Working in the hospitality industry is not for the faint of heart. Not only do you have to work on your feet all day, but multitasking is part of your M.O. While the camaraderie and ability to eat free food can be beneficial, this type of work environment can quickly become hostile when things get busy. Understandably, the employees have complaints.
Let’s be honest, no job is perfect. But between trying to get orders out on time and handling grumpy customers, working in restaurants or fast food joints can make anyone want to pull their hair out. Burnout is real in the food industry.
And when kitchens crash or servers work doubles for 12 hours straight, someone is bound to have an emotional breakdown, especially when it’s a part of their job to smile and keep calm under pressure. But while no one wants to be that person who has a complete meltdown at work, stories do surface from time to time. And boy, are they juicy.
So we took the liberty of scouring Reddit to find the worst of the worst employee meltdowns at restaurants or fast food places. All we ask is that you generously tip your servers moving forward after reading these horror stories!
1. A new hire didn’t like her schedule.
It’s always a good idea to finalize your availability before you accept the job.
It’s a great precautionary measure. Managers can’t read servers’ minds after all. And they’ll understand your availability if you communicate with them. Luckily, schedules can always get switched around last minute. But the sooner you talk to your boss, the better. The last thing a server wants is to switch shifts around or call out because they can’t work the schedule they were given.
2. A fast food employee had to deal with a lazy co-worker.
Being a team player is key in the hospitality industry.
And doing the bare minimum is not really an option, especially when 20 orders of fries are needed, pronto. That’s exactly what happened to user elevator_guy96. They worked the drive-thru shift with an incompetent employee right after a football game just let out. You can probably guess that he quit right after that fiasco.
No one person should pull everyone’s weight at work. No one.
3. A cook had to deal with a rude boss.
Don’t add fuel to the fire…
Unless you know how the laws of thermodynamics work. And definetly don’t yell at your employee in front of their co-workers. Luckily, for this cook, the boss got canned after he opened his big mouth. But while every manager might have their own managing style, they can be rude to their employees, especially when they’re still new to the job.
4. An employee wanted to get fired to collect unemployment.
Arguments between employees and managers are bound to happen at restaurants.
But that doesn’t mean employees should rub people the wrong way on purpose. There are other ways to stop working at a job. While user Delanium worked her shift at a cafe, she talked with a co-worker who wanted to get fired and collect unemployment. And right before the co-worker left for the day, the manager asked her to complete one more task. Next thing you know, the co-worker and manager started to argue, and she got fired.
5. An executive chef pushed an employee too far.
Toxic bosses can ruin a work environment for everyone.
And no one should feel forced to stay in a toxic job. In most situations, there are many other restaurant job opportunities. Ultimately, no employee should have to put up with abuse. While user DarthReeder decided to quit in a unique and creative way, it’s probably a better idea to put in your two week’s notice if you’re ever done dealing with a horrible manager.
6. A manager blamed an employee for a messed-up pizza order.
Managers who falsely blame employees for their wrongdoings don’t do anyone any favors.
In fact, they end up looking like cowards because they can’t own up to their mistakes. It’s important for managers to take responsibility for their actions. For instance, Reddit user ViolentEdWhoopWhoop recalled a time when their boss told a customer, “Sorry, my stupid employees can’t show up, and the ones that do (as he looked directly at [them]) can’t seem to get an order right, I mean just look at this place.”
Instead of trying to fix the situation, the manager’s actions created a toxic work environment which made this Reddit user quit his job ASAP.
7. A general manager caused a literal dumpster fire.
You don’t have to be perfect at your job.
However, it’s important to grow and learn so you don’t… you know, start a random dumpster fire at the beginning of your shift. It’s equally important, though, to remember that everyone is allowed to have a few bad days every once in a while. Just be mindful of your mental health. And if you must, call out sick to take care of yourself. When you don’t put yourself first, you’re more likely to make mistakes at the job, just like user paper92’s general manager.
8. A food prep employee strangled a manager over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
As an employee, you’re supposed to listen to your boss.
But you can also provide input if you think you can expedite a project. But that doesn’t mean you should take things into your own hands (literally) when things don’t go your way. Thankfully, no one was hurt during this altercation. Instead of physically trying to get your point across like user bro_mo_sapien’s co-worker did, it might be a better idea to take a break and communicate with your boss about how you feel when you’re calm, cool, and collected.
9. A manager gets intimate with not one, but two servers.
Let’s just say there are other ways for managers and employees to get to know each other at work.
And just because a manager is flirting with their employees, that doesn’t make it right. Unfortunately, for this scenario, neither of these relationships lived happily ever after. So the next time you’re thinking of getting into a romantic relationship with your boss, you may want to reconsider the consequences of your actions. Things might not end up the way you hoped.
10. Two employees walked out from their sushi restaurant job after being micromanaged by their boss.
It’s important to hire people who will take their jobs seriously.
But micromanaging will only make your employees rebel. User -eDgAR- explained that they got to make extra cash by picking up the shift that these two employees decided not to finish. But their boss ended up complaining about the perceived disrespect. Everyone ended up in an uncomfortable situation.
11. A chef got overwhelmed in the kitchen.
Not all chefs have the luxury to take a break when it gets busy at their restaurant.
Most of the time, they have to work through the stress because they don’t have the ability to slow down. Unfortunately, this can lead to burnout. If chefs have to deal with verbal and physical abuse in their work environments, they deserve to at least take a break to sustain their mental and physical health just like everyone else.
12. A good employee did the unthinkable before she quit.
She did what she was told.
But sheepcat87’s co-worker should know that no job is worth completing an assignment like that. If a boss forces you to do something that you’re uncomfortable with, it’s best to put your two weeks in and leave immediately. Whether your superior is joking around or not, your mental and physical health shouldn’t be a joking matter.
Also, don’t be afraid to talk to human resources if you think your work environment is causing you to stress.
13. A chef didn’t want to make an order.
It’s never a good idea to leave your post when you don’t want to complete a large food order right before the restaurant closes.
Rather than saying sayonara to your job, you may want to talk with your boss about why you’re not happy. Unfortunately, working late-night shifts is never easy, though. And if you don’t have the ability to talk to your boss, see if you can take a break after the rush. Just don’t leave everyone else hanging in the middle of a busy shift.
14. A manager docked a server’s hours because she was interested in the server’s husband.
Yikes!
It’s easy for companies to lose employees when they treat them unfairly, especially when the managers allow their emotions to get involved. But this is an HR disaster at its best. Romantic interests rarely mix well in professional work environments. They just invite trouble in the long run, and nobody’s got time for that.
15. An employee lashed out at a pizza driver.
It can be hard to separate your home and work life, especially in the food industry.
But don’t force an employee to hug you when they just need time to themselves. Rather than trying to fix a situation, try to let things unfold on their own. As often as we work with our co-workers, we don’t always know everything that’s going on in their lives. And that’s completely normal! Before you lash out on a co-worker, consider asking your boss if you can go home for the day when everything at work becomes too overwhelming.
16. A pizza place was run by children.
When you want a company to run smoothly, hire people who actually know what they’re doing.
And while it’s a good idea to give everyone a chance, you never want to hire young adults who only care about receiving a paycheck. Think about the kind of people you want to be a part of your team. If they’re going to sit around, complain, and do the bare minimum, you may want to reconsider why you hired them in the first place, especially if they’re a manager.
If not, expect a full meltdown to happen due to their unprofessional behavior.
17. A chef yelled at three managers after their significant other got sent home.
Managers expect all employees to come to work with clean uniforms for sanitary reasons.
However, most restaurants have extra clothes in the back for small emergencies like these. It’s not bad to stand up for your significant other like this chef did. Just choose your battles wisely. You don’t have the right to bring drama into the workplace and create a chaotic environment. Boundaries are important. And the more you discuss this with your partner, the easier it may be to work with them in high-stressful environments.
