'The company makes $300 a day on this': Servers scoff at the chance to win a $5 'prize' when the restaurant holds a contest for employees to upsell customers

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Jan 20, 2024 11:00 PM EST

Anytime there's a contest at a minimum wage job, it seems like whatever corporate baboon who thought of the idea has never actually stepped foot into the establishment they're attempting to manipulate. As out of touch as corporate contests are and no matter how pathetic the 'prize' is, there are still desperate employees who take part in the event– whether it's selling company credit cards, upselling desserts, or pushing more product out the door– the real winners at the end of the day are always the C-level suit monkeys counting their bonus checks and buying yachts.

So look closely at that $10 coffee shop gift card you won and think about the thousands of dollars you just earned your company's CEO. Feeling angry yet? In our next story, the servers of a popular chain restaurant were up in arms when their store manager announced the most pathetic contest ever thought of, where servers had the chance to win a prize worthy of a kindergarten class… *drumroll*… a crisp $5 bill.

Scroll for all the fiery details and a server's lament that'll make you want to polish off that old torch and pitchfork in your garage.

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  • 01
    66 "I refuse to participate"
    via canva
  • 02
    r/antiwork Posted by u/Themayorofawesome 21 hours ago F&$#% the chain restaurant industry I'm sitting at lunch today at a chain restaurant, one with a pepper in its logo, and overhear some noise from the kitchen. The manager on duty proceeds to call a team meeting to discuss the latest upsell "contest".
    via Themayorofawesome
  • 03
    He says, and I quote "We're going to do an upsell event, think of it as a contest". Continuing to listen he goes on to explain the person who sells the most desserts at lunch and the person who sells the most alcohol at dinner wins $5 for the day. Most sells for the month wins $25.
    via Themayorofawesome
  • 04
    So say the average sell is 5 items each day at $8 a pop and the person who wins sells 10 items. The company makes say $300 a day on this and pays the server $5. Take this times 31 and that's well into the thousands all the while they paid out a max of $325. This is why big chains
    via Themayorofawesome
  • 05
    OpenBeing2974 - 21 hr. ago As a former (thank God) chain employee who works a corporate job now I can tell you there's few things m more demoralizing than winning one of these dumb contests and getting handed like a ten dollar gift card...
    via OpenBeing2974
  • 06
    MyLastFuckingNerve 20 hr. ago I worked at Target and they always had contests for their i red cards. I got 26 one weekend and my grand prize was a little stuffed Spot dog. Not even money. I made $8/hr. Fuck target so hard for that and sooooo many other things. I know people like to glorify that place like it's some retail mecca, but it's just a more expensive walmart for people who think they're too bougie for walmart.
    via MyLastFuckingNerve
  • 07
    altonbrownfan 16 hr. ago Cashier at Target. They asked me why I had zero credit card applications. One day they offered like real stuff per application per cashier like sleeping bags etc. I was the top person in my entire district. I the District Manager came by to ask me about me how I did it. They ended the contest and I went back to zero and they were totally baffled why
    via altonbrownfan
  • 08
    Overall Nuggie_876 - 17 hr. ago While working at r/Starbucks, one of the more-incompetent SMS offered a reward for everyone at tills to upsell cake pops, preferably the least-selling cookie dough pop (compared to the popular birthday and chocolate flavors). Whoever could sell 10 pops/day or 50 pops/week would get this reward. That reward? A cookie dough pop... only to be consumed during your lunch.
    via Overall_Nuggie_876
  • 09
    OpenBeing2974 17 hr. ago Hooray! A bite of cake! You know what they really don't like?! When you bring your own lunch "cause I don't eat this garbage" Every time I'm in a Starbucks which is not often to be honest, I'm amazed that one of the baristas doesn't hop over the counter and slap someone with their CVS receipt length modded orders
    via OpenBeing2974
  • 10
    Dizzy-Abalone-8948 20 hr. ago Their bonuses are based on their profit margin. You're just paying for his boat. Reply Share 72 OpenBeing2974. 20 hr. ago. edited 20 hr. ago Oh I'm aware...and forgive me for anyone I offend - there's no group LESS qualified to do anything on earth that the regional and district managers of a large chain restaurant who've largely failed upwards...
    via Dizzy-Abalone-8948
  • 11
    tidyshark12 19 hr. ago At six flags, when you got awarded with employee of the month, they'd get you a cake and throw a tiny party in one ofbthe shops with only salaried managers and you could go there during your lunch break unless you wanted to eat real food on your lunch break. The real kicker here: ... you were taxed on the value of the cake. The cakes cost was added to your check and then it was post tax subtracted from your check.
    via tidyshark12
  • 12
    solohaldor 19 hr. ago I won a contest from one of these chain restaurants and the contest was a launch for a new product. No one actually tried to sell it because it sucked but I won just because I worked a lot during the time frame. The prize was a plane ticket to anywhere in the US. I gave it to this girl I kinda liked at the time because I was going nowhere as I was busy with school at the time. Anyway we have been together for 15 years now and married for 12 years with 3 kids. Sometimes they
    via solohaldor
  • 13
    CinnamonGirl123. 18 hr. ago That's how they make money. It's also why I hate chain restaurants, as well as the food is usually Reply Share 6 SquirreloftheOak 19 hr. ago There is an easy fix to this...don't go to chain restaurants. It isn't hard to do.
    via CinnamonGirl123
  • 14
    notmydayJR 20 hr. ago Manager gets a quarterly bonus based on sales targets. Call it "trickle down economics". 13 13 Reply Share Themayorofawesome OP 19 hr. ago And I'll bet it's a.... of a lot more than $25
    via notmydayJR
  • 15
    ProjectShadow316 19 hr. ago Not a restaurant, but a chain of convenience store/gas stations. There was a contest to sell the most window clings (Special Olympics ) at $1 each. Winner got basically a vacation day. I refused to participate, because while it is for a good cause, all I get out of it is a vacation day, but my manager probably gets a bonus that's at least 10x that.
    via ProjectShadow316
  • 16
    cursedalien 17 hr. ago The prizes are never worth it. The Ruby Tuesday I worked at in the early 2010's would offer... like a free dinner or free bottle of wine. _. I steal both of those all the time. That ain't. Give me something I can't steal, like cash.
    via cursedalien
  • 17
    Joey_BagaDonuts57 19 hr. ago Staff are there to take your order, not upsell you one. Contests based on shilling to patrons always ends up worse for the customers.
    via Joey_BagaDonuts57
  • 18
    logri 16 hr. ago As long as it is only carrot and no stick, it's not that bad. If they want their people to upsell and give bonuses to whoever does that the best, it is just mildly annoying for the customers at worst. It's when they penalize their servers for not selling enough that things get real bad.
    via logri
  • 19
    jdubbinsyo 19 hr. ago ... thats like kid's pocket money. No adult should ever offer another adult that level of compensation and not expect to get laughed at.
    via jdubbinsyo
  • 20
    flerg_a_blerg 19 hr. ago ooooooooh my lawd 25 whole dollahs where ever shall I spend all this won'duful mu'hney? 2 Reply Share 50pluspiller 16 hr. ago At the company store....
    via flerg_a_blerg
  • 21
    ztarlight12 14 hr. ago I guarantee this has to do with some kind of bonus the manager will receive if the store meets the sales goal. The payout to the employee is menial in comparison.
    via ztarlight12
  • 22
    RightFunny 19 hr. ago I would have tipped an extra $25 and told the server, "now you don't have to do that stupid contest." 1 Reply Share Themayorofawesome OP 15 hr. ago This is the right answer, wish I'd of thought of that at the time
    via RightFunny
  • 23
    flazinho 19 hr. ago . You think they make pure profit on every item? 0 Reply Share ... Themayorofawesome OP 15 hr. ago near, most desserts come in frozen and cost about $8-10 for a complete product. Sell that ... for $6.50 or more each slice, which is say 12 slices to a whole cake and that's nearly an 800% profit. They absolutely make bank
    via flazinho
  • 24
    That Was Fortunate. 19 hr. ago Anytime a contest like that has been announced over my career, I refuse to try unless there's a legit prize. I'm happy to not work anywhere like that anymore
    via ThatWasFortunate

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