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Ok, so basically I work in a restaurant as a cook. I've worked in this restaurant for over 4 years now. I started as a dishwasher, worked my ass off, then became a cook after the first year. Recently, my boss has been taking dishwashers off of Monday nights (one of the nights I work). My boss did this because business has been slow for a few days on Mondays. Now, we have two cooks in the back and that's it. I'm one of the cooks and there is one other. We end up doing our jobs as cooks (cooking food) and then end up doing all of the dishes from the night. We have to clean up our stations AND clean everything that the dishwasher has to clean. I've talked to my boss 2 other times about putting a dishwasher on (normally the dishwasher works 6-9 for a total of three hours. The dishwashers we have right now are younger than 18, so they get 7.40 an hour (less than minimum wage). You have to figure that having a dishwasher on for 3 hours costs him about 23 dollars. My boss refuses to put a dishwasher on on monday nights because of how slow it's been, but for two cooks to cook all night, clean their work areas, then move on to do all the dishes, it is too much work. I don't mind working hard, but if I have to work as hard as I can for 8 continual hours and do two jobs at once just to barely get done past close, it just seems a little overkill.
I wanted to see what other people thought and if they have experience in this kind of situation. Am i being unreasonable? Is my boss being unreasonable? I really like to believe that he SHOULD have a dishwasher on every night, but I don't know if a third party viewing it from the outside can give a better perspective. Maybe I'm just being too nit-picky and I can't see it from my point of view.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Every job description I have ever had or applied to those I have supervised has had a line like "and other duties as assigned." If you are still not exceeding 8 hours, which most people work, and as long as you are paid the same for the dishwashing as for the cooking, I don't see a problem. It's costing him more for the cooks to do the dishes, but you are already there, so it must be somehow worth it for him. It's been many years since I worked in a (small) restaurant but even when I was head cook, I did everything from peeling potatoes, to dishes, and even mopping the floors. I was glad, because the alternative would have been less hours, and therefore less pay and I was paying for college.
You are being paid for your time at the same rate for washing dishes or cooking right? What would you be doing otherwise if you weren't washing dishes?
Would it be better to have one cook on duty and one dishwasher?
Hmmmm, I'm not entirely sure by what you mean having it cost more for him to have two cooks on. I'm getting paid 10 an hour to work as a cook. If he doesn't assign a dishwasher then that means that I do the dishes as well as cook for 10 an hour still. This way he can have two cooks on minus the wage he has to pay the dishwasher if he had one on. Also, we always have two cooks on at a time during the dinner shift. The dishwasher would normally work with the two cooks during the dinner shift. I end up working two jobs at the same time and am still paid the same wage (10 dollars an hour), I just get a bigger workload. The whole point of him taking a dishwasher off is because he feels its too slow and doesn't want to pay for someone to be there because of it being slow.
Hmmmm, I'm not entirely sure by what you mean having it cost more for him to have two cooks on. I'm getting paid 10 an hour to work as a cook. If he doesn't assign a dishwasher then that means that I do the dishes as well as cook for 10 an hour still. This way he can have two cooks on minus the wage he has to pay the dishwasher if he had one on. Also, we always have two cooks on at a time during the dinner shift. The dishwasher would normally work with the two cooks during the dinner shift. I end up working two jobs at the same time and am still paid the same wage (10 dollars an hour), I just get a bigger workload. The whole point of him taking a dishwasher off is because he feels its too slow and doesn't want to pay for someone to be there because of it being slow.
2 cooks paid $10/hour working 8 hours costs the boss $160
1 dishwasher paid $7/hour working 3 hours costs the boss $21
Unless you are working EXTRA HOURS than you would normally at that same pay rate of $10/hour, then the boss is only paying for his cooks while getting 2 jobs accomplished (cooking+cleaning), so he saves $21/night.
I agree with the others. 1. It falls under "other duties as assigned" 2. What would you be doing if you're not cooking? Standing around playing on your phone? If only 1 cook is needed for most of the cooking then you can go do the "other duties as assigned".
This is very common in the restaurant business. He could have given you one less day a week, and kept the dishwasher on and taught him to do some basic cooking to back up the other cook. This is also very common.
If there is a slow day, with little business coming in that does not warrant paying 3 people or he may lose money, he has no choice but to let one of you have one less day a week. Would you rather it was you off that extra day or the dishwasher?
Ok, so basically I work in a restaurant as a cook. I've worked in this restaurant for over 4 years now. I started as a dishwasher, worked my ass off, then became a cook after the first year. Recently, my boss has been taking dishwashers off of Monday nights (one of the nights I work). My boss did this because business has been slow for a few days on Mondays. Now, we have two cooks in the back and that's it. I'm one of the cooks and there is one other. We end up doing our jobs as cooks (cooking food) and then end up doing all of the dishes from the night. We have to clean up our stations AND clean everything that the dishwasher has to clean. I've talked to my boss 2 other times about putting a dishwasher on (normally the dishwasher works 6-9 for a total of three hours. The dishwashers we have right now are younger than 18, so they get 7.40 an hour (less than minimum wage). You have to figure that having a dishwasher on for 3 hours costs him about 23 dollars. My boss refuses to put a dishwasher on on monday nights because of how slow it's been, but for two cooks to cook all night, clean their work areas, then move on to do all the dishes, it is too much work. I don't mind working hard, but if I have to work as hard as I can for 8 continual hours and do two jobs at once just to barely get done past close, it just seems a little overkill.
I wanted to see what other people thought and if they have experience in this kind of situation. Am i being unreasonable? Is my boss being unreasonable? I really like to believe that he SHOULD have a dishwasher on every night, but I don't know if a third party viewing it from the outside can give a better perspective. Maybe I'm just being too nit-picky and I can't see it from my point of view.
Thanks everyone who reads and responds!
Jonhogn
Could you (Since it's slow ) that possibly one of you can wash for 30 min and then go back to cooking and the switch with each other?
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