This is the final installment of the 3 part series “Bar Champs” the aftermath of the competitions. One thing that I have never experienced is animosity from management. I have dealt with fellow coworkers trying to get me in trouble/fired but never from management. This story involves a new manager and the results of our confrontational relationship.
After I got back from regionals everything went downhill from there, you would think it would have been the opposite but this proved to not be the case. The first issue I had to deal with was the improper scoring, after while my GM said there was nothing that could be done but I honestly don’t think he tried to do anything about it. I was bummed because I really studied hard and gave it my all just to be short changed because of “politics.” The second issue I had to deal with was a new bar manager. She came from a New York store that was busier than ours and had more volume. This being true she tried to change our bar to run like her previous one and I tried to explain that it wouldn’t work because our store was smaller. Our initial contact wasn’t good and we just butted heads from there on out. She wanted things her way, I wanted them to stay the way they were, and it turned into a daily conflict. As a result of this she set out to do everything within “parameters” to get me fired. This proved to be interesting as time progressed.
I knew I was in trouble or on the ropes when she said out of nowhere, “You know that you have one write up and three is grounds for termination.” This meant that she was in my file looking for ways to “legally” get me fired. My stubborn nature would later be my demise because I should have handled things smarter and not afforded her opportunities. A later instance after we had words she says to me, “You’re a goldfish in a pond and I can replace your a** at anytime!” In shock I was thinking, what would make someone say something like that. There was a bar meeting planned for the next morning (but I forgot about it due to a long night) and someone called to ask where I was. I replied that I was still in bed but ask the manager if she still wanted me to come because I could be there in twenty minutes. She responded “It’s up to you…” being sleepy and still tired I said ok and went back to sleep, because it was “Up to me.” Like I mentioned before I should have done things smarter because when I came into work that evening I was called into the office and presented with a write up sheet. I told the GM that she said that it was “Up to me…” and he said, “Well you should have still went to the meeting.” Yes, I gave her the opportunity to give me a second strike and all she needed was one more.
Well as the story goes I would later unintentionally give her a reason to write me up again. On this particular night I called and told them that I would be running late, well the event I attended ran longer than I thought which made me even more late. The manager that I spoke to left for the evening and the night manager was lucky for me my bar manager. As soon as I got there she said, “Don’t clock in I don’t need you.” She really could have called and told me before I wasted gas driving there. This would be the last bar shift that I never worked (at this particular restaurant). The next day I went in and was called into the office again, yup you guessed it, my third write up and third strike. I wanted to wipe that Grinch smirk right off her face, they informed me that I wouldn’t be able to work again until I sat down with the GM. This would be a daunting task because he was in and out of Tennessee for GM conferences. Between that and his birthday I didn’t get a chance to sit down with him until almost a month later (it could’ve been longer). I went a whole month without pay and had no other source of income, by the time of our meeting I was really in a bad position financially. The outcome of our meeting was my demotion to serving tables (which I gladly took because I needed money) and one more incident and I was done for good. So in a few months time I went from being on a high from winning the Bar Competition, to having a target placed on my back, to being demoted to serving tables. What a turn of events hunh?
We all go through trials and tribulations, but it’s how you handle them, what you learn from the experience, and not making the same mistake that counts. Stay tuned on Monday for the “Recipe of the Week: Long Beach Tea.”
These stories are real accounts, so if you plan to drink and have a good time do so responsibly. Remember to call a cab or a friend because the cost of a DWI is way more than a $20 cab ride home. Also, if you plan or happen to take someone home use protection. For two reasons, one there are many STD’s floating out there and it only takes one to ruin your life or that of others. The second reason is because a $3 condom is less expensive then 18 years of raising a child.
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