Restaurant Operations are Temporarily Closed

**slick4591**[$] · #1 07-10-2006, 01:34 PM

Had my first labor dispute this morning over some new rules that I put into place and had two walk out. If I had a large staff it wouldn't affect my business, but I don't. I've temporarily closed it until I can get more staff hired, which ain't so easy in this small town.

*emeleel* · #2 07-10-2006, 01:35 PM

Hope you get things worked out really soon!

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #3 07-10-2006, 01:39 PM

What were you asking for that was so important that these two felt the need to leave? Asking them to work topless?

Seriously - sounds like these two were getting ready to go anyway if they walked out that fast.

**amykhar** · #4 07-10-2006, 01:39 PM

wow. must have been some rules. Hope you find good staff quickly.

Magick1 · #5 07-10-2006, 01:41 PM

Good luck, that can be very hard to do.

**mtomm**[$] · #6 07-10-2006, 01:42 PM

I hope you find some good replacements quickly!

**theworm**[$] · #7 07-10-2006, 01:46 PM

Ugh! I'm sorry for your troubles.

**slick4591**[$] · #8 07-10-2006, 01:48 PM

Lately my recipes had been getting screwed up and I got to noticing that one of the ones who walked out was on her cell phone a lot. I simply banned the use of them in the kitchen. Told them that people that needed them should call on the restaurant phone or they could return calls on their break.

Kinda showed me where their priorities were, huh?

**theworm**[$] · #9 07-10-2006, 01:53 PM

Stick to your guns, Slick.
That's not unreasonable. They're there to work. People can call the restaurant for an emergency, and they can chat on their breaks.

**slick4591**[$] · #10 07-10-2006, 02:36 PM

I'm stickin'. Got the help wanted sign out now.

**drmomentum**[$] · #11 07-10-2006, 02:41 PM

Wow - that's all the rule was?

Seems perfectly reasonable to me.

cristina1 · #12 07-10-2006, 04:00 PM

Cell phones don't belong in the work place. You were right to set the rule.

I hope you find a staff quickly.

**phoenixx**[$] · #13 07-10-2006, 04:16 PM

Cell Phones in emergency or on break is the rule, well, everywhere. Doofuses.

**Prepoia**[$] · #14 07-10-2006, 04:18 PM

Quote:

phoenixx said

Cell Phones in emergency or on break is the rule, well, everywhere. Doofuses.

Yep! Everywhere that I know of. Perfectly reasonable rule. Sorry for your mini-vacation though.

**lynnzop**[$] · #15 07-10-2006, 04:43 PM

Ugh, sorry for the break in service.

But I agree with everyone else, you were perfectly reasonable.

Is that why the other one walked out too? I"ll be your customers want to go find them and lynch them!

**slick4591**[$] · #16 07-10-2006, 04:56 PM

I wasn't there when the first one walked, but she had major issues with it during our meeting. After she left I got back and my manager thought she should be exempt from the rule since she had kids. Kids hell, they are 15 and 18 and they can call the restaurant just as easy as her cell. She then said her husband would make her quit if she had to turn her cell off. I told her that if that were the case and she was going to quit she should do just that. She did.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #17 07-10-2006, 05:00 PM

One of my biggest pet peeves is when someone who is being paid to take care of a customer (generally moi) stops what he/she is doing to take a call. I don't like it when I see supermarket cashiers doing it (which I see rarely), I don't like it when real estate brokers do it (which I see all the time), and I can't recall seeing someone at any food establishment do it (from fancy to casual to fast-food restaurants).

Good grief, how did ANY of us leave home to work for 8 hours at a time before there were cell phones?!

**slick4591**[$] · #18 07-12-2006, 09:26 AM

Not real sure of how it'll work, but I'm interviewing a husband and wife team today.

**theworm**[$] · #19 07-12-2006, 09:31 AM

It'll be an extreme. Terrible or perfect. I hope its perfect.

**lynnzop**[$] · #20 07-12-2006, 09:33 AM

Another pet peeve with cell phones (at any time) is the ringer. VIBRATE when you are in a public place, FCOL. Especially if you are at work and have it turned on for emergency or work calls.

Hope your interviews go well, Slick. Many H&W teams can work together in perfect harmony.

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #21 07-12-2006, 09:50 AM

Ditto that, Lynn. I was at a teleconference yesterday that involved participants at six sites. About half an hour in to the presentation a cell phone went off, audible and distracting to everyone at all six sites. While that person answered her (very loud music-download-ringing) phone, I saw all sorts of people (me included) checking to make sure their ringers were off. 20 minutes later another phone went off - someone who wasn't inspired to check after the first one. And it played and it played and it played as the person dug around looking for it, and it got louder and louder as she took it out of her bag (instead of taking herself and her bag out of the room before digging for the phone)...

Back to Slick's restaurant. Hubby and I worked together at Christmas in retail a few times. It was OK. My x-fiance and I worked together year-round in retail for a few years, it was great and my boss loved us working together. A big plus is the wife wouldn't have to have her cell phone on in case her husband was calling her, or vice-versa, if they're scheduled together

*emeleel* · #22 07-12-2006, 09:53 AM

Our preacher's phone went off in the middle of the sermon on Sunday morning. Yes, while HE was preaching!

And yes, we have a reminder flashed on the screen during the pre-services time period reminding people to turn off their phones and watch alarms.