Disharmony in the kitchen......

[shroomgirl]

I was visiting a friend who is opening at least two if not three places, the first is a casual 6am-midnight place with beignets, sandwiches, salads, etc....independant version of Panera. My buddy is the exec chef, designed the menus, will train the staff and move on within 6 weeks to the next project. The twenty something GM apparently has gratitude issues, he's angry demanding and generally bitchy....my buddy said kitchens are like cows they sense discontent either words said or unsaid.....and that flows ever so quickly from the open kitchen to the dining area. People won't eat where they aren't comfortable. Just seemed relevant to the topic, I like the way he explained what one malcontent can do to a place.

[foodpump]

Grandciel, glad you got the advice.

Though I've never been to S.D (although I grew in Saskatchewan...) I'm curious as to how your State's labour board rules are, in particular the "grace period"

Here in B.C. the one thing that employers do have that works in their favour is the 3 mth "grace period". You can fire anyone-in any position- within 3 mths from hiring without fear of retaliation. One day over that 3 mth period and you want to get rid of slackers, you've got a whole mess of paperwork and cheques to write...

However this works both ways, many times I have noticed a "behavioral change" in employees once they pass the 3 mth period.....

Sounds like you've got a nice business going there otherwise

[sucrechef]

Again in reference to your state's labor laws, you really should check. It is also possible (although not necessarily advisable) to "legally" fire him without documentation. For instance, Illinois is an "At Will" state, meaning that an employee or employer can terminate the employement at any time for any reason. However, you are still better off having documentation if only to help reduce the possibility of a lawsuit.

[Quinn01]

I know that you need one chef in each position all with the same rights. Your the one that calls the shots not them. They need to know that.

And ive found that if you have once a week a meeting where you have everyone from the restaurant meet in one place to play idk a soccer game wiffleball game or something of the sort.

Just something to keep the competition to a game and fun. It also helps people get along.

Good luck!

[grandciel]

I'm pretty familiar with the labor laws here as I have another business that employs a fairly significant number of people and had a labor lawyer review the state laws prior to moving here. SD is also an "at will state" which means you can terminate for just about any reason except some type of discrimination. The issue is that as an employer, you pay unemployment tax based on an experience rating. The more employees you let go (for whatever reason), the higher your tax. There is also a 90 day "no fault" option if it was discussed at the hiring point (it was) so we have 90 days to make a decision but we are not going to let it go that long. My biggest concern is not labor laws as they apply to him but as they apply to some of the other staff. I have now had kitchen staff describe the kitchen environment as "hostile" and "angry" and believe me, I don't want to get into a situation of having to explain and defend THAT to a judge or jury.

I appreciate everyones help. We have two other options which we are pursuing at this point and I believe we will be in a better place in a couple of weeks.

Julie

[grandciel]

I just wanted to thank everyone for their help. We did let our EC go and hired a new one (with ties to the community and great ideas and attitude). It has been a great win for everyone. The staff is flourishing under new leadership and we are excited to go into our busiest season. Thanks again for your comments and support