TLDR: former small business taken over by new business owner who is at least a month late on our store opening yet owns multiple business across US and Europe (allegedly) and is a “recruiter” , making bizarre decisions over employees heads with no communication (hearing more information from random uninvolved community members instead of owner) and confusing clients by using previous owner’s clout. Red flags or no?
I have had the same job working in a small business French pastry shop since I was 17 (now 22). I was hired through a friend who worked there. Recently (December 2021) our owner and our one chef made the decision to retire and close the shop. We were very popular in our community, so it was a great loss per say, but it was the right thing for our owner to do for herself and our staff was very supportive and happy for that. She made it very clear to our clients that she was not selling or reopening. She was closing her business and the space will be available for rent.
During our closing she talked a lot with this man who wanted to open his own French pastry shop the following year in the same space and she gave him a lot of advice. He also offered us employees jobs and told us he would be opening mid January (still has not opened). I personally was very hesitant because I felt like he was taking advantage of our old owners advice (she is French and this man has no experience in French pastry), because he owns multiple businesses across the country, and simply for the fact that it was a great place to work and it won’t be the same now. I ended up telling him that I would give it a try because it’s not like I had another job lined up. He has made it seem like he is very laid back and flexible and wanting to have a tight knit team with lots of discussion but many things have gone over our heads already such as not opening on time with no further communication on why or when we actually would be opening. He also told us that when he opens he is going to keep it as similar as possible to the previous business before he tries to make any changes. Today multiple friends sent me a screenshot of this seemingly “viral” email going around our town from this lady who walked up to the shop and happened to meet the new owner. Allegedly she was told that the shop would be opening next week with the same owner and same pastry chef, which is absurdly untrue. She was obviously under the impression that the original business was re opening, which is also untrue.
He also made the bizarre decision to change one letter of the original business name (he could not use the original name because it was not for sale by our original owner). I feel that he thinks that it will be less confusing to the community but really just wants to keep the clientele from the old business. It’s also why he wanted to keep us employees. If anything it’s more confusing because it’s undone the clarity that our old boss made by saying she was CLOSING. Not selling or reopening. And now us employees will have to explain that this is an entirely new business because the new owner is advertising it as if it’s a reopening of the same business. He also has a website that features online ordering and has our OLD Facebook linked. We never had a real website or online ordering in the past because we did not have the capacity or space or staff to do such handling. If he has figured it out good for him but this is an example of something he claimed would be a discussion first and it is not something any of us older employees would have wanted. On top of that if I were given a schedule to start working next week (something else he hasn’t spoken to us about yet) that would not be ok with me. I’m regretting not looking for another job during these two months but I was under the impression I would be back at work by now.
Am I crazy or are these red flags?? The email is what sent me over the ledge to make this post and I really want to try and find another job before this mfer opens so I can tell him I’m not working for him anymore. The problem is I don’t have a resume because of this being the only job I ever had and being hired through a friend. I do have one that I used to apply to college but with only high school accomplishments. However, I was very active in student orgs in college. So should I get to work on that and ditch this man or see it through because it’s a job I’ve already secured?
ETA: another disadvantage is I’ve never had a job interview. How could I make sure I’m not being taken advantage of because of my loyalty to my one job?