You've gotta trust your employees.....

There are times when people’s motives for doing things are not as pure as they would seem to be at first. What I saw when I first started at my current place of employment, that the boss was a real “hand’s on” owner. He would stop by all the tables, say hello, make sure everything was okay, chat with those he knew, even pick up empty plates from tables and take them back to the kitchen. That’s what I “saw.”

When I started behind the bar, I was now in close enough proximity to also listen. What I thought were pure motives, wanting to lend a hand, show us he was also a part of our team, was much different from reality.

He told us we had too many empty plates sitting around on the bar. I was a little confused, as we generally don’t allow this to happen. Then it became clear…..one night a couple were splitting an appetizer….there were a few morsels left on the plate, they told me they were just being leisurely, and would finish it up. The boss came behind the bar, reached for the plate, and they informed him they weren’t done with it yet. I noticed this was happening a lot. Time after time I would hear, “Can I take that out of your way?” “No, we’re not done with it yet.”

One night a woman he knew was sitting at the bar, waiting for a friend, she ordered some appetizers for them to split, (her friend arrived later than she had expected) so, being hungry, she ate her half of the appetizers, and wanted me to leave the rest there, for when he arrived. The boss comes back behind the bar…chats with her for a minute, then wants to remove the plates. She told him “No, Jack will be here shortly, and I’m saving those for him.” “Can I put them in a to go box for you?” Again, “No, Jack will eat them when he gets here.” “Can I get you another drink?” (thought that was my job) “No, I still have half a glass of wine left. I’m fine.” “Can I get you some more bread?” (she and I had already had this discussion) “No, I don’t need anything, I’m fine.” “Can I…..” “No, we’ve got everything under control, all is as it should be. Everything is fine.”

When he finally stopped his barrage of unnecessary questions and walked away, she looked at me and said, “I used to work in restaurants, and I’m not going to let him undermine your ability to do your job.” THANK YOU!!!!!

It’s pretty sad when the owner puts the customer on the defense, just to try and prove to himself that his employees are inept.