Minimum rage
January 27, 2010Jon Brooks 1 Comment »Spied on Craiglist: A restaurant owner and chef explains his posting for a sous chef/assistant at minimum wage:
Restaurant Seeks Sous Chef – POSITION CLOSED, but for the haters…
This position has been filled, but never in my life have I ever received so much hate from a job posting, and I just want to make a few comments. The original posting remains below.
1) For all of those who wished me ill for being such a taker, bastard, and dumb ass for offering minimum wage, you’ll be pleased to know that I actually pay more than minimum. That was just a way to weed out all the people too proud to work at that wage. I want people who view their job as more than just a paycheck; that want to be part of something bigger. I take very good care of my crew and they are extremely loyal. And I am very proud to actually be creating jobs in this economy.
2) I anecdotally heard through the vine that I somehow offended the crews at F2F and Jory for saying they had nice six-figure kitchens. I don’t know how that ruffled feathers and as far as I’m concerned we’re all in this boat together, so good for you for being in sweet set-ups. I only wish I could be as well equipped as you.
3) For all of you that understood my ad and gave me great responses, including the people that commented on it even though they weren’t interested or qualified for the job, thanks for being part of a better culinary culture and wanting this valley to progress. Maybe I’ll send you all invites to our soft opening when we’re ready. Thanks!
The Original Posting:
I’m the chef/owner of a new start-up restaurant in Newberg aiming for “Affordable Fine Dining,” and am looking for a sous chef/assistant to help me in the kitchen. I’m putting together a small, tight knit staff that needs to work well together, so it is important that you have both awesome kitchen skills as well as the right personality to play nice in the sandbox.
First and foremost you must have a passion for fine food and wine, and secondly have an incredible work ethic and sense of efficiency, while at the same time not being a prima donna at all. I structure my kitchen as a team instead of assigned positions, so you’ll be expected to do a little of everything, from cleaning and dishes and garbage detail to prep and working the line for service.
You must be super reliable. You are part of a very small team and are not replaceable on short notice. If you have chronic car problems, get sick all the time, or can’t work an alarm clock, don’t reply to this ad.
A big part of the job is keeping me clean and organized. Not that I am a pig, but having someone working with me setting up my next task and finishing my last maximizes my productivity. At the same time you’ll also be expected to be able to think for yourself and work independently. You will be allowed to gravitate towards your strengths and be encouraged to learn new skills.
Speaking of learning, you’ll learn a lot. I’m a good teacher and have been doing this for a while. A couple of years with me beats $50,000 in student loans (and if you happen to already have those loans I’ll still be happy to consider you).
It’s all about the atmosphere. I run a calm yet pumping kitchen. No throwing, yelling, or screaming; no FOH/BOH battles; no panicking, freaking out, or otherwise losing it. Instead we are professional, focused, in good humor, and all working towards the same goal: putting out great food, satisfying our clients, having a good time, kicking ass, and making some money. We’re cool, in control, and have our shit together. Kindness, respect, and civility are the order of the day (except for the swearing like pirates part). Historically I have hired a statistically more significant number of women than men, for whatever that is worth.
You need to be somewhat local. If you are commuting from Vancouver or NoPo it’s probably not going to work out. I’m in Newberg.
No Vegetarians or Vegans. As far as I know I’m still legally allowed to discriminate against veggies, and if that offends you, you probably don’t want to work for me. And it’s not that I don’t like vegetables; I just can’t wrap my head around someone loving food and not eating tasty animals.
Unlike some of the restaurants that have opened in Yamhill county recently (F2F, Jory, etc.), I’m not working with an unlimited budget, so you won’t be working out of a pristine six-figure kitchen facility. But you’ll learn how to make a ghetto kitchen sing, which has some value.
The starting pay is minimum wage, with maybe a bit of an increase if you have some special skills. Yeah, all of the above expectations and minimum wage. I would love to pay my crew more, but I am unapologetically a start-up, and until I generate some income everyone works for minimum. Pay rates will increase when the economy improves. But, no kidding, we’re going to be really big in no time (and that is not naive exuberance talking). The current benefit package is free food and a bottomless bottle of Advil.
I’ve got a kick-ass waitstaff in place, and am ready to shore up my kitchen staff, and then we are ready to rock. If this tirade sounds anything like you, send me an appropriate response!
January 27th, 2010 at 11:53 am
I work in Employment Services and I think more of my job candidates would appreciate job postings that were detailed. Sometimes the work environment is as important as anything else.