Gimme a break.

Breaks in the restaurant business have been another questionable complaint of mine. I understand and comprehend the labor laws just fine in my area, however, I wonder if the actual managers do?

  

I was scheduled to work from open to close today. Probably because I was crabbing about my hours last week and they wanted to teach me a lesson. Hah! I love the hours, dummies! Thanks!

I had a crappy lunch experience. (I can’t physically make myself type it all out) I was ditched, per usual, by the beautiful kitchen co-staff earlier than normal. They were scheduled off at four but to save labor, they decided to leave at two. After all, both of them ensured me that prep was done and I only had a few things left to do. I get rocked by my lonesome until four, with no shred of hope of finishing up what they left.

The four o’clock cook comes in. Finally, I get a bit of slack. I tell him what’s up, what we need to do; blah blah…I tell him I’m going to go smoke real quick. As I get ready to go out back, apparently, this fat bitch of a manager heard me. (She has to be pushing 300, but I’m a bad judge at cunt weight …so) She stopped me on my way and told me to just go ahead and take my half hour break.

Let me clear things up first, once again. I have “sometimes” been offered my mandated breaks, though always turned them down because I only need a quick smoke here and there to clear my head and get away from the evil printer. This became common knowledge so I eventually wasn’t offered them anymore. Perfect! I don’t care if I work five hours or fifteen in the day. All I would appreciate is a few drags off a stogie, a couple of times per shift. This generally takes me between three to five minutes, counting the walk out and back. And it has never been denied to me yet. Great! We’re on the same page here.

I tell her kindly that I don’t require a break and would just like a quick smoke. She tells me that it is now company policy that every worker takes a break. I said yeah, I understand that but I decline mine thinking she knows what’s up. She told me nope, it’s mandatory.

So now I’m getting pissed. I tell her, “Okay then, I’ll take my hour break if I must.” She replied back that I only get a half hour. I spurt back, “No, I get an hour.” She looks confused now and asks ME why I think I DESERVE an hour when everyone else only gets half of that.

Now I’m really getting pissed (I just wanted a quick smoke, damn it!), though only say, “That would be because I’m not working less than an eight hour shift; I’m working a twelve.” She looks at me all spastic again, and says verbatim, “IT DOESN’T MATTER!” I just calmly said, “Sure it does.”

She stormed off in a rage. The other cook looked at me in a smiley laughingly kind of way. The servers in the pantry were in awe. Apparently they couldn’t believe I had the gall to speak up and defend myself. So, I just stood there for a few minutes waiting to see what would happen next. Should I go smoke now or go on break…or…?

About five minutes later (could have been back from smoking and being productive and efficient by now), she plows back into the kitchen and tells me to take an hour if I need to, though she would appreciate it if I only took thirty minutes because of the banquet of twenty-five coming in shortly.

Fuck you bitch! I knew about the banquet coming in. That’s why I wanted to take a fuckin’ smoke break before. She apparently called the GM at home, pissing and moaning, and he agreed with our state laws, WOW! I was legally granted one hour.

Fast forward things…I went out and smoked, even had two. Came back in without my guaranteed by law break, banquet went amazingly. Compliments all around for the kitchen staff, we were told. She basically kissed my ass the rest of the night and apologized a million times and even tried to joke about the situation.

It just makes me sick, these days, living another day in the life of a line cook.