The Restaurant Biz Blog

Ever Heard: We Don't Know, What We Don't Know?

We don't know what we don't know? Wonder what that actually means? Ask someone on the street as we did and you'll get several answers:

• Kevin, restaurant owner: it means you don't know where the "whats" are, as in "what if"
• John, college student: it means you can't know, because you don't know
• Travis, electrician: reminds me of working on historical buildings where I seem to never know what to know

In our minds, it means you don't know about the upcoming, upcoming. You were not as prepared as you could've been; or, not for that one little "thing". Likely, impossible to understand, report, gather intelligence on everything in advance, but what you know now often helps you to know then.

That's why doctors recommend a yearly check up, so they can help you know more about your health. Car lube/oil change establishments, make sure you're on a schedule so they can know your car. In the restaurant and retail industry, we must do the same: know more, by knowing often. The question is what should we monitor; so we, um, know at all.

To start, it is all about accurate and quality financial (labor and inventory) data. As restaurant operators, we MUST do two things well: get food in, and get it out. So the most important aspects of our business must be monitored closely. Below are few reporting and accounting best practices from RestaurantOwner.com, a great resource by the way.

• Daily recording of sales and receipts
• Detailed cost-recording of purchase invoices
• Weekly food and labor cost reporting
• Counting and computing inventory on a weekly (or monthly) basis
• Tracking key inventory item usage on a daily (or weekly) basis
• Managing time and attendance and accounting for labor expenses 
• Having a monthly financial profit and loss statement
• And more... But we can help you there... 

Interestingly, of this list there are three that really drove success to operators.

• Monthly financial profit and loss statement...
  • 73% of operators that received monthly financial statements reported being profitable.
  • Only 49% of (resturant survey) respondents that received just quarterly or annual statements were profitable. 
• Weekly food and labor cost reporting... 
  • 75% of operators that received weekly food and labor costs were profitable.
  • Only 60% of respondents that didn't get weekly reports were profitable.
• Counting and computing inventory on a weekly or monthly basis...
  • 72% of operators that do an inventory at least monthly were profitable.
  • Only 58% of operators that don't compute inventory values are profitable.

The bottom line is limiting, through the use of great data, that ever-present phrase, post disaster, or: we didn't know what we didn't know...

Is HR The Next Hot Topic In Restaurant Software And Services?

As restauranteurs we have to do two things very well: find great product and serve it. Both of these tasks involve human interaction and that means managment duties, fortunately or unfortunately. Thankfully we have web-based support mechanisms like inventory management tools and labor scheduling functionality. The features of theses solutions create a lot of effeciencies, true. We get help configuring our businesses so we are notified when schedules are not consistent with our sales goals or if inventory is low. And although we are serviced by these tools, again thankfully, one question that digs deep into both of these matters is the human side... How do we know we are working with the right people?

Now, if someone had a perfect answer to finding the BEST vendor or MOST MOTIVATED employee then no one would ever be fired. Alas, there are solutions gaining ground to solving this ever persistent challenge. Yet, the challenge remains...

Two studies, one from academia and the other from professional management consultants, tallied up the "human resources" concerns in and about the restaurant industry.

In the study "Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Turnover Intent of Food Service Managers," Professor Richard Ghiselli of Purdue University's Hospitality Tourism and Management Department discovered working conditions impacted restaurant manager to the breaking point. Ghiselli uncoverd an exodus. By the time many restaurant managers reach their forties, they have probably left the industry.

And...

According to the 2005 Datassential Operator Survey, when “decoding the profit and loss puzzle for your restaurant customers, it’s important to keep in mind that labor is nearly as large an expense as the food itself.” In fact, hiring and retention has replaced food prices as the top worry for restauranteurs”, says Hudson Riehle, Senior Researcher at the National Restaurant Association.

Lastly, in the popular Fohboh.com blog, the situation is summarized very well. Imagine the following case:

Number of restaurants in chain: 100 restaurants
Average employees per restaurant: 75
Total employees (operating): 7,500
Turnover rate: 100%
New employees: 7,500
Cost per new employee: $2,500
Total potential cost annually: $18,750,000
Total cost per restaurant: $187,500
Projected sales per restaurant: $2.8mm
Estimated cost per restaurant: 6.7%
Cost per 1% of turnover: $187,500

So what's the answer? Like we started with, use web-based tools and stay tuned for enhancements to the WhenToManage suites of services. Secondly, take time to read these great posts by management experts in the restaurant industry. They talk not just about the technology side, but emotional part of our brains...

RESTAURANT EMPLOYEES EMBRACE ONLINE SCHEDULING SOLUTION

WhenToManage uncovers communication trend: web-based scheduling application fosters increased collaboration and productivity in the restaurant industry

WhenToManage, the leader in real-time, online reporting and integrated point of sale (POS) business analytics solutions for retailers and restaurants, released the results of a nation-wide user survey proving the critical value of online labor scheduling. Operators, faced with multiple employee scheduling demands, using the web-based communications and scheduling technology, can now more effectively optimize employee-to-management information sharing through a fundamental improvement to the labor scheduling process.

The 2010 Survey of WhenToManage Online Employee Scheduling Users, a national web-based survey of over 700 online restaurant employees conducted throughout June and July, found that 90% experienced improved communications to the point where they would highly recommend the application to employers. Over 70% of respondents stated the seamless communications, enabled by the application, increased productivity through improved workforce collaboration. The survey findings highlight new thinking about personnel management in the restaurant and retail industry. The data posits that increasing employee engagement through seamless and interactive scheduling technology makes for more productive employees and efficient scheduling procedures.

“We were very pleased at the overall survey results. The fact that 90% of employees would recommend WhenToManage to future employers says volumes about our tools. Many of them commented saying that it ‘totally opened up communication,’” said Jeff Schacher, CEO of WhenToManage. “We discovered that many of our employee users ended up being the power-users of our technology. They are one of the driving forces behind adoption at their restaurant. Frankly, because WhenToManage is so easy to use, we believe it will reduce the headache of employee management now and in the future. Some personnel matters will go away leaving more time for essential management duties resulting in happier employees to boot!” said Schacher.

Employees using the application can review their schedules and manage availability requests from either the internet, email or mobile text messages. Using secure log in functionality, employees interact with the system by requesting days off, set preferred shifts, update availability and swap shifts with other employees. Employee requests are then sent back to the store manager for approval. “With employees having less time to accomplish more, the online scheduling application addresses key productivity challenges by opening up communications and encourages employees to work together. This key development keeps the entire operation running smoothly.” Said Schacher.

Building Effective Employee Feedback Sessions

Employee feedback surveys often identify the need for more one-on-one time between employees and their managers. An easy way to fulfill this is to hold regular one-on-one feedback meetings. This simple idea gets overlooked or bumped by supposedly more important priorities. Yet making time for one-on-ones can eliminate communication problems, boost morale and productivity, and guarantee higher scores on your next employee feedback survey.

Here are a few reasons why this tool is so important:

• Regular feedback and coaching will make your job as a supervisor/manager easier when employees build their skills and independence

• Feedback and coaching also increases productivity, the quality of work and the effectiveness of the work group

• Employees' motivation and initiative is increased with effective feedback and coaching

• Creativity and innovation in problem solving increases with effective feedback and coaching

Now for a few tips for providing effective ongoing feedback and coaching sessions.

Planning - Schedule one-on-one meetings at mutually agreed regular times and frequencies

Timing Is Important - Make sure you are giving the feedback when it is needed. Giving feedback too long after there is need will dilute the feedback.

Privacy - Keep this meeting as a private, one-on-one opportunity between yourself and your employee. By keeping it this way, you demonstrate respect and the importance of this time together.

Set Clear Expectations - For a more effective session together, define and agree upon each other's roles for these sessions. Knowing what to expect from each other helps build trust.

Plan The Content - Both the manager and subordinate should prepare agenda items to be discussed. That way, there are no surprises and each of you can be better prepared.

Make It Two-Way Session - Remember that the focus for these one-on-one meetings is to improve both individuals' performance, the manager and employee. It shouldn't just be the manager directing comments, so be willing to receive valuable feedback, too.

Block Out Adequate Time - Provide sufficient time for these meetings and feel out what is best for both of you. Allow at least one hour in the beginning and be flexible to situational needs.

Keep It Simple - Focus on making improvements at work with your specific job tasks and on better interpersonal relationships skills. Provide feedback on the progress being made each time you meet.

Follow Up Is Critical - A key agenda item should be following up on previous meetings' action items.

Positive Motivation - While constructive feedback and concerns may be necessary, make sure to section some time to give praise and acknowledgement within the meeting.

Ask For Feedback - Encourage the other person to give you feedback on your feedback. This may clear up any misunderstandings. Also, it shows that you value the other person's opinion.

Setting The Stage - At the end of each meeting, review the generated action items established in the session for each person's benefit before leaving the office. Let them know that you appreciate the efforts they are making.

Managing employee performance every day is the key to an effective performance management system. Setting goals, making sure your expectations are clear, and providing frequent feedback help people perform most effectively. While it may seem like an added responsibility to managers already "full plate," the payoff is well worth it.

What Makes a Restaurant Manager Great?

A great restaurant manager is a good communicator and a good supervisor. They have the ability to understand and anticipate the patron's wishes before they've been expressed. The manager will also have a good sense of smell and taste so that she may be able to tell if everything is right with the dishes coming out of the kitchens.

A manager has the overall responsibility of making sure the restaurant is operating as efficiently as possible and at a profit. All aspects of restaurant activities are the manager's responsibility. In most small restaurant settings, the manager is also the owner and handles the business end of the operation. The manager takes care of advertising, hiring staff, ordering food and supplies, and does the accounting. In other words, the restaurant manager is in charge of the smooth running of the restaurant. They may also greet guests, seat them, serve as cashier, and even cook when need be. While the chef or kitchen manager is responsible for food preparation and the back of the house, the restaurant manager directs and coordinates the efforts of the rest of the staff or the front of house. The restaurant manager must have a thorough knowledge of the food service inside and out. The Manager is also responsible for all the equipment used from lighting, to ventilation, to ovens, to cooking utensils. He needs to know the cost for installations, and maintenance of such equipment, all that besides accounting, banking methods, budgeting, and credit.

Tips for a good restaurant manager

1. Communications: Implement the use of a log book and restaurant communication book. It can be as inexpensive as a spiral notebook, or as elaborate as giant diary. This can be a valuable tool for communicating, and data collection to be reviewed at a later date.
   
   Managers may not work together due to days off, and scheduling. Log books create a means to stay on the same page, keep on track, review goals, and implementation steps to reach them.
   
   Do not use this book as a place to place blame and point fingers but as a tool to proactively resolve issues. Communication is key to building trust, and in team building. Make it a practice to build up you team with positive feedback, and clear expectations.
   
   
2. Be proactive! Before your shift begins, sit down and plan your day. What are the tasks of the day? What employees are on the schedule and what times are they expected to work? What food orders need to be placed? Are there any catering orders to plan for? What time is the plumber coming to repair the sink? You will be amazed at how many things you can accomplish. Make it a habit. This is a sure way to increase your productivity.
   
   
3. Lead by example: Conduct regular shift meetings with the staff. This is to review expectations and communicate upcoming changes that may be occurring. This is a daily opportunity to remind the staff of the standards, and arm them with the information to help them to perform better. Expect all the managers to do the same. They can be as brief as a 3 minute meeting. Review the daily specials, its an opportunity chance for the staff to understand your priorities and standards.
   
   Jack Welch was the master at leading by example. "He had great energy, sparked others, had incredible competitive spirit, and had a record of execution that was second to none. This is a key of the Welch phenomenon. Had he been lacking in any of these traits, he would not have commanded such acclaim." He was GE's number one cheerleader and called himself "the advertising manager of our company." He had the zeal and the optimism and a lexicon of a winning football coach: "exciting", "remarkable", "staggering", "incredible". These are the words Welch employed to describe one of the most powerful enterprises in the world.
   
   As W. James McNerney Jr., head of GE Aircraft Engines, noted: "The excitement comes from within him and is extremely contagious. He's a tremendous motivator. He's excited and he gets you excited and you're always moving forward. He keeps it simple. The differentiator between GE and many other companies is that there are more people moving in the same direction and with the same enthusiasm. Jack might like this on his tombstone. 'I wasn't smarter that anyone else, but I helped 270,000 people make me look smarter than most.' "
   
   While we cannot all be Jack Welch, we can learn from him and apply his teaching to any company and to any job. Remember, to spark others to perform, you must lead by example.

Sometimes the complexity of the operation can be daunting, and managers can lose themselves, get sidetracked easily, and be in a reactive mode in the managing their business. This lack of focus can cause chaos, which is very bad for the business.

Its always easy to find fault so make sure to positively reinforce good behaviors to build morale. Always look for what your staff is doing right! It is important to point out errors your staff is making, but the way you teach is by positive feedback, consist training, and policy enforcement. If you are proactive, communicate well, and continually train your staff to expectations, you will soon reap the rewards and enjoy a very efficient restaurant that you will take pride in!

 

 

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Interested in learning about our web-based manager log book? Join us for a demo of our labor scheduling system.

Become a fan on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter to keep updated on new product features, industry news, and tips on topics like workforce management.

 

How to attract and retain the best employees

It is estimated that the average cost of recruitment in the hospitality industry is around $2300 per person. If you end up with over a hundred applicants for the same job it's easy to see how this figure can mount up. You have the management time to sift through all the applications, plus the advertising, interviewing, and training. That's without considering the potential lost opportunities for productivity, customer service, and increased sales due to lack of key staff. So retaining your existing team is the priority.

From time to time even your most loyal people will leave. With the number of applicants chasing each vacancy, start by defining what you're looking for and specify this in your advertising or to your agency if you use one. Recruit on attitude rather than on skills alone. Systems, procedures, and basic skills can be taught, whereas an enthusiasm for food and wine, and a passion for hospitality and service need to be minimum requirements.

Don't limit your recruitment search to people who respond to your ads. Use your network of business contacts, your existing team and even your customers to help you find the best candidates. A good place to look for prospective staff is at your competition. This will give you the opportunity to watch people in action. See first hand how they interact with customers, their peers, and managers. Start developing a candidate pool rather than waiting until you suddenly have a vacancy to fill.

Create an environment where the best employees will want to work, and build a reputation as a good employer so you can attract the best people. Most important is to look after your existing staff; they are far more likely to recommend you to others and spread the word that it's a great place to work. Monitor the reputation of your business; listen to what your staff say, especially those who leave have a candid exit interview with each and every employee who leaves. Build your repetition as a good employer.

Promote from within whenever possible. Always let your existing staff know when a position comes available. Even if this is not a step up, it may present a new challenge to keep someone motivated and to build new skills. If you do have internal applicant, treat them in the same way as your treat external ones - acknowledging receipt of their application and setup an interview. If internal candidates do not get the job ensure you give feedback to help with their development and to encourage them to apply for future positions.

If you're not involved with the recruitment process yourself. Do they also know what values and attitude you are looking for? Involve your existing team in the recruitment process to train your management team how to recruit. This will demonstrate your belief in them and strengthen their commitment to helping the new employee succeed.

At a potential cost of $2300 for every employee you hire, it's well worth giving recruitment the same respect and commitment you give to any other aspect of running your business.

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Interested in learning about how we can help you manage your employees? Join us for a demo of our labor scheduling system.

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Happy Employees – Not Easy But The Payoff Is Worth It

We've all heard the statistics and you've probably done your own research regarding how much it costs to replace an employee. There's the cost to recruit a new employee and once hired, you have to train the new person, which will be even more expensive. Sometimes, the new person ends up quitting or isn't right for the job and we repeat the entire process. There are also the intangible costs associated with turnover, such as repeat customers who may miss their favorite servers, poor morale, and general loss of efficiency while the new employee gets up to speed.

While you're not going to keep all of your employees happy all of the time, there are steps you can take to attract and maintain a good staff.

Start Off on the Right Foot. Do you remember your first day of work? Of course you do -everyone does, good or bad. The first-day experience is a huge factor, one-third of the employees decide whether or not to remain with an employer that first day. During employee orientations, give them your full attention, and give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Make sure that if you're not able to spend the day with them they have something meaningful to do in your absence and assign a trusted employee to check in with them frequently. Try surveying your employees about their first day experience. You'll likely receive all the feedback you need regarding what made them feel welcome and what areas could be improved.

Train for Success & Longevity. It's important to select who's training your new employees. It shouldn't be whoever happens to be working that day, select someone who is enthusiastic and is a good to great communicator. Also, new employees can become frustrated by conflicting messages from trainers or feeling that they don't know how to meet expectations. I have seen this happen several times in my career. Take some time to develop a real training plan that covers the most important job functions and hold a train-the-trainer session for your selected group. For a relatively small investment of your time, this training template can be used over & over and will pay dividends through a consistent message.

Give Spot Awards for Great Performance! Don't wait until review time, when you've likely forgotten, to recognize an employee who provides excellent service or volunteers to come in when you're short-staffed. Thank them immediately with a simple "good job" note you can post for everyone to read. You might also consider small prizes for those who accumulate several pats on the back. What's important is that the recognition will provide motivation, and motivated employees tend to stay engaged with your company!

Stay competitive. Do a little research regarding what similar establishments are paying their staff, what the average tips are and what benefits are offered. You may not always be able to match the top dollar being paid, but you should at least be in the ballpark. Also, if you offer any unique benefits or your customers tip higher than average, don't be shy - publicize this to your staff!

Provide Incentives Based on Length of Service. Consider offering perks for your loyal employees and give the new ones something to look forward to. Some companies offer more time off, paid trips or gifts for long-term employees, and depending on your budget, these are good ideas. What's really important, however, is the recognition. For little to no cost, you can offer perks like better parking spaces, first choice of days to request off or a small celebration at a staff meeting to celebrate their anniversary.

Educate. Investing in employees beyond traditional financial means often successfully keeps employees long term. Training and development -- from food safety programs, to management trainee courses and classes that assist in their personal development -- give employees a stake in the success of the business and personal empowerment, engendering commitment to the restaurant.

With so many training courses now available online, offering training to employees is easier than ever. And classes that will improve an employee's lifestyle, not just their restaurant expertise, also prove valuable.

Many restaurateurs are meeting the needs of their employees by offering a variety of classes to help build English language skills, how to buy a first home and how to manage money. As reported recently in the Washington Post, The Capital Grille offered a class where employees heard from real estate professionals, lenders and government officials about how to get help buying a home.

Whatever you decide to implement, a little thought and effort will go along way to achieving every manager's dream -- building and keeping a well-trained and positive staff!

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Interested in learning about how we can help you manage your labor? Join us for a demo of our labor scheduling system.

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The Basics of Restaurant Labor Costs

Operating a restaurant involves many expenses, one of which is labor. Labor is an operational expense in just about any restaurant, predominantly including hourly wages for staff members. Many restaurants hope to run a labor percentage below approximately 20 percent. When the costs begin to climb, anxiety levels rise as well. Still, simply paying your employees less will not solve labor cost issues. The keys to controlling labor costs are improving workplace productivity and scheduling your employees wisely. Labor costs are typically understood as a percentage of sales. To figure your labor cost, use this equation:

Payroll / Total Sales = Labor Cost Percentage

The success of your restaurant hinges on one critical factor; the people who make it special, your employees. Yet, statistics show that half of all restaurant employees leave their jobs within the first 30 days. As the restaurant industry grows faster than the number of workers available, competition for key personnel will become more difficult.

Here are some things to consider when looking for ways to reduce your labor costs.

Cross-Train Your Staff
Cross-training is beneficial to both the employee and the business, since the worker will have a wider range of skills and be able to help in multiple areas of the restaurant. This allows the manager to schedule fewer workers while still being able to achieve the same production and service standards. Some suggestions for cross-training include:

• Train your prep cook to handle the grill
• Train your hostesses to work as back-up servers
• Train bussers to help run food to customers

Conduct Staff Audits and Reviews
Another great way to help improve productivity is to perform regular audits. Take the time to watch and assess your employees' performances. If you find that a large portion of your employees' workdays includes inordinately long breaks or downtime, it might be wise to revise your schedule. Conducting face-to-face reviews with each member of the staff will help communicate your thoughts and concerns.

Control Labor Costs With Precise Scheduling
Make sure you have constructed a budget to help keep track of your annual sales and expenses like labor. Through your budget, allow a percentage of your sales to cover labor expenses. Then, create a staffing schedule to reflect your budgeted allowance for labor expenses. The following tips elaborate these guidelines:

• Break down your annual budget. Break down your annual budget into monthly budgets to help divide the money into weekly sections. This will give you a weekly budget, from which you can determine labor costs and make an appropriate staffing schedule.
• Design a new weekly schedule for all employees. Relying on a fixed schedule week after week fails to acknowledge shifts in projected sales, changes in the weather or other factors that can affect your business. Adjust the number of staff scheduled each week to keep compliant with weekly budget constraints.
• Monitor clock in/clock out times. After every shift, make sure that all employees have punched in and punched out exactly according to the schedule. Managers can usually use tools within the Point of Sale (POS) system to monitor and alter this information when necessary.
• Discuss all schedule change requests in advance. Switching shifts can create problems when people start to work overtime, working more hours than the budget allows and potentially breaking a law, if the workers are youths. Be sure a manager is constantly aware of any proposed changes in the schedule.

Avoid Over-Staffing
It is often tempting to schedule more people than necessary in order to ensure that the business runs without any kinks. The reality is, however, that there will always be a few kinks in the restaurant business. Scheduling too many employees will increase your labor costs and reduce your profit, hurting your business overall. If you find that you have over-scheduled, you can send staff members home early but make sure you are cutting the team members who have been there the longest for the day. Train your people to work quickly, accurately and efficiently while also treating guests with respect and care. This allows you to operate at a high standard while still hitting your target labor percentage.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas or trigger other thoughts to help you reduce your overall labor costs.

Next week I will be talking about keeping employees happy.

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Interested in learning about how we can help you manage your labor costs? Join us for a demo of our labor scheduling system.

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Making restaurant software simple is not easy

Albert Einstein has a famous quote about making things simple.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler."

As a software company, we try very hard to live by that quote, but it's difficult. Our first product provided online employee scheduling for restaurants. When we spoke to operators, they usually had a labor scheduling module with their POS system, but instead they were often using Excel or paper and a pencil.

There was a failing, the ROI or return on investment of their time was not enough for them to justify using their POS scheduling module.

Our challenge was to build something as simple as an excel spreadsheet, but to also provide some more advanced functionality like online shift trades, time off requests, and just general features for improving communication among the staff.

We worked hard to build something simple that people would find useful and of course fast. We were successful. But in the software business, you seldom stop creating enhancments and new features. New clients make requests for this and that and it becomes more and more difficult to maintain the "simplicity" of your solution.

It's so easy for complexity to creep in when you start adding bells and whistles. Suddenly you need to write more documentation and are getting more support requests because those new things were just added and not enough thought went into the right way to add them.

Of course, you could always say "no". Believe it or not, we've benefitted many clients by not giving in to their request and found alternate ways for them to solve their problem, which proved simpler in the long run.

We have some exciting things happening in 2010, and it's going to be even tougher to stick to our guns. But we'll just keep repeating our mantra to ourselves. KISS (keep it simple stupid). W9AXZCKAXDX7

Doing the "right" thing (and getting fired for it)

Operating a business is challenging. I've managed software companies and restaurants and there was never a shortage of difficult decisions to make. I want to share a story about a choice I made, how it cost me my job, and how I was rewarded for it.

I was managing a restaurant near Rockefeller Center in New York City many years ago. It was the first week of December and business was crazy (as it always is that time of year). The owner came in to visit and dropped a bombshell on me. He decided that he wanted to be open for Christmas eve & day.

First, I have worked lots of Christmases at other restaurants in the past, but it was always busy and we knew going in that we had to work. In this scenario, Rockefeller Center is dead on Christmas so there's barely any money to be made, and it's three weeks before Christmas and the staff had already made plans.

I expressed to the owner as politely as possible that we would barely break even for the day and that even if we made some money, it would devastate the staff to force them to work after they had already planned their holiday.

His reply was that it was his restaurant and he is in the business of making money and if he wants to be open, we'll be open.

I calmly said that I disagreed with his decision and would be unable to schedule the staff for Christmas. He asked me if I was refusing to do my job. I answered, "if that's how you see it, then I guess I am."

He held out his hand and said, "I guess you're done then. Take care." I picked up my things and left the restaurant. I was fired.

Others may disagree with my actions, but I felt like it was the right thing to do. I'm no crusader, I've certainly stood by on many occasion and said nothing when I felt that something wasn't right. But since that moment, it's been much easier to speak up when I felt I needed to.

I think we all have this little voice inside of us telling us the right thing to do. Sometimes we listen, sometimes we don't. When it comes to "making money", it can become harder to hear that voice. However, I have found that the world has a way of rewarding companies and people that try to make the "right" choices.

Of course the story has a happy ending. The staff heard about what I had done and I suddenly had 50 best friends. The owner decided not to open for Christmas (never found out why, but I'd like to think that I played a part). I quickly got a job at another restaurant where I made more money, had more fun, and the best part is... I met my wife.