Let me be the first to let you all know that the Dumbass is spreading, and if you’re not careful, you’ll catch it just like everyone else.  It’s even spread to a member of my management staff.  Not just a member, he’s also the leader. 

We have a new general manager at my job.  You’ve heard me talk about him here before, a few times.  We all thought that he was going to do a great job, but so far, he’s just a dumbass.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s a very nice person, but this is his first time being a general manager, and as such, knows absolutely nothing about running the business. 

Some of the things he’s doing wrong:

1.  You don’t schedule 14 servers on a Wednesday night.  This is not the busy season, yet for some reason, this new manager is making sure that we have a total of 14 servers and three or more bartenders on the shift at any given time….during the week.  This would be alright if we had any sort of business.  We have NO business right now, and the servers are about an inch away from open rebellion from not making any money.  Anyone want to unionize??

Over Nazi-fying the uniform standards.  Anyone who has ever worked with or for me knows that I’m a big uniform nazi.  I always have been.  I expect people to have on the correct uniform.  If that means wearing pastels with buttons on the collars, tucked in, then I expect you to be wearing a pastel with a button down collar, tucked into your pretty little pants!  I expect uniforms to have a standard of cleanliness, and to not be overly wrinkled.  I can understand the wrinkles that come from bending over or driving to work, I get those all the time.  I don’t think that sending servers home because there is a little spot on their shirt – a spot that came from work onto a shirt that costs 25 bucks or more — is a good business deal.  This manager thinks that we make our tips from our uniforms, not our service skills.  Therefore, if we have any kind of spot on our shirt, we are sent home.  What if all of our shirts are stained?  That means we have to go out and buy new shirts, and let me tell ya, these aren’t the easiest to find like most uniforms.  You try finding a pastel, oxford, long sleeve, button down collared shirt for less than 25 or 30 bucks.  Sure, you might find some that don’t have buttons on the collars, but you’re not gonna find many.

Worrying more about people having breaks than letting them leave when sick.  A couple of days ago, Mizz Loh-retta was sick.  She talked to the manager about her illness.  He didn’t acknowledge her illness, instead he asked if she’d had a break the day before and if she was going to be able to take one that day.  Didn’t ask if she would like to go home and rest so she could get better, only worried about breaks so that he doesn’t get a bitching from his boss.

Not knowing how to talk to people.  I don’t know if this is just because of where he’s from, or just who he is, but this man doesn’t know how to talk to a person.  Whether it’s making small talk or asking an employee to do something, it always comes out of his mouth hatefully.  He doesn’t laugh, he rarely smiles, and he’s just not a nice person to be around.  Nobody wants to be around a dictator, even if it’s the manager.  A good general manager should at least be able to talk to his employees, and occasionally have a hint of a giggle with them!

Like I said before, he’s a really nice guy, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing!  There are all kinds of changes we need to make where I work, and he’s focusing on things that matter very little.  There’s supplies that we need to get fixed, employees who need their hours cut, training that needs an overhaul, and positions that need to be refilled.  He’s focusing on uniforms, breaks, and how to be a prick. 

I’m curious to know if your managers are like this one?  Have they caught the dumbass too?  Has it spread to other restaurants across the country? 

My last GM was awesome.  He worked, he laughed, he smiled, he talked, and when he bitched you out, he had a smile on his face and he wasn’t doing it because of missing a break.  He knew how to talk to people.  Mr. S, we want you back!!!

Ribeye

I’ve just gotten done adding a couple more things to the RagingServer.com Store. Not many, just a couple of shirts, a cap and a mug. Interesting to say the least. I don’t quite know how this little business venture is going to go, but here’s hoping it’ll go well eventually.

Thanks everyone for your added support, and I will try to not let you down. I still need more designs to help out with.

Thank you all!!!

Ribeye

So, it’s kind of basic, a RagingServer.com Bumper Sticker, but it’s for sale at the RagingServer.com Store.

I don’t know if it’ll sell, but here’s to hoping =).  I promise I’ll have more things up within the week, I just got a bug up my ass to put something online before I went to bed.  It’ll grow, I promise.

Ribeye.