'Told you so': New boss ignores long-time server's warning when they quit for better job, restaurant reviews tank after staff quits over toxic management

Author image for Isabella Penn
Isabella Penn
Feb 2, 2025 4:00 PM EST

You can go to a restaurant with the best food in the world, but if the service is bad, the entire experience is ruined. On the flip side, great service can (sort of) make up for less-than-stellar food. A server's attitude and effort usually depend on management and how they're treated as employees. Whether you're a server or not, you know that if you're not being treated fairly by your boss, you're not about to go above and beyond when on the clock.

That's exactly what happened when this restaurant got a new manager. The changes started small but quickly spiraled—added workloads, stricter rules, and management's complete disregard for employee well-being. One longtime server had been there for years, but after watching the restaurant go downhill, they gave their notice. But before leaving, they warned management: "You're going to lose all your best people." Andddd, they were right. Keep reading to find out what happened next. 

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    via Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash+

    This image is for illustration only, and the subjects are models; the image does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I warned my last job all the good servers would walk, they didn't listen and well, well

    Random post, but to be honest, I find it kind of funny. I used to work at a casual fine dining steak house. The money was GREAT, but the hours were rough. Every holiday, I was forced to work doubles away from my kids, I didn't get home until 2AM because they kept giving the
    via Anomymously
  • closers extra cr p to do (yet we closed at 11...) I stayed so long because I made so much. (At least 300 a night, even in slow season.) Well our GM got promoted, so we got stuck with a new GM who was originally a kitchen manager.
    via Anomymously
  • Grit
    via Jessie McCall for Unsplash+
  • This GM immediately started changing things in the FOH and everything began falling apart. They weren't happy with closers, added even more closing work and added an extra hour of work. Then they wanted to limit sections. Everyone in a 3 table
    via Anomymously
  • section, and no picking up tables from others. At this time, I got offered another job. I saw the way things were going and I quickly turned in my 2 week notice. Before I left, I told the new GM exactly what would happen. "Your good servers will
    via Anomymously
  • leave and all that will be left is the ones that don't care." Anyways, I love my new job. Also serving, but we are closed on holidays, it's a family owned restaurant, and I'm already the lead server there and I get home by 10. It was a small pay cut but I
    via Anomymously
  • am so much happier and get more time to spend with my kids and actually get to enjoy having hobbies again. I got bored and decided to look at the reviews at my last job. It used to get nothing but 4-5 star
    via Anomymously
  • reviews, now it's literally full of 1- 2 star reviews and every single one of them is about service. I found out all the other ones from my "dream team" left immediately after I did. I usually hate being the one to say I told you so but...I walked away from a sinking ship.
    via Anomymously
  • Fabulous_Leg3466 I'm about to do the same exact thing. Except I don't make money anyways so flol
    via Fabulous_Leg3466
  • Micheal_Pen My current job is the same way, kitchen closes at ten, I'm there most nights until 1. Moneys fine but I do this for side cash and savings. I most nights have at most a 5 table section. My
    via Micheal_Pen
  • manager asked me what I needed to stay happy. I told her we need to trim the fat and everyone should have at least an 8 table section. If tables come in staggered you'll be fine, and it's a pool we can all help. But if we have 10 servers and 3
    via Micheal_Pen
  • bartenders in the pool it gets very diluted add late nights for no concrete reason, you'll have a massive exodus of the people bringing in real tips
    via Micheal_Pen
  • thatredheadedchef321 I recently took a pay cut for a new job. Best decision of my life. The new is 40 ish hours, I'm off Sunday and Monday most weeks, and holidays we are closed and I get holiday pay! I've never been happier
    via thatredheadedchef321
  • ExoticVersion2255 I left my first serving job in the city and they told me "I'll never find somewhere where I'll make more money" (I did) and after I quit 12 or more people quit after me, and doors closed within a year
    via ExoticVersion2255
  • LonelyCakeEater I always jump ship before it hits the iceberg. You can usually see it coming from miles away
    via LonelyCakeEater
  • powerfulnightowl Good for you!!! We don't need to deal with a GM who don't know what's he doing. If the owner of the restaurant don't see the problem, very likely the restaurant who go bankrupt. In today's world, we can't deal with that.
    via powerfulnightowl
  • clumsysav This is definitely a pattern that has followed me around, two times I've been fired and both times three people quit the same week✔ ETA family owned places are typically the way to go in my experience (going on 20 years)
    via clumsysav
  • flip257 A tale as old as time, never gets old
    via flip257

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employee job server waiter work customers quit restaurant bad bosses karma service industry
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