I would like to put this at the forefront and say that I will not come back to this post after posting it and just wanted to get my message out and let everyone know what kind of place my job was.
For context, I gave my boss (the Owner of the restaurant) a 1-month notice so he could have enough time to find someone else, and about two weeks into the notice I very clearly told him, “I am thinking about staying,” which was probably a mistake on my end. But, regardless, everything he did to me was entirely unjustified.
So, this is about a month and a week after I gave him my month’s notice and I go to tell my friend/coworker that today is my final day because she was also a dishwasher and I wanted to remind her. The owner of the place must’ve overheard our conversation as he asks me about where I’m going after I leave Tempo while I’m at my station. This section can be best detailed with the dialogue I wrote down in case if I needed it:
Owner: “[My first name], where are you going to after this?”
Me: Yard House.
Owner: “When are you going I thought you were staying?”
Me: Today is my final day, sir.
Owner: “No… no no. You can’t be serious.”
Me: I thought I told you about this earlier sir.
Owner: “You know what you just did? You fucked us over! You just fucked this dream right up!” He storms off.
Me: Wow… real mature, [Owner’s name].
A moment passes.
Owner: “[My first name], you are an idiot. You are the reason this restaurant is going to fail. This place is going to burn down because of you.”
I do not give a response and tend to my station cleaning.
Owner: “I want you out of this restaurant right now or I’ll fucking force you to.”
His second-in-command (SIC) walks to my side.
SIC: “[My first name], if the owner of the restaurant tells you to leave you leave.”
Me: Do I have to go? I don’t want to leave my crew behind?
SIC: “I don’t care. Get out of here, go home.”
Me: If you wish, sir.
I drop everything into the station grab my stuff and clock out for a total shift of 7 minutes.
My friends were really worried about me, but I was perfectly fine because I did nothing wrong and didn’t retaliate. They were also surprised by how well I kept myself composed.
Ever since, my closest coworkers have been wanting to leave the place and uneasy because of what he did to me. The owner has also been gaslighting and manipulating everyone into making me the bad guy just so he could feel like firing me was justified, but the fact of the matter is that he is just in denial for firing one of his most loyal dishwashers. I went through A LOT for him and even worked by myself for long periods of time because he struggled hiring people.
I do not want to cause any problems or drama, but I seriously do not think Tempo Urban Bistro, under its current management, should continue. I would not work here at all.
If you have read this far, I appreciate it, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.