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Quite possibly the wirst week of my career thus far

post #1 of 8
10/26/12 at 10:34pm
Thread Starter 
Keep in mind I'm only 24 so I'm sure it's just beginning...

Last thursday, the 18th, my last day off... come to work Friday, one line cook is MIA(more on that later), one calls in half an hour before his shift saying he's I'll(never a problem with him in 6 months he's been here.. gave him the "get better speech") then the final line cook comes in high as a kite! Saying he just doesn't feel well... right. So it's me, my chef, and a fry cook who was a dishwasher just two weeks prior... we bang out 210 that night with no incident

Saturday open-close same me, my chef, line cook

Sunday... still sick, still MIA, last one scheduled off... just me. Let my chef have a day with his wife

Monday comes... open-close. Party of 40 for lunch, set menu... easy. Bang out another 180 at dinner.

Tuesday comes... sick one comes in to work, send him home because he looks like hell. The MIA one committed himself to a psych ward, the other is high again... banquet of 70 during lunch, NY strip and chicken, easy. 73 at dinner, NY, chicken, and salmon... easy

Wednesday the sick one is well enough to work... thank god. Finally an easier day

So now it's me, one line cook, my chef, and a fry cook heading in to the holidays. We had to contact the local tech college to get some still-attending culinary students to help

Can it get much worse? I'm going to bed
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post #2 of 8
11/5/12 at 3:39pm

Unfortunately, it can and probably will get worse.  For your week, ever considered staffing agencies?  Not sure if you have any around you but we have a couple that can provide last minute staff.  Sometimes not the best but almost always you get competent people who can take a load off the kitchen.

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post #3 of 8
11/5/12 at 3:47pm

Sack the one whos always high.

Replace the one whos in a psych ward, not his fault but he's unreliable now.

Sounds like the other guy was actaully sick so there is nothing you can do about that.

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post #4 of 8
11/5/12 at 4:00pm

Doesn't sound like you had a bad week at all.

 

You should be heading out with the crew for a few too many rather than going to bed.

You guys rocked it out, be proud, sleep is for the dead.

----

 


"Plus, this method makes you look like a complete lunatic. If you care about that sort of thing".  - Dave Arnold

 

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post #5 of 8
11/5/12 at 6:57pm
You did well bud. Keep your head up!
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post #6 of 8
11/6/12 at 5:24am

the chef should of stayed and worked with you instead of taking day off to be with wife, thats what he gets paid for.

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post #7 of 8
11/6/12 at 5:26am

Sometimes all you need is an extra pair of hands.  Train the DMO.

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post #8 of 8
11/6/12 at 9:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdm magic View Post

Sack the one whos always high.
Replace the one whos in a psych ward, not his fault but he's unreliable now.
Sounds like the other guy was actaully sick so there is nothing you can do about that.
Done
Done

The sick one is back

Quote:
Originally Posted by Robo View Post

the chef should of stayed and worked with you instead of taking day off to be with wife, thats what he gets paid for.
Sunday is usually 2 cooks and a dishwasher scheduled so I just took the load. No worries there



We're back to full strength, if not stronger now. The sick one is back, we hired a lunch guy and promoted a dishwasher to fry cook/prep, also picked up a dude who just moved here who's line ready. We do it a little different at our place. We run off two grills and out of two windows so there's only 2 line cooks on shift at any time, chef or me at expo and a guy on fry/veg. We assemble protein and starch, hit with hot veg, garnish and push. It's when it's JUST 2 people back there when it gets crazy

I've got the next two days off before our holiday season begins until late February so they may be my last two in a week
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