2 ms·

Well, and local laws. Making sure people get their breaks has been part of the supervisor/manager role for every food service job I've had, but I'm in Californi

Well, and local laws. Making sure people get their breaks has been part of the supervisor/manager role for every food service job I've had, but I'm in California where breaks are mandated by the government.

chefandy 5y ago
California is kind of a different planet than the rest of the country for restaurant work. A good example is that tipped workers still get paid well in California where in Boston they still get paid $5.55/hr, if anything because many places do under-the-table tips-only work. That was $2.63/hr less than 5 years ago... and it's why folks from California have a 'slight' reputation for occasionally being worse tippers than others. Breaks are legally mandated a lot of places where people don't get them. I've known many hundreds of people that have worked in many thousands of restaurants in all positions in the northeast cities— NY, Boston, etc. Breaks for restaurant workers— aside from 5ish minute cigarette breaks— though legally mandated, are nearly unheard of. More often than not, the much exalted 'family meal' is cheap leftovers eaten while standing up in a back hallway or while doing other work. It's also very common for cooks to be given rules like "don't punch in more than 30 minutes before service, or punch out more than 30 minutes after service" even though you've got 2+ hours of setup and cleanup which you'll get fired for not completing. It's obviously not legal, but restaurant back of the house workers are so disempowered on a whole, that it really doesn't matter. If you're interested in seeing more about the local restaurant work culture, check out the saga of a Boston-based pizza chain "The Upper Crust." Their brazenness was based in experience for how these things were generally handled. The fact that they were punished for their behavior is the exception rather than the rule. Almost all restaurant work complaints that get sent to the AG are ignore. I know because I've sent 4, personally, for outright wage theft and know many others that sent complaints in for similar problems. This is obviously not true in corporate environments with more uniform employment policies.

chefandy 5y ago

California is kind of a different planet than the rest of the country for restaurant work. A good example is that tipped workers still get paid well in California where in Boston they still get paid $5.55/hr, if anything because many places do under-the-table tips-only work. That was $2.63/hr less than 5 years ago... and it's why folks from California have a 'slight' reputation for occasionally being worse tippers than others. Breaks are legally mandated a lot of places where people don't get them. I've known many hundreds of people that have worked in many thousands of restaurants in all positions in the northeast cities— NY, Boston, etc. Breaks for restaurant workers— aside from 5ish minute cigarette breaks— though legally mandated, are nearly unheard of. More often than not, the much exalted 'family meal' is cheap leftovers eaten while standing up in a back hallway or while doing other work. It's also very common for cooks to be given rules like "don't punch in more than 30 minutes before service, or punch out more than 30 minutes after service" even though you've got 2+ hours of setup and cleanup which you'll get fired for not completing. It's obviously not legal, but restaurant back of the house workers are so disempowered on a whole, that it really doesn't matter. If you're interested in seeing more about the local restaurant work culture, check out the saga of a Boston-based pizza chain "The Upper Crust." Their brazenness was based in experience for how these things were generally handled. The fact that they were punished for their behavior is the exception rather than the rule. Almost all restaurant work complaints that get sent to the AG are ignore. I know because I've sent 4, personally, for outright wage theft and know many others that sent complaints in for similar problems. This is obviously not true in corporate environments with more uniform employment policies.