I’m a hostess at a decently popular downtown restaurant, it’s my weekend job on top of my 9-5. When hired 6 months ago I really needed the extra money but now it’s so I can go back to school in 5 months and take less student loans. It’s my first ever restaurant job, and by my third shift I was the only hostess. I did that for months, I worked upwards of an extra 20 hours a weekend as the only host and had only two days off a month at most. They finally hired another 4 hosts in the last couple months and I’m lead. I’ve trained them really well and we have a good team finally. I told them I needed to take Sundays off, my life and house is falling apart because I’ve spent the last six months working 60-65 hours a week and having not even a dozen days off except for where I had to fight for time off for my own wedding.
All of the sudden I’m not a team player. They say I can ‘probably take most Sundays, we’re not making any promises’. I booked a concert out of town for my husband’s birthday and gave 7 weeks notice I’d be gone on a Saturday. A few days after that, I found out a close family friend’s father died and the funeral would be the Friday after the concert. It’s not something I can miss. So they got 8 weeks notice about it, I apologized about it to the manager but there’s not much I can do. Non refundable tickets one weekend and funeral the next. Apparently I’m supposed to ask their permission before I plan or buy anything in my personal life. If they say no I can’t do it. I was also told I need to change my availability to whatever they need for their new hours (which they won’t tell me what they are) or else they’re cutting my hours, and that I’m not allowed to leave at the end of my shift without asking permission to.
I love the owners on a personal level, they’re good owners but I don’t think they’re good managers. I love the staff, but this place is a mess. I’m constantly alone managing hundreds of reservations and walk ins, running, light serving, bussing, some administration, and cleaning. I work 6-8 hours without a break or lunch sometimes. They recently changed the hours but won’t tell anyone what they are, they have mandatory meetings when I’m at my 9-5 and can’t go, but then refuse to update me on what they talked about so I’m operating on the wrong information. I’m a people pleaser and having a hard time coming to terms with needing to leave. I’ve mentioned going back to school late Fall, and get laughed off. They brought up a promotion and a raise, then told me it’s not happening. I feel like they’re just trying to lead me on as long as possible. I don’t get paid as a manger but I’m expected to act like one. I’ve been more firm lately but it gets brushed off.
I hate the culture of having to hustle nonstop, I hate being told I just need to work more or just keep my head down and it’ll work out, I hate the idea that I can’t have a personal life. Thank you for reading my rant.