Talking with higher-ups about what is wrong with their style of management or the decisions they make is always tricky because you never know how they’ll react. As humans, we understand that they might get upset or offended, but as employees, we feel like it’s our place to voice our opinions because only by saying what’s wrong can we change the situation.
This bartender tried to explain to the restaurant owners that their business was a mess. Actually, the owners wanted to know what the flaws were so they could fix them. But after the bartender opened her mouth and told them the truth, she got fired.
More info: Reddit
Woman with a degree in management worked as a bartender and saw many flaws in the restaurant but instead of fixing them, the owners fired her
Image credits: Jim Trottier (not the actual photo)
For the last year and a half, the Original Poster (OP) has been a stay-at-home mom, but before, she did work and had her fair share with unbearable bosses. At this one job, she could stay only for 3 days until she was fired for telling the truth.
The OP has a bachelor’s degree in management, but she started a job as a bartender at a kind of pricey restaurant that charges $24 for a chicken Alfredo and $14 for a margarita with tequila. A $200 bill was a normal occurrence there.
The woman was hired on the spot as a bartender although previously, she only worked as a server
Image credits: mynameisfifield
The woman was hired on the spot because the owners wanted someone to make the place more professional, which would be a normal expectation from a manager, but the OP was being hired as a bartender.
The new employee realized how much the place lacked organization and professionalism when she started on her first day, as she wasn’t even on the schedule and the person who was supposed to train her was late. Other employees were drinking alcohol while on the job and they weren’t doing their job properly.
Not only that, the restaurant didn’t have a manager and the owners weren’t there. The OP was just thrown into the job and was left to figure out everything herself. Things like knowing the kitchen, how to make drinks and how to serve clients.
The problems started on day 1, as the OP wasn't on the schedule, her trainer was late and there was no manager around
Image credits: mynameisfifield
The second day at work wasn’t better either. The OP was not only working as a bartender that day, but also a server because the only one that was scheduled for that time didn’t come. The owners, on the other hand, were happy about the OP working for two people and expressed that she was exactly what the restaurant needed to improve.
On the third day, the owners wanted to hear some feedback on how the OP felt, how the work was going and she didn’t hide that she was confused because she was not properly trained. She also talked about the rest of the chaos she saw that even a person who hadn't studied management would have noticed.
The woman noticed her colleagues were drinking alcohol, not checking people's IDs and closing earlier than scheduled
Image credits: mynameisfifield
Somehow the owners thought that this was the employees’ problem of not following the rules when there wasn’t anyone managing them. The OP didn’t think it was the servers’ or the bartenders’ fault and told the owners that. After all, she knows how it’s supposed to work from what she learnt in college.
However, the owners didn’t take that very well and asked the OP to leave and never come back. So she did and while she was leaving, the other two bartenders decided to go with.
It didn't get better the second or third day as the restaurant was operating in complete chaos
Image credits: mynameisfifield
The woman was right that the staff wasn’t to blame because they didn’t have a leader and they were disorganized because there was nobody to guide them. As Total Touch puts it, “Think of a leader as the captain of a ship. Without a captain, a crew has no direction. Without a reliable leader to guide employees, the team is lost. Strong leadership can impact every aspect of the restaurant, from service to staff communication.”
Businesses need a person who will distribute responsibilities and make sure that people are carrying them out. They need someone who will make sure that employees are communicating with each other as it makes their work more efficient.
When she went to a meeting with the owners on the 3rd day, the OP told them about every management issue that even a person without a degree would notice
Image credits: mynameisfifield
Other important roles of a manager in a restaurant, according to Seven Rooms, are handling team conflicts, providing the team with the necessary tools and knowledge, taking care of new employees, making sure customers are happy, tracking inventory, looking after the finances and tackling any other problems.
If there isn’t a manager, all of these responsibilities either fall on the staff, which is not qualified for it and definitely not paid enough to take them upon themselves, or nobody looks after them at all. The team is lost without someone they see as authority and may be dissatisfied with their job.
The owners blamed everything on the workers and when the OP said that it wasn't actually their fault, the pair got offended
Image credits: mynameisfifield
No explanations were convincing enough and after a long, frustrating conversation, the OP was asked to leave and not come back
Image credits: @wewon31 (not the actual photo)
It seems that the owners of the restaurant where OP started to work didn’t understand that these were their responsibilities and the business not operating properly was caused by their actions, lack of direction and guidance for their staff.
Also, people in the comments agreed with the OP that the owners wanted her to check on the staff and report to the owners about the employees who weren’t as useful, and probably wanted to use her knowledge of having studied management without paying her a manager’s wage.
What do you think about this story? Do you think the OP was too bold to point out all the problems when she had just started the job? Or do you think the owners were inconsiderate and should have listened to her as she has qualifications to say those things and a fresh set of eyes is always good for a new perspective?
People in the comments weren't surprised at the owners' reaction and agreed that a manager is an important role in a business
