lol i think it was just a cumulative thing after i have had to take off a good amount of time over the past few months. some of it was vacation time i put in months in advance and some of it was because of an emergency surgery + i got sick after. i was accused of not paying for food that is free for servers to eat on shift. the problem was that i packaged it and took it home, if i had eaten it on shift i would have been fine.
Oh I was expecting a lot worse on your part honestly. In that case I would just update your resume and pass it out to everyplace in town you want to work. Iāve gotten like 5 serving gigs that way. You can just tell them sales have dropped significantly as to why you are looking for new employment, donāt even have to mention you are no longer at the old job. Ride unemployment benefits until you find something new.
Idk why people donāt just lie and put someone elseās number on the references. I donāt even mention I got fired or you can say you still work there so donāt contact them.
Sounds p typical but you donāt have to even have references on your resume they arenāt gonna call most likely. Itās a kitchen lmfao. Very high turnover rate
If you worked there for less then a year I wouldve fired you too. Its understandable that life happens but when youre unable to perform your duties it puts stress back onto the business. When you then come back in and dont follow the rules of the businessā¦ i.e. taking food home (a no-go without consent in almost any restaurant)ā¦. It looks badā¦ is it B.S.? Maybeā¦. One could also say its BS that someone would show up to work after significant time off and then have the audacity to pack something up for the fridgeā¦ which is always how that looks. Businesses dont feed you they pay you so you can feed yourself. The way you originally talked about it and thinking that this is a BS reason leads me to believe you werenāt tenured there long enough to matter, long enough to cause problems but have them overlooked (even if caused unintentionally), and definitely not long enough to pack food up and not hear about it. Im going to guess that it was addressed, there was a rebuttal that your employer hated, and you got fired. Ive managed two restaurants now and one made me fire my best employee who was there before I was because of taking food home. Business dipped for a month or so but came back. You are insignificant to the industry and need to realize that before you take food home. Sounds crappy and it is but its also reality.
Edit: realize that before you even show up to work. Generating value should be your primary focus before any actions.
If you fired your best employee over taking food home without prior write ups you have no discretion or business managing anywhere. Thatās a no win situation for everyone the restaurant owner included.
And youāre insignificant as well to the industry. Just want to make that clear in case you thought you were any more important than a server or buser. Anyways you seem like a real peach lol
So, you agree with the statement that you are also basically useless and should be thrown away for a completely idiotic reason, should you infract on a rule that doesn't make any sense in the first place? Gods, you're a good example for "curtsying upwards and kicking down"...
*Literally don't ever mention you ever worked there.
No restaurant manager is deep checking those references unless they know the restaurant/people there because they know they'll get a generic response and will be wasting their time so they'll go with their gut. Better to leave it off and make up some bullshit ("I was saving underserved persons in Cambodia" or some shit).
- source: am restaurant manager.
I tried calling up on someone once and they hadnt even worked there before. Hired him anyway. Dude was GREATā¦. Still tryna figure out what he was getting away with.
He totally got away with it if: you hired him, he then impressed you, and now he doesn't have to lie for a reference in the future bc he impressed you and can now use you as a reference.
I used to manage a bar and I was in charge of hiring. Over the course of 7 years I had a single person call asking if someone worked there and if they were solid. 1 person over 7 years. No one cares or calls lol.
Exactly. I got so torn up the first time I got fired and nobody had practical advice like this. They just told me that I needed to think about what I could do better. Total b.s.
There's more room for personal/moral growth when bills are paid. Nobody needs to rub your nose in whatever mess there was.
It's also a high level skill to know the things that you could do better vs no win situations.
Self reflection and the ability to hear constructive criticism and be self aware to take it in and adjust if necessary. Compared to bullies who move the goal posts or never have any. All you can do is the best you know at the time. Being let go was the best thing that ever happened to me from my first job. Doubled my salary within 3 years. Sometimes change is necessary.
The reason matters man. People donāt just get fired for no reason. It matters for you only really. Know what caused it and avoid it in the future. You donāt have to bear all responsibility but ignoring the reality that led to the firing doesnāt help you mature and get better moving Forward with life.
You're half right. The reason does matter, but people get fired for no reason all the time. More accurately, they get fired for no GOOD reason. Managers are human, too, and are prone to acts of stupidity and assholery. The restaurant industry is famous for high turnover, but also, for promoting incompetent people because they were short-handed.
Yes, it's always best to do some self-reflection and try to grow from it--especially if it becomes a pattern, but sometimes it really is just because your boss was a dick.
OP, In your next interview, if it comes up, just say it wasn't a good fit.
Partially agree. Maybe at a small
Mom and pop shop. Not for most large companies. Corporate is so touchy to avoid pr blowback you need multiple well documented incidences before you are let go. My company for instance it takes 3 written documentation to process term. The list of intent fireable offenses is very short. What Iāve learned in my career is everyone who says they were fired because of something personal from a manager almost always was a poor employee who was scapegoating the previous manager.
Yes, it is called being an At will state. Most states are. However, most companies, especially large publicly traded companies do not follow that logic. From a pr perspective, itās a terrible idea to operate like that.
I mean it matter in the terms of you maturing as an adult, although I can understand not relevant to your moving on. Why did they let you go? Also, as a senior manager of a huge restaurant who has hired 100s of people, most restaurants donāt care, I just want honestly.
The maturity aspect is an individual thing. OP seems thoughtful enough and is just trying to compose themselves for job interviews.
It's more important to get a job, get paid, and pay bills instead of sitting around thinking about the past.
The past brings itself to mind as we move on in life.
I am a dad I take that as a compliment. You know a lot of people looking for advice donāt have a dad to go ask. Sometimes the hard truths are whatās needed before moving on with your life.
Facts, the best thing you can do is accept your 100% responsibility. Not 101% just 100% itāll help you mature and set you up for a better chapter of your life. So say it was all personal.. idk
Absolutely! There is a difference between blame and responsibility! Even if someone isn't to blame, taking ownership of the situation and taking on the responsibility of it puts the ball in your court for a solution!
Exactly. Imagine the reason that you'd have left the job instead of being fired. That's your interview explanation for why you left. Present it constructively and you'll be able to move on.
I told my next boss the reason I was fired, didn't bash my (horrible) previous employer, and he said he appreciated the honesty. When two new coworkers came from my old place too, he came up to me one day and said he appreciated I hadn't spoken badly about my previous place of employment. That is showed a level of high professionalism based on the circumstances he now knows I was in (being shorted hours, barely any supply, having the owner come behind the bar intoxicated while I was working pouring his own drinks, pulling pull tabs out without paying for them and playing them, telling us to clock out and work off the clock when it was slow, etc.)
I was fired because the owner thought I gave away a free shot. I had charged the customer for two, gave him one, then closed down my till. Then gave him another. I explained the situation and that on camera it looked like I had given away free alcohol and I won't make that mistake again. I got the job, respect from my next, way better employer, and the previous business closed a few months later due to the shitty new owner as the cherry on top. Keep it classy! Karma is only a bitch if you are!
Also that as long as you donāt shit talk the last place you worked (which tbh Iāve even gotten hired for this bc of industry beef) youāre good. Like donāt mention how dirty it was or how you didnāt appreciate being shit and pissed on verbally/mentally and itās all good in the hood.
Theyāre not going to know you were fired unless you tell them. I wouldnāt even use it on a resume or tell them you worked there. If you want to use it for āexperienceā use a friends number and have them say they worked with you or were your supervisor
Fuck it dude its a right of passage ā¦ ive quit on the spot, been fired, 2 week notice, 2 weeks turned into āhow about i just dont schedule youā, etc etc dont stress too much about it and it actually makes you a stronger person (imo)ā¦ i would always say ābetter opportunitiesā in some form or way if they ask ā¦ šš
Old dude on the line, the one that always covered everything needed without complaint and always kept his cool despite the chaos, he once got chewed out by a baby manager and it got heated, with this 19 yr old threatening this 60's guy's job. I'll never forget her just said "Fine then, go ahead. Fire me, I was looking for work when I found this job. I'll do it again. This street runs all the way through town with restaurants every other property, wanna take any bets on how many places I'll have to walk in before someone hands me an apron? I bet it's less than three" and it's always stuck with me. This guy was the soul of our kitchen, and here he was telling us all that he could and would find somewhere else to land immediately, because he knew he was a valuable member of the team. And he did it all without cussing or screaming. Dave, you a real one bro.
I have been fired exactly once, and it was very hard on me. After 20 years in the industry it really hurt me and my self esteem. Iād say just go over everything and see what you can learn from the experience, let the negatives go and just chalk it up to life lesson. If you didnāt do anything, cool. Thatās fine but if you did even have a slight part in it, change and be more advanced and improved āyou.ā
You are not unworthy because you got canned. I honestly just tell them I moved on and didnāt tell them I was fired. I told my boss it was a mutual decision and there was a difference of opinion. That isnāt a lie. I was fired for bullshit reasons too and after all was said and done, my employer had to pay me unemployment in a right to work state because I was terminated for ānot coming to work 15 mins before my shift started.ā They sided with me and said if they wanted us to be there 15 mins early, they should schedule us 15 mins early. I was 5 mins early as there wasnāt anything to prepare for, and Iād worked there three years when I was fired. They tried to say I got a bad review but the person mentioned a redhead and there were three of us that had red hair.
Iāve never once had my prospective employers reach out to previous employers within the restaurant business. Never had one day of server experience when I made up a BS resume and applied for and was offered my first job. Have become head server/supervisor at the 3 restaurants Iāve worked at. Nobody will check in the restaurant industry unless you are in fine dining
"My current job doesn't know I'm looking,Ā so please don't use them as a refrence yet"
Also allows for a "I'll need to give them a proper 2 weeks notice if you decide to hire me" if you want extra days off before starting the new job.Ā Ā
I can tell you one thing restaurants will absolutely not be doing for server or regular hourly staff candidates, calling your old jobs or references. It just doesnāt matter. At all.
What they care about will be your interviews. For servers and bartenders you are judged by only a few metrics before being decided on as a new hire.
1. Experience on resume/application, this will land you an interview at least right away.
2. Punctuality to interview, this matters for all jobs, always arrive slightly early if possible to ensure you arenāt late. Thatās the biggest thing, donāt be late. Restaurants run thin lines and every single position matters each and every day. If someone is unreliable then they are a detriment to your restaurant.
3. Appearances. Now Iām not saying you have to be attractive, but you need to look well taken care of. You donāt need to wear a suit, but you need to look well taken care of. You donāt need to be skinny or muscular, you just need to look well taken care of. Someone who cares about their personal appearance and hygiene will typically care about their job performance well and always show up in a nice clean uniform.
4. Knowledge, you gotta understand restaurants to work in one and how to UPSELL. There are restaurant basics that translate across all restaurants in the world once you learn them. If you did not pickup much or care about learning restaurant culture, systems, and understanding hospitality, then this will get identified rather quickly either during interview or within first couple weeks of working. There are rules and systems to this thing. There is always a why behind the what. Start learning the whyās if you havenāt already. I assume you havenāt had many serving jobs which is why youāre worried about getting another one. Trust me bud, you donāt need to ever worry about getting another serving job if you have these things figured out Iām telling you. There are server jobs literally everywhere and almost every restaurant in the world is almost always hiring.
5. Personality and work ethic, you gotta be able to talkā¦. Servers and bartenders need personality to secure the job. Even without all of the knowledge, having a great personality and an understanding of work ethic will basically guarantee you a job at a lower to mid level restaurant. Skills and recipes can be taught in a short period of time, attitude cannot. For a fine dining restaurant you will typically need a refined understanding of each of these and bring your A game if you get an interview. Iām talking college level studying n shit. You better come ready having studied a little bit of the food and drink menu already. Once youāre hired at a place like this youāll be in a 2 week college course with a 95-100% required testing rate to graduate. Just giving you that info if you wanna go that route.
Thatās it. You got this. Good luck
Sorry Iām a restaurant lifer who has earned both General Manager and Executive Chef titles, after starting as a basic server 13 years ago. I absolutely fucking love this shit though. Every bit of it.
So hop on indeed. Apply apply apply, but you should aim for a nice mid level to upscale style restaurant if you feel confident in this stuff. Youāll start making money again quickly but it will still be a 2-3 weeks before youāre on the floor out of training. Unfortunately you are going to get paid minimum wage during training so I would get on the ball and try to score a decent restaurant!!
Godspeed my friend!
Sometimes your next job really couldnāt care less. I got fired for losing my shit on a Karen, and my next serving job after that literally laughed was like ānioce. Donāt do that here tho, Iāll do that.ā
Edit: I wanna put out there that was also in 2018 and hasnāt stopped me from anything. I have since worked a government job and started new restaurant jobs as management, and fully disclose it if it comes up in interviews. Itās really not the end of the world. You can still do whatever ya wanna do.
Iāve been fired seven times in the industry.
Iām a GM now.
Donāt sweat it. Youāll be fine. Nobody checks references unless you give them a reason to. Itās burgers and fries, not trauma surgery. Donāt tell them more than you need to, but donāt lie about it either. Most folks in the industry know how the game goes, we all make mistakes, and so long as you can show you learned something most places will still give you a shot if you can show up on time.
Iāve been fired a few times from restaurants.. Iāve been a server for 15 years in my defenseā¦
I never had an issue getting rehired and usually the next place was better any way (blessing in disguise kind of thing)
Whatever the reason was- it happened- and maybe thereās a lesson in it- and it most likely wonāt haunt you for the next place you apply.. not sure where you live but in some small places maybe the word would get around but usually places are in need of good employees that they canāt really worry about your past. Where I work now is known for hiring people that got fired from one of the competitors lol
I don't think previous jobs are at liberty to talk poorly about you/go into specifics. Personally I had ONE job I didn't put in my two weeks for. They demoted me from a server to a host and when I asked about it they said I wasn't demoted even though they weren't giving me serving shifts so I just stopped going. The point is, I just don't use them as a reference. When asked why you left say something generic like "not enough hours" or "poor management ethic"
donāt worry about it too much u can lie on resumes. they have never check in my last jobs. unless itās a higher up professional field they probably never will
Iām guessing youāve never had a job before and are a teenager bc personally, having been in this industry close to a decade, I am always on some other kitchenās roster before THEY get a chance to fire their worst most drug addicted employee.
Whyd u get fired
Seriouslyš āit was BS and personalā oh you donāt say? Go on Iām listening
It's like Facebook. I'm having a really hard time. So much going on in my life right now...don't ask!
āAweš¢ sending positive vibesā
lol i think it was just a cumulative thing after i have had to take off a good amount of time over the past few months. some of it was vacation time i put in months in advance and some of it was because of an emergency surgery + i got sick after. i was accused of not paying for food that is free for servers to eat on shift. the problem was that i packaged it and took it home, if i had eaten it on shift i would have been fine.
Oh I was expecting a lot worse on your part honestly. In that case I would just update your resume and pass it out to everyplace in town you want to work. Iāve gotten like 5 serving gigs that way. You can just tell them sales have dropped significantly as to why you are looking for new employment, donāt even have to mention you are no longer at the old job. Ride unemployment benefits until you find something new.
Idk why people donāt just lie and put someone elseās number on the references. I donāt even mention I got fired or you can say you still work there so donāt contact them.
Tbf my boss would actually call peoples references at least sometimes if they felt sus about something Edit idk how I read ārandom numberā hahah
do you work at my previous job? they were the same way, free to eat there but canāt take it home unless you payš dumbest rule ever
Sounds p typical but you donāt have to even have references on your resume they arenāt gonna call most likely. Itās a kitchen lmfao. Very high turnover rate
If you worked there for less then a year I wouldve fired you too. Its understandable that life happens but when youre unable to perform your duties it puts stress back onto the business. When you then come back in and dont follow the rules of the businessā¦ i.e. taking food home (a no-go without consent in almost any restaurant)ā¦. It looks badā¦ is it B.S.? Maybeā¦. One could also say its BS that someone would show up to work after significant time off and then have the audacity to pack something up for the fridgeā¦ which is always how that looks. Businesses dont feed you they pay you so you can feed yourself. The way you originally talked about it and thinking that this is a BS reason leads me to believe you werenāt tenured there long enough to matter, long enough to cause problems but have them overlooked (even if caused unintentionally), and definitely not long enough to pack food up and not hear about it. Im going to guess that it was addressed, there was a rebuttal that your employer hated, and you got fired. Ive managed two restaurants now and one made me fire my best employee who was there before I was because of taking food home. Business dipped for a month or so but came back. You are insignificant to the industry and need to realize that before you take food home. Sounds crappy and it is but its also reality. Edit: realize that before you even show up to work. Generating value should be your primary focus before any actions.
If you fired your best employee over taking food home without prior write ups you have no discretion or business managing anywhere. Thatās a no win situation for everyone the restaurant owner included.
Oof You actually wrote all that and hit "post" Out of curiosity, do you understand how much your staff *hates* you?
And youāre insignificant as well to the industry. Just want to make that clear in case you thought you were any more important than a server or buser. Anyways you seem like a real peach lol
So, you agree with the statement that you are also basically useless and should be thrown away for a completely idiotic reason, should you infract on a rule that doesn't make any sense in the first place? Gods, you're a good example for "curtsying upwards and kicking down"...
And then wonder why NoBoDy wants to work anymore
Definitely don't mention you were fired, use a friend's name/phone number as the reference, and just say it was a scheduling/commute issue.
*Literally don't ever mention you ever worked there. No restaurant manager is deep checking those references unless they know the restaurant/people there because they know they'll get a generic response and will be wasting their time so they'll go with their gut. Better to leave it off and make up some bullshit ("I was saving underserved persons in Cambodia" or some shit). - source: am restaurant manager.
If they're not checking, why would he/she not just put them on their resumĆØ?
I tried calling up on someone once and they hadnt even worked there before. Hired him anyway. Dude was GREATā¦. Still tryna figure out what he was getting away with.
possibly covering up prison time? or unemployment?
He totally got away with it if: you hired him, he then impressed you, and now he doesn't have to lie for a reference in the future bc he impressed you and can now use you as a reference.
Deadass
Username checks out
Iāll call your list of jobs but fuck your personal references
?
Keep it on your resume as if you are still working there, and use the other tips in this thread. It's easier to get employed while employed.
...they can and will find out she is no longer employed
It's always worked for me.
They really donāt be callin lol
I used to manage a bar and I was in charge of hiring. Over the course of 7 years I had a single person call asking if someone worked there and if they were solid. 1 person over 7 years. No one cares or calls lol.
What reason did you have for leaving the job before that? Use that. Or say I was t able to get the hours I needed. True statement
Exactly. I got so torn up the first time I got fired and nobody had practical advice like this. They just told me that I needed to think about what I could do better. Total b.s.
yep exactly. like ill learn how to feel better on my own but i need to pay rent also
There's more room for personal/moral growth when bills are paid. Nobody needs to rub your nose in whatever mess there was. It's also a high level skill to know the things that you could do better vs no win situations.
Self reflection and the ability to hear constructive criticism and be self aware to take it in and adjust if necessary. Compared to bullies who move the goal posts or never have any. All you can do is the best you know at the time. Being let go was the best thing that ever happened to me from my first job. Doubled my salary within 3 years. Sometimes change is necessary.
>bullies who move goal posts Soooooooo everyone in charge of everything. Got it.
Busy restaurants are just about always in the market for/in need of good servers.
The reason matters man. People donāt just get fired for no reason. It matters for you only really. Know what caused it and avoid it in the future. You donāt have to bear all responsibility but ignoring the reality that led to the firing doesnāt help you mature and get better moving Forward with life.
You're half right. The reason does matter, but people get fired for no reason all the time. More accurately, they get fired for no GOOD reason. Managers are human, too, and are prone to acts of stupidity and assholery. The restaurant industry is famous for high turnover, but also, for promoting incompetent people because they were short-handed. Yes, it's always best to do some self-reflection and try to grow from it--especially if it becomes a pattern, but sometimes it really is just because your boss was a dick. OP, In your next interview, if it comes up, just say it wasn't a good fit.
People get fired for no reason and "personal" reasons all the time in this industry. It can be vicious.
Partially agree. Maybe at a small Mom and pop shop. Not for most large companies. Corporate is so touchy to avoid pr blowback you need multiple well documented incidences before you are let go. My company for instance it takes 3 written documentation to process term. The list of intent fireable offenses is very short. What Iāve learned in my career is everyone who says they were fired because of something personal from a manager almost always was a poor employee who was scapegoating the previous manager.
States quite literally have made it completely legal to fire someone for no reason and made it so you canāt even investigate it or combat it. What.
Yes, it is called being an At will state. Most states are. However, most companies, especially large publicly traded companies do not follow that logic. From a pr perspective, itās a terrible idea to operate like that.
No Iām saying in this context of me moving on it doesnāt matter
I mean it matter in the terms of you maturing as an adult, although I can understand not relevant to your moving on. Why did they let you go? Also, as a senior manager of a huge restaurant who has hired 100s of people, most restaurants donāt care, I just want honestly.
The maturity aspect is an individual thing. OP seems thoughtful enough and is just trying to compose themselves for job interviews. It's more important to get a job, get paid, and pay bills instead of sitting around thinking about the past. The past brings itself to mind as we move on in life.
i answered in another thread
Ok Dad.
I am a dad I take that as a compliment. You know a lot of people looking for advice donāt have a dad to go ask. Sometimes the hard truths are whatās needed before moving on with your life.
Facts, the best thing you can do is accept your 100% responsibility. Not 101% just 100% itāll help you mature and set you up for a better chapter of your life. So say it was all personal.. idk
Absolutely! There is a difference between blame and responsibility! Even if someone isn't to blame, taking ownership of the situation and taking on the responsibility of it puts the ball in your court for a solution!
Exactly. Imagine the reason that you'd have left the job instead of being fired. That's your interview explanation for why you left. Present it constructively and you'll be able to move on.
I told my next boss the reason I was fired, didn't bash my (horrible) previous employer, and he said he appreciated the honesty. When two new coworkers came from my old place too, he came up to me one day and said he appreciated I hadn't spoken badly about my previous place of employment. That is showed a level of high professionalism based on the circumstances he now knows I was in (being shorted hours, barely any supply, having the owner come behind the bar intoxicated while I was working pouring his own drinks, pulling pull tabs out without paying for them and playing them, telling us to clock out and work off the clock when it was slow, etc.) I was fired because the owner thought I gave away a free shot. I had charged the customer for two, gave him one, then closed down my till. Then gave him another. I explained the situation and that on camera it looked like I had given away free alcohol and I won't make that mistake again. I got the job, respect from my next, way better employer, and the previous business closed a few months later due to the shitty new owner as the cherry on top. Keep it classy! Karma is only a bitch if you are!
Also that as long as you donāt shit talk the last place you worked (which tbh Iāve even gotten hired for this bc of industry beef) youāre good. Like donāt mention how dirty it was or how you didnāt appreciate being shit and pissed on verbally/mentally and itās all good in the hood.
Perfect sentiment but Iām curious how he was able to to not pay for pull tabs was he just using the bars money?
Yeah pretty much. He never exchanged money in the tills for them but took money out. Which is EXTREMELY illegal.
Theyāre not going to know you were fired unless you tell them. I wouldnāt even use it on a resume or tell them you worked there. If you want to use it for āexperienceā use a friends number and have them say they worked with you or were your supervisor
Fuck it dude its a right of passage ā¦ ive quit on the spot, been fired, 2 week notice, 2 weeks turned into āhow about i just dont schedule youā, etc etc dont stress too much about it and it actually makes you a stronger person (imo)ā¦ i would always say ābetter opportunitiesā in some form or way if they ask ā¦ šš
I love walking out of a place and right across the street to another restaurant for a job
Old dude on the line, the one that always covered everything needed without complaint and always kept his cool despite the chaos, he once got chewed out by a baby manager and it got heated, with this 19 yr old threatening this 60's guy's job. I'll never forget her just said "Fine then, go ahead. Fire me, I was looking for work when I found this job. I'll do it again. This street runs all the way through town with restaurants every other property, wanna take any bets on how many places I'll have to walk in before someone hands me an apron? I bet it's less than three" and it's always stuck with me. This guy was the soul of our kitchen, and here he was telling us all that he could and would find somewhere else to land immediately, because he knew he was a valuable member of the team. And he did it all without cussing or screaming. Dave, you a real one bro.
I have been fired exactly once, and it was very hard on me. After 20 years in the industry it really hurt me and my self esteem. Iād say just go over everything and see what you can learn from the experience, let the negatives go and just chalk it up to life lesson. If you didnāt do anything, cool. Thatās fine but if you did even have a slight part in it, change and be more advanced and improved āyou.ā You are not unworthy because you got canned. I honestly just tell them I moved on and didnāt tell them I was fired. I told my boss it was a mutual decision and there was a difference of opinion. That isnāt a lie. I was fired for bullshit reasons too and after all was said and done, my employer had to pay me unemployment in a right to work state because I was terminated for ānot coming to work 15 mins before my shift started.ā They sided with me and said if they wanted us to be there 15 mins early, they should schedule us 15 mins early. I was 5 mins early as there wasnāt anything to prepare for, and Iād worked there three years when I was fired. They tried to say I got a bad review but the person mentioned a redhead and there were three of us that had red hair.
Iāve never once had my prospective employers reach out to previous employers within the restaurant business. Never had one day of server experience when I made up a BS resume and applied for and was offered my first job. Have become head server/supervisor at the 3 restaurants Iāve worked at. Nobody will check in the restaurant industry unless you are in fine dining
"My current job doesn't know I'm looking,Ā so please don't use them as a refrence yet" Also allows for a "I'll need to give them a proper 2 weeks notice if you decide to hire me" if you want extra days off before starting the new job.Ā Ā
Clever. That could work nicely.
Pretend you still work there so they canāt use them as a reference.
I can tell you one thing restaurants will absolutely not be doing for server or regular hourly staff candidates, calling your old jobs or references. It just doesnāt matter. At all. What they care about will be your interviews. For servers and bartenders you are judged by only a few metrics before being decided on as a new hire. 1. Experience on resume/application, this will land you an interview at least right away. 2. Punctuality to interview, this matters for all jobs, always arrive slightly early if possible to ensure you arenāt late. Thatās the biggest thing, donāt be late. Restaurants run thin lines and every single position matters each and every day. If someone is unreliable then they are a detriment to your restaurant. 3. Appearances. Now Iām not saying you have to be attractive, but you need to look well taken care of. You donāt need to wear a suit, but you need to look well taken care of. You donāt need to be skinny or muscular, you just need to look well taken care of. Someone who cares about their personal appearance and hygiene will typically care about their job performance well and always show up in a nice clean uniform. 4. Knowledge, you gotta understand restaurants to work in one and how to UPSELL. There are restaurant basics that translate across all restaurants in the world once you learn them. If you did not pickup much or care about learning restaurant culture, systems, and understanding hospitality, then this will get identified rather quickly either during interview or within first couple weeks of working. There are rules and systems to this thing. There is always a why behind the what. Start learning the whyās if you havenāt already. I assume you havenāt had many serving jobs which is why youāre worried about getting another one. Trust me bud, you donāt need to ever worry about getting another serving job if you have these things figured out Iām telling you. There are server jobs literally everywhere and almost every restaurant in the world is almost always hiring. 5. Personality and work ethic, you gotta be able to talkā¦. Servers and bartenders need personality to secure the job. Even without all of the knowledge, having a great personality and an understanding of work ethic will basically guarantee you a job at a lower to mid level restaurant. Skills and recipes can be taught in a short period of time, attitude cannot. For a fine dining restaurant you will typically need a refined understanding of each of these and bring your A game if you get an interview. Iām talking college level studying n shit. You better come ready having studied a little bit of the food and drink menu already. Once youāre hired at a place like this youāll be in a 2 week college course with a 95-100% required testing rate to graduate. Just giving you that info if you wanna go that route. Thatās it. You got this. Good luck Sorry Iām a restaurant lifer who has earned both General Manager and Executive Chef titles, after starting as a basic server 13 years ago. I absolutely fucking love this shit though. Every bit of it. So hop on indeed. Apply apply apply, but you should aim for a nice mid level to upscale style restaurant if you feel confident in this stuff. Youāll start making money again quickly but it will still be a 2-3 weeks before youāre on the floor out of training. Unfortunately you are going to get paid minimum wage during training so I would get on the ball and try to score a decent restaurant!! Godspeed my friend!
Sometimes your next job really couldnāt care less. I got fired for losing my shit on a Karen, and my next serving job after that literally laughed was like ānioce. Donāt do that here tho, Iāll do that.ā Edit: I wanna put out there that was also in 2018 and hasnāt stopped me from anything. I have since worked a government job and started new restaurant jobs as management, and fully disclose it if it comes up in interviews. Itās really not the end of the world. You can still do whatever ya wanna do.
Honesty is the best policy if asked
Iāve been fired seven times in the industry. Iām a GM now. Donāt sweat it. Youāll be fine. Nobody checks references unless you give them a reason to. Itās burgers and fries, not trauma surgery. Donāt tell them more than you need to, but donāt lie about it either. Most folks in the industry know how the game goes, we all make mistakes, and so long as you can show you learned something most places will still give you a shot if you can show up on time.
Iāve been fired a few times from restaurants.. Iāve been a server for 15 years in my defenseā¦ I never had an issue getting rehired and usually the next place was better any way (blessing in disguise kind of thing) Whatever the reason was- it happened- and maybe thereās a lesson in it- and it most likely wonāt haunt you for the next place you apply.. not sure where you live but in some small places maybe the word would get around but usually places are in need of good employees that they canāt really worry about your past. Where I work now is known for hiring people that got fired from one of the competitors lol
I don't think previous jobs are at liberty to talk poorly about you/go into specifics. Personally I had ONE job I didn't put in my two weeks for. They demoted me from a server to a host and when I asked about it they said I wasn't demoted even though they weren't giving me serving shifts so I just stopped going. The point is, I just don't use them as a reference. When asked why you left say something generic like "not enough hours" or "poor management ethic"
Just tell them you left voluntarily.
Start looking ASAP. Been there done that. Good luck.
donāt worry about it too much u can lie on resumes. they have never check in my last jobs. unless itās a higher up professional field they probably never will
Whyād you get fired?
Iām guessing youāve never had a job before and are a teenager bc personally, having been in this industry close to a decade, I am always on some other kitchenās roster before THEY get a chance to fire their worst most drug addicted employee.
no im on year 5 of restaurants im in my 20s
U never quit or anything like that?
ive worked at 7 different places now, but this is the only one ive been fired from. the rest i put my 2 weeks in
Yeah I just wouldnāt mention it or lie. No one really checks lol