(Please delete if not allowed!)
So I work at an unnamed Italian Chain restaurant in the Northeastern US. I liked it at first – decent-ish pay, nice management, etc. But like my other jobs, it has become hell. My whole reason for posting this is to ask: Am I being dramatic? Or are my concerns legitimate?
First of all, my general manager (GM) bribes us into fudging 5-star reviews on Google. It's sketchy, and makes you wonder what is going on to make him use his own money for these reviews. Well…
Sexual harassment, for one. I'm 19f, and within 3 weeks of working here I've been touched inappropriately already. And I don't feel very safe reporting it, as my GM said in my orientation, “if something ever makes you uncomfortable, tell me and it won't happen around you anymore”. Great, so instead of handling it like a professional, that just tells me you'll give them a slap on the wrist and say “but she's being dramatic anyways”. Multiple girls have warned me about the sexual harassment, and I see it everywhere.
Next up, everything is expired. Like, severely expired. I had to do an overhaul on caesar dressings, because the ones we were serving were bright yellow (the brand we get is a white cream color). The cheese expired last month. The meat we use is always 3-5 days out. I let managers know and nothing gets done. I feel genuinely guilty serving expired dairy and meat to people! Especially when the general practice at this restaurant is to use your bare hands for everything – salads, bread, desserts, etc.
Other miscellaneous gripes I have include the following: My boss calling servers “lazy pieces of shit” to me (a hostess). My GM yelling at another franchise in our area over the phone during my orientation because they “had a problem with how he ran the place” (like cursing yelling, threats of violence). Being told I need “thick skin” to work here (not due to customers, which is one thing. due to other coworkers). No breaks! And finally, I'm autistic, so the whole restaurant thing gets overstimulating, especially when my coworker slams metal bowls because he likes 'annoying' me to the point of tears (he doesn't know I'm autistic, to be fair).
I'm so upset, because I thought I finally found a job I enjoy. Part of me thinks I'm being dramatic. Everyone else my age can work these jobs, and I just can't. I've applied to some quiet jobs near me, and I'm really hoping to get a call back from one of those.
Edit: Formatting bc of mobile