Vivid Surreality?

This is a fair warning to all. I am tossing back some beers this fine March evening, and I have a lot to put down, so this will probably be long-winded, and become more so as the number of beverages increases. I tend to ramble when alcohol is flowing through my system, so you have been given adequate notice. Okay, here we go.

The private meeting was typical yesterday, I suppose. I was able to vent and I did it in a civil manner. I basically brought up every petty detail that I didn’t like within the establishment. After adding each miniscule item up, it really did amount to a lot when each is compounded by the other. So I did get to address some concerns, and it felt good. The KM listened to my point of view and how I’d go about taking care of these problems.

He just sat there and let it all soak in, and then did something that really blew my mind, he agreed with me, on everything. He apologized and owned the responsibility as his failings of being a manager. What is going on here? This isn’t supposed to be happening. Maybe there is hope after all. What happens from here, we’ll see, but I’m betting confidently on nothing. I’ll get to this part later.

Regardless, I ended the conversation with a notice of resignation. This will give them something to stew on. I don’t think this is over yet, like I said, it gives them something more to think about and maybe they’ll try to come to some sort of compromise, or possibly not. God help them if not. They will get absolutely destroyed this spring and summer, not a single doubt in my mind about that. I’m honestly not trying to be vindictive or cocky here, but I know for certain they could “use” my help.

I was offered a wage increase but turned it down as it really wasn’t sufficient in my eyes. A little bit more would likely be enough for me to tolerate the sheer stupidity of this place as time goes on, but that’s for them to figure out. If they let me leave, I’m totally fine with that too. I applied at several other places yesterday, two of which include restaurants. Damn, I must be a glutton for punishment, but it’s the quickest way for me to secure employment as most every local restaurant is always hurting for competent kitchen staff. Anyways…

The whole meth incident was undecided. I guess that doesn’t surprise me considering the situation. As I wrote before, the cook is a great worker and everyone really enjoys working with him. He knows his shit and it’s a person who can basically manage himself, with minimal guidance from time to time.

My personal opinion is termination, no ifs ands or buts about it. That’s why it’s called a zero tolerance policy. End of discussion. There is no way you can preach this philosophy and not follow through. It displays favoritism and shows your weakness as management. This policy has been a pertinent topic in several meetings. Paraphrasing here, the GM’s words, “If you come into work high, you are done. If you come into work drunk, you are done. If you use drugs, unless prescribed by a doctor, or alcohol while working, you are done. No exceptions.” Can it really be said any clearer than that? How is that statement not reasonable and fair?

The offending employee is intelligent enough to know he can’t come to work in that state and that there will be a reaction to his behavior. He was just hoping nobody would notice, how, I have no idea. The alternatives to how the night unfolded could have been so different, and that’s something you can’t turn a blind eye to and hope doesn’t happen.

As I wrote in the previous post, this dude was wacked out all the while working around dangerous equipment, razor sharp knives, and FOOD WE SERVE TO THE PUBLIC. What if he had added some degreaser while preparing a dish thinking it was olive oil? What if he thought he was cutting up a carrot when it was actually his finger? What if he thought he was washing a pan in soapy water when it was in fact the deep fryer? What if he had a psychotic break and became aggressive and violent? I’ve never done the drug so I don’t really know, perhaps I’m just imagining the worst. Maybe none of that is probable, though no one can tell me it’s not possible.

And not to be a total dick, I would go as far as to offer him a chance at redemption. He would be fired, though if he chose to seek help for and could overcome his addiction, he would be given another chance to come back so long as he stayed sober. Everyone’s been given a second chance at something in their lifetime, and normally with certain criteria and stipulations. This is no different.

I also feel it’s an easy decision because there is no other choice on the matter. A rock solid precedent was already set by firing the pill popper only minutes after his departure. Within a ten minute time frame, the schedule was in the GM’s hand with the employee’s name crossed off and he was asking who could pick up his shifts. However, should he return at some point in the future and say, “Look, I know I messed up and accept responsibility. I’ve got my act together now and would like another shot.” I absolutely think he should be considered again. People make poor choices, it’s in our wiring, and I don’t feel anyone deserves to be completely written off after one offense of this nature.

In this situation, I also understand how it can become a personal dilemma. It reminds me of a time where I had to do almost the exact thing. I was a high level manager in another franchise restaurant many moons ago. A member of the kitchen staff brought to my attention that a co-worker had stolen some items. He explained what he saw and I reviewed the surveillance. Sure enough, that employee was on camera with the exact merchandise I was told about. This was a problem.

I privately met with said thief and without even showing any of the footage or even telling him there was any, he confessed. After a lengthy discussion, I told him to come back tomorrow for the final decision. I already knew what I was going to do but wanted to run the whole thing by the owner and other management team members. I was actually met with some opposition, by the owner; the other members were on board. He was conflicted because he personally adored this kid, hell we all did. He worked in my department and I thought the world of him. Excellent worker, smart, quick, personable, mild tempered, damn near a model employee except for this incident, that we knew of.

I flat out told the owner, again paraphrasing here, it’s been a long time, “You told me when I accepted this position that you trusted my judgment and wouldn’t overrule me on decisions. You said if you ever had to do that, it means I’m not doing my job competently. No one WANTS this but we NEED to do this, you and I both know that.” I went on to say that the choice was ultimately his, as you know, he owns the place, and left him to decide. He came out of the office a few minutes later, apologized, and told me I had his support. When you like the people, these situations point blank fucking suck, but again, the decision was inevitably already made by that employee. So yes, I do know what it’s like to have this burden dealing with the good employees.

I’m aware that what I wrote makes me look a bit like a heartless jerk, but I will stand by my convictions. The first post of this blog has me stating that what I write will be 100% the truth, and I won’t waver from that, ever. What that cook did was flat out wrong as well as the current one. I know the rules wherever I work and follow them. If I didn’t, I’d expect to suffer the consequences and accept my fate. If I don’t agree with the rules, I choose to work elsewhere. It’s just that simple to me.

Well I’ve turned this part of the post into something I didn’t want to. The purpose of this blog was basically for me to just piss and moan and let others know how fucked up the food service industry can be at times. I’m not here to preach to people on how to live their lives. I’ve stated before and will reinforce, I don’t give a flying fuck how people want to live so long as it doesn’t negatively affect others. This behavior directly makes my employment more miserable than it needs to be and I guess I needed to throw in my two cents. (Thank you Budweiser)

So ANYWAYS...

When I walked in tonight, I seen his name still on the schedule and he was due to arrive in an hour. No big surprise there. Something else was different, though. The kitchen and prep area were immaculate! Cleaned from top to bottom, line stocked, floors swept and mopped, and the prep cook was still plugging away. I couldn’t believe my eyes. What I bitched about to the KM actually mattered. Everyone, and I mean everyone, yes even the one who I’ve had the two battles of the wits with, greeted me with a warm welcome and a smile.

The prep cook, who only ever does what he wants to, asked me if I could check over his work before he leaves to make sure things were completed for the night. He didn’t even say it in a smart ass way either, really polite and sincere. I told him, “That’s alright, I trust you.” all the while thinking to myself, “Just shut up and get away from me. I still don’t like you.” He then asked me if it would be okay for him to leave for the day. I said I didn’t care and if I happened to see anything, I’d let him know tomorrow. I honestly think he was reaching for a compliment or pat on the back from me for doing such a great job today, you know, what he’s expected to do everyday anyways. Fuck that, one day of being responsible and doing your job the correct way won’t get shit from me dickhead. Some consistency might.

He leaves and I have the kitchen to myself for an hour. I can actually finish tying up loose ends and be completely prepared for the dinner service. My mind starts to wonder, likely in absolute disbelief… WTF is going on here? There has to be a catch. Surly I’m still at home sleeping, though this would be the first dream I’ve had of this place rather than nightmare. But no, I’m standing in the restaurant, ready to go, as things are supposed to be.

The night proceeds into normality. We get our rush, the meth dude seems sober and is rocking his section, I’m killing it on calling, plating, flat top, etc., and my other co-worker is nailing appetizers, sauté, and deep fryers. Excellent service by all! As close to a perfect work day as I’ve ever had here. The tickets subdue and I finish up my cut work and am done for the evening. I clock out and now it’s official; I made it through ONE GOD DAMN DAY without anything going wrong. And then it happens…something always seems to happen, doesn’t it?

The nice front manager, who I like from last week’s fiasco, notices I’m on my way out. She stops me and asks if I’d like to have a drink on the house. Jesus, this is really getting weird, but I’m in a great mood now and tell her, “Sure, why not.” I head out to the bar and grab a seat. She and the other manager sit down next to me. A waiter and waitress gather around for a quick one also.

I ask why everyone is in such a good mood tonight and she tells me how excited everyone is about the KM’s (let’s start calling him Gary; I once knew a guy named Gary and he was an incompetent douche, so we’ll run with that) fantastic ideas on how we can improve productivity, efficiency, and moral around this place. Wow, I’d love to hear them too since he never mentioned any of them yesterday when we chatted. Well, he did have a night to sleep on it so he likely did some brainstorming. Now I’m all ears and looking toward a pleasant future here!

The first topic was what Gary thinks we should do about the meth guy situation. Finally! He grew some balls and made a decision. Yesterday when I asked him what he was going to do he just said verbatim, “I don’t know.” The almighty Gary has now concluded the destiny of Mr. Meth. Please enlighten me.

She goes on to say, “He said after thinking about it, even though we all like him (meth dude), what he did was unacceptable. And we totally agree.” Whoa, back the fuck up here. This sounds oddly familiar, except those words came from my mouth to his ears yesterday morning. In our private meeting, I said exactly, “What are you going to do about (insert name/meth dude)?” He replied back exactly, “I don’t know.” I replied back to him exactly, “Even though we all like him, what he did was unacceptable.” Holy fuck, this isn’t happening. Please tell me this isn’t happening right now. It was such a perfect day. I just wanted one fucking good day…

I curiously ask what his other ideas were. Almost word for word, they regurgitate all the things I think this place needs to work on, but coming from Gary’s magical fucking brain! I can’t fathom what I’m hearing.

This (I can’t for the love of me think of enough vulgarities to portray my feelings) “bad person” is taking credit for everything I thought I was being helpful with. I’ve never been deceived by such a shady fuck in all of my life. The first thing I think of is how I’m going to plant my boot in his face the next time I see him, on or off this property, over and over and over and over…you get the idea. Ah, we can all fantasize.

My body and psyche literally don’t know how to react. I can only muster, “Yeah, those are all great ideas. It’s a shame he didn’t think of it the past two years he’s managed this place. Maybe everyone could have avoided these problems. Well, one is my limit since I’m driving.” I’m surprised I could stay that composed. I just know I needed to get the fuck out of there and now. I was literally shaking on the drive home.

This will get dealt with, I promise. I’m not a violent person, so no, not the way I initially dreamed of, but I’m going to deal with this, trust me.

I thought these last two months being employed there were the angriest I would ever become while confined within those walls. It went up to new levels of rage I never thought I’d imagine. I now know exactly what I’m going to do, though am not going to dredge this out any further tonight. I’ve already had too many drinks reliving this horror show in my head as I place it into text. I’m going to finish drinking my beer and get some sleep, because it’s going to be interesting tomorrow, in another day in the life of a line cook. Of that, I can assure you.