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drinks for staff?? - Page 2

post #31 of 57
9/18/06 at 11:04pm
Thread Starter 
depressing? whats so depressing about this thread? please elaborate some more on that. fun can equal alcohol, it can compliment food your eating, it can hit the spot after a long day at any job, or it can simply just taste great. not drinking doesnt mean your a prude some people can drink others simply cant. i hardly call a shot, maybe 2 and a drink after all is said and done drinking heavily on the job. the season here is coming to an end, well in november anyway, but i am currently seeking new employment. the place i will interview at tomarrow(why im still up at 2am i havent a clue) i worked for breifly, they do not alloy drinking while your clocked in and once your clocked out your all set. and im totaly fine with that
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post #32 of 57
9/28/06 at 1:18am
Boosehound

I agree with some of your comments, I've worked a few resort's and the feeling is usually laid back, as compaired to 5 star city dining, however you do tend to get alot more turnovers on a resort...... captive audience i guess, so really working hard and fast is a necessity and therefor a winding down drink is exceptable.

As for drinking at the start or early in the night, i personally dont have a problem with it, and have never stopped staff from drinking if they feel they need to, however, if they are getting sloppy then i'll take exception to it, but lead by example, and all that.

As for the comments to occ health and saftey issues, a simple clause written into the employee contract can avoid any reprecussions oni the employer if the employee injures him/her self or other whilst under the influence of drugs/alchol...... and ALWAYS deny knowledge!!!!!
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post #33 of 57
9/28/06 at 5:38am
There is no form of "Deniable culpability" or "Contract" that would save you from loosing everything if one of your employees hurt themself on the job whilst under the influence and found a 2 bit Lawyer with half their wits to challenge your "contract". That form of contract is illegal and I have known a couple dozen Lawyers that would have a field day with it. Plus with things in print on a site such as this .... Good luck.
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post #34 of 57
9/28/06 at 5:55am
what happened to "employer takes no responsability for injury orrcured whilst under the influence of alcahol" or something like that?

anyway im not condoning the act, but a drink whilst cleaning up.......... especially after getting slammed.....
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post #35 of 57
9/28/06 at 6:30am
The same thing that happened to "Honestly Judge, They sure looked 21 when I served that drink to them!" or "They weren't that drunk when they left my restaurant?!"

Usually things said just before the State pulls your liquor license or at the Dram Shop law/Civil liabilities hearing.
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post #36 of 57
9/28/06 at 6:42am
Oh geez, beefchief, listen to oldschool. I remember once working for an a-hole chef who insisted that staff cannot use the phone--incoming or outgoing. New salad girl starts, a party girl, phone rings for her, her best friend on the other end, "Listen it's me, Sandara, I know I'm not supposed to call, but I'll take all the blame"....

No such a thing as a clause in the contract about employee being responsible and the employer off the hook if an accident happens. If you ever had to deal with the local Worker's Comp board or Labour board, they'll laugh in your face, toss out the written contract and find you guilty of keeping the employee on when he was inebriated/stoned. It's their rules, not yours. You're the boss, the employee is under your supervision, it's your fault.

Don't argue with this one, you can't win, and you'll only look foolish arguing. This isn't my opinion or theory or anything. It comes from dealing with accidents, stoned/drunk people, dealing with the rules, case officers, fines, lawyers/union reps, and the usual fallout that happens. Take heed, because if you don't the excrement will impact the impellor when you least expect it and cause you alot of grief.
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post #37 of 57
9/28/06 at 10:01pm
Point taken.

:)
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post #38 of 57
10/15/06 at 3:26pm
Food cost may be great, but liability can cost everything including time in state facility. Loss of everything. Is it worth everything including freedom?
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post #39 of 57
4/14/07 at 4:49pm
Coke. All we get is a pint of water or cordial orange. Tea and coffee is for breaks only and a free beer at the end of the shift. the second is charged. drinking on shift is rewarded by instant dismissal.
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post #40 of 57
4/14/07 at 5:54pm

booze

drinking ON shift is completely unacceptable! i like a drink as much as anyone else.my staff are allowed anything from pop to ice tea ,coffee drinks, no charge but as far as booze goes. after your shift.full price. anyone found buzzed high anything on shift immediate dissmissal. and ive had to do it to friends and ive seen it ruin lives.my 2 cents
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post #41 of 57
4/14/07 at 5:57pm
Why ask for opinions if you're just going to get defensive when people give them?
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post #42 of 57
4/14/07 at 6:03pm
Chad... FYI... this is an older thread and the 'attack-mode' issue has been resolved. Good thread, though.
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post #43 of 57
4/14/07 at 6:05pm
Ok. I'm not arguing either way for or against the issue...but If I were to I would side with the zero tolerance people. I have been known to take some swigs when making sauces though.
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post #44 of 57
4/15/07 at 11:57pm
Boozehound- I read through this thread and, yes, the replys went in a different direction than you were requesting originally (your question- how to get the new intern to drink more than just a couple of shots with you and the crew?) I don't think everyone who replied was slamming you, they just were offering their opinion.... since most who replied, did not support the idea of drinking on shift or on-premises after shift-- they could not offer suggestions to get the intern to drink more. Obviously what is done in your local and in your establishment, is your business and no one but local law enforcement is going to change that. But I have one question? why did you feel the need to get the intern to drink more? you are asking us to repect your opinion of drinking on the job- so why did you not respect your interns right to NOT drink excessively???
(btw... I don't drink, but I will party with friends who do- we all laugh, talk, and get stupid together- only difference is, I can drive everyone home at the end of the night. So I do respect those who drink- I just choose not to)
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post #45 of 57
4/17/07 at 9:33pm
Thread Starter 

huh?

i thought this was a dead thread! haha. anyway. im not at that establishment anymore. havent been for i dont know.... 6 months. i took a new job with more to do and less to drink. not to put the last place down. that all said, ill answer your question to an extent. so, no one likes a party pooper! and in the event of one you try to persuade them otherwise. and aparently i have a good power of peruasion. besides if the person said they realy realy didnt want to i would have backed off. in the end everyone makes there own decisions. that all said. the thread didnt go in the direction i thought it would and thats fine. although everyone probably thinks im an alcoholic on this board, in the end it realy doesnt matter. i got a lot of insight from a lot of people. so ill leave this thread with a quote from one of the most talented cinematic performers of film history.

" I let my drinking do the talking" - Humphry Bogart
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post #46 of 57
4/18/07 at 6:05am
Every place I have worked had strict policies that there was NO drinking of anything other than water or soda while on the job. And many places I have worked prohibited any staff member from drinking alcohol at that location when you weren't working and even on your days off.
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post #47 of 57
4/18/07 at 1:01pm
If I were a staffer of any level, that would have scared the bejeezus out of me. Who else noticed and didn't say anything?
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post #48 of 57
4/19/07 at 12:57am
Hound- LOL LOL well since we are off duty.... I'll buy you the next round :beer: :beer: :beer: LOL ps. Glad to hear you found a new job!
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post #49 of 57
4/19/07 at 3:53am
drinking isnt unprofessional. all the chefs tell me they've NEVER done a wine tasting at work. its unprofessional when u become unprofessional, which, differs with everyone. like the other 12 people have already said. its all about the moderation.
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post #50 of 57
4/23/07 at 7:25pm
i had one chef drink during service, i took off my apron walked out onto the floor and said to my manager hes drinking, im not risking my health for his pleasure...

needless to say we were one chef down for a while
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post #51 of 57
4/24/07 at 10:41am
Boozehound: with your detailed explanation of covers, kitchen etc. it sounds like you're rationalizing (trying to justify the drinking). Drinking on the job is drinking on the job. I'm guessing that your bartender is also drinking during the shift and is looking for others to join in to avoid guilt in doing so. Bartenders have the second highest rate of alcoholism of all professions (police officer is number 1.), and cook/chef usually comes in third. Just because we work with and sell booze doesn't mean we have to drink it every day. Would you let your kid's school teacher crack a cold one an hour before the end of the day, or if you went to your bank just before closing and the tellers were doing shots, would that instill confidence in thier integrity and professionalism?

Don't get me wrong. I like my drink (I'm a single-malt guy myself), but allowing staff to drink while on the clock is bad for business (and I'm guessing not being recorded on your liquor inventory). Where's the owner?

In my over 30 years in this business I have worked for more houses that do not allow a shift drink than do. As a rule I do not allow staff a shift drink, nor to drink when off the clock if in uniform. I will, on occasion "buy" a drink for the crew when we've worked hard and/or been really busy. And yes, I know it's happening when I don't close the restaurant, but I know that it's a minimal occurance because I terminate employmees if they're caught drinking. I have had a few bartenders quit because I wouldn't let them drink (including doing shots with customers), but in every incident they were mediocre workers at best and were just looking for free drinks. I have never had a server or cook quit for not giving shift drinks. Most often, they respect the professionalism.

Jimmy B.
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post #52 of 57
4/25/07 at 4:53pm
boozehound,I am a alcholic and only you can decide.To submit students to this practice is unconceable.I hope you don't have to hit botton before the truth hits you in the butt.Serving 300 dinners a day I was still able to get to 2 meetings a day of AA. Good luck to you in your short career,McDonalds is waiting for this kind of mind set.Lots-O Luck.....cookie
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post #53 of 57
4/25/07 at 5:24pm
I wonder if booze could lower your imune system...hmmm
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post #54 of 57
4/25/07 at 11:52pm
Thread Starter 

teetotalers! all of you!

wow, i got to tell you that is all amazing sh*t. realy. especially the part about me and my short carear and something about mcdonalds waiting for this kind of mind set...... i havent been to mcdonalds in a very very long time. a realy long time. but from what ive heard and been told they dont have a bar. so drinking there whilst working wouldnt work cookie man. besides i dont drink on the job. i left that job for bigger better things(as my former chef put it) drinking at my new job would only result in me looking for a job. unless of course my owner got me a drink once i was done. you know that you are right only i can decide if im an alcoholic. and the servey says.......... nope. so hey thats great you get to do 300 dinners a day and....... and go to 2 meatings a day. so you must be superman or something because honestly were i have worked in recent yrs doing 300 dinners myself would result in ending up in the hospital, due to the heat and other factors. but hey more power to you cookie man.

jimmy b. you know ive been a lot of places and i have to tell you. i realy could care less what people do. they are going to do what they do and almost nothing is going to stop them.

at the end of the day almost everyone will abuse something. a good drink or ten.... others its drugs of sorts. for some it is the bible and AA meatings. i say to each his own. and me drinking my little 200ml of scotch when i get home somehow makes me a bad guy. get off it.
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post #55 of 57
4/25/07 at 11:55pm
Thread Starter 

almost forgot

o ya cookie man yes excessive drinking can leed to a shi**y immune system. but did you know moderate drinking is good for you? probably not because your a teetotaler.
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post #56 of 57
4/26/07 at 2:11am
I've been at many places where there are after shift drinks and some where the staff drinks openly during service.I don't care what people do off the clock,but drinking on the clock [to me] is a no-no.
One establishment I worked at,drinking was the nightly thing.The owners thought of the bar as their personal party every night for all their rich friends and sometimes they would be totally trashed in the dining room during dinner [in front of customers].It was appalling.
There's a reason why alcoholism is called "Chef's disease".
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post #57 of 57
4/26/07 at 1:53pm
No boozehound I'm not a teetotaler.I know what happenes to me after the first drink.I'm glad I got your attention but I appolige for the McD crack.I'm 58 and my cooking days were many years ago.What set me off is you sounded exactly like me when I was your age.Booze definatly affected my performance over the years.I was what is known as a FUNTIONAL alcholic.My wish for You is a great career.To thine own self be true is a saying in AA.They are anything but bible thumpers but one drunk helping another one day at a time.Have a wounderful life....cookie
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