WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:42 AM
Original message |
Got in trouble at work today...Updated with letter to the F&B manager... |
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Edited on Thu Jun-03-04 12:04 PM by WillBowden
I work as a room service server at a major hotel in Milwaukee. 2 weeks ago the 3rd shift cook called in sick and the woman from the bakery was supposed to cook. Well, she didn't come in at 11:00 pm. At 11:10 pm the 2nd shift cook left, leaving another server and me to cook 10 orders. We were quoting people 45 minutes to an hour while we prepared and delivered the food.
At each delivery I explained to the guests that our cook had left and we were cooking the orders and that we hoped everything was OK and if there was a problem with the food please let us know.
No one complained.
Until today.
They got a letter from a guest who said we had burned his burger and that the server (me) was a nervous wreck who told them that the cook walked out.
So I get a call from my boss telling me that I should not have shared that information with the guest. I explained to him my reasons for doing it. I told him first, no one cared whether the cook walked off as long as the job got done. Secondly I was hoping that the guests would be a bit more understanding if there was a problem with the food. I said that, yes, I had been nervous. Orders kept coming in and we had no cook. We couldn't reach the Chef. We couldn't reach the Sous Chef. We couldn't find a cook in the other restaurant. Hell yeah I was nervous. Maybe I was wrong for telling the guest what the problem was but is THAT the main problem? No. It's that there was NO ONE COOKING!
So, what happens? *I* get yelled at. The cook who left the station? Nothing happened to him. Life sucks.
ON EDIT: This is the letter that I sent to the Food & Beverage manager regarding the situation: I just got off the phone with Juan regarding the letter from the guest who had stayed in Room 232. I was the person who served the burger to the guest. Yes, I did tell the guest that we had no cook and that he had left. I also told him that we were cooking and that I hoped everything was alright with the order and, if not, to please call and let us know and we'd do our best to fix it. I'm sorry if that was too much information. I let my frustration at the situation get the best of me because the 3rd shift cook had called in sick. Tammy was supposed to cover for 3rd shift. The 2nd shift cook had left while I was on an order and when I came back there were 5 orders sitting there waiting to be cooked and the 3rd shift cook had not arrived (in fact, we called and woke her up). Robert Sisk started cooking while I tried to call Chef (who was not in house) and Jovan (who I was not able to get a hold of). I asked Blake, the night manager, to try to catch the 2nd shift cook but the cook had already left. I also asked Blake to check to see if there was still a cook in the Cafe Pfister that could help us but there was none. We were left in a very precarious position. We were telling the guests 45 minutes to an hour for delivery of food because we were cooking it ourselves. As far as the burger goes I honestly cannot say if the burger was burned. I can say that the guest did not call back. We were more afraid that food was undercooked than overcooked. I'm terribly sorry if this has put you in an awkward position. That was not my intention. I just wanted to cover myself and my department. If you'd like I would be happy to write a letter of apology to the guest. Please just let me know.
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DemExpat
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:47 AM
Response to Original message |
1. It is shitty when a boss yells at you for doing your best |
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in a situation out of your control, Will.
And it is not fair!
Still, maybe next time something like this happens you will be able to remain cool and calm knowing that you handled it this time.
:hug: :hug: :hug:
DemEx
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:49 AM
Response to Reply #1 |
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I'm just going to close my department, transfer my phones to the operator and have him/her tell the guests that Room Service is closed due to technical difficulties.
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NightTrain
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Thu Jun-03-04 08:21 PM
Response to Reply #3 |
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But if you're lucky, there won't be a next time. (Yeah, right!)
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demnan
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:48 AM
Response to Original message |
2. This is a fact of the workforce |
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Those who are doing the job for those who decided not to show up or decided to take a long lunch are always blamed for screw-ups. Why? Because you're there and you care. The other guy doesn't. The boss will yell at whomever he can control the most, that's you who needs your job.
Don't take it seriously and don't be angry, it's just the way life treats you. It's happened to me so many times I can't even say. Bosses are vermon who think differently than other people IMO.
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:51 AM
Response to Reply #2 |
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Was pretty OK about it. He simply said that I should try to keep things like that away from the guests. It was HIS boss that is raising the roof.
And, like I said, I wouldn't mind being bawled out. I did overstep my bounds a bit. It should, however, go both ways. The cook should be in trouble, too.
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Rebel_with_a_cause
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:50 AM
Response to Original message |
4. Had you walked off the job from complete frustration |
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would your boss have been nervous?
He should shit-can the letter and give you a raise.
Why are so many at work not clocking in? Your boss had best be looking to solve that problem, not stirring up others that don't exist (unless he wants to risk losing another employee, which he can ill afford).
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 12:12 PM
Response to Reply #4 |
9. Well, in 17 1/2 years there... |
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I don't recall seeing my boss too nervous. Usually it's because he knows I'll be right there with him.
If I walked out? Nah, I can always be replaced.
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wryter2000
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:52 AM
Response to Original message |
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Is there some way to page your boss if that should happen again? That way, he's more invested in finding a solution other than yelling at you after the fact.
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 08:16 PM
Response to Reply #6 |
10. I could have called my boss, the Room Service manager... |
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But he's not responsible for what goes on in the kitchen (although he WOULD have come in and cooked...Juan doesn't have problems with things like that...)
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NightTrain
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Thu Jun-03-04 08:24 PM
Response to Reply #10 |
13. I'm curious, Why DIDN'T you call Juan? |
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From how you described him, the guy sounds all right. :shrug:
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 09:18 PM
Response to Reply #13 |
15. Because we finally got hold of the 3rd shift cook... |
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She overslept (we woke her). She was on her way. By the time Juan would have got there she would have been there, too, so it would have been a wasted effort.
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YellowRubberDuckie
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:52 AM
Response to Original message |
7. I would have said something like... |
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"Why the hell are you yelling at me? I saved your ass while your chef never showed up. We did the best we could, and we told the guests because we thought they had a right to know and understand what was going on instead of just being left in th dark, being pissed. One letter as compared to several? Sounds like we got lucky and a lot of nice people." Then I would have asked why the hell nothing happened to the chef that caused the problem. I'd be pissed. Of course, I always make sure I work for a place that has an open door policy so I can say anything and they can't fire me for it. Because I have a big mouth. lol Sorry about what happened. Your boss sucks. Duckie
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 11:53 AM
Response to Reply #7 |
8. Oh, we HAVE an open door policy... |
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You're just not allowed to step through it.
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NightTrain
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Thu Jun-03-04 08:19 PM
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11. Bosses suck, don't they? |
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But at least yours was willing to listen to your version of events. I rarely get that opportunity because my boss never wants "to hear any excuses." Thankfully, he's retiring some time in the next couple of months.
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WillParkinson
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Thu Jun-03-04 09:17 PM
Response to Reply #11 |
14. Best of luck with THAT! |
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My boss is pretty good. He's always willing to listen. It's a pity that he still has to answer to the higher-ups.
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Tue May 07th 2024, 10:10 AM
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