Today my GM Joel Tavison called me around noon to tell me that he was going to start writing my letter of reference at 1:00 PM when the Dining Room manager Nick Estefan came in. He said he would call me if we were going to be open tonight.
Finally about 4:15 PM I called. The hostess Claudia answered and I asked her if we were open tonight and she said yes. I asked her how many reservations we had and she said 70. I asked if I could talk to Joel, but she told me he was in a meeting and asked if I wanted to talk to Nick. So I said, “okay”. She puts me on hold and then comes back and tells me Nick and Joel are both in a meeting. So, I said, ” Well, Joel told me that he would call me if we were open tonight so I could come in to work.” So she says she will try to check with him and call me back. She calls back 10 minutes later and tells me that I’m not scheduled for tonight. Great. (I really don’t understand why Joel would call me today and tell me he’d let me know if we were open tonight so I could work, and then this?) So I say, well I will come in anyway to pick up my check and my letter of reference. She calls me back again saying that Joel hasn’t finished my letter of reference and will do it in the morning. I ask her if I can pick up my check and she says she doesn’t know and will get back to me. She hasn’t.
This all is really disappointing. I should have been able to work tonight. I should have been able to make a little money to hold me over until I get another job or the end of the month, when I get my school district check. But that really does me no good, all of that has to go right back out to pay bills. I really don’t understand why this is happening to me. I have more seniority than any other server there. I have been told that I get better comment cards than anyone else. I have two couples that come in every Friday night and request me. One couple is about to celebrate their 200th dinner, the other is about to celebrate their 100th. The people who come in the most prefer me. Me.
This new president and CEO of Copia, Garry McGuire Jr. seems to be running around making poor snap decisions like a chicken with his head cut off. We are heading in to our busy season where we do 100 people at lunch consistently and he has decided to only serve lunch three days a week, on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On the other days they are opening a bistro in Copia, which is really a glorified cafeteria, where people will walk up to the counter to order. Classy. He says this is because they don’t make money during the slow season at lunch. Okay, well close it down to three days during the slow season then, not during the busy season. Duh. I hear from my friends that this cafeteria is not working out well at all. Customers that come into the restaurant for a fine dining experience are having long wait times for their food, while the kitchen puts out burgers to the cafeteria/bistro. Next he is closing down the restaurant for renovations for three weeks during the start of the busy season. This starts next week I’m told. So even the people that are full time, that they want to keep, are going to be out of a job for three weeks. None of us have enough savings to afford that. I think all the employees are going to be out job hunting. That means that Julia’s Kitchen will lose even more of it’s wonderful staff. We need new chairs right now. The rest of the renovation could have been saved for January, when they are now planning to close for a month, this could give the staff enough time to plan for it as well. And he is letting good people go, me included of course, with no warning or even a severance package. Firstly, it’s stupid. Secondly, it’s mean. It’s definitely causing me a lot of undue stress and hardship.
I seriously live through the month on my tips. My school district job covers my bills and provides health insurance benefits and my restaurant job covers my kids and my living expenses. I had no time to prepare for this, no notice. Now I have $23. There is some money in the bank but I think I have more bills that may be coming out so I can’t touch that unless it’s an emergency.
This is horrendous. How did this happen to me?
I applied for unemployment, but I really don’t know how that works or how much I will get or when I will get it.
I spent yesterday and today waiting around, hoping against hope that I would at least be able to work my last two shifts. I could have spent that time picking up applications and turning in resumes.
Today I printed out copies of my cover letter, resume, and three letters of recommendation that I had. I also emailed all of that to Auberge du Soleil and Etoile at Domaine Chandon.
I talked to my friend/co-worker/former co-worker Norrel. She is so sweet and fun, I will miss seeing her dearly. I mean I guess we can all hang out now and then, but still. She really didn’t know half the story. She was so kind, told me she would ask around and let me know if she heard of anyone who was hiring. Of course I’ll do the same for her. She just started pastry classes this week. She is becoming a chef.
I heard from my friend Leo tonight. He was going to the new Narnia movie, Prince of Caspian, I think. He just called randomly to say hello. He was shocked when I told him. The good thing is that he gave me a lead on a place to apply that I’ve never heard of in Hiddenbrooke in Vallejo. I’ll check it out tomorrow.
My friend Patricia called me, hoping I wouldn’t answer because I was at work, but I did.
I’m feeling a bit sad and depressed and sorry for myself. I need to snap out of it though. It definitely won’t help. And I’ve read The Secret. I know what I need to do to fix things. I’m just too much in shock and denial to do it right now.
I have a big list of places to apply. I plan to head out in the morning and pick up applications. I wish gas prices weren’t so high and Napa wasn’t so far away though. Wish me luck.
Lauralovesart's Blog 