Restaurant manager quits after owners propose halving salary from $1800 a week to $900: 'I have been working there 12 years, I ran their business'

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Ally Perry • Writer and Editor
Apr 26, 2025 9:00 AM EDT

Few major industries are as cutthroat as hospitality can be. It requires punishing hours, a near-superhuman ability to multitask, and a skin thick enough to deal with the delights of the general public at their most entitled. While it is a sector that many workers find themselves in as a stopgap or even a last resort, it takes true passion to really succeed and not let the whole thing burn you out.

Taking this into consideration, you would think that the owners and managers of dining establishments or similar would do their best to compensate their employees well. Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth in many places. When a hospitality business starts struggling, it's not uncommon for the staff to be the first to feel the financial pinch. When it comes down to it, a lot of these entrepreneurs are more interested in covering their own backside then helping out their team.

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  • One restaurant manager felt the betrayal of this situation when the owners of the restaurant where she had worked for twelve years proposed halving her salary in a bid to save money while the business struggled to turn a profit. This employee had not only put in years of service but had also gone above and beyond in their role during that time.

    Deeply insulted by this proposal, she was considering rejecting it and expected to quit r be fired as a result. She wondered if this reaction was too drastic, as her husband was advising her to stay.

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    Cheezburger Image 10498530816
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02

    AITAH for quitting my job when my boss just told me my salary is being cut in half?

    I run a small restaurant that has not been doing great over the last 2 years. I have tried my best to do everything within my power to boost sales and get new customers, but the ownership refuses to advertise or to use social media appropriately (make a TikTok, engage users, make events for specials). They also do not replace broken equipment. The ice machine has mold growing in it. The cooler doors fall off a few times a shift. One AC unit in the kitchen just doesn't work so it's always hot and
    via Electrical-Ad9795
  • 03
    food), I plan special events (Thanksgiving dinners, beer specials, etc), I cook when a kitchen guy is out sick, I bartend when noone can cover a shift, I am the electrician/plumber/HVAC/janitor/therapist. I make all the schedules, do all the training, created the training program, pay the bills, the list goes on... The owners take extravagant trips yearly like going to the Paris Olympics or Scotland for a week. They spent 3 months in Europe two summers ago... while I ran their business. Now that
    via Electrical-Ad9795
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    So I want to tell them that I do not accept the pay cut because I know I will still be responsible for all of the things ownership is going to neglect or forget to do... which I assume will mean I am fired/quit. Does that make me a selfish a_h_le? My husband says I should stick it out because I need the insurance, but I am tired of feeling like I have been taken advantage of.
    via Electrical-Ad9795
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    Cheezburger Image 10498531072
    via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 06

    People were unanimous in their advice to her.

    CalamityClambake Hi. I own a successful restaurant.Let me give you my perspective as a potential employer in your field: Tell them you need the new offer in writing before you can figure out your new responsibilities. Then take that letter to the unemployment office and file for unemployment due to constructive dismissal. Unemployment will either give you your half of the wages back or give you leave to quit and collect unemployment while you find a new job. (USA) If you can do all of those thin
    via CalamityClambake
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    If you do decide to keep your job for the insurance, do exactly half the work you are doing now and give zero fs about the rest. Don't do work you aren't paid for. Make it their problem. They created the problem; they can solve it. But they won't. So your job will become to deal with angry people who didn't get paid/served/whatever. Aaaaand we're back to just quit. Please, for the love of justice and sanity, do not continue to keep this business running for $900/week. They do not deserve that fr
    via CalamityClambake
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    just_peachy1000 and notice the comment says they run a "successful" business. Treating your employees fairly is always a good indicator of someone who runs their business well.
    via just_peachy1000
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    ToastetteEgg NTA. Think of it this way: You can stay at a sinking restaurant at half pay, or you can get a job at half pay in a thriving restaurant and work that pay up. You owe your employer nothing after what they did. They sure as h I aren't taking a 50% pay cut.
    via ToastetteEgg
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    Scorp128 NTA OPs name is not on the restaurant. They shouldn't be working harder than the owners that do have their name on the business. Especially a struggling/failing business. Always act your wage and never run yourself into the ground for an employer who will have your job listing posted before your obituary hits the papers.
    via Scorp128
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    AccomplishedFace4534 You need to call the health inspectors in if there is mold in the ice machine and stuff. Why are you still working there and why haven't you called them in knowing all of this? You're all lucky that someone didn't get sick and sue the restaurant
    via AccomplishedFace4534
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    Madsmebc Doesn't this constitute constructive dismissal? I'd check into your local laws - at least that might get you compensation and unemployment insurance
    via Madsmebc
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    grayblue_grrl I am sure that with your skills and experience you can get another job. Meanwhile that job is d_ng. It is going to end one way or another. You can be ahead of the rush. You don't want to go down with that ship. They are rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic and making you captain. Abandon that ship. There is no guarantee that they are still even paying the insurance. ΝΤΑ
    via grayblue_grrl
  • 14
    pwettynut NTA. Your first priority is yourself, not their failing business.
    via pwettynut
  • 15
    sn34kypete Quit yesterday. You could full time bartend and make more at a place that isn't a sinking ship. Oh and call the city health inspector on the place. That ice machine is a death trap. Hit up your competitors and get a new gig.
    via sn34kypete
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    WaryScientist NTA, but it's definitely easier to find a new job when you have a job... it may be worth just sucking it up while you actively search for a new job and then quit when you have one. Edited to add: I'd also do the bare minimum... malicious compliance with your job role or whatever - don't do anything extra
    via WaryScientist
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    Zestyclose-Height-36 If you do stay while you look. Sit down at a table and send out resumes for the half of your shift you are not getting paid for.
    via Zestyclose-Height-36
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    Miserable-Onion-7293 ABSOLUTELY NTA! Put your health, and self-worth first. I worked a job, in a different setting, for 24 years. I started as reception and ended up running the place while the owner did nothing. I organised staff, did tax returns, assisted clients, liaised with any government authority required several times a day. My pay barely changed in 24 years and when I said I was going to retire he sold the business as he knew who ran it. He then expected me to still keep doing all of hi
    via Miserable-Onion-7293
  • 19
    Vast-Juice-411 YWBTA if you stay. They do not care about you thus there would be no 'selfishness' to factor in
    via Vast-Juice-411
  • 20
    AnxiousMom4 Stay do the bare minimum you get paid less you do less. Let them sink and you and everyone else will easily get unemployment. They won't last long I've been there done that all the red flags are there. Start with reporting them to the health department!
    via AnxiousMom4
  • 21
    lanDOsmond If you stay in that job at that pay, you are everybody over. You are pulling down the wages of every single person in the restaurant industry in your area. If they can't afford to run the restaurant, they can't afford to run the restaurant, and it needs to close. If you owned the place, you could put your life's bl d into it, because you could have a chance of getting it back later; as it is, all you have is the money they pay you, and that's not enough. If you don't demand a fair pri
    via IanDOsmond
  • 22
    Ok Stable 7501 Nope. Time to jump ship. NTA
    via Ok_Stable7501
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    These Mycologist132 It wouldn't hurt to line up a new job before you quit, but you're definitely NTA for quitting. It's not reasonable to cut your pay that much, and it sounds like the restaurant may not last much longer anyway
    via These_Mycologist132
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    tickandzesty Don't think of it as a pay cut. Think of it as supplementing owners' travel budget. The decision to quit isn't as hard when you think of it as taking money out of your pocket to add to their luxury spending.
    via tickandzesty
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    Radiant Bill_1071 Not the a h_le. You've done everything. A 50% pay cut with no real support? You're right to walk away.
    via Radiant_Bill_1071
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    MoreDoor 1874 You'll need some proof (written document, voice recording, or video recording) that they are cutting your pay and reducing your responsibilities.
    via MoreDoor1874
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    medandhedhmd If you're doing all that, sounds like you have a lot of experience that other places would love to have and pay for.
    via medandhedhmd

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