Read last paragraph if you want to wrap this up
I been working at this high-end restaurant since New Year 2022. I pretty much walked out from my last two kitchen jobs because I was physically threatened at both jobs back in 2021. I was improving a lot when I started at this new place but one of kitchen managers left and now big boss has to step it up and do his job, which is causing a lot of problems. The old kitchen manager would get mad every now and then, but nothing unusual in my kitchen experience and something that could always be worked out if we communicated. The problem is that for the past couple of weeks I been working with big boss, and oh! I don't even know where to start.
Every time I ask a question I get a sarcastic or rude response.
Me: Steak will be ready in five minutes.
Chef: Did I ask you?
Then, consider I did not say anything, then chef will be upset I don't communicate, but every single time I get to communicate something I get to be made fun of or disrespected. I also get my plate smashed (isn't that considered violence at work?). I get my plates smashed or thrown out the garbage because they say I sent them ahead of time (they do that as soon as I give them the plate). Then literally a second after they throw my plate away they will ask me where is that plate they just threw away because they need a new one on the fly(from now on, this means my food is running late and every minute is late means is going to get me in more trouble). I also get threated like a little child by being told every five minutes to “hurry up” even if all my prep and other tasks are completed and done. Every time they tell me to hurry up and I let them know I am updated, then they proceed to just being more bullies by saying something along the lines of “make sure you do it faster next time” Or they start to look for small details in my job just so they can make a whole argument about how much I suck and waste everyone's time.
In my kitchen career, I started off as a dishwasher, moved up to a cook (because they fired the last one and needed a new one right away, not because they liked me) and moved up my way to doing fine-dining. I started cooking in March 2021, so technically I only been cooking for less than 12 months, somehow I acknowledge I moved up from a dishwasher working in a small kitchen all the way to making plates from scratch at an elegant kitchen and I did it all by myself in less than a year, but these people make me feel like garbage every day and make me feel as if I don't deserve to eat their food, drink water or even use the restroom in my whole 10-12 hour shift because I am an “underachiever who needs to step it up”.
Sorry, for the long introduction so I will go on and explain the title and what happened today really quick. I showed up to work today in the morning and one of the cooks starts explaining how I am wasting everyone's time and that I should work at McDonald's if I am not going to be serious in a real kitchen, he also goes on saying that I am going to get fired if I keep acting up this way. I thought about it and after an hour I talked to him and very respectfully explained to him how I don't want to be here anymore if I am going to be mistreated. As soon as the chef (big boss and acquaintances) found out about these conversation, they put me in the office with another bigger dude inside who I guess his whole business was to make sure I did not act out of hand while I talk to Big Boss. Anyways, Big Boss and company got very scared when I told them that I am leaving because I rather keep my reputation as a good cook that can acknowledge this kitchen is not a fit for him, rather than burn out myself and commit a lot of mistakes and burn my bridges. I pretty much told them I rather die a hero than see myself turn into a villain. But they begged me to stay as they offered me more accommodations with my hours and offered to keep me as a food-prep and move my way up rather than a line cook. I am not getting a raise but technically I am going to get paid the same amount of money to do something less stressful, but that doesn't change the fact that I am getting demoted. Also didn't surprise me that nobody cursed me off today now that they know I am a flight-risk employee. My point of this post is to point out that people at toxic jobs will treat you like less than garbage until you call them out and point out to them that you deserve to be treated just like anybody else. I also want to point out, companies shove it on your face how useless and replaceable employees are, but during covid times anywhere I seen is understaffed and some employers are starting to crap on their pants when they see that employees nowadays don't give an F when it comes to quitting a job because “everywhere is hiring”. I may not go back to work, even if I am going to be less stressed right now, I feel like big boss is going to start micro managing any time soon and it's going to be the same hell all over again.