Who will replace him? Seriously. I'd hope one of the staff that have been with you for a while will step up. At least until a new chef is hired. Once thing to make sure of is to have a written set of directions. Have the recipes written down with the ingredients. That's what you cook. Any changes get approved first, then they are tasted tested. No deviations.

I have managed people for the past 17 years and I would let him go. I think you are wise to do so quickly. When you terminate him I would let him know exactly what you wrote, that you recruited him hoped it would work out, but here are the ten mistakes you made, we are going to end this now before my now unhappy crew leaves and the bad food runs off the customers.

I don't think Monday will suck. You crew will respect and appreciate that you are looking out for them.

Let him go before your customers feel this unwanted change. A guy like this could ruin your business.

You have given him direction that he has not followed. The longer you wait the more harm he will do to your business. Send him down the road. Returning customers, word of mouth, online reviews will not take long for it to effect business. First time customers wont return. You don’t want the cafeteria food label associated with your business.

quote:

Originally posted by ibanda:
I don't think Monday will suck. Your crew will respect and appreciate that you are looking out for them.

For the win! As a manager it's great you acknowledge that.

quote:

Originally posted by Ozarkwoods:
You have given him direction that he has not followed. The longer you wait the more harm he will do to your business. Send him down the road. Returning customers, word of mouth, online reviews will not take long for it to effect business. First time customers wont return. You don’t want the cafeteria food label associated with your business.

I concur. Bad reviews spread like cancer in your business and take forever to recover. Sometimes a dining facility never recovers. The new chef sounds too independent and stubborn. This is a bad marriage from the start.

Fire him like yesterday, Otherwise, your customers lose you wil.

Who will replace him? Hopefully you and your partners or the rest of the crew until you find a replacement. Hazards of running you own business sometimes you personally have to "clean the toilets".

quote:

Icabod said: I don't think Monday will suck. You crew will respect and appreciate that you are looking out for them.

I know this to be true; if I get this done before 8am there will be a sigh of relief at our 9am production meeting.

quote:

southernmaninla said: Who will replace him? Hopefully you and your partners or the rest of the crew until you find a replacement. Hazards of running you own business sometimes you personally have to "clean the toilets".

At this point, I am 100% confident that staff will jump in and do what needs to be done to cover shifts themselves. This is a great question you ask by the way, and my honest answer is that in a month he has not made enough of an impact to leave a hole if he leaves.

Just another strike in his corner. Thanks again for the great perspective, guys.

Gone.

Perhaps you could win back customers, but it's uphill. Negative reviews stick around longer than this guy will.

I'm not seeing one redeeming factor in his eval.

In the long run, it’ll cost more to keep him. Unfortunately, I know this from experience. Don’t fret about paying unemployment-it’ll be cheaper than keeping him...and after one month employment-who cares?

It looks like you already anticipate staff picking up the slack...it’s been my experience that whenever I let go a bad employee go, morale improves and everyone is happier and pulls together.

You answered your own question and was looking for validation. More importantly, what will YOU learn on your next hire? What will you ask differently? Will you inspect what they promised in the interview? How will you avoid the same problems?

You had me at "margarine" like a few other posters. Out, now.

It always sucks to have to give someone the heave ho, even when they deserve it. Probably the worst firing I've ever done was of a friend I'd had for probably 10 years. We didn't talk for a bit after that.

If you've clearly laid out your expectations, and coached him during his errors, there is nothing else you can do. And others are very correct, one bad apple will spoil the barrel.

As a side note, you mention other employees will be stepping up and covering the hole. Do you really need someone to fill that position? Could you not spread that 70+K around to those who will be stepping up? Also, for 70+K, I'd do whatever you wanted to the letter.

Good luck, and you are making the right choice.

quote:

Do you really need someone to fill that position?

It's a good question....we will at some point, and he looked to be "the guy". Using the current staff as a long-term fix is like putting a bandaid over a bullet hole.

quote:

Also, for 70+K, I'd do whatever you wanted to the letter.

You'd think, right? LOL

So here is an example from just today. He is upset that his lead baker put her shift 'up for grabs' because he scheduled her on a night that he knows she cannot work. She sent me the screenshot of his reply. I sent her a note back asking her not to engage with him via text anymore today.

You gotta do what you gotta do. It's business.

Don't string it along. Go in with your mind made up - quick and to the point.

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Fire. Him. Monday.

Offer him 2 weeks severance if he provides a signed resignation within 24 hours.

Normally this would prevent him from being eligible for unemployment, but you only need it in case he comes back with any BS after the fact. Tell him that.

If UE calls to confirm his eligibility, you will say he was terminated. He can still draw UE while he's looking for another position.

quote:

Originally posted by Jager:
Fire. Him. Monday.

Offer him 2 weeks severance if he provides a signed resignation within 24 hours.

Normally this would prevent him from being eligible for unemployment, but you only need it in case he comes back with any BS after the fact. Tell him that.

If UE calls to confirm his eligibility, you will say he was terminated. He can still draw UE while he's looking for another position.

The dunce is unemployable! And why should he collect unemployment? There are good people out there who deserve unemployment payments.

This schmuck is not one of them.

ETA - I know that I am grasping at straws, in the end he probably will not be able to change in the way that I need him to. Every bone in my body says he will not be able to respond in the way I want him to. More importantly, I am confident that I can reverse the damage done so far, if I wait and give him more time...? Maybe not.

The people he leads are too critical to the business, I can run the front of house by myself if I have to....but if I lose my kitchen staff while trying to 'fix' this guy? I'm fucked. No product to sell means Johnny will have a bad day.


___________________________________________

My every instinct says to let him go tomorrow, but I am a person who likes options. When he gets here in the morning I can take him into the office and either let him go, or have the plan B conversation with him. It would go something like this:

Chef,

We brought you in to make a positive impact on the operation. To this point you have shown yourself to be a net negative. You have changed recipes without having tastings first, you’ve made products that have had to be wasted (the pumpkin cakes) and made them after Owner had directed you last Monday to focus only on our core products, you had planned to go to a more expensive liquid egg without first doing a costing, or having discussion with Owner and I about how it might affect the taste or look of the products. Owner was clear about the type of cookies she wanted for Halloween and you dismissed that and made dyed cookies.

Most important though, is that you have completely alienated your staff. When we interviewed with you we were very clear that many of our kitchen staff had very specific schedules that you would have to work around for a while….at least until you brought in your own team. Instead you’ve written a schedule where your whole team has their regular schedules changed from what they are used to, and you’re scheduled Monday thru Friday 8pm to 5pm. That does not work.

By (date a week or two out) I expect you to have changed your attitude and to be working with the team. Yes, you’re the the leader of the team, but a leader with no followers does not meet our expectations for you. Take 30 minutes right now and go create a plan for how you are going to turn yourself around. “

At that point I am sure that he will try to start talking here…I won’t let him, instead I will tell him "I don't want to hear or see you for 30 minutes, go think it through.”

I expect that he'll come back after 30 minutes with some set of generalities "get along better with staff" "listen more" and such. From there I will pin him down on every one of them -

"OK, you say you'll get along better with staff. What specifically will you change to get along better? How will I measure whether you are meeting that goal?"...etc. What is your plan for the schedule this week?

He will have to give me the solution, I won’t make it for him or he won't have any ownership. I’ll guide his answers, but won't give them to him. Then I’ll hold him to it. After the period of time passes, I will grade him honestly against HIS solution. If he did it, there is hope, if not, I will cut him loose right then, on the spot.

No good deed goes unpunished?

I think you might be stepping into a quagmire. If allowed in your state, record it. If not---a witness.