Restaurant boss says all leave requests will be denied going forward, staff asks him if he's making an April Fool's joke: 'He was not'

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Apr 2, 2024 9:00 AM EDT

Dodgy off-book leave policies are something that you just come to expect after a while of working in the restaurant or retail world. From the first time you go to book leave and are met with the strong insinuation that maybe you shouldn't be taking any leave at all, giving you reasons of being too busy or too understaffed to possibly afford to be a "man down," you're going to be feeling that old resigned feeling of knowing that this is going to be that kind of place. The reality is that you're always going to be "understaffed," and management isn't going to do a thing to address it because of how good it looks on the books when labor percentages are calculated. No, despite what they say, they don't regard the business to be understaffed at all; in fact, they regard it to be well-staffed—just as long as nobody is ever sick or tries to take leave.

Of course, this is before we even get into the quagmire of suffering that is constant backpedaling on on-record policies and benefits for employees, with the benefits only ever sliding backward as an organization grows and tries to maximize profits—never moving in a positive direction that actually benefits employees.

So, it's of no surprise to anyone that the staff of this restaurant awoke to find a message from their boss notifying them of a new, stricter, and possibly illegal policy regarding PTO, banning employees from taking leave after April 11th to "ensure that the restaurant is fully running." Unfortunately, leave "blackouts" when employees are banned from requesting leave during busy periods are not foreign to anyone working in this industry, but the announcement was so swift, broad-sweeping, and oppressive that staff couldn't help but ask if it was an April Fool's Day prank done in poor taste. It, of course, wasn't.

See the responses below, along with some clarifying comments from the original poster, an employee of the restaurant.

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  • 01
    A Hello, beginning April 11. Any, PTO or RTO will be denied. We have to ensure that the restaurant is fully running. The restaurant will no longer accommodate employees, we have a business to take care. Any questions or issues plz...talk to me personally. Thank u for ur understanding! Is this an april fools day joke? because that is illegal
    via Toa Heftiba
  • 02

    "Thought my boss was playing [an] April fools day joke..."

    T T and 5 more ☐ : Arvin created this group MMS with you and 5 others A Hello, beginning April 11. Any, PTO or RTO will be denied. We have to ensure that the restaurant is fully running. The restaurant will no longer accommodate employees, we have a business to take care. Any questions or issues plz...talk to me personally. Thank u for ur understanding! Is this an april fools day joke? because that is illegal
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 03
    T Right. This has to be a joke. I have requests through the whole month of April and some in May as well. A All PTO/RTO will be but not guaranteed back on April 30th 12:41 PM (+) Text message ↓
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 04

    The Original Poster added some context to the screenshots in the comments

    GodMomltsNotAPhase OP commented 4 hr. ago Couldnt figure out how to edit the original post on mobile so let me provide some additional information because i never thought this post would have as much interaction as it did 1. To all those saying not to blame the min wage, i appreciate you, but i am also well aware that it is wntirely corporate greed. However corporate greed has been causing actions like this in our upper management for a while now
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 05
    2. I work in a restaurant/gas station and the restaurant employees were the only ones to receive this notifaction, storeside has not been issued the same rules as far as i know Ill update this comment with any additional information if i think about it + 6 + Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 06
    GodMomltsNotAPhase OP commented 4 hr. ago Y'all, i do know it's corporate greed, but corporate greed makes managers pull stunts like this which is unexcusable, but real. That being said if i could convince my coworkers to quite all at once i would lol 11 Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 07

    The OP also responded to several readers' comments

    mynamestanner . 3h ago I love businesses that can't seem to get enough employees so they keep making it worse on the few people who tolerate. working there 217 Reply 1, Share ...
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 08
    GodMomltsNotAPhase OP • 4h ago And the funniest thing is they just hired like 2 more people for some reason ↑ 33 ↓ Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 09
    Erion7 4h ago • ensure your business will not be fully staffed in one easy step. 1.7K Reply 1 Share
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  • 10
    Arvid38 53m ago • T is funny lol. Do they ever work? Maybe you need to look at them for ruining it for everyone else lol. Requests all through April and some in May. Who is working? Lol ↑ 1 B Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 11
    GodMomltsNotAPhase OP. 44m ago T owns a different business that has events booked in advance throughout april, they also do more work than literally anyone else lol if they wanted to take a whole month off i would support them 1 Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 12
    Early 2000sIndie Rock commented 2 hr. ago I also work for a restaurant and recently management said that working overtime is now "forbidden" and your shift must not run longer than 8 hours. That's all fine and good except I'm on the closing team so my out time is never set in stone, it's just when the kitchen is shut down. Caught flack for going 15 to 30 minutes over the 8 hour mark a few times so we began to just come to a full stop at the 8 hour mark. Floors half mopped? Line barely scrubbed?
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 13
    GodMomltsNotAPhase OP replied to Early 2000sIndie Rock 35 min. ago One of my coworkers recently had their schedule edited to erase the overtime they had clocked in. They were big mad at him ↑ 1 ☐ Reply ↑ Share
    via GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 14

    Other readers share their thoughts:

    ProfessionalSloth_ • 4h ago Man, Arvin's going to be running a restaurant all by himself this summer. Bummer for him. 353 Reply 1 Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 15
    Bbobbs2003 · 4h ago I do not request time off I let my job know when I won't be there 1.6K Reply 1 Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 16
    callingallcomas • 3h ago "Hello, beginning April 11 any requests for me to continue working here will be denied. I have to ensure that I'm not being taken advantage of by people who can't run a successful business. I will no longer accommodate incompetent owners and managers, I have my mental health to take care of. Any questions or issues plz...blow . Thank u for ur it out your understanding!" There's your response. 41 3 Reply ↑ Share ...
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 17
    So_Motarded • 5h ago - Man, I'm envious of you living in a location where it's illegal to alter a PTO policy. I'm in the US, where they could do this whenever they wanted lol. 116 Reply 1 Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 18
    newnewtab 3h ago Retired IT guy here. I always told my folks to never ask for time off, just tell me. If you ask then I have to think about it, and maybe see a reason to say no. If you tell me and I book it, then it is up to me to figure it out. ↑ 1 3 Reply ↑ Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 19
    Ok-Housing5911 3h ago. • The employees will no longer accommodate the restaurant, we have lives to take care of. Bye! 24 Reply ↑ Share ...
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 20
    UnAnimal1 • 3h ago All employees should surprise him by not showing up starting April 11th when his time off policy goes into effect. ☆ 1 B Reply ↑ Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 21
    • Maybeon8 2h ago The restaurant will no longer accommodate employees, we have a business to take care. The employees are the business. I don't understand how so many business owners don't get this. 1 Reply ↑ Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 22
    • lortplzhelpme 3h ago Again... it's the "thank you for understanding" that gets me. It's always said right after some out of pocket "here's what you're gonna do and like it" statement 1 B Reply ↑ Share ...
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 23
    maodiver1 3h ago • : Say goodbye to employees after they find a new job ↑ 1 B Reply ↑ Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase
  • 24
    mikeOsd • 2h ago Type in that group text "how much is everyone's hourly pay going up to make up for the loss of PTO?". I'd also look into a partial unemployment claim or something. Nobody should be able to just change up someone's job benefits like this on a whim. But in America things are really stacked against workers. ↑ 1 Reply ↑ Share
    via u/GodMomItsNotAPhase

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customer support customer service workplace-stories talesfromretail server retail waiter karen-customer customers waiting karen-customers april fools customer talesfromyourserver food service service tales-from-retail tales from your server service industry
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