When the Head-Waiter Runs the Restaurant.........Part I: "Who is in Charge?"

"I am in charge!!" shrieks the Head Waiter at a posh restaurant.  In actuality, he is simply an employee of the restaurant.  As a practical reality, however, perhaps the head waiter does, indeed, run the restaurant.....

Note:  This series is based upon a fictional account of an antisocial, smug restaurant "head waiter" employee that has hijacked and paralyzed an entire fictional restaurant and its staff with his antics and histrionics-jeopardizing profitability, stigmatizing certain employees, and destroying morale among the waitstaff.  The below account is fictional, an account based largely upon the author's imagined scenarios and circumstances combined with his experience working in and owning restaurants; any resemblance or similarity with any person or other entity, living or dead, whatsoever, is purely and simply coincidental....................................................................................


Part I:  Who Runs This Place?

This is a story about a series of unfortunate incidents at a well-regarded, very fine French Restaurant in Escambia known as "Chez Pretentieuse."  Like many restaurants, it had a hierarchy of super talented extremely dedicated employees, supervisors, shift managers, directors, business managers, site managers, auditors, accountants, head waiters, waiters, food runners, bus boys, chefs, sous chefs, line cooks, valets, parking lot attendants, restroom attendants, and hosts and maitre D's. Because it was a publicly traded business--the actual owners of the restaurant were the members of the public, the shareholders.  Many customers were privately confounded by the massive numbers of employees.  Some regulars would often quip "This restaurant staffing looks like a government bureaucracy--no wonder the price is so high and the service is so slow!"  But they came back again and again because the food was good and in many respects Chez had a monopoly of sorts in the area.

"Who is in charge of the restaurant--who actually calls the shots, Who Runs this Place?"  Some customers and others would often ask whenever the occasion would arise where something was askew at the restaurant.  And this was always a tough one to answer.  But the best explanation would often go something like this:  "Chez is owned by the people, policy is created and overseen by the Board of Directors,  Operations are managed by the Area Manager who supervises the Site General Manager.  The Head Waiter is an employee of the Site General Manager but he, the Head Waiter, supervises the waitstaff (and they shall operate strictly on the state health license and permit of this Head Waiter), but the overall operation is a public corporation, publicly traded and owned!

Although "Chez" was very well regarded, over the last several years some concerning circumstances came to light and area management decided to make various personnel changes to keep the


 restaurant's good name and reputation in tact for the board of directors, the shareholders, and the employees.

In 2018, the prestigious restaurant ratings agency, "Les Dieux de la Nourriture" gave the restaurant the coveted "Silver Fly-Swatter Award," an honor for which the restaurant and it's affiliates were very proud!

Despite the award, and despite generally favorable ratings on Yelp--The area manager and the site manager brought in a new Head Waiter to attempt to improve service, standardize the recipe protocols, and improve Chez's image.  This came in the wake of a serious leadership vacuum in the office of the Area Manager, and in the office of the Site Manager.  Folks cycled in, then out of these positions over a tumultuous period of several years. Multiple Head Waiters came and went.

But as this story unfolds, what appeared to be a solid plan began to slowly devolve.

Service began to decline, infighting began, some waiters were disgruntled, and many quit.

Any waiter that dared question the new head waiter became ostracized.

Accusations began to be hurled back and forth.  Waiters filed complaints against the new head waiter.  The head waiter then filed more serious complaints against these same  waiters.

One long term waiter who by all accounts was well regarded and who apparently maintained a pristine, spotless 8-year track record as an employee at Chez was suddenly written up by the head waiter on serious charges that were directed to the state's foodservice worker's licensing directorate.  His income was cut because he was suddenly relegated to working the slowest nights where his tips were cut significantly.  He was also told he could no longer work independently--that he had to be shadowed by a head-waiter approved, hand-selected "training waiter" whenever he was on the floor working tables... He asked "why?"--I have more experience and I am a better waiter than these trainers!", but he was given no good responses. It all happened AFTER he filed a complaint against the Head Waiter.  It looked to be retaliation.  He begged for relief from higher-ups--but nothing happened.  Several higher ups brushed aside his financial concerns, stating dryly "He still has his job, he still gets to wait tables--what's the problem?"  But his income was suffering because he was relegated to the slow shifts when he was accustomed to working the prime shifts due to his experience, skill, and seniority.  His pleas for relief fell upon deaf ears, though.  He twisted in the wind. For months on end.

After many months, an internal investigation was completed, and when we pick up this story in part II, that story and others will be told..........

Be sure to keep an eye out for the following upcoming installments of this fictional parody series:

Part II:  From Retaliation to Vindication--The Closed Office Door and the Internal Report's  Release

Part III:  The Cockroach on the Dinner Table Salute's the Guest..Who Can we Blame?

Part IV:  What are the Better House Recipe's--the Old ones or the New Ones?

Part V:   Leadership Re-Established by Those Who are Really in Charge

Part VI: Fixing Chez so that her Best Days are Ahead of Her!