And being that they’re in charge of just one or a few stores, in my experience, it’s guaranteed that they’re going to micromanage and be more hands on, rather than stay at home and count their money.
For 11 years, i worked at a local bar/restaurant, until the owner sold it. She was an old desert hippy, very neurotic, and she took every opportunity to proudly announce or display her allegiance to capitalism. She opened the place in 1978, and older people would frequently dine there who remembered partying with her back when she was fun. I heard many stories about her keeping coke in her office desk for servers and cooks to enjoy whenever they wanted (not that i necessarily yearned for those days). Then, as she got older and her employees remained in their 20’s, she presumably found less and less ways to relate to them. She got old, bitter and singularly focused on money. Understandable for a business owner of any kind i suppose.
Since the place closed 5 years ago, i moved to a local bar just a few doors down from the restaurant. My new (and current) boss is younger, in his early 40’s now. He knew my old boss well, and he knew of her notoriously selfish and stingy business habits. When he hired me, he even said “don’t worry, I’m not her”. Over the years though, he’s proven to be exactly like her, in ways i doubt he even realizes. As with her, I’ve heard plenty of stories about how fun a boss he used to be. Similarly, he’s gotten older, and his employees have remained in their 20’s. His default personality is dick jokes and diminutive comments about his ex-wife and current girlfriends- to the discomfort of every female employee half his age who has to awkwardly laugh at an inappropriate joke that probably killed back in ‘97. He’s stuck in the past, only seems to want to brag about his giant house, his Tesla and his Camaro while we all live paycheck to paycheck.
My bar updates its OSHA posters every couple years, but i can’t say it adheres to many of them. Not since i worked at a Red Lobster in high school have i had a manager who ensures i take my “mandatory” 10 and 30 minute breaks. We’re actually rewarded (in spirit and pats on the back) for opting not to clock in for a short shift. I’ve learned that on the surface, it’s “cooler” to bartend at a local place than an Applebees- it’s certainly cooler to patronize one. But after all these years, i can’t help but feel I’d have been happier, better taken care of and less stressed had i applied at a Chilis.
I’ll always support buying local, but it’s become very apparent that it doesn’t matter how chill and understanding a person you are when you open a business- after a few years watching your fortune grow, that’s all you’ll end up caring about. Business owners are all the same, big or small.