I've worked most of my current adult life in kitchens as a line cook and a couple years as a corporate sous chef. I left my corporate sous job due to scheduling issues, worked my 2 weeks and moved on. Worked as a brunch cook for about 3 months afterwards, great owner, easy job but just wasn't for me. Since I really liked the owner I gave him 1 weeks notice and showed up on my last day.
In my time as brunch cook I was casually looking for a job outside of cooking. I interviewed for an office job with all the goods (health benefits, PTO, weekends/holidays off, yearly raises) but never heard from them after. Heard back from them about 3 weeks later that I got the job, they just had COVID go through they're office so they closed for 3 weeks to keep the rest of their staff safe.
In between quitting brunch place and now I was working at a golf course that I shouldn't have stepped foot in.
•1st day I was asked to wiped down the fridge shelves, no biggie small fridge. BLACK MOLD EVERYWHERE!!! On the walls, on the shelves, on the floor and on some jars.
• Day 2 I was asked to clean the Bar Fridge. Split beer everyhere… Walls, roof, shoes stuck to the floor. As well as a bunch of fruit dried and stuck to the floor. The pumps for the beer taps were barely recognizable due to mold growing all over them.
• 2nd week had to clean a smoker that had never been cleaned, a moldy line fridge with coolant and exposed wires, and a outdoor BBQ.
During all this we had multiple events that only myself or the sous had to prep for with little to no direction beyond the list given to the public. All the while no preparation for opening day.
This all brings us to this week, opening week. Mon, Tues we only prepared for an event on Wed. Wed we got the restaurant menu, that was it and told to set up the line for Friday. The sous finished the event by himself. Thurs the sous and I tried to prep for opening day, but only had the public menu to go off so we worked a 9hr day to attempt to have things ready.
Opening day….. Chef was hoping it would be slow due to the 2″ of snow on the ground. Surprise 3 tables walk in right at open 11am. I arrived at 10am and spent the whole time trying to slice all the meat and portion it for service. Tickets come and the only person who knows how to plate and make things beyond the basic things is the chef. So inbetween trying to prep still about half the menu still were hoovering over the chef to figure out how to cook his menu. The chef is getting mad at me for not being able to cook coconut rice on the stove in 5min.
Decided half way through the day he wanted the fridge he put outside back. So I had to literally push a fridge upstairs. He also just expected the sous and I to stay till close and close the kitchen. I started at 10am and that probably would've taken till 10pm, the sous started at 11am. I left at 815pm because I told him I was late to my Easter dinner my mil made, by 2hrs. He just said come at 10am tomorrow.
On my drive home, 45min drive, that this wasn't worth the $18/hr (min is $15). And I started at the office job in 1 week. So the next morning came and I just didn't show up, instead I'm enjoying the weekend with my family.
Probably not the best way out, but I don't feel guilty about it.