Cracker barrel Informative - Sweat shop in disguise - servers

Posted by FlShopper on 2010-07-16:

This sounds like a lousy working environment. Start looking for something else asap.

Posted by rowehun on 2010-07-16:

this country is not going forward in treating workers fairly, they are going back and way back at that, its a shame,, greed and big money at the workers expense..

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

What were you expecting a country club atmosphere?
Surely you have dined at these types of places and witnessed how hectic it can be for a server, waitress or whatever.
That is the nature of the beast and you are just not cut out for that type of work.

Good luck with your new life and employment.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2010-07-16:

+10 lakisha

Posted by justcuz on 2010-07-16:

I disagree and would say -10 Lakisha. I don't think the OP was expecting a country club atmosphere at all. It is the law that ALL hourly employees are given breaks at certain intervals. Sure, working in a restaurant can be hectic and one might not always get their break at the exact time they are supposed to, but it is up to management to understand and staff accordingly for how business trends in their location to avoid scenarios like the above as much as possible.

To the OP, if it were me, I'd have a sit down with the manager of the place and calmly explain what is going on. Labor laws are quite clear, and it doesn't sound like this CB is taking them very seriously.

Posted by biomajor on 2010-07-16:

My daughter is a server at Steak and Shake and she gets a 10 minute break after 4 hours. It's not the law, it's a gift from her employer. Breaks are not mandated by the federal laws, and all State laws differ, but here in TN, they don't have to give breaks to adults.

I looked up North Carolina, and there is no mandatory break time, no matter how long you work. www.nclabor.com

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

There are times that you may have to work through your break. I know I have numerous times. If the OP isn't getting the proper amount of break time they should request it to the manager although I would think that there are down times when they do take one.
I think we all know our rights regarding the labor laws and a little hard work never hurt anyone. Sweatshop my eye.

Thank you BIO it is the same deal if you work in a perishable goods type of job.
No wonder all the factories are gone.

Posted by biomajor on 2010-07-16:

I work in a school. I work from 7:30 (my first bus comes) to 4:00 (last bus leaves) and I don't get any breaks at all. I eat my lunch with my students. I cut up their food, wipe their faces, and noses, and occasionally clean up vomit (reflux and gerd are some of my kids' favorite medical issues) during lunch.

Posted by justcuz on 2010-07-16:

I stand corrected, biomajor..thanks for looking that up. If I were the OP I'd be looking for a new employer that cares enough for its employees to give them the "gift" of a break.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Bio you have it much tougher than anyone here.

Posted by biomajor on 2010-07-16:

I love my job (No, really, I do LOL) I love my students!! Their smiles warm my heart. I hate summer break, but luckily I've run into a couple of them out and about. My kids are fabulous!!!

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

I would never allow any employer to yell at me or treat me with disrespect. It's not something I would do. Back in college when I delivered pizza's I had a manager yell at me. I quit right then and there during a heavy rush. He was all like hey man don't quit I'm sorry and I said screw you. I bumped into the guy a few months later at a party. I made it so uncomfortable for him that he left. What a wuss.

My point is don't take crap from anybody. If an employer doesn't treat you right then quit right then and there. Heck, you were looking for a job when you found that one.

Good review.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Sometimes it's called having THICK SKIN. No one likes getting yelled but it happens.
I had a boss yell at me and I promptly told him to not ever yell at me again. He didn't fire me. See my point?

Posted by bargod on 2010-07-16:

At no time is it acceptable for an employer to yell at an employee, nuff said.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

No one said that it is acceptable. If it does happen you address it at that time correct?

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

That's the problem Kisha. Most people just accept it same as they do poor customer service, $39 OD fees and bad sex.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Question: Would you consider it rude if the server brought you the check when you still have 4 of 5 slices of pizza left and a drink?

Posted by bargod on 2010-07-16:

Absolutly that would be rude.

Posted by let me see? on 2010-07-16:

Again I repeat the there NO FEDERAL laws regarding lunch or breaks. Each state has there own law. NC has no law, If they want you to work 12 hours with no break they can. I can't tell you the times I have heard "its the law I have a break", don't take my word, look it up on line.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Bargod: I thought so too. That friggin jerk

Posted by Justice-4All on 2010-07-16:

I wouldn't be offended if they brought my check with 4-5 slices left. Heck, I wouldn't even be offended if they gave it to me when they brought the food out the first time. Why should I? They're simply billing me for the goods I received. Now, if they ask me to leave before I'm ready, then that's a different story.

Posted by Dryad on 2010-07-16:

Kisha, was the pizza worth the trouble?

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

I took it as a hint to hurry up. The place was getting busy and we had a nice corner booth.
Places that give you the ticket right away are classless or get walked out on frequently.
I am used to asking for my check or being asked. If want to pay right away I could have gone to some dump like Little Ceasars pizza.

Dryad it was awful. I may do a rant on it here when time allows.

Posted by Wally86 on 2010-07-16:

Was the Pizza good at least?

Posted by Dryad on 2010-07-16:

Kisha, that's how I would take it, too.

Posted by biomajor on 2010-07-16:

Kisha, that's how I'd take it too. I'd also not go back! Although, you can't pay me to go to Little Caesar's LOL They were giving pizzas away here not long ago for their anniversary and my children, who eat anything wouldn't even go for free.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Smart kids!!!

Posted by Justice-4All on 2010-07-16:

Kisha> I too have had a boss yell at me before. I politely told him that I will bust my ass for him 100% each and every day. No questions asked. But I REFUSE to be yelled at. Just ask me nicely to do it, and I'll do it. I told him I will give him the same respect in return. SEVERAL years later, and it's never happened again. Ever. Sorry Stew, very, very, very poor advice. Never quit a situation. Take control of the problem and correct it. Running away from your problems doesn't solve anything.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Amen Justice.

Posted by Ytropious on 2010-07-16:

That's funny Stew, you say "My point is don't take crap from anybody.", but you frequently side with customers whenever a cashier or server or whoever gets an attitude with someone. I'm a cashier and I follow your advice, I don't take crap from anyone, including my customers.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

It is a two way street huh?

Posted by Ytropious on 2010-07-16:

Basically, apparently it's ok to take crap as a cashier, but not as a customer? Everyone needs to treat everyone with respect and get over themselves.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Agreed.

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

Ytrop, I side with the customer because the customer is always right ERGO in those cases I'm advising the CUSTOMER not to take the EMPLOYEE'S crap.

If nothing else I am very consistent in my views.

Posted by Justice-4All on 2010-07-16:

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

You are consistent although your views are flawed.

The customer is right as long as they are profitable. Those that make scenes and hold up the line are not profitable.

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

Kisha, The squeaky wheel gets the grease.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

They get taken to jail, get their food spat on and are escorted out of the place too.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2010-07-16:

I had one boss years ago that I respected enough to take a cussin from him.
When he retired and his assistant took over, he tried the same thing. I explained only 3 people could talk to me like that, my mom, dad and his former boss. We got along quite well after that.

Posted by Justice-4All on 2010-07-16:

I was trained at a young age at my very first job (Taco Bell) that the customer is "ALWAYS" right. Even if they're wrong, you let them think they're right. At all costs.

Well, as life goes on and I've experienced the world a little for myself, I've changed my opinion slightly. I worked as a service tech for many years. I was a front line service tech, in that I interacted directly with the customer. However, there were some very unruly customer/clients from time to time. I always bit my tongue the best I could. (Don't forget J4A...make them think they're right) Well, one particular gentleman went out of his way to personally berate my company and me. Calling us every name in the book. I politely picked up my tools and equipment, and said, "Goodbye". The owner of my company (multi-million dollar company) called and said while they appreciated his business over the years, they weren't going to stand by and allow someone to berate an employee of theirs in that matter. Especially one that was Employee of The Year the previous year. He went on to say that while he valued the money the customer spent with us over the years, they didn't want it anymore. I was allowed to listen via speaker phone. Them having my back was the greatest feeling in the world. Long story short...THE CUSTOMER IS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT!

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

J4A, Sam Walton said the Customer Is Always Right. No offense but I giving Sam the nod on this one. The man seemed to know what he was talking about.

Posted by biomajor on 2010-07-16:

Stew, the slogan pre-dates Walmart's empire :)

Posted by Stew on 2010-07-16:

Bio, True and I didn't say Sam came up with expression he merely believed it and acted accordingly. It's a good saying that's stood the test of time.

Posted by FlShopper on 2010-07-16:

The customer is always right. Except when he's wrong.

Posted by spiderman2 on 2010-07-16:

NOrth Carolina law does not require a break for an adult:

"A rest break (generally 10 or 15 minutes) and a meal break (usually 30 minutes or more) are not required by law for anyone who is 16 years of age or older. A 30 minute break after 5 hours is required for youths who are 14 or 15 years of age."

http://www.nclabor.com/wh/faqs.pdf

Posted by bargod on 2010-07-16:

Sam Walton also said "if we don't take care of the customer, someone else will'
A very good motto in my books.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Him taking care of the customers meant using leverage against vendors towards his competitors, purchasing in bulk so to undercut the mom and pop businesses thus putting them out of business and taking advantage of NAFTA as others did as well.

Posted by bargod on 2010-07-16:

It sure worked though,lol.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Sure did.

Posted by Ytropious on 2010-07-16:

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease." The squeaky wheel can only squeak so long before it gets replaced.

Posted by lakisha j on 2010-07-16:

Exactly!

Posted by PepperElf on 2010-07-16:

well i'm going to give you the same advice i just gave someone else, though in your case, since you're coming out of early retirement it may actually work better for you, since you very likely have an established resume or previous work history.

Keep the job for now, because even a crappy job is still a paycheck. But start job hunting asap.

You may even want to consider a temp agency - as I personally found out, some of them do job placement for full time jobs. And if you have a good resume built up, you may get lucky.

Especially since you probably have good experience. There's no reason why you should have to run around in an entry-level job if you have qualifications that can be used elsewhere.

Good luck.

Posted by jktshff1 on 2010-07-16:

I always tell my customers what I can do, not what I can't. It's worked for 40 yrs.

Posted by Starlord on 2010-07-17:

Welcome to the wonderful world of food service. Waht you ahve is bad management. I have eaten in Cracker Barrels across the US, and I have never observed this type of management. Don't try to tar the whole chain with the brush of one store. It sounds to me as if you are not suited to food service. As far as breaks, Arizona requires a half-hour lunch and two 15 minute breaks per eight hour shift. When I worked in a county jail, the closest I got to that was eating a bologna snadwich with one hand while prionting an inmate or arrestee with the other. I knew that when I went into the detention division and accepted it as part of the job.

Posted by let me see? on 2010-07-20:

Starlord, Arizona has no break/lunch law. They can make you work as long as they want. 12 hours no break or lunch. Check the Internet. Some companies allow breaks etc but are not REQUIRED by law.

Posted by Ann on 2011-06-28:

Your experience really helped me. I so had the same situation. The first 30 days was supportive. Then, boom, the atmosphere completely changed. I did great with 4 tables, even during the rush. My tips always were above 20%. But, I did make a mistake that upset the customers. It happens. Next thing I know, I'm given 7 tables during rush. No way could I handle it. And then, my hours were cut to practically a notice that says: Go away. So much for the nice words about how I'm bound to make mistakes, don't get upset, it happens!

What was really odd? Nobody in management had the courage to just discuss it with me.

I got online, read from others, and felt a lot better. This isn't the type of place I think would be best for me, anyway. I read too many suggestons from others that their system is a large part of the problem for servers, and I can do as well or better in a less frenzied restaurant. I believe it. My service declined when I had to run food for others and couldn't tend to my own section. It just doesn't work.

I really appreciated hearing how the tone changed after 30 days. I was shocked, personally. I've never been talked to in that way in my life, and I've been through a divorce with a mad ex-husband! lol

Life is way, way too short for their blame game stuff.

Posted by hagfan on 2011-12-22:

I know what you mean I was there about a year,I sat down to eat a hamburger 3 min.& 2 bite's I was told to go back to work but our friends from south of the border ;legal or NOT ; can take all the breaks they want at the gastonia n c store

Posted by notafan on 2012-04-19:

I work at one in Oklahoma. They operate the same way. However they do succeed in hiding their behaviors in front of the customers. Most of the time. I have witnessed an employee being stopped at the front of the store on a Sunday around 1, people coming in and out of the door while two managers confronted the poor girl and spoke very loudly and harshly to her until she was in tears. That's just one example, too. I have many.

I don't allow anyone to treat me that way and I won't treat anyone else that way. People who say it's part of the job are part of the problem because they are either the perp or the brainwashed victim....Any company with half a brain should treat their employees with respect instead of creating a master/slave environment. People do still respond to being respected, therefore they will be very loyal and give their best in return. I don't live in a dream world. I do realize some people will take advantage but those are the ones that should get the boot... and that's my 3 pennies.