A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
08-26-2005, 12:32 AM
#21
0.0 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
If the cooks are never seen, than they shouldn't have such high appearance standards, but I would assume that the owners of these type of everyday resturants love to give the appearance that they are world class dining facilities. That's probably where they're going with all these new rules, but I don't think they're out looking for the fattest black irish kid with tattoos as their ideal targets of employees. He may be the best, but with the image of thier staff, I don't think in every situation the tattoo'd kid is going to be looked at as talented first. By the employers or the customers.
Good to see you in GD though.
Good to see you in GD though.
08-26-2005, 02:00 AM
#22
3.0 BAR
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,217
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
I dont see any problem with the dress code, I would rather eat at a resturant with a professional looking food service worker, clean shave, netted hair, nice clothes/professional uniform, no piersing in males, but the other rules you listed are some dictater ----.
08-26-2005, 11:03 AM
#23
Banned
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 2,898
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
This whole concepts has to very opposite extremes and i can see where both sides come from. Having worked as a manager in the restuarant business, i was always in charge of keeping cooks and cashiers up to par on dress code etc. I really didnt see it as being that important, nobody took advantage of the dress code or lacked a descent appearance for that matter. However at the same time, youd always have those customers that would freak out when theyd come in and see a cook with no hair net, theyd even give me a whole lecture on it. some of them walked out because of this. Personally, i care more for service..... people in the food industry and who would have the nerve to spit in someones food or something of the like either do not like you, or do not like the job at all... and this is usually a result of the people managing it. Needless to say i had a great time working in the business but i never thought of it as a potential career.
08-26-2005, 11:11 AM
#24
1.5 BAR
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,324
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
I've worked in kitchens since i've had working papers. thats about 15 years and i've been a chef for about 7 years . as far as for the rant for darden restaurants if you dont like it dont work there it's that simple. if you need the job and the money then buck up and learn how to drink heavly like the rest of us. oh yea and im supposed to be doing the schedule right now. my cooks cant understand why i always take 2 hours to make a 20 man schedule.
08-26-2005, 11:18 AM
#25
1.5 BAR
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 1,324
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
Oh yea and about your JW and CIA grads. I would rather take a a tattooed, longhaired cook over those guys every time. The CIA grads suck i have to explain to them every time that just because you spent $50k to learn how to tress a chicken you are not better than the next person. I cant even count how many times these dudes spend an hour making one dish and they bring it to me and ask what do i think. What do i think? Make 200 of those plates in an hour, then come talk to me. Cooking is my life and I make about $53k a year and i would never think of doing anything else. It has done alot of things for me, like developing a slight drinking problem 
08-26-2005, 11:34 AM
#26
1.5 BAR
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 995
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
Damn they are really cracking down!
I worked for Darden for 5 years. 2 at the OG and 3 at Red Lobster, I was a server at the OG and a bartender at Red Lobster.
I left last winter when they made the change to the server's uniforms. I moved on to a different position but I remember everyone bitching about having to buy their own white shirts and ironing them before each shift.
It sucks, but I think Darden is having some trouble right now. Their stock price is dropping, I've already lost quite a bit of money on their stock. I should sell it now before it continues to drop.
The problem is, Darden knows they are in trouble with their investors, so they are trying to bump revenues by cleaning up their appearance. Which I personally don't think will make that much of a difference... They are also increasing the bottom line by not providing uniforms, which lessens their expenses and looks better to investors.
Maybe I'll hold on to my stock until the revenues increase from the drop in expenses and then sell it all.
Anyways, in my experience with Darden, you are going to get bent over either way, if you struggle it hurts more, if you relax and take it, it's not so bad.
I worked for Darden for 5 years. 2 at the OG and 3 at Red Lobster, I was a server at the OG and a bartender at Red Lobster.
I left last winter when they made the change to the server's uniforms. I moved on to a different position but I remember everyone bitching about having to buy their own white shirts and ironing them before each shift.
It sucks, but I think Darden is having some trouble right now. Their stock price is dropping, I've already lost quite a bit of money on their stock. I should sell it now before it continues to drop.
The problem is, Darden knows they are in trouble with their investors, so they are trying to bump revenues by cleaning up their appearance. Which I personally don't think will make that much of a difference... They are also increasing the bottom line by not providing uniforms, which lessens their expenses and looks better to investors.
Maybe I'll hold on to my stock until the revenues increase from the drop in expenses and then sell it all.
Anyways, in my experience with Darden, you are going to get bent over either way, if you struggle it hurts more, if you relax and take it, it's not so bad.
08-26-2005, 12:03 PM
#27
0.0 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 0
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
Originally Posted by Joseph Davis
Originally Posted by Stealthmode
With the exception of the uniforms having to be purchased from them, the rest of the rules seem pretty reasonable. Maybe you could start your own resturant and have every long haired, pierced, tattooed, scruffy bearded person that got fired work for you.
Every restaurant I've ever worked at that was worth a ----, the kitchen staff looked like they'd stepped off a pirate ship. About the only place locally - aside from Olive Garden and Red Lobster it seems - that worries about what it's kitchen staff looks like is Grove Park Inn aka fifth largest resort in the world. I currently work for a small Northern Italian restaurant that in the last five years has taken four best entree awards at the WNC Culinary Exhibition - going up against multimillion dollar establishments like the Biltmore Estate and ALL THREE of Grove Parks seperate restaurants (Horizons, Chops, Blue Ridge) which are considered seperate entities in terms of the Exhibition.
When Daniel "Woody" Desmond ran the kitchen at 23 Page, and they started getting stars (three, bitch!), his kitchen staff consisted of a half-Irani kid who is currently a roomate, a fat black kid with a thing for midget ****, and a gutter punk with "IRISH" tatooed on this throat well above the collar line. Half the spray bottles in the kitchen that were supposed to be bleach water were Popov, and when Woody forgot to bring the liquor to steady his hand the waitstaff bought him shots of Gran Marnier.
Every single person we get in the kitchen who is clean cut, presentable, and overly proud of going to CIA (culinary institute of america) or whatever facility for the grooming of dysfunctional idiots is popular that week, they can't handle it. They all need seven ****** assistant chefs to help them make ****** french food. Worthless. Very much HMT love versus HT bling, to make an analogy. Which is better? Which is has more pop appeal?
PS, I declared 24K for the year of 2003 off of an average of 17 hours a week - three shifts a week. Most of our bartenders clear $70K for a little more effort. Welcome to Asheville being one of the top 10 places to move/retire for the last twelve years. No, I don't think of it as a career, but it sure is easy money while I ---- around and enjoy life.
08-26-2005, 12:17 PM
#28
0.0 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 0
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
It's not that great. Like someone pointed out, it's a whiny whiny dramafest. I've got the blue collar indifference and thick skin - that and a razor tongue make most people steer clear of involving me in the drama, but I still wade through it daily. But, if you're really good at not taking the job home with you, it works out pretty good.
08-26-2005, 12:22 PM
#29
0.0 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 0
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
i cooked for 3 years so i can dish some ---- out i just mis being that bussy. i work on recreational vehicles now and i get so damn bored at work I fall asleep half the time. if you have good people who put there all into it when you work with them cookings not bad. Its when you get slacker *** bastards dicking around that it turns into hell.
i just mis being that bussy. i work on recreational vehicles now and i get so damn bored at work I fall asleep half the time. if you have good people who put there all into it when you work with them cookings not bad. Its when you get slacker *** bastards dicking around that it turns into hell.
08-26-2005, 12:38 PM
#30
1.5 BAR
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 954
Re: A little info about darden restaurants. **rant**
for a corparation like darden, it should be of no trouble to them to pay for your uniforms. it's actuallly the least they could do. all of the other rules seem pretty much seem like common culinary school etiquette. i'm pretty surprised to find that they've been operating for so many years and now they finally changed their standards considering the jewelry and etc. Most places i've worked at wouldn't even let you were a -----/**** ring if they knew you had one. But they should pay for the uniforms, that's just horseshit.
I would for a company based in California called The Patina Group (www.patinagroup.com) . They own a shitload of upscale restaurants here. I've worked at two of their restaurants so far. i'll admit that they do put out a pretty good product. But it's disappointing to find that they dont like to pay well. i'm pretty sure red lobster and olive garden would raise pay for a credentialed cook. but at Patina, a culinary degree doesn't mean ---- to them. even executive chefs higher up the ranks don't make three figures! My brother is a co-owner and executive chef of The Yard House Breweries restaurants around the nation (www.yardhouse.com) and has no problem taking care of his cooks. He starts most of them at 10-12 an hr and makes sure each of them that's committed has a retirement plan.
i've learned you've gotta watch out for the snakes in this business. i've also learned that if you're not one of those snakes, you end up being better off.
I would for a company based in California called The Patina Group (www.patinagroup.com) . They own a shitload of upscale restaurants here. I've worked at two of their restaurants so far. i'll admit that they do put out a pretty good product. But it's disappointing to find that they dont like to pay well. i'm pretty sure red lobster and olive garden would raise pay for a credentialed cook. but at Patina, a culinary degree doesn't mean ---- to them. even executive chefs higher up the ranks don't make three figures! My brother is a co-owner and executive chef of The Yard House Breweries restaurants around the nation (www.yardhouse.com) and has no problem taking care of his cooks. He starts most of them at 10-12 an hr and makes sure each of them that's committed has a retirement plan.
i've learned you've gotta watch out for the snakes in this business. i've also learned that if you're not one of those snakes, you end up being better off.
