Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

eyes_wide_open19 OP t1_iqrctp0 wrote

Reply to comment by Chickenmoons in No, Chef! Richmond may have an acclaimed dining scene, but it suffers the same toxic workplace issues as the big cities. by eyes_wide_open19

What's the solution?

−6

Diet_Coke t1_iqrjief wrote

We have to raise the floor on bad behavior, legally. That means ending bad practices like week-to-week scheduling, clopens, wage theft, sexual harrassment, and retaliatory firings / hour reductions. The tipping system also encourages a lot of bad behavior by making servers dependant on customer good will. Until that happens, it will always be cheaper and offer better margins to run a restaurant like an asshole. That also means we as consumers need to understand that on some level the dining out experience has been subsidized by allowing poor behavior.

101

lap_doggie t1_iqu3phj wrote

I agree with almost everything said here and have experienced the infamous BOH v. FOH war in richmond, and many other places. But unfortunately the tipping system is truthfully the only reason people stay in FOH and can somewhat stand their lives. Especially in more "fine dining" places where it more closely resembles other creative industries (aka cocktail mixing, table side service, etc. (I realize it also has major issues.) It needs to be done fairly and each place is different, so I'm leaving it vague for now. Respectfully, I want to just state this opinion and not reddit argue about it at this time. Some will agree, lots won't, and that's OK.

14

Utretch t1_iqrfv3x wrote

Restaurants as they exist can only ever trend towards being horrible places to work. We need radically different ideas of going out to eat if we want an industry that doesn't function off of chewing up and spitting out the people that make it tick.

26

pomaj46809 t1_iqrhjnw wrote

A solution is for someone to run a non-toxic place and attract the best talent in the area and make people compete on culture.

8

tranion10 t1_iqrksdc wrote

That can be a viable business model, but only for high end restaurants and bars. Providing good working conditions, benefits, and fair pay is expensive and those costs are passed on to the customer.

Jasper is a good example of this. They attract talent by offering a great work environment and fair pay/benefits but it costs an arm and a leg to drink there. If we want that kind of work environment to be the norm we have to be willing for those prices to be the norm. A lot of people are not willing to pay that price.

28

goodsam2 t1_iqsukm0 wrote

Run the economy hot enough so that shitty managers lose staff as people go elsewhere.

4