What would you have done?

[RAS1187]

Here was my situation tonight (and last night, though due to Easter, we were significantly less busy)

I have to wake up for classes at 6 am, my chef is aware of this, I explained to him that school would be my priority. Tonight, he sends the dishwasher home early (trying to cut labor), encouraging me and my partner cook to team up on the dishes. No big deal right? Today was busier than expected, at 11:30 pm we finally had broken down the line, and instead of helping me with dishes, my fellow cook abandons me, leaving me with at least 2.5 hours worth of dishes. I notify the supervisor, though she is new, she doesnt know what to do. I wash as many dishes as I can for the next 30 minutes, and then leave everything else to soak, completely filling 2 sinks, with the room service guy carrying down more dishes as I walked out. The morning crew is going to get majorly screwed on this deal, I really wouldnt have minded staying a little longer if I didnt have school, but since I did, I decided that school was the priority at this time.

Was this right? What would you have done in the same situation? I know that any good chef is a great manager of labor costs, but is saving 3 hours on a dishwasher worth screwing the rest of the kitchen, not just me, but the poor morning shift that has to sort through the mess tomorrow?

[sweet pea]

I question how it makes sense to keep two higher paid cooks on in place of a lower paid(?) dishwasher in order to cut labor. Where was the chef when it came time to let the second cook sneak out without helping with the tank?

I'm not sure I would have left the dishes in the sink - but you did what worked for you. I probably woudl have finished the job and taken it up with the chef the next day in order not to screw the day crew. Probably no right or wrong here, but a better plan B shoud be in place in case this happens again.

[RAS1187]

I think he was banking on us finishing early (which we did), and then doing the dishes in the spare time we had, which was still short of impossible for 2 people.

The chef always leaves no later than 8, the closing managers do our checkouts.

I am still uneasy, as I definitely dont feel right about it.

[kuan]

You probably did alright. You were tired.

[powers]

I used to do the opposite when I was in school. I woulde let my school suffer because I treated work as my number 1 priority. There are always going to be things you have to sacrifice in life, you just have to accept the consequences for your actions like an adult. No big deal, school is your #1 and you will probably do well in that area, you made a decision in the situation you were given and may have to deal with some recoil from that decision. I, with dean's list A's, bowed out of school early due to my #1 priority of work, and my work life continued to shine from that point on. I had to suffer the consequences at school being that I treated it as #2. Always do what you feel is right. I think if I were in that situation I would have probably stayed and suffered lack of sleep at school the next day, that's just me though.

[letevic]

RAS1187 I think you did what you could and shouldn't feel guilty about it. It's not your fault that you were left all by yourself to wash up all those dishes and pots!

There will come a time when you can make work no. 1.

But right now school is no. 1

Victoria

[KYHeirloomer]

I wish I could feel as dogmatic about this as some of you.

But the reason RAS doesn't feel right about it is because it's one of those things in which there are conflicting requirements, and no right decision.

On one hand, school is his #1 priority, as it's going to affect the rest of his life. On the other hand, he signed on for the wages, and is expected to fulfill all his assigned duties like any other staffer.

RAS there is only one piece of advice: You will often face this sort of conflicti. All you can do is make the best decision possible at the time, and then just live with it. If you agonize over the decision you've made you'll just frustrate yourself. And it could lead to a situation where you're afraid to make decisions. So just do what you did. Pick what you see as the best choice, and get on with it.

As an aside, I really have to wonder about your chef. Sounds like he needs to reevaluate his own decison making process, starting with deciding when it's the right time to desert the ship.

[toni carberry]

It sounds to me like a very badly organised rota maybe you should find somewhere better to work. dont let people take advantage of you in this business or they will keep doing it.

[chrose]

Originally Posted by toni carberry

dont let people take advantage of you in this business or they will keep doing it.

The fact that you feel bad about is shows that you have a concience, and you won't likely stick anyone else like you got stuck. I wouldn't worry too much about it. You did what you had to do, you were put in a bad position (you weren't hired to be the sole dishwasher) and if you had stayed till the very end you would have been tagged as someone who can be pushed around and stuck whenever it was needed.

[Psycho Chef]

I would ask the chef why he's paying the dishwasher more than you, otherwise why would he send him home? In 10 years I've never cut a dish guy to make a cook finish his shift, It's just not right any way you look at it. Either the chef has an issue with one or both of you or your story is missing some details.

[KYHeirloomer]

Or the chef is seriously lacking in management skills.

The fact that he leaves early every night would lead me to believe that's the case.

[Jayme]

RAS-
tough place to be in.... sounds like a chat w/ your manager is needed. As others have said, don't cut the bottom to save labor-- if manager was devoted, should have rolled up sleeves and helped out. I too put a value on my school- I once catered a film shoot in the warehouse of our shop (hubby and I own a business) for my culninary instuctor's son (film school grad) to film his movie trailer- ran late and we worked all night- went home at 4 am and got 2 hours of sleep, and still was in class a couple hours later. Instructor couldn't believe I was there... LOL was a rough day though.....

[kuan]

I wonder what chef's labor runs. Yeah, pay the cooks to do dishes and let the cheaper paid DMO's go home.

I find it more effective to leave the dishes and let the DMO's come in and do them. That way there's always something to do. Some places the diswashing station is far away and you don't know what the guys are doing back there goofing off or something. Just make sure they have something to do.

[RAS1187]

Originally Posted by Gladyce France

Either the chef has an issue with one or both of you or your story is missing some details.

The other cook and I are scheduled until 12pm, regardless of the circumstances, we have to be there until closing time and then alot time as necessary to clean up. We have to be there regardless, the dishwasher does not. If we can do both the cook's job and the dishwasher's job at the same time, he did indeed save 2+hours of dishwasher hours, and we, the cooks, are still on budget for that day. Does the $18-$20 in labor he just cut make that big a deal?? Even that question is beyond me.

The problem with this fragile idea, it was too fragile. We got rocked, not only were there alot of plates to be cleaned, but the majority of the stuff came from the kitchen after we broke down.

Overall, the chefs are not really that bad, its just the decisions like this one that make no sense that frustrate me. I really would question whether this decision costed him more then he saved, I didnt feel so bad for myself, I felt worse for the AM shift.

[chefderrick]

Personally my experience has proved to me time and time again that if my labour is in the weeds by the end of the week a couple of hours are not going to make a difference at all. in fact i run a dish washer from 10 am to 4pm and from 5pm to 12 am and 2 on the week ends if anything i cut cooks or expo's never ever a dishwasher.