Dodgy off-book leave policies are something that you just come to expect after a while of working in the restaurant or retail world. From the first time you go to book leave and are met with the strong insinuation that maybe you shouldn't be taking any leave at all, giving you reasons of being too busy or too understaffed to possibly afford to be a “man down," you're going to be feeling that old resigned feeling of knowing that this is going to be that kind of place. The reality is that you're…

Dining halls serve hundreds or thousands of people each day, so keeping things running smoothly is paramount. If you've ever wanted to waste a lazy afternoon, spend some time watching videos of how professional chefs make lunch for the masses. It's fascinating to see the processes behind budgeting for the ingredients, then cooking a massive meal for hundreds of people . Instead of cooking for just one person, lunch chefs have to cook for hundreds, sometimes only with one or two people to help t…

A waiter lost out on hundreds of dollars, but the restaurant's owner acted like nothing was wrong. It's poor management decisions like this that lead employees to quit… and this person did quit on the spot after being treated badly. Some people move from serving to managing and completely forget all the actual problems that waitstaff encounter. It seems like once the apron is off and the newly-appointed manager works on spreadsheets or takes naps in the back office, they stop caring about their…

One retiree realized he had the time and resources to make a difference in his neighborhood. As his grandkid wrote in a post to r/maliciouscompliance, “it's pretty amazing what you can get done with 8 business hours of free time.” Being retired is great in that way---you can do anything you please, including getting well acquainted with your neighbors. Next up,

Back in the day, it was practically a sin to even think about using up your PTO or daring to call in sick. And even though things are slowly changing, there's sometimes still a gap between generations when it comes to work-life balance. Some folks out there still cling to the idea that burning yourself out is some kind of badge of honor. And you know what's the absolute worst? When that kind of mindset infects your boss.

Customers only knew that their food was delayed , but this kitchen worker shared what happened behind the scenes. Professional chefs have a job like no other. There's a strict hierarchy, and a lot of shouting happening, but there's a sense of comradery as well. At many restaurants, each chef tends to one type of food or one area. When all goes smoothly, it ensures that customers get the food they ordered fast. And the longer the team of chefs works together, the better their workflow becomes. T…

Every restaurant handles pick-up orders a little differently, and that leads to confusion. You kind of have to play mind games to figure out their system. I should be easy, right? You order food from the place around the block from you, and they say it'll be ready in 20 minutes. Great! But then when you show up 20 minutes later, they haven't even started your food. If you try and course-correct and show up after 45 minutes the next time, you may find your dish is soggy and cold. It's a hard gam…

This fast food worker could've avoided trouble, but instead, they decided to stick up for a teammate . Working in fast food means knowing exactly when you'll be busy during your shift. If you clock in at 11 AM, you can bet that the lunch rush will be starting within the hour. Some places plan for this, and add in additional staff members to help with the rush. Another popular strategy is bringing in the newest members of the team to work during the mealtime crunch. Apparently they think that le…

These diners bet against Mother Nature and lost badly. That's what happens when you think you know better than everyone around you! The weather is not something any of us can control. If we could, we'd happily stop hurricanes and tornados in their tracks. But of course, human beings can't stop hundreds of thousands of raindrops or snowflakes from falling to Earth. It's halfway through the 2020s, if we could have this technology, someone would've invented it by now. No, all we have for now is um…

The owner of this coffee shop is in for a surprise. They somehow decided to run a business without doing some pretty basic research on how to pay their employees. As a teenager, getting your first job can be a joy. You suddenly have some walking-around money, or driving-around money, since you now have enough cash to fill your tank and drive your friends around. It might only be a few hundred dollars per month, but since you're working for the first time, you don't know any better. Many states…

As a manager, you occasionally have to let someone go. A workplace never stays the same forever---people are hired, people quit, and people get fired.

At a certain point, ordering a specific dish without the vital components that make it that specific dish in the first place becomes pretty pointless. For example, if you order a cheeseburger without cheese, it's just a hamburger; and if you order eggs benedict without hollandaise sauce , that's just poached eggs on a bun; and if you order a Ceasar salad without anchovies, you're just going to get a few lettuce leaves and croutons on a plate.

These customers didn't let their poor social skills keep them from dining at restaurants . Instead, they showed up ready to eat food and interact with wait staff as minimally as possible. We all have days where we want to be left alone. Sometimes you just don't feel like interacting with people, and instead, you just want to curl up on your couch, order food delivery, and watch a movie. It's odd that apparently lots of people decide to go to restaurants when they're feeling antisocial. Why woul…

You might not expect a grown adult to lose their marbles over a 69-cent cup of the ranch, but when it comes to entitled people and paying petty amounts of cash, you can always expect there to be an issue.

After working in customer service, there are some experiences that will stick with you long after. These experiences will mostly be the exceptional ones that stand out even from every other bizarre daily interaction.

The feeling of ordering a meal and then disliking it is so awkward. It happens to the best of us. Maybe you decide to try a new soup, only to realize it tastes like seawater and sadness. Or maybe you confidently order a dish you've had numerous times, only to realize this establishment makes the meal with ingredients you don't care for. Or maybe your friends force you to try sushi, and you don't like a single one of those ingredients. But you have to save face in front of your dinner guests. Do…