'I'll make the quesadillas exactly as ordered, but you pay the dry cleaners': Cheap manager changes restaurant recipes, gets covered in molten cheese in front of his corporate bosses

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    I'll make the quesadillas exactly as ordered, but you pay the dry cleaners
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    Obligatory disclaimer: on mobile, non English speaker (due to a previous post, I thought I write everything in my language and pass through Google translation and the post it, but I may lose my reservation in H Still on hubby's account, an autocorrect error (and my son's hungry stomach) reminded me of my first conscious MC. It also kept away from Mexican food until I remet my husband.
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    Back in the begin of the 21th century, I was working in a cafe/sandwich shop. It was a 24/7 shop in a prime location (in an area with a lot of uni students and very active nightlife and the road was a major artery for anyone traveling in or out of the city). When I started, as a first year uni student trying to make some money, the shop was one of four of a small chain. Gary, the owner/manager has bought the rights from the original shop. Gary was also doing Quality Control for the shop, because
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    Fast forward two years. The original owners decide to incorporate, because they have a lot of offers for franchising and a couple of problems with Quality Control have appeared. So, they bought back all the shops and instituted a more centralized approach to vendors. That was good for Gary, because he was the owner of the building, so he basically became a salaried manager and got extra income from the rent. Initially, nothing changed. We were still number 2 in sales, product was good. Then D en
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    k was the new regional manager (the small chain had became big enough to reach national level) and the person responsible for Quality Control. He was considered something of a golden boy, having a business degree and helping with the expansion. The problem came from his ego. You see, Dk had done a cooking workshop (that provides a certificate, but nothing more) and considered himself something of a chef.
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    His first major change was installing a crepe station. Not restaurant quality crepes, but crepes on the go (folded like a triangle). That is important for later. While a b to learn at the beginning, it quickly became on of our best sellers. We usually went over 10L of crepe mixture on a slow day. Having success with his first change, Dk decided to apply his "chef" training and implement some new things.
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    At that point in time, Mexican cuisine was becoming popular in my country, due mostly to cooking shows. D decides to ride the trend and starts putting "Mexican" options on the menu. In reality, that meant two more "set" sandwiches and crepes (the ones on the board) and a few more customization options for sandwiches and crepes. And here begins the problem.
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    As I said, Mexican cuisine was quite the new thing. Our country's cuisine is wayyyy different than the Mexican, especially on the spice level. A lot of the produce used for Mexican food was either rare or nonexistent. But Dk was adamant it was another win for him found a vendor. And the quality started to fail.
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    We started to receive buckets of premade chili and queso and jars of picked "jalapenos" and premade guacamole and pico de gallo dips. Also, blocks of white cheese labeled "queso blanco". The "queso" was an orange paste with some red bits in it (according to hubby, under a bad light it could pass for bad queso) and the left a very plastic taste (it reminded of clay). One taste of that kept me away from Mexican food for a while. The "jalapenos" weren't jalapenos. They were pickled Thai Green chili
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    new thing that kind of sold was a plate of nachos. Basically because it was Doritos covered in queso (when it was heated, it became an orange liquid), a lot of bacon and a lot of sausage. We have complained about the quality to Gary, but he couldn't do anything anymore and Dik doesn't backs down. Dk is a bit upset from the low sales. He blames us ("you're not pushing them enough") and the customers ("those barbarians couldn't recognize a fillet mignon from a shank"), but he sticks to his guns. A
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    "Exactly as it says on the board and prepared exactly as I told you" he replies. "Ok sir. I will call you when they're ready" I replied smiling. Now Dik, in all his "chefy" wisdom, has given us very specific instructions for the "quesadillas". First, to take out of the way, it wasn't a proper quesadilla, it was a crepe. The instructions were: "reheat the chili, start the crepe, place one and a half ladles of reheated queso, add one ladle of the chili, add a tablespoon of chopped jalapenos, one t
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    Cue malicious compliance: We (me and the other girl working) make 5 "quesadillas" exactly as instructed. I took the order to the table (it was corporate after all) and waited for the results. Five people, wearing white shirts and suits, bite into the "quesadillas". The "quesadillas" almost simultaneously explode, raining melted cheese and red chili on them. Some of them have bitten a "jalapeno" and the heat is hitting then hard. A few choice words were heard. We brought them two bottles of water
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    After they left, Dk came back. He was beyond angry. He approached the bench, bypassing the line (it was during one of our rush hours) and made a scene. The following dialogue is a bit censored: "You stupid You made me look bad because you don't like Mexican food! You can't even follow basic instructions! The cleaning of your mess will be deducted from your pay!" and some other more offensive stuff. I was standing there dumbfounded, along with a long line of customers hearing his outburst. And th
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    "Shut the "What the replied. Tup!" did you say?" "I said SHUT THE UP! The girls followed your instructions to the letter. Don't try to blame them for your mistake. Or make them pay for your dry cleaning." Ι DK: "I can do what the KI want. And when I'm finished with them, maybe I'll find another manager for this shop." Gary: " I would love to see you try. k: "Oh, I will! I will!" and he stormed out.
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    Fallout: Immediately Gary called HQ and notified about what happened. He also gave an ultimatum. If something happened to his staff, the company would need to find a new location. Three days later, we were notified that Dk was fired. While his outburst was the main reason, one of the owners having a really bad reaction to the "jalapenos". A week later, the Mexican menu was removed. During that part, they found out that Dk had used the cheapest vendor for the new menu. The vendor had a reputation
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    I stayed there until I finished uni and got a job in my field. The Mexican menu made a huge comeback two years before I left. This time, HQ had hired a proper Chef to consult and find vendors. Now the ingredients are as authentic as possible and pico and guac are made daily in house. They also have good queso now, although it took me a long time to try it. And no prepackaged, premade chili. In fact, no chili at all. My repulsion to Mexican food ended when my husband took me to a proper Mexican r
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    Edit: Well, this escalated quickly... Thank you all for the awards and you a anonymous redditor for the gold. I've been in the comments and need to address to things. 1) I didn't put it through Google Translate. 2) When I say chili, I mean chili con carne. Although, with some of the knowledge I have now I would characterize is as "a bad Sloppy Joe meat mix with delusions of grandeur".
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    iWillNeverBeSpecial. This is such a good story but my favoite line is "I may lose my reservation 11 in H
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    Xaphios I feel this is the same with most food - try a version of it and you'll never want it again, get good stuff and most regions make tasty food cause people like it.
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    judobeer67 This is a great story also be happy your boss had leverage so he could have your back.
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    [deleted] As a Texan - and what you are describing is TexMex - I am abhorred that anyone would call a chili crepe a quesadilla. 185 Reply Share alxwak OP Having made a few thousand crepes and a few hundred proper quesadillas afterwards myself, I agree wholeheartedly.
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    Cheezburger Image 9833220864

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