are being run the correct way, everyone is bitching!!!  This company has MONEY!!!!!  And they aren't afraid to spend it!  They spent nearly $100,000 on a new computer system.  Every few days, new equipment arrives.  They are willing to put thousands and thousands of dollars into our store to make it a better place to work.  And they are hiring a whole bunch of new people to work here.


And ya know what?  When the smoke clears and all the people I've been working with are gone, because they've either quit or management has had enough of their griping,  I'll still be standing and I'll be on top of the heap!

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Vacation Plans

I'm on vacation!!  Our work week goes from Tuesday to Monday, so today is the first day of my vacation!


My plans for vacations?  To do as little as possible!


I do have a few things I HAVE to do. 


I have to pick up my new glasses from Walmart so I can see clearly again.
I have to make a deposit at the bank (first thing on Tuesday)  so my Verizon Wireless payment doesn't bounce.
I have to go to John's and have sex and spend time with him.
I have to mail my daughter's retainers to her at school because she left them in my bathroom.
I have to try to sleep as late as possible every day.
I have to finish watching all the seasons of NCIS.  Then start on Northern Exposure.
I have to catch up on all my blog reading and commenting.


Speaking of work, I work at TGI Fridays.  Our restaurant is part of a 7 store franchise.  A company from California  is coming in and buying up 5 of the stores, ours included.  They are supposed to be taking over in mid-to-late January.  Which is why I'm on vacation this week.  I'm entitled to 3 weeks paid vacation.  My anniversary date is February 11. I still had 1 week of vacation coming to me.  I'll be working for the company for 8 years now.  I'm not sure if I'll still be getting 3 weeks paid vacation after they take over.  Could be new company, new rules.  I sure hope I don't lose my 8  years of seniority!!!  We all have to take our food tests again.  Since I'm the trainer and I give the test, I BETTER pass it!!  I'm sure there will be a few co-workers who might be out of a job once these tests are given!  The managers all had to submit resumes.  Their jobs are not automatically guaranteed!  Yikes!!


I really need to get back on my Nutrisystem plan.  I was doing really well for a while.  Then I got lazy about prepping my food every day.  And I stopped.  And I gained back the 15 pounds I lost.    I have 2 months of Nutrisystem food in my pantry.  I had a new shipment ready to be delivered on the 5th of January.  I called them and delayed it until March.


I've inherited my mother's restless leg syndrome.  Great.  My legs "wake up" as the rest of me gets tired.  Like right now.  I'm tired.  It's around midnight.  And now  I'm sitting here, jiggling my legs, trying to get the "crawlies" to stop inside my legs.  If anyone has any suggestions that don't require prescription meds, I'm all ears!

Okay, I'm adding a teeny little pet peeve here.  I understand using word verification to prevent spammers from clogging up our blogs.  I use word verification too.  What is beginning to tick me off are when I type my comment and click submit, it goes to the original blog page.  I click off the page because I'm finished with that blog for the time being and just as it's disappearing, the word verification pops up!  Then I have to go back in and re-type my comment!!!  It's not bad if it's just a few words, but sometimes one can get wordy and to have to retype a whole paragraph is annoying!  Ok, that's it. I've said my peace.   uh..... mine doesn't do that.... does it???


Keely  is the host for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  Go check her out at The Un Mom for lots more fun Randomness!! 

Six Word Saturday

Gorgeous day, I have to work

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