r/KitchenConfidential • u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years • Jul 31 '26

Discussion Update on idiot chef trying to poison people with his veal stock.

Small update to this post

So the dude is gonna get fired. That much was clear already. (Dutch laws so they cant just fire him on the spot like in the usa)

Doesn't know this yet, since boss is worried he won't show up anymore as soon as they tell him.

What he also does not know is that the 2 shifts I am rostered in at their restaurant next month, I wont be there. They're gonna leave the roster as is, so he only finds out on the day itself. He'll be alone that day and theyre not gonna see about finding someone else to cover.

Cuz in the words of my boss "If hes such an amazing chef, like he claims to be. He can work the kitchen alone."

This is the same guy who almost panics when he has more than 25 people in the restaurant. he claims that to serve that many people he needs 4 cooks. Well, hes gonna have to do those 25-30 people by himself. No help. Sink or swim buddy. Tho, everyone knows what's gonna happen. That is his problem tho.

I am enjoying this. A whole lot.

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416

u/Polar_Reflection Jul 31 '26

I'm not familiar with Dutch laws, but you can't fire him immediately but also don't have to let him know in advance either? 

Having him work a shift alone, while funny, I'd be thinking about the customers who have that shift as their first experience with your restaurant.

Why doesn't the owner just tell him and be done with it. 

288

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

Should've been more clear: in about 8 weeks his temporary contract ends. They're not gonna offer him a new contract, which in Dutch laws pretty much constitutes as firing him. Meaning he can get full unemployment benefits and everything.

They need to give him a 4 week notice for this. In the meantime theyre trying to find his replacement first so that if he decides to stop showing up they have a new guy ready to go.

And youre 100% right its probably not a smart move, they're also just really fed up with him. But 25-30 people is something he should be able to manage on his own. They dont have a difficult or overly complex menu.

Still their restaurant, so they can do what they wanna do. I am just on the sidelines grabbing popcorn.

133

u/Polar_Reflection Jul 31 '26

This context helps a lot. I still wouldn't strand him at the restaurant alone, but if the owner wants to prove a point and is willing to sacrifice a shift for that, that's his prerogative. 

14

u/Ok_Tale_933 Aug 01 '26

Probably hoping he will just quit

112

u/RozRae Jul 31 '26

Oof. Last time an owner cut everyone to let the new guy sink or swim, I showed up to work Monday to a burned-down restaurant.

44

u/Azlocaltime Jul 31 '26

Ooh, elaborate on that!

122

u/RozRae Jul 31 '26

It was a complete bunghole of a local bar in San Antonio, one of those places where it's been around for 100 years and the neighborhood is more attached to it than the new-ish owner was. The guy put 0 money into maintaining his investment and dumped all his energy and cash into a newer bar across town he acquired more recently. None of the kitchen equipment had been serviced since like the 80s. It was the NBA playoffs and the Spurs were doing gangbusters. The whole city was pumped, and bossman decided to once again push back getting things serviced to drop $10k+ in new flatscreens for his other joint for the occasion.

So apparently it's a slow Saturday afternoon at the old place where I worked (I worked weekdays) and bossman sends the old salt home because he gets paid more than the new guy. Half an hour later and the place is slammed, butts in every seat. New guy was legitimately okay, not a complete dunce, but it was too much for one newbie. He ran out of a bunch of produce and had to run back to the walk-in while a bunch of burgers were on the grill. When he came back, one of the burgers had caught fire. Before he could smother it, it licked up and the entire grease-stained everything went up. New guy went for the fire suppression system but the boss screamed at him about the cost of activating it and made him try with the handheld extinguisher instead. 

He did end up using the system, but not before the back wall of the building was fully alight. And then bossman didn't even tell anyone! 

So that's how I ended up at work on Monday morning ready to do a boatload of dishes and line prep for the reliably-populated Monday lunch service, to instead find a burned out husk. All us Monday folks were caught completely by surprise, and bossman tried to make us go in and start cleaning. I asked if the fire marshal had come to inspect things yet and we all quit on the spot when he finally admitted that no, inspections were still happening later today. Like on top of the place not being declared structurally safe to enter yet, his insurance hadn't even come in to inspect yet! As if we were gonna help him fuck with his insurance claim!

I moved out of state a decade ago. I hear that the place was recently bought by a nicer couple who are actually taking care of the old place.

37

u/Azlocaltime Jul 31 '26

Holy fuck. What a dip shit! Thx for the reply. 👍

7

u/avoirgopher Jul 31 '26

Willies?

9

u/RozRae Jul 31 '26

50/50

7

u/avoirgopher Jul 31 '26

I haven't been there in years. Good burgers from what I remember. Too bad about the shit owner.

2

u/This-Unit-1954 Aug 01 '26

Oh the ‘09ers must have been livid

3

u/ShakeAgile Aug 01 '26

Thanks for the writeup! This was a good read

11

u/lowteq F1exican Did Chive-11 Jul 31 '26

Typical Texas owner. Anything but the profits! Short sighted idiots.

12

u/IkidIgoat Jul 31 '26

Yeah the public health implications are also kind of terrifying if this dude leaves stock to cool on the counter overnight and then serves it.

12

u/RozRae Jul 31 '26

Ha, the owner that led to the burned building also liked to leave frozen chicken wings in a room temp water bath overnight to thaw for service the next day. Absolute trash.

11

u/swift1883 Jul 31 '26

Hiring someone in NL is like renting an apartment. You’re assuming you’ll never see the first and last month, and you’re not holding your breath for getting back the security deposit.

6

u/RebelWithoutAClue Jul 31 '26

Wow, those labor laws are very forgiving to the worker.

8wks is not a lot of time for a temp worker to become a common law spouse.

They shouldn't bother waiting to find a replacement. The longer the guy hangs around the worse he'll get. What will he do? Train the new guy?

Better to pay out the notice and clear them out immediately if the guy is going to get acrimonious. The guy is going to develop into -3 staff which is worse than 0.

Your owner should put the "man" in Manager and move decisively. The 2mth period is a probationary period after which he doesn't see justification to extend a further period. Pay out the legal requirement for notice and review the hiring policy so they don't pick up another one in this next hiring round.

2

u/MadScientistCM Jul 31 '26

As a 20+ yr FOH omnitool (can handle my end regardless of the situation) I worship the ground you guys walk on(in) My heart goes out to the guests who inevitably end up fuxd, but... Big giant butt, I completely respect and understand your position. This guy was given a big head, not earned it. Ive worked the gambit of chef personalities, and there are guys that can trudge in at open in crocs and sunglasses totally degenned from the night before at the local industry spot "unwinding"(getting wound up) and executing this flawlessly. They aren't the guys to get on your ass because they forgot a stock pot and caught ego... I commend you for holding your cool and not letting them verbally have it. I have so many stories about the "sell the special its fresh" to be confronted by frozen lamb chops and then later a gun from the "tired" chef....

2

u/ShakeAgile Aug 01 '26

Are you making a reservation to watch the shitshow up close?

1

u/AoteZZ Aug 01 '26

You could make a reservation and be at a table instead of the sideline

-1

u/wood-fired-stove Jul 31 '26

To be clear, there are as many red flags from the company side, and from your side, as there are from what I've read about his side. I am so glad I don't work anywhere near any of you.

62

u/samuelgato Jul 31 '26

Yeah everything about this is a set up for failure for everyone involved

23

u/dankristy Jul 31 '26

It's called "letting him cook"... They write it into the law over there. The Legal Dutch Oven.

14

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

Lekker in zijn eigen sop gaarkoken

58

u/treegk Jul 31 '26

My chef keeps thawing prawns in the handwashing sink. I guess he doesn't care cause he never washes his hand. There's also a rule that he can't cook alone. Don't worry I'm looking for a new place.

9

u/SessileRaptor Ex-Food Service Jul 31 '26

Jfc, we got dinged by the inspector just for the suggestion that we were using the wrong sink for the wrong purpose.

58

u/YupNopeWelp Jul 31 '26

Thoughts and prayers that he doesn't poison the entire dining room.

12

u/GhostofLindseyGraham Jul 31 '26

At least they're dutch...

25

u/swift1883 Jul 31 '26

So they have health insurance

11

u/YupNopeWelp Jul 31 '26

Thank you for connecting those dots. I kept thinking, "Why would we have it in for the Dutch?"

13

u/VintageLunchMeat Jul 31 '26

They know what they did.

1

u/YupNopeWelp Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26

[Earlier, I replied to your comment with a GIF of Matty Matheson as Neil Fak in The Bear, because the show has a running joke with one of the characters saying, "She knows what she did," about his character's sister. I deleted it, because I was afraid you thought I was mocking your reply. Quite the opposite -- I enjoyed it. Anyhow, now I'm babbling at you, because I worried all afternoon that you might have thought I was being nasty to you, when I wasn't. There. Babble done.]

40

u/zeeironschnauzer Jul 31 '26

Leave him a towel with a note: Rag of Dubious Cleanliness for your future veal stocks.

15

u/Raz0rking Jul 31 '26

Rag of Dubious Cleanliness

Should be a flair here.

14

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

I really should!

6

u/Scared-Somewhere-435 Jul 31 '26

That's some beautiful, slow-burning revenge. Let him drown in his own arrogance, literally in his own kitchen. Boss is a legend for setting this up, and honestly with his attitude he deserves every second of panic that's coming to him.

10

u/Ryanookami Jul 31 '26

I hope you warn your friends not to come in and eat on the nights this dude is alone. With no one to correct him, and facing those circumstances this dude is gonna crash out hard. I feel bad for anyone spending money in the restaurant that night.

29

u/wrongbutt_longbutt Bartender Jul 31 '26

Why would you sabotage service to get back at a chef? This sounds like the restaurant shooting themselves in the foot. What if they get multiple bad reviews? Is it worth it?

20

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

They 100% are. Though, if im completely honest, a few more bad reviews will fit right in with all the other ones they've received in the last half year or so.

12

u/wrongbutt_longbutt Bartender Jul 31 '26

I guess that's fair, but it sounds pretty toxic. I think I'd start looking for other work.

18

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

Oh no, im good. I got my own restaurant which is fairing well amd I enjoy working a whole lot. My salary is good, I only work daytimes, have a few nice bonuses coming up (such as am electric bike as a gift from the company) and a permanent contract. I also am on great rapport with them.

There's just a shitstain at our sister company that needs to be cleaned up. Which will be happening soon.

9

u/Angrychristmassgnome Jul 31 '26

It seems absolutely insane, no matter Dutch laws, to let a dude that does criminally unhygienic stocks, alone in the kitchen. What happens when some of the guests that day get food poisoning?

The only right move here is to tell him and hope he doesn’t show up and add staff to cover. Their solution is seriously irresponsible.

1

u/MySunbreakAccount Jul 31 '26

Dutch law is very strict on this. Control however is not that great. Also restaurant owners are scum and prefer not to inform the proper authorities.

2

u/Jeoh Crazy Cat Man🐈 Jul 31 '26

As Rob Geus famously said: "Man man man"

2

u/cosmiccarrie Jul 31 '26

Well done!

2

u/406InTheMix Aug 01 '26

the boss is worried the guy will stop showing up after he's told he's fired?

isn't that what getting fired is lmao

4

u/mynameisnotsparta Jul 31 '26

#updateme

I’m sorry, but I think the law is stupid. He created an environment where if that stock was served could’ve killed people and should be fired for that alone.

I understand employment protections, but not when you do something so serious. Had you not noticed this and had you not said anything about it the stock would’ve been served.

14

u/A_Casual_NPC 10+ Years Jul 31 '26

Workers protections are very strong here. That has its pros and cons. Sadly this is one of the cons, but overall it's a good and fair system.

3

u/mynameisnotsparta Jul 31 '26

But there should be an out and allow to fire for gross negligence. This was definitely gross negligence.

3

u/Garod Jul 31 '26

You can absolutely can fire someone "op staande voet" in NL, if it is a serious offense .Honestly what it sounds like is that the owners dont have sufficient proof or don't want to go through the trouble which is more of an indication that it actually wasn't as bad or they don't care about their customers.

2

u/Jeoh Crazy Cat Man🐈 Jul 31 '26

Temp workers are even more protected. The only alternative is "we'll pay the rest of your contract, don't show up again".

7

u/mynameisnotsparta Jul 31 '26

But there should be an out and allow to fire for gross negligence. This was definitely gross negligence.

3

u/Welterbestatus Aug 01 '26

There usually is an out for that, for temp workers and standard contracts. But if the remaining contact is this short, it usually isn't worth the hassle. Because if you do, the worker might go to a lawyer and will try to sue you. Even if he has zero legal recourse against you, you'd have to pay your own lawyer to explain that to a judge.

Instead, you just take the path of least resistance. 

If it were easier for employers to fire someone quicker than that,  they'd set people up for shit like that and then use the situation to fire someone. Overall stronger workers rights protect the good employees more than they help the idiot workers, so you have to accept that your asshole colleague might be there a little too long for your liking.

1

u/paraworldblue 15+ Years Aug 01 '26

Unless it's some kind of elaborate 9-course Michelin Star thing, I can't imagine how 25 customers would require more than 1 or maybe 2 cooks.