'Now that is some worker solidarity': Entire restaurant quits after one worker is called out for dress code violation

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jul 30, 2024 11:00 AM EDT

This restaurant was so strict that these workers just couldn't take it anymore. There's only so much you can ask from someone before they finally call it quits and decide to find employment somewhere better. 

Nobody's perfect, everyone makes mistakes now and again. Even at the finest of fine dining locales, the waitstaff will sometimes drop a drink or forget to bring out someone's dessert. This person was at a popular Italian restaurant that was packed every day. They worked with a tight-knit group of people. Their boss had a bone to pick with the way people dressed, though. He was quite insistent that they must "look presentable and in uniform at all times." That includes dirty uniforms and hair falling out of a slicked-back bun. During an 8-hour shift, there's just no way a waiter wouldn't get a stain or two on their clothing. And the person sharing their story, u/Dishwaterdreams, got fired for an even sillier reason. You can check out the entire story down below. 

Next up, there are a ton of bizarre things for sale online, like one person who's getting rid of their "Free rooster… I'm scared to go near him, he's aggressive towards people." What a deal! 

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  • 01
    15 'He loudly fired both of us'
    via Kimia Zarifi on Unsplash
  • 02
    Fired for hair - restaurant had to close down When I was in high school, I got a part time job as a hostess at an Italian restaurant with a friend of mine. The restaurant was only open 5 days a week for dinner.
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 03
    The restaurant was fairly new but was already filling every table every night because the food was amazing. In addition to my friend and I being the only two hostesses, the bus boys were friends, half of the waiters were friends and the dishwasher was a friend.
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 04
    The owners son was the floor manager and with the success of the restaurant started to implement new changes. Everyone must look presentable and in uniform at all times. No dirty uniforms. Even for the bus boy. He was rather to all employees and would hover and take over our jobs right in front of customer apologizing for our inability to do our jobs correctly.
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 05
    However, everyone there was fantastic at their jobs. The dish washer even found creative ways to stay clean and tidy. The straw broke one night when my friend and I were both working the hostess stand on a packed Saturday night. The manager walked up to us and declared our hair was not compliant with dress code. Both
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 06
    of us had our hair pulled back in the requisite buns. However, we both had a few stray wisps. You know, those tiny little new hairs around your face. Never mind that is was August and it was hot and we were all working as a team like crazy to make sure the night ran smoothly sharing duties such as bussing tables and running foot and drinks (underage). He loudly fired both
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 07
    of us on the spot in front of the entire restaurant and front staff. He then said we were required to continue to work for two weeks and train our replacements. I asked, are we fired? He said yes. And I said firing means every don't work for you anymore. We walked out, punched our cards and went to change out of our uniforms. When we got out of the dressing room, there was a line of
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 08
    people waiting to change including the bus boys, half the wait staff, and the dishwasher. All were so mad about what had happened that they quit on the spot. No one liked the job anyway. We all went to iHop to eat and we're soon joined by the rest of the wait staff and the line cooks.
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 09
    So all that was left of the entire restaurant staff was the bartender, the owner/cook and the manager. I later heard that the owner just decided to shut down the restaurant because the only reason he started it was to provide his son a legacy from the family businesses in Italy and he decided his son couldn't handle it.
    via u/Dishwaterdreams
  • 10
    yParticle Now that is some worker solidarity! Love to hear it. I hope all of you found better work elsewhere or that one of the cooks turning out that amazing food opened their own place.
    via u/yParticle
  • 11
    techieguyjames He loudly fired both of us on the spot in front of the entire restaurant and front staff. He then said we were required to continue to work for two weeks and train our replacements. The audacity, nerve, and fortitude on him.
    via u/techieguyjames
  • 12
    HaroerHaktak People forget that your employees are your number 1 asset. You have employees because of the workload and without them you won't make money. So you need to treat your number 1 income earners with respect.
    via u/HaroerHaktak
  • 13
    Had he known that he wouldn't have lost what sounds like a business that probably would've given him enough money to retire within 10 years.
    via u/HaroerHaktak
  • 14
    kanaka_maalea The Italian legacy thing is real. I learned how to cook Italian food from a phenomenal chef from Italy. While I worked there for years as a dishwasher, then cook, then delivery driver at his restaurant. Even though
    via u/kanaka_maalea
  • 15
    his food was amazing the restaurant went under because his son couldn't manage the business aspect either.
    via u/kanaka_maalea
  • 16
    renoraid Restaurant doing great and loads of busy days? I'd be more concerned I'd end up doing something or making a change that would break that streak.
    via u/renoraid
  • 17
    ABewilderedPickle Stray wisps of hair? Fired over that? Even today I wouldn't be working a job like that. As a guy with long hair, it is literally impossible. to not have stray shorter hairs when my hair is up in a ponytail. The only way not to have that is to sit down for half an hour or more and pluck the stray hairs, but that's not happening.
    via u/ABewilderedPickle
  • 18
    Immolating_Cactus The two weeks are given when the employee quits. And it's a curtesy. Bad work places don't get them. And they certainly don't get to tell employees how long they "have to stay". Typical manglement.
    via u/Immolating_Cactus

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boss workplace-stories jobs job malicious compliance bosses work coworkers malicious-compliance-reddit i quit quit satisfying quitting story quitting work workplace quitting story malicious compliance reddit quitting
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