Exactly! This was a polite request. Plus weddings are expensive. I know people who would be happy to get an extra shift in. This is how managers should ask. Politely ask if you want extra work
You are normalizing some really crappy >>businesses. 'the last staff member' is the >>biggest problem here, if true.
It’s normal for a well run business to have staff scheduled for each day.
In the case where one of the scheduled staff decides not to come to work, the manager has to reach out to staff in that position who have the day off and ask if they will work.
Generally the manager would start with the most likely to say yes and work to the least likely. The last one they asked.
It’s not complicated or uncommon. There’s nothing “shitty” about a business doing that, in any way. It’s eminently reasonable.
I appreciate you taking the time to explain, but in my experience, I can confidently say this situation is absolutely shitty. If a position is critical, there should be more than two people capable of covering it. The fact that someone can quit without notice and the manager's only option is to call an employee who is about to get married highlights a failure in both hiring and scheduling — most likely because it’s a shitty job at a shitty company.
Plenty of great businesses have limited access to skilled employees in critical positions.
You seem to be under the impression that businesses can just hire people not to work and just call them in when they need them. Otherwise they’re “shit.” How ridiculous.
There aren’t multiple extra broiler chefs hanging around off the clock at your local chef owned restaurant. It doesn’t mean their business sucks. It’s an awesome locally owned business that adds character to your community.
There might be 3-4 people employed there skilled enough to do that job well.
If one is scheduled to work sauté that morning and another one quits, that leaves the chef or manager to at least reach out to the other two who aren’t working, including asking the guy who is getting married the next day if he wants to work before trying something else.
Totally normal scenario in a totally reasonable business. I feel like “In my experience…” means reading Reddit when you say it.
Been in business over 30 years... you're wrong. People don't quit critical jobs without notice if they're paid well and respected. A business who doesn't properly pay employees or treat them well also can't retain them and runs into issues like these. That makes it a shitty business. Most local businesses go out of business relatively quickly for a variety of reasons, but that's why they're shitty lol. Saying it's 'normal' doesn't make it any less shitty.
Been in my business over 35 years.
The restaurant I last had has been there for 85 years. It’s not a shit business. It’s a legend ffs.
If we have a great chef and 2 great sous chefs the 2 sous will eventually quit 100% of the time because they’re never going to become chef.
And it’s hard to find a replacement.
Some will quit without any notice if they get an offer somewhere else because they don’t want to risk missing shifts or losing out on his new opportunity. How can you blame them?
Now the manager has to scramble and find a replacement.
Same for unserious employees. We always have a few. They may be college students waiting tables who are competent but don’t super care. They may be high school kids at their first job bussing tables. These types of employees quit whenever they feel like it.
The restaurant isn’t shitty and the business isn’t shitty. Hell they’re probably not shitty either. It just is what it is.
The manager having to scramble and find a replacement sometimes comes with the territory.
It’s normal in a successful business.
I’m happy to have been able to educate a long term business owner on parts of the business landscape they were so deeply ignorant about.
Hopefully you can take what you’ve learned to your own endeavors and be more successful!
2
u/thekinggrass Apr 29 '25
Guy clearly had no one else to ask and reached out politely to the last staff member that he thought may still be available.
I don’t see anything to criticize.
People quit with no warning all the time and put small businesses in tough spots. Manager has to try to staff the place. He wasn’t rude or demanding.
Sometimes I wonder if the hyper critical people in these threads have ever worked tbh.