Frustrated @ work (WARNING: A LOT OF NINJA STARS)

[aaguirrejr]

First off, hi =)

I'm a culinary school grad and I'm interning (read: cheap labor) at a restaurant in Hilton Head Island. We've got 3 stations, grill, saute & fry. I run the grill & fry when they need me but I don't run the saute because I wasn't taught it. I should also point out that I'm leaving in 2 months.

I'm ****ing (are curse words allowed here?) frustrated with my co-workers.

I'm working for a chef who was a near sous-chef in Boulud's restaurant in Palm Beach but doesn't give a rats ass about his job now. He constantly goes out to smoke weed, he doesn't stand up to the front of the house. When I ask him things on how to improve my technique, he NEVER gives me a straight answer. Most of the time, it's all derogatory/sexual terms. He's also SUPER dirty and when it comes to the end of the night, he'll either go to his office and read the paper or go to the bathroom and take a dump for 30 minutes. He'll end up telling me to clean his mess and I'll do it because the way I was taught was to always obey the chef.

I'm working with a line-cook who thinks he's the **** 'cause he can run the 3 stations we've got in this kitchen (I can do the same BTW, if I was trained to do so). He's ****ing 2-faced and he's so arrogant. During service last night there was a complication about an order. I was talking to the server who was across the pass and the server told me what she wanted and when I was calling him to tell him what the server wanted, he said "I heard you, damnit, I'm not deaf." I just wanted to ****ing burst out and tell him that I wouldn't have told him if he had told me that he heard it in the 1st place.

Then I'm working with a new guy who messes up my station and just doesn't listen. He doesn't read the tickets and I end up getting blamed for it. Like last night, after the rush, I switched with him to train him on the grill and I moved to the fry and we had a ticket for 3 rib eyes. 1 MR, 1 M, 1 MW. Along with that ticket was a sirloin MR. All those was for the grill. I told him what he needed, so he puts the 3 REs on the grill. I tell him the ticket again, because obviously, he's still missing the sirloin. Now we've got a 2nd ticket for a rare filet. I call it out. He STILL doesn't put it on the grill. I call it out for the 3rd time and FINALLY he puts the sirloin on the grill. But not the filet. To make the long story short, I got blamed for it.

I also think dude might be deaf. Along with the fry station is the steamer (used for crab legs) and steam table (sauces, veg, rice, potato). The steamer'll ring LOUD when:

1. it's out of water

2. the timer's out

So last night, during service, the alarm goes off. Noticeably. But what does this guy do? He just stands there. He doesn't do anything, he doesn't even look at the steamer. I mean, I've already told him before, how many times to I have to do this? I end up baby-sitting the rest of the night.

Also, both of them don't clean. I mean, their station is always ****ing filthy. The 1st co-worker I told you about cleans, but it's still filthy. The 2nd ****s my station up. He uses my cutting board to cut broccoli where in the end, the little florets are all over my station. I tell him to clean it after he's done and he says "yeah, okay", but when I come back, all he's done is wipe the board, not the station.

Then we've got a GM who I KNOW steals from the restaurant. There was 1 time during the slow season when he came in and told me that he wanted to save money. So he comes in through the kitchen door like a bull. Tells me to think of 3 ways to save money. After telling me this, he grabs 2 filets, 1 rib-eye and a salmon and puts it on the grill. When I asked him what it's for, he says that he's "****ing hungry". Also, the entire front house gets free drinks off the bar at the end of the night. Not the kitchen staff though.

Since summer's coming and I'm leaving, the chef hired a new worker. A girl. And what he'll do is just keep the girl in his section (saute) ALL NIGHT LONG. Since we're getting busier now, we can use that fourth person to maybe help whoever's in the weeds to plate up the food but he doesn't. She's been working for 2 weeks now and in those 2 weeks, he's scheduled himself and the girl the same days off when we could have used her when there was only 3 of us working. So what could have happened was worker #1 on the saute, new girl on the fry (since it's just so simple) and worker #2 on the grill with me teaching him how to run it.

Am I being too passive here? Should I snap on them and tell them to shut the **** up and do their job? I just don't understand how 2 people can't give a rat's ass about cooking when I, a ****ing INTERN who gets $20 A DAY (yes, 100 a week, 400 a month) does more work than these guys do and can't follow my example.

Sorry for the rant.

[gfron1]

1. If you haven't already - read Kitchen Confidential.

2. Say thank you and take your reference and run.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to eGullet...we'll be gentle with you

[aaguirrejr]

1. If you haven't already - read Kitchen Confidential.

2. Say thank you and take your reference and run.

Oh, and by the way, welcome to eGullet...we'll be gentle with you

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Hi =)

Yup, I've read Kitchen Confidential. What's it got to do with me?

Thanks for the gentle welcome.

[gfron1]

Maybe you're too in the middle of it to see. Reminds me of his summer internship early in the book.

[Timh]

Its just an internship, they dont care so just relax and bide your time. Since your not staying, why should you care? And since your not staying, do you think they would care what you have to say?

A "near sous chef" sounds like a lead line cook to me,a dime a dozen. You got to experience a cluster****, that alone is worth something. Don't forget the experience.

[Toliver]

I've never worked BOH, but I'd suggest, since you're leaving in a couple months, hold your tongue, chalk it up to experience, take the reference as gfron1 suggested and never look back when you leave.

If you say anything to the idiots you work with you run the risk of retalliation, no reference and a bad work environment made even worse.

edited to add: And welcome to eGullet!

Edited February 27, 2008 by Toliver (log)

[Chef William]

You got to experience a cluster****, that alone is worth something. Don't forget the experience.

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Very good advice. I am in a similar situation myself, the ex. chef and sous chef are always fighting, the sous chef won't follow directions because he doesn't like the ex. chef, and the sous chef just half-asses everything he does.

I have learned soooooo much of what NOT to do from those two guys its not even funny.

Thinking about it, its terrible, but I think it is something good for me to experience at the same time.

Good luck!

[halogenic]

Ugh, I feel for you. Just grin and bear it for the two months. You know it's crap, the chef doesn't care, and your co-workers belong at some freezer-to-the-fryer. As long as you know that, you can avoid picking up bad habits. That's what I'm worried about with the leadership in the kitchen where I work, I don't want to get sloppy or lazy.

I keep my happy thoughts of the evil things you can do on that last golden day... like punch the chef and pull the hood extinguishers (it's nice to have a daydream or two at work).

[tino27]

One other small piece of advice -- the Internet is a very big and well-indexed place. If you are going to rant on a public forum about your place of employment (or internship, in your case), be sure to leave any personally identifying information out of your post (and your profile).

I've seen first hand someone blowing off some steam here on eGullet and either the employer or someone connected to the employer putting 2 and 2 together. They were subsequently let go.

[JeanneCake]

One other small piece of advice -- the Internet is a very big and well-indexed place. If you are going to rant on a public forum about your place of employment (or internship, in your case), be sure to leave any personally identifying information out of your post (and your profile).

I've seen first hand someone blowing off some steam here on eGullet and either the employer or someone connected to the employer putting 2 and 2 together. They were subsequently let go.

←

I remember something similar if not the same thing you are remembering - the employer had been given a printed copy of the entire thread, presumably by someone who had access to it and put 2 and 2 together, resulting in the OP's loss of a job. Be very careful what you write, it can haunt you for years.

[gfron1]

Its more common than you think, and its not just restaurants. Always wear your internet condom and play safe.

And remember that your comments become part of the public record and can't be deleted. Read the Member Agreement for more info on this. Today you don't see a problem with your comments. Tomorrow might be a different story, and by tomorrow that EDIT button is gone.

[Jakea222]

Well first I think most of us have all been there. I am now myself. The chef won't show me her trades, she has been a chef for 20 years and I am the 4 yr outta the CIA and her way is the best. I am humble and never bring that up, but she loved too. anyways - I am pullinh doubles right now whiel she is on vacation for 16 days and then get Friday off and then have to turn around and pull doubles for the a.m. guy for 20 days. No breaks in the middle---so the math is 36 days with one day off in the middle! My check is salaried shit so they can do what they like to me - but when my line cook opened his and said oooh overtime 63 hous - he made more than me - so I have some issues too - the first being 12 hr days for 16 days and then ONE GREAAT SLEEP for 20 days straight - so the industry is a real PEACH of a place to be in! &^$(&^ MNJLUGers

[chuchelo]

My work in restaurants is limited to a couple of short stints waitressing. I've spent much more time dining. These threads about the horrors of the kitchen fascinate me (and are a bit scary to read).

Here's my question and I ask it sincerely: why do people put themselves through the hell of these kinds of working conditions and (apparently) consider them normal/acceptable on some level? What's the trade-off? Clearly, it isn't money, it isn't the hours, it doesn't seem to be the colleagues.

[Jakea222]

Well first I think most of us have all been there.  I am now myself.  The chef won't show me her trades, she has been a chef for 20 years and I am the 4 yr outta the CIA and her way is the best.  I am humble and never bring that up, but she loved too.  anyways - I am pullinh doubles right now whiel she is on vacation for 16 days and then get Friday off and then have to turn around and pull doubles for the a.m. guy for 20 days.  No breaks in the middle---so the math is 36 days with one day off in the middle!  My check is salaried shit so they can do what they like to me - but when my line cook opened his and said oooh overtime 63 hous - he made more than me - so I have some issues too - the first being 12 hr days for 16 days and then ONE GREAAT SLEEP for 20 days straight - so the industry is a real PEACH of a place to be in! &^$(&^ MNJLUGers

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SO to add to this since I didn't and went on my own rant. Extern is like that. Sure you may know what you are doing but it is not your kitchen. As I said above in my post. ...It is not my kitchen, the boss is out of town and I don't necessarily agree with the business tactics of working people to death - but its not my place. I keep my mouth shut - and do what I gotta do and handle my business. You may not think you are learning anything - but look at it this way - you are learnign how NOT to be later down the road...

[scottie]

First off, hi =)

I'm a culinary school grad and I'm interning (read: cheap labor) at a restaurant in Hilton Head Island. We've got 3 stations, grill, saute & fry. I run the grill & fry when they need me but I don't run the saute because I wasn't taught it. I should also point out that I'm leaving in 2 months.

←

Your story reminds me so much of my first job out of school. It was down South. I finally left for NYC, I did not want to move up north to the big city, but I realized that I could stay there, work with a bunch of hacks and check-cashers, and maybe become regionally successful eventually. Or I could move to a world-class dining city, and work with professionals who care about their field. Even though my first job in NYC was frying onion rings, it was so worth it to be around people who cared about doing it right.

My advice to you would be: Stick it out and then move to a world-class food city: NYC, Chicago, New Orleans, D.C.. Maybe Atlanta. Even if you don't really want to live in those places, it's worth it to spend a few years in the company of people who give a shit. I have met and cooked for more prominent people in this industry in the past two years than I ever would have had I stuck around a similar town back down South. And my coworkers have been amazing.

So good luck and let us know how it turns out.