A two store restaurant chain in my hometown did a great thing

[OnlinePoker]

After a paid week off, refreshed employees return to Señor Froggy restaurants in Kamloops

One week after taking time off for their mental health — a week away from work with pay — Señor Froggy owner Rob Stodola said his employees are reporting feeling happy to be back at work and appreciative for the break.

From Sept. 13 to Sept. 20, the downtown and North Shore locations of the local Mexican restaurant shut down operations to give all staff a paid break after reported burnout amidst the effects of this summer’s heat wave, a month-and-a-half of smoke, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and findings of probable graves on the site of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School.

“I think it was a very worthwhile thing to do,” Stodola told KTW. “It seemed to rejuvenate everybody.”

Stodola said he has noticed more smiles, laughter and joking around in his two restaurants since the reopening on Sept. 21, adding he would do it again if need be.

https://www.kamloopsthisweek.com/local-news/after-a-paid-week-off-refreshed-employees-return-to-senor-froggy-restaurants-in-kamloops-4465568
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This is how you retain your employees. I've eaten at the downtown store and it was pretty good food.

[sheshe2]

1. Good for them!

[marble falls]

2. I've never gotten over how shabbily most owners usually treat their employees.

[cstanleytech]

14. Aye, even at companies like Publix that are supposedly one of the best retailers to work for they

treat the majority of their employees like shit really.
For example they took away the bonus their employees were getting every quarter and justified it because they gave a pay hike which is as we all know is complete bullshit as the employees should have already been paid that amount in the first place.
Plus now they just took away the 2 potential pay raises a year after a review and switched it to only 1 per year.

[marble falls]

15. Were they bought out?

[cstanleytech]

16. Privately owned still but the founders daughter is a big Trump supporter

if I recall correctly.

[marble falls]

17. Noooow I remember.

[chowder66]

3. That was really nice of them. Thanks for sharing! nt

[ZonkerHarris]

4. wow. great boss.

[appalachiablue]

5. Excellent and wise boss- thanks for sharing.

[MurrayDelph]

6. Kamloops is great

I love the zoo there.

I hope the fire in town didn't harm them/you.

[OnlinePoker]

9. I haven't lived there since '82

The last time I was there was 2016 to spread my Mom's ashes. The fires didn't get into the city proper, but really hit other communities in the region. A lot of smoke for months, though. Inversions keep it in the valley. It was the same when I was a kid. My brother worked out at the airport during the summers filling up the water bombers with fire retardant.

[Wounded Bear]

7. K & R...nt

[Mr. Ected]

8. Restaurant owners have gotten away with paying their employees a trifling sum

And leave it to the patron to subsidize their wages by means of tipping.

It's a shitty system that has no place in a civilized society.

Restaurant workers should be paid a living wage. Good service should result in a small tip.

If you own a restaurant and your business model is dependent on having your guests pull money out of their wallets to pay staff, you have a shitty business model and don't deserve to be successful.

[lunatica]

10. When I worked as a waitress I declared my tips every month

The restaurant took the taxes out of the paycheck every months so my pay was minuscule. It worked quite well. Back in the 1980s I declared about 75 to 80% of my cash tips. I made a good living. The work was very hard but the money was good.

[Bev54]

18. This is in Canada, restaurant employees are paid by wages not by tips

Tips give them additional income that keeps them in the workforce.

[lpbk2713]

11. Employees can make or break a restaurant.

It usually shows when an employee isn't happy working there. A lot of managers/owners
don't realize they are their biggest asset and that usually results in a big turnover. Kudos
to Mr Stodola for knowing how to do what's right.

[rickyhall]

12. What? Treat your help like fellow human beings. Too woke. Just plain socialist. Unheard of.

[calimary]

13. A relatively small investment begets a pretty doggone substantial payoff.

Those employees probably feel like they’re valued by management. And that’s never a bad idea!