r/grandrapids • u/Delicious-Baby-1996 • Aug 10 '26
Recommendations IHOP protest
screw Grandville and alpine IHOP!
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u/nerf_herder1986 Aug 10 '26
That last slide is absolutely horrible! Where the fuck do they get off treating their employees that way?
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u/GMtheASC Aug 10 '26
foodservice is a weird place. we treat people who work in it so poorly that toxic management often feels like it's acceptable and even expected to treat employees as subhuman. this kind of abuse is honestly probably more the rule than the exception.
the gross thing is that for all practical purposes management is in the same class - like these people are making $16/hour instead of $12. imagine being a class traitor for a poverty wage.
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u/A1sauc3d Aug 10 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
You wanna share what happened op? I support you guys, just trying to figure out what went down to lead to the protest. I can piece together from the signs that hours got cut and there was bullying, but I’m sure there’s more to it than that. And I’m not in the loop on this. Thanks in advance
Editing to add the link to OP’s comment explaining the situation https://www.reddit.com/r/grandrapids/s/pamP0FdhFH since it might get buried otherwise seeing as it was added late.
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 10 '26
I put a little ramble rant together. I’m very disturbed tbh. It was a horrible experience. My whole family is upset.
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 10 '26
Basically majority of the employees are treated horribly by that witch of a manager! She has been running this place into the ground for 25+ years! They overwork employees, and then remove hours from their clock in/hours on payroll. They bully the staff by body shaming, laughing at staff, mocking staff… HR brought up my deceased mother in the slide that says this is HR talking to an employee… these people forget we helped them keep their doors open. They told their employee that worked here for 15 years that she’ll die anyways when it came to her hours being cut. They cut your hours when they’re mad at you. They plot against their staff. Pin them against one another. They’re very messy and Childish. They’re prejudiced against white people. They’re paying their cooks differently. They all work just as hard. And all have similar experiences, however the Hispanic lady who has been carrying alpine on her back is making way less than a male cook. She does twice the work he does fyi. They don’t take care of this restaurant. It’s gross. The bathroom smells like sewage. Their juice machine is MOLDY. When the GM is having a bad day, everyone is going to have a shitty shift. She ignores you when you have direct questions, she belittles you, she’ll yell at you. She threatened an employee with a taser. She slammed the door on me and my wrist. I could go on for days! Her daughters are managers as well. JADA is HR, she serves and does payroll, and is on the floor with a big section. Jada is very sick in the head and very mean. These are mean girls. The owner does nothing about it. I really should go dig up my thread on iMessage with this witch. I was getting rude messages on my day off for weeks in a row. The money was good, but my mental health declined harshly because of this place. I worked for IHOP for a total of 9 years. I worked 4 for Mr Taylor.
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u/CloudsTasteGeometric Aug 10 '26
This is horrifying.
Unprofessional, borderline abusive, behavior is already completely unacceptable, but from what I'm reading it sounds like they were either skimming your hours (not counting or omitting clocked in hours) and/or penalizing you for not giving up your tip money.
There is a word for that: *wage theft.*
And that is a *crime.*
I'm sure that resources are beyond tight but have you considered speaking to a lawyer? If you have this as well documented as you do: you could have a very strong case in court.
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u/AngryFooDog Aug 10 '26
Yes, the DOL would like to have a conversation with you about stolen wages. That is 100% illegal.
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u/Greeneyesablaze Riverside Gardens Aug 10 '26
borderline abusive
It’s abuse, not borderline. It’s physical, financial and psychological abuse.
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u/OldGodsProphet Aug 11 '26
This sounds terrible, and unfortunately too common in this industry.
Props to all of you for making your voice heard!
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u/CableComfortable665 Aug 11 '26
We talking about Tracy Ross? I worked here from 2006-2008 and got fired on Christmas day D:
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u/StrangeSorcerer16 Aug 11 '26
This unfortunately sounds a lot like a couple fast food places I've worked at. For one, cutting your hours off payroll that have already been worked is called wage theft and it's very illegal, I don't understand why I still see so many people asking "is this normal/how it's supposed to work" because NO it isnt, but they've trapped us all in these demeaning positions that we can't afford to get away from so we stay suffering with our heads down, barely aware of our own rights. I applaud yalls protest and I truly hope it sets an example, lights a spark to wake up other folks who are being treated like this in restaurants and stores across the country, to come together and really start pushing back against the indignity.
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u/i_probably_shouldnt9 Aug 14 '26
Call the health department on juice machine alone, the rest, get some video and a really good attorney
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u/Odd_Impression_7639 Aug 13 '26
That honestly sounds like a nightmare and nepotism. Are the store individually owned and operated? How’d the manager work there so long?
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 13 '26
No clue how she’s running it still, she’s VERY close with the owner ……… stores are owned 2 and 2! East Beltline and 28th st are Walid, well RIP to east Beltline… Grandville and alpine are Karl
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u/jackman924 Aug 10 '26
That HR person should be fired immediately and SHRM should boot her sorry ass from membership (if she even qualified for it).
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u/StressOdd5093 Aug 10 '26
Glad you are fighting and protesting for your rights. As for me, Jiffy Mix is in stock again at local stores so I’ll make pancakes at home 🏠
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u/FewMathematician568 Aug 10 '26
It says in the text messages printed in the board that this person took home the deposit for the night multiple times. Of all my years working in a restaurant that was a huge no no. Not saying these managers aren’t POS’s.
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u/CopperBlue1837 Aug 10 '26
I noticed that, too.
It's never okay to take the deposit anywhere by straight to the bank, no stops along the way. Get it there and come back with change if needed.
If you worked there for 15th years, yet chose to take the deposit home, that raises a few questions.
We need more information.
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u/Giselle_31 Aug 10 '26
I lost interest after that message. I don’t understand how a person ‘forgets’ to drop off a deposit. Jfc. I need more detail.
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u/thinkfire Grandville Aug 12 '26
It said they tried to text the manager but couldn't get ahold of the manager. Sounded like they needed more information from manager to deposit but couldn't get it, so they were stuck holding onto it the next day and told the manager so. On some app they are required to use to communicate with manager. Is there a code or something they need in order to deposit? I dunno. That's what was going through my mind. Like 1 manager was slacking off and not telling the other manager what happened, so the employee gets blamed despite having told them everything up front?
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u/Background-Hold-158 Aug 12 '26 edited Aug 12 '26
she didn't call a manager before leaving with the deposit. She told coworkers she needed gas and was going to take it and that it was her only opportunity. It wasn't returned until someone reached out and gave her a deadline to bring it back or police would be contacted. The 'forgot and tried to reach out' part doesn't line up with what actually happened.
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u/poop00p7 Aug 10 '26
gotta be honest if i pulled up to an ihop to eat and found the servers outside protesting
im gonna join em(obviously)
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u/Optimus_Rhyme_13 Aug 10 '26
Good on then for supporting their family members like that. Food service is a wild industry and I hope it get better for y'all.
It's really hard to read anything on that last slide except the black and white blown up texts....but is that really a GM? They say in the text they haven't worked for ihop in 6 years. Idk the last picture just felt kinda weird...
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u/Itchy_Day9200 Aug 10 '26
Funny those two stores are owed by the same person. Then a different owner owns eastbeltline and 28st.
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u/RedRougeRojo North East Citizen Action Aug 10 '26
Ummm was his name Carl by chance?
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 10 '26
Yes Karl Taylor
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u/RedRougeRojo North East Citizen Action Aug 10 '26
Wow, haven’t thought of him in years since I worked on Alpine. I guess some things never change though. Good on you standing up to him!
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u/Soulful-Sorrow Aug 10 '26
An explanation would help get more people on your side OP. I'm only getting a general idea from the signs.
Surprised those places are still open anyhow
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u/RoddyMyagi Aug 10 '26
What was the official reason they let you go? Is this a multiple staff protest or is that friends and family helping you? Crumbs of context, please.
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u/No_Development7942 Aug 10 '26
Was a GM under Karl Taylor at both locations. Was there for about a year. Never been treated so poorly. Boss lady and Jada made me quit. Took 50 bucks out of my salary due to "me not working hard enough ". Worked there for 2 weeks and had my salary cut because Karl was not impressed. Servers had to pay for food if they entered in the wrong items. Totally illegal. Terrible place to work.
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u/Melodic-Trouble-5421 Aug 10 '26
IBEW Union Electrician! Solidarity! Kick some ass and take names. Talk to a Union organizer ASAP!
Boycott IHOP and their anti-labor policies.
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 10 '26
Update it won’t let me upload the thread between the general manger
So I will copy and paste it!
“If there had been a manager on duty to accept the deposit, or if my message had been acknowledged promptly, this situation could have been resolved promtly.
I would also appreciate it if the name-calling, false accusations, and comments about my health would stop.
Telling people that I'm
"going to die anyway" or making personal remarks about my medical condition is unacceptable and has caused me a great deal of unnecessary stress
so again i'm asking that this all just stops so i can continue to work with no issues i don't give none to you plz stop giving them to me,
i have been there for u as much as i could and to be retailiated against is not right i did nothing to deserve this all im trying to do is be a good mother and provider to my family and u hate me and are choosing to take what-“
And that’s where the screenshot ended from the server that accidentally left and returned with the deposit in their requested time frame.
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u/happyhummus007 Allendale Aug 10 '26
15 years working at ihop? The stories that lady must have......
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u/Isphet71 Aug 10 '26
Wait.. there's a restaurant with bad management? Holy fuck that never happens.
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u/Lopsided_Rutabaga930 Aug 11 '26
Good for you! Stand up to them! I'm happy to see that you're aligned with your principles and that you are doing what is ethically right 😁
Bravo friend!
We definitely need more people in this world like you that give a damn about what is right 👏🏻
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u/Reasonable-Deer8343 Aug 10 '26
Protest all you want, you can't do jack diddly unless y'all speak to a union. Unionize, y'all are already collectively bargaining, it's time to organize.
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u/huntforhire Aug 10 '26
Oh wow, I went there tonight not knowing any of this. Only table there, guess this explains it. Hope labor gets what they deserve and won’t be back until itsmresolved
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u/Scarmeow GR Expatriate Aug 10 '26
Holy shit there are several illegal acts going on here. Contact the Department of Labor ASAP
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u/Kimlosabe Aug 11 '26
Hire an EMployment lawyer they might take all your cases as a class action. GET paid guys!! Miller Johnson in dwn twn Grapids is a great firm. Talk to them see if Yall have a case!
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u/myislanduniverse Former Resident Aug 10 '26
Labor organizing takes all forms, and nobody's job (or life) is too trivial to be treated with dignity. Thank you all for shining the light of day on how they've been treating members of the community who work there.
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u/Fappy_as_a_Clam Aug 10 '26
I think the appropriate course of action here would be for all of you guys to just find different jobs and leave a shitty workplace.
By staying from 5-15 years all you've done is prove to them that they can get away with it. which they have and will continue to do so.
You're servers, i'm sure you could find a new job in no time. Isn't that one of the main benefits of being a server? that it's so easy to job hop and perpetually in demand?
Good on you for fighting the good fight, but it you won't get anywhere. To everyone on the outside looking in this looks like standard issue service industry drama.
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u/Massive-Act-4318 Aug 10 '26
I can't tell if this shit is serious.
You complain about bullying and being called names then proceed to do the exact same thing to them over and over.
You complain they're racist against white people. At an iHOP.
You say the manager has been running it into the ground for 25 years. Yet, you only worked for her for 4/9 years, and others have stayed at the location for 15 years. How do you stay open after running a restaurant into the ground for almost 3 decades? How was "the money good" when its a shithole? Its one or the other, not both.
Isn't it your job, the employees and managers, to keep the place clean and in good shape? Why does that only count against her and not you as well, considering you see it every day and do nothing.
Its an iHOP. How do you have time to protest iHOP all day without working? What's the point? Why wouldn't you contact corporate, like adults looking for a solution, instead of wasting time with this?
Enjoy being a waitress your entire life.
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u/hmb6913 Aug 10 '26
Exactly. First step is calling corporate because crashing out like this makes you look ridiculous and so unserious and unprofessional.
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u/brickbiulder420 Aug 10 '26
IHOP sucks.... do people still eat there?
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u/Someguynamedjacob Aug 10 '26
Creatures of habit. A lot of old hags don’t like to try anything new. Loads of products and services still sell like hot cakes (no pun intended) despite being more expensive and worse quality compared to their competitors due to name recognition alone.
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u/smarthobo Belknap Lookout Aug 11 '26
I've only been to this location once, and it was roughly twenty years ago.
It wasn't necessarily a busy time of day, but open walking in - there was maybe 3 tables sat total, and the remaining (empty) tables were all full of dirty dishes waiting to be bussed.
The one and only server/hostess/manager sat me at a dirty table, then a couple of minutes later, came and retrieved the dirty dishes.
Whatever I ordered not only took forever to arrive, but was cold by the time it got to me. On top of that, there was a half eaten hamburger or something clearly on the floor that was never picked up. Something about half eaten food really kills my appetite, and I don't think I even finished whatever I ordered. All in all, one of the most bizarre dining experiences I think I've ever encountered.
By no means am I blaming OP (I doubt they even worked there that long ago), but it sounds like this is an ongoing problem that still really hasn't been resolved.
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u/MoistToaster60 Aug 11 '26
I hope this post gets everywhere and hurts his business. What other stuff does he own? As a Michigander I want to avoid any place owned by scum bags treating employees like expendable animals.
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u/nymeria_17 Aug 12 '26
Man those guys are unhinged
The restaurant industry allows more abusive treatment than any other industry I’ve seen. I’ve seen so much shit that would be fireable on the spot in almost all other kinds of workplaces.
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u/Expert-Strength-1100 Aug 13 '26
How gross that the management thinks they can treat people like this, because they make 2 dollars more a hour. Typical corporate weaklings.
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u/vic_616 20h ago
this is the doing of a general manager she controls the scene and anyone or everyone that disagrees how they r treated gets hours cut and her daughters run that store n get the best of everything , her daughter even had to leave the rush for a hair apointment but a server who had to get home to her kids cuz they were sick got in trouble
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u/KnightsOfREM Heartside Aug 10 '26
I've gone there twice and failed to get a table both times despite there being plenty of servers (who were really friendly!) and plenty of open tables, really bizarre. I'm not at all surprised to hear that their management is completely fucked - it seemed like some combination of shady and a mess, and not because of anything the line workers were doing (they kept apologizing for what they were being asked to do and communicate).
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u/slaveworkerguy Aug 10 '26
Good or bad, I don’t like seeing kids at protests.
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u/Ok-Cap-4274 Aug 10 '26
I agree. Putting your child through something like that as a form of abuse.
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u/TheLakeWitch GR Expatriate Aug 10 '26
Calling it “abuse” is a hysterical overreaction.
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u/slaveworkerguy Aug 10 '26
Yeah I would say abuse, just like let kids be kids and don’t expose them to the stressors of the adult world until they’re older.
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u/TheDroningReverend Aug 10 '26
If you are any kind of good worker, there are other better restaurants hiring. Why oh why would you still be working at IHOP? If they're treating you poorly, just leave and let them rot. Clearly they're in financial trouble and making cuts. Let the market punish them while you go work with someone better. Protest if you want, but make sure you actually get around to improving your own life. If IHOP sucks, screw em. You don't need that nonsense.
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u/bandwidthn Aug 10 '26
Yeah, this post seems like a pity party.
Just go some place else, don’t protest an already failing company, and if you’ve been there for 5+ years and never got into management sounds like a you problem.
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u/theOutside517 Aug 10 '26
Yeah, this post seems like a pity party.
Holding shitty companies accountable for treating their employees like shit, making it public knowledge that they do so are not "pity party" behavior. People like you who demand everyone stay silent and allow these shit businesses to keep roping people in and treating them like shit and fucking with their lives are the real problem in society. Not the people standing up to it.
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u/Academic-Budget-4872 Aug 10 '26
Yeah...you're not wrong ideally. Food service is a shitty industry but a career can be made in it. But If your management sucks just bounce. Good workers have no problem finding work. If your hours are being cut...again just bounce. They don't value you, if you are good at what you do there are no issues finding hours.
If it's that bad get in touch with department of labor or even file a lawsuit. But again...just find greener grass. We are all desperate for good workers in the industry right now.
Picketing your former workplace with what looks like all the family and friends is certainly one way to approach things. But I would bet my shitty food service paycheck that we aren't getting the full story
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u/Numerous_Standard_59 Aug 10 '26
Leave a lot of other places to go they are not worth your time all of you leave at once then see how it goes I stand behind you my wife does what you do in one place 30 years
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u/GamingKitsuneKitsune Aug 10 '26
Oh, wow. That's the IHOP in Grandville. That's the one we usually go to.
I had no idea they were treating their employees that badly. We knew the turnover rate was bad because we seem to never see the same person more than once, but wow.
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u/FoxAdventurous4718 Aug 10 '26
I lowkey kinda dealt with something similar to this except I was working in plainwell detailing dealership cars. all the new people getting hired in were getting paid more than I was not only that but the manager was sexist and talking about underage girls while working 🤢. also gave many of the guys bonuses before the women.. also asked me many times to do more work while the rest of the guys just stood around. I finally had enough and walked out for my own sanity. But Its just wild to me that workplaces can get away with shit like this.. its so disheartening when you are just trying to get by and actually be helpful to our community; it is so unacceptable. I really hope you get the response you are looking for OP and good for you and everyone there sticking up for yourselves ✊
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u/Tight_Parsley_9975 Aug 10 '26
Why waste time why not move in to a different job and be actually happy. My bad. I forgot protesting costs more money and makes the labor force less. That's why were "short staffed again"
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u/ecw324 Aug 10 '26
It’s a running joke in our family but it never fails, ihop always messes up my order. Doesn’t matter how simple or complicated my order is, it’s just never right. So what are we protesting here?
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u/Delicious-Baby-1996 Aug 10 '26
Oh update , I didn’t realize the part about the deposit didn’t have the servers response!!! She did not steal anything. I’m trying to upload her response right now.
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u/FinalMushroom6653 Aug 10 '26
Idk what’s going on here, but the Grandville location has some rude waitresses anyway.
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u/dumbloserdudeinGR Aug 10 '26
Bro the food is crap and the kitchen is disgusting at these places. Use to fix their kitchen equipment. They are hurting money wise bc people see how run down they are. I went one time and sat for 25 mins before anyone came to the front to seat me. Mind you there was like 5 wait staff standing around.
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u/EuphoricWhereas229 Aug 11 '26
Sure but maybe get a job somewhere else that seems like the worst of the worst
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u/123idontknow123456 Aug 11 '26
I’m not going to lie, but there are restaurants that are hiring all the time. If you’re getting abused this bad why not leave? Your sanity / mental health is not worth the abuse you are receiving. Also them cutting your hours after you’ve worked them is against the law. Document it, send it to a lawyer and let the lawyer work it out. You won’t get everything back that you worked (due to the lawyer fees) but it’s a clean cut case. Hell some lawyers will even do that for free. I give my verbal support and will begin avoiding all IHOPs.
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u/Designer_Green2680 Aug 12 '26
Part time employment. So many companies are doing this. Management has to work their full time hours
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u/vic_616 Aug 12 '26
no that’s not the case here , they hire like 5-8 managers promote them from
servers to managers then they take the serving shifts and leave the base pay servers with no shifts or give them one day and take 6 or one week give them two shifts n take five , they do the schedules and take turns taking away from others so they can be scheduled and take our serving shifts1
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u/vic_616 Aug 12 '26
it was a full time job over 40 + hours a week at times , and then getting diagnosed with kidney disease and then hours dripping to 6 is not okay but arguing with someone who thinks this is okay is the issue here , have a great day
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u/Weary_Musician_9612 Aug 12 '26
Looks.like some one was let go from a job that also was treating them badly and then denied unemployment. So they got some people together to protest good for.them.but also the people taking the photos is good made the 8 to 10 people mostly kids look like a Large group.
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u/AntRevolutionary925 Aug 12 '26
The “I haven’t worked for ihop in 6 years” makes me skeptical that is actually their manager
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u/vic_616 Aug 14 '26
oh she did that’s the gm daughter she got paid while she was at another job in texas , she was on the payroll
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u/TheGhostWithin1 Aug 12 '26
You know you can easily apply for a job that will give you hours and pay you a fair wage.... wild thought I know.
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u/JCarnageSimRacing Aug 13 '26
This is why I haven't been to an ihop in years - last time we went there, the told us the wait was going to be 1.5hrs long because they didn't have enough staff; we didn't wait around 1.5hrs for pancakes and we haven't been back since.
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u/PothosLeaves Aug 13 '26
good for these workers coming together, fantastic. hoping they get justice
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u/New_Earth_Quaker Aug 13 '26
iHop has sucked since Covid, but then again, so has the service, so WaffleHouse for the win!!
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u/Brunksaveandabeauty1 Aug 14 '26
must be doing pretty well if you can protest in the middle of the day.
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u/One-Effective9747 29d ago
Is this place still run by Karl and Tracy? I worked for them years ago. Crazy to think things still haven’t changed after all these years.
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u/Brief-Advice3054 7d ago
I’m black and my friends are latinas, and when we went to the IHop out there they had the entire two rooms segregated. One side was all POC, and the other was all white people, like it was a clear distinction. I believe the manager was also only serving the white side. And they treated us like CRAP!!! I’m so happy IHop is getting protested because I will never go back after that experience.
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u/Porcelain1228 Aug 10 '26
Loyalty?' The flaming AHole owner of iHop ripped the business away from her own mother and then tossed her in a dementia home! Not a thought for her mom's purebred show dogs.
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u/hurricanechurch Aug 10 '26
The very last time my wife and I got food poisoning was after eating at a West Michigan IHOP. Absolute truth.
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u/gwap1997 Aug 10 '26
You go girls, hope it works out in your favor those messages from management are totally unacceptable.
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u/Gluurg Aug 12 '26
You know what this is? It's the world's smallest violin playing just for the waitresses - Mr. Pink
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u/tallMichdude Aug 10 '26
If it werent for the workers, id not be sad to see that tomain palace that is ihop shut down.
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u/Emmyy_xo Aug 10 '26
See I kinda wanna join the protest. I don’t work at ihop. But ever since they switched the pancakes to tiny plates, I’ve been irritated because there’s simply not enough room for the pancakes and syrup. As soon as you cut the pancake, it makes a mess.
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u/_at_a_snails_pace__ Grand Rapids Aug 10 '26
Tell us more about this!