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grampscirclea t1_iqrpg8q wrote

To be fair, there are exceptions. I've cooked at the same restaurant for the better part of a decade, and while there are the usual issues you would face in a high stress environment, it is the most non-toxic BOH experience I've ever had.

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LionOver t1_iqstcn3 wrote

Please share. Love to support that.

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grampscirclea t1_iqt8oq3 wrote

I'm the sous chef at Helen's. There are, of course, issues that all restaurants are going to face, but our BOH is consistently drama free, I don't remember the last time my chef barked, much less THREW anything, at me. We're all paid as well as the restaurant can afford to, regular raises, no issues with taking off as long as we can find a cover. It helps that we are a very small team. Chef, two line cooks, and a dishwasher max per shift and we all do our own prep. Believe me, it's fucking hard work, but the newest person on the line has been with us for five years, and the Chef has been here 18 years now. I think that speaks highly for how we feel about working here.

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LionOver t1_iqtbbhb wrote

Love Helen's! My wife and I were already considering having dinner there before an upcoming bday party. We just agreed on it after reading this reply.

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40thTrimestrAbortion t1_iquhaum wrote

When you take off, are you paid? I.e., are you allotted any paid time off?

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grampscirclea t1_iqui2ag wrote

Only the Chef gets paid time off, since he's salary and works like 70 hour weeks. I have had them give me a food stipend to go out to eat at pricier spots when I go on vacation with my wife, which is a definite perk.

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