What's all this talk about 50+ hours a week?

Are you looking at hotels and/or corporate restaurants? Those are much more likely to only "allow" a person to work 40 hours a week, to avoid the expense of overtime. 

Wait until you become salaried. 

It's economics    Most places put on part timers because it is cheaper for them.. No benefits,Vacations,sick days etc. Today it is cheaper to hire 2 part timers then 1 full timer.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basilskite 

I see corporate and non corporate postings who post those hours.

That's really unfortunate. I assume these are the kind of places that don't put a lot of stock into quality workers?

My former kitchen was turning their leaf, converting most of the positions into part time work but everyone is unionized so they still kept everything their contract entitled including sick days and vacation time.  Only thing they get dinged on was their 2 week paycheck.  Still cheaper but these people don't have the skill sets, a simple labor force.

Everyone gets hired at 32 hrs, then after your trained, or even before your trained, the sh-t will hit the fan everyday. The morning cook comes in drunk, you will be either called in or asked to work longer. The night shift cook will walk out and you will be asked to close and then dbl back for the breakfast shift. ...........Good luck, in two weeks you'll be asked to run the kitchen...ChefBillyB

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basilskite 

That's really unfortunate. I assume these are the kind of places that don't put a lot of stock into quality workers?

Well, really, what's 'quality workers".

What kind of standards or benchmarks do you want them to pass?

-A 1 yr "Chef's program" at the "Grace L. Fergusson Culinary Academy", no previous cooking experience required?

-A 9 mth "Chef''s program" at "le Grande Boule-cheet" Chef's Academy? 60 grand tuition and gawd help you finding a job?

What's the difference between a f/t Union worker and a non union worker?  Senority, that's all. And the guy with the most senoirty has his own  crapper stall with a hasp and lock on it, he walks into the store room with empty packsacks and walks out with full ones--and getting votes on stuff that no one knows about.  Ask him anything and the first thing is "No you don't have enough senority, you're not eligable".

Listen, people are cheap and don't want to pay anything extra, why pay a guy in a white uniform and paper hat more if you can't see him?  Have a good meal?  Tip the waiter 25% of the gross bill, dab your lips on a napkin, and tell the waiter to give the kitchen a verbal compliment.  Hey, they do it in the movies and TV, so it must be O.K., right?

Conversely, if the Chef can get 22% on labour and 29% on food costs, you tell the dip-wad to get them to 20% and 22% or else you'll kick him out.  And you do, and you give the Sous a gold badge and a stack of business cards that say "executive Chef", and tell him how this wil do wonders for his carreer, and make the dip-wad work 90 hrs a week or you'll kick him out--and you do.  Then the place goes teats-up becasue the food sucks and employees are stealing and a new owner comes in  and hires the old, old Chef to clean the place up, and as soon as he does, you turf the dip-wad out -and give his Sous a gold badge and..........

Who me? Rant? nah................

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChefBillyB 

Everyone gets hired at 32 hrs, then after your trained, or even before your trained, the sh-t will hit the fan everyday. The morning cook comes in drunk,

I WAS NOT DRUNK!!!

I was hungover.  ...and jovial.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChefBillyB 

Everyone gets hired at 32 hrs, then after your trained, or even before your trained, the sh-t will hit the fan everyday. The morning cook comes in drunk, you will be either called in or asked to work longer. The night shift cook will walk out and you will be asked to close and then dbl back for the breakfast shift. ...........Good luck, in two weeks you'll be asked to run the kitchen...ChefBillyB

I can't help but laugh at this. Back when I was working in the corporate world, I started out with 2 days a week washing dishes even though I was hired as a line cook because they had so many cooks. After a month, since they seen I was the fastest dish washer, the fired all the other ones except for one! lmao. Then me and my boss really started becoming good friends. He tried and tried and finally got the general manager (who was the crappiest manager I've ever met in my life) to allow me to cook. Month went by and I became faster than people who have been there for 2-3 years. So the general manager realized I was super fast at everything and decided to make me cook AND wash dishes. Easy for me, but not for 8 hours straight. It was tiring after just one hour. Then things got worse. People started becoming lazy, drunk, and everything else you describe. They had nobody but me and it got to the point where I as a part time worker was working 16 hours a day for 20+ days without a day off. I was running that place and started to HATE it. My kitchen manager and me tried and tried to get things back in order, but the general manager just couldn't do anything right, so we both left and stopped being slaves. 

OP- Bill is right and here's my story to prove it. Of course since, I've moved up to a sous chef in a 5 star restaurant where I'm only allowed 40 hours a week now, however I manage to get around 60 on average. My head chef gets around 100-110 a week. I wouldn't be concerned with it at all. Go apply. 

nobody works 110 hours a week

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robo 

nobody works 110 hours a week

While very rare, they certainly do.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robo 

nobody works 110 hours a week

I worked 104 during mardi gras when I was still in New Orleans ><

But yeah, nobody can work that much for an extended period of time

ehh.... no....

Every year for the past, oh....20 years now, I put in 90-100 hrs/wk from Dec. 1st to Dec. 25th.

"Corporate world" here in Vancouver means something like:

-If you are hired p/t, then you will get 8-12 hrs per week, and less if they can get away with it.

-If you are hired f/t, then you are on salary, and you will work a minimum of 80- hrs/wk.

Well!! Whayda want??  You can't have your cake AND eat it......!  

I worked 100+ hr weeks for about 7 years when I was doing movie catering. Very demanding, but WELL compensated. No way I could do it now.

When I worked on a boat we would work 16-18 hours a day for 30 straight days before getting a 2 week vacation. Then repeat the 30 / 2 cycle. And so on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by foodpump 

Well, really, what's 'quality workers".

 

What kind of standards or benchmarks do you want them to pass?

 

-A 1 yr "Chef's program" at the "Grace L. Fergusson Culinary Academy", no previous cooking experience required?

-A 9 mth "Chef''s program" at "le Grande Boule-cheet" Chef's Academy? 60 grand tuition and gawd help you finding a job?

 

What's the difference between a f/t Union worker and a non union worker?  Senority, that's all. And the guy with the most senoirty has his own  crapper stall with a hasp and lock on it, he walks into the store room with empty packsacks and walks out with full ones--and getting votes on stuff that no one knows about.  Ask him anything and the first thing is "No you don't have enough senority, you're not eligable".

 

Listen, people are cheap and don't want to pay anything extra, why pay a guy in a white uniform and paper hat more if you can't see him?  Have a good meal?  Tip the waiter 25% of the gross bill, dab your lips on a napkin, and tell the waiter to give the kitchen a verbal compliment.  Hey, they do it in the movies and TV, so it must be O.K., right?

 

 

Conversely, if the Chef can get 22% on labour and 29% on food costs, you tell the dip-wad to get them to 20% and 22% or else you'll kick him out.  And you do, and you give the Sous a gold badge and a stack of business cards that say "executive Chef", and tell him how this wil do wonders for his carreer, and make the dip-wad work 90 hrs a week or you'll kick him out--and you do.  Then the place goes teats-up becasue the food sucks and employees are stealing and a new owner comes in  and hires the old, old Chef to clean the place up, and as soon as he does, you turf the dip-wad out -and give his Sous a gold badge and..........

 

Who me? Rant? nah................

You said it man.... I don't know if I am laughing or crying.... Could not put it better.

Union workers have somewhat of a  job protection, that is if union is not corrupt .and in bosse's pocket or controlled by organized crime. On another path one can say that in their day unions took people out of sweat shops, but then became the downfall of the American economy. Look what happened to all the car makers,,cruise ships, airlines, trucking companies  etc. Unions drove them out of business.

    They killed the hen that laid the golden egg so to speak.

If you are willing to work, you do not need a union, they need you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheflayne 

When I worked on a boat we would work 16-18 hours a day for 30 straight days before getting a 2 week vacation. Then repeat the 30 / 2 cycle. And so on.

wow, you got a 2 week vacation?....lucky you....yes i remember well my days(years) as a boat cookie...up first and to bed last...looong ass days, but all the cheap island rum you could swallow.......definately a young person's job....

joey

if you don't mind me asking, what kind of money are you guys making, while working 80 to 100 hours  a week?

Not enough.

Before I retired $80,000.00 year 2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Jim 

Not enough.

Never is on a salary job. Mid 40s was my best salary position working as chef and that is 70 + hours weekly. The other consideration is days off for your life and my worst run was 8 months with 5 days off and 3 of them were spent on airplanes going to other accounts to work. Salary now is 30k and no it aint worth it! Works out to 7 bucks an hour but you gotta love freedom as slavery would cost more for those poor corporations and stockholders..............

Quote:

Originally Posted by Robo 

nobody works 110 hours a week

lol, for 4 years I used to for 3 or 4 months straight, during peak season. The rest of the year, an "average week" was more 50-60 p/wk. Doing hotel work was a blessing and a curse, but, it was nice to just go up to my suit, crash, have a pressed uniform in the AM, and get right back to it. I honestly think that it would kill me now.

Getting paid the same regardless of if you are marching, or fighting, gets old, real quick. . .sometimes, salary is NOT the best option.