How to tell if you're a sorry excuse for a restaurant manager

I must say. The most common misconception about working in a restaurant is that the number one problem is customers leaving bad tips.

This is not true. We do hate those people (especially if we gave good service) but, the most common aggravation and frustration and reason for most servers to quit restaurant after restaurant (while struggling in college or what have you) is poor excuses for managers.

If you're reading this and you are a manager at a restaurant, only take offense if the next few bullet points relate to you and your behavior. If not, keep up the awesome managing and try to rub off on others.

How to tell if you're a sorry-excuse-for-a-manager: 

• You hate your job
• You get upset when servers "who are below you" are in school or working toward anything to brighten their future since they do not have the desire to stay in restaurant world for ever, like you have chosen/been forced into doing.
• You are petty; you cut hours on the servers who need to swap shifts, give up shifts, or simply are sick and need things covered. 
• You are petty; you play favorites with people who kiss your ass the most. 
• You are petty; you say things out loud for all to hear- but never have you confronted the so called problem server head on, one-on-one, professionally. 
• You find ways to piss off workers. Common example would be to remind a server that they need to get so many sales while they are rushing on a busy evening handling more than six needy tables.
• Instead of thinking to help or walk around to talk with guests, God forbid you ever have to actually do your job, you just yell out orders and sit in the office for the remainder of your shift
• On days you are aware of higher ups coming into town or doing a store visit you suddenly groom yourself differently, smile for the first time in months, and treat servers...Nicely? What? So you do have that capability?
• You yell about making sure we involve you for surveys or coupon redeeming...but then when we call upon you (as requested) you are aggravated we even dare ask you....we should know better, you're busy, sitting in the back office.
• You decide sometimes that you're so bored of sitting so you go change the schedule that has already been posted for all to see and you don't even dare tell anyone! The servers must magically just know to check out the schedule daily, just in case. 
• You never help anyone, that's not in your job description. You are just there to yell orders.
• You enjoy being sarcastic- but if anyone dare ever respond in the same manner they are written up.
• Some people (usually favorites) never have to do any silverware rolling up whereas others must do not only the required amount, but a few extra, because you said so.

So, if any of these pertain to you, you're a piece of shit. Maybe you had no choice and this is your means of income. Great. No problem with the job itself. Try to actually DO the job, and maybe even enjoy it. After all, the food industry does involve the need for you to interact with other people so might as well be as pleasant as possible, right?

This is simply for all the lazy, unhappy, horrible managers at restaurants. I've come across a few in my time (since I was 16 I've been working; so I have plenty of examples but I'll respectfully leave names out) 

Being a server is not a HARD job, it is rather EASY once the person realizes how to manage their time, learns the menu, and understands how to talk to people and up sell when needed. The job becomes hard when servers have to deal with lazy, unhelpful, upset managers who do not like to do their job and decide to have power trips. It makes the entire place have a negative energy and it is so damaging. Hence why the turn over rate is high for many, many places. 

If you work in the server industry and enjoy your management team- stay there. It is rare to find. 

Every place will have the good 1 or 2 managers followed by 1 or 2 awful ones. Just, why? I've literally witnessed servers who are in college being made fun of or mocked because the manager (obviously) never went to school/had the opportunity and now they result to laughing at the young adults who are trying to have a brighter future. Just, what the fuck. We, the ones who are working toward moving on with life in other ways, will go on and live while you remain miserable and continue to harass new workers. 

I want to point out this blog is not disrespecting any person in management at a restaurant or any server; I am simply shedding a huge ray of light on the frustration many servers have to deal with behind closed doors. It's rarely ever the customer who causes a bad mood, it's more than likely the management team making the job much more difficult and unpleasant than it may be. 

-ssr 

*This blog was inspired by multiple different personalities I have encountered throughout the last ten years. I am in no way affiliated with any specific restaurant nor am I targeting any one person, just a personality type. If you took offense to any of this writing then perhaps look at yourself and try to see why you're unhappy with your job and change things for the betterment of everyone around you.

If I missed anything or you simply have the yearning to add more to my little list that I created off the top of my head, go on and leave a comment. I would love to hear what else I missed. 

Maybe next I'll write about retail, I've been there, too.