# Drunk Dishwasher Phenomenon



## emhahn (Jun 13, 2002)

That's right, one of only two I have came in drunk on Saturday.

Well, I kept him working, and he sobered up as the night went on, but geezus. A "real liability" or what? I fed him well, made him relax the first hour of his shift, but I'm not sure I'll do it again.

He's a great worker..... but.... anyone is replaceable, right?

Anyone else ever have this problem?

Eric

RestaurantEdge


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## thebighat (Feb 21, 2001)

How about the tripping dishwasher, who stands at the slop table and says, "oh man, those lobsters are so red, that broccoli is so green." Or the busboy, (me, once) on Quaaludes? Or the cooks on the line smoking hash oil, blowing the smoke up the hood and boiling vinegar to kill the smell?


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## jim berman (Oct 28, 1999)

My roots are in restaurants that harbored the drinkers and users, but as I have grown (?) all I can think is "LIABILITY!!". 
Drunk? Go home! 
Stoned? Go home... and get help!


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

I don't condemn alcohol or drug use, but not in my kitchen, on my time. Save it for home, the bars or the clubs. Just make sure you are sober when you arrive at work the next, and not so hung over that you can't work productively.


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## emhahn (Jun 13, 2002)

Pete,

Good point! I don't care what they do on their own time or free will. Never have!

However, before work, during work, or anything that pertains to the subject on the restaurant premises, I'm am totally against.

In this case, I only have two dishwashers right now. One during the day and one at night. They pull doubles twice a week. Until the schools let out, I've only got the two.

I think feeding him and letting him relax for an extra hour helped. And thank god too, we got slammed the other night!

Eric
RestaurantEdge


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

Ahh the "good old days"!


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## chefkell (May 9, 2003)

Not throwing stones here but...

I've found over years of being a manager as well as a chef that there have to be well defined and brick lain parameters for behavior. In my place...you show up drunk, your fired. I don't care if it's my brother, the Pope or Tony Soprano. No matter how short, or understaffed I am....bye. Evyeryone lends a hand, we get through the short term nightmare and I honestly believe employees would rather have it like this. 

When the "new guy" finds out he's the replacement for the guy that came in drunk...he never shows up drunk.

It's not that I'm a hard ***, but I make it very clear what is acceptable and what isn't and use discipinary action with as little emotion as possible. This keeps me free from hassles with lawyers and promotes a certain level of professionalism in and of itself. 

Forgive me if I seem self riteous, that's not the intention; but you may be setting yourself up for more hassles down the road.


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## mezzaluna (Aug 29, 2000)

Kelly, are you sure you're not a middle school teacher in disguise? My thoughts exactly. I worked in a little place while I was in college. The cook, a good friend of the owner, came in stoned for the dinner shift one night. He couldn't get an order right and some of what he sent out was burned. (Yeah, I know- distorted time sense!) I was a server at the time and the other server and I were really resentful. I lost a lot of respect for my boss that night.

Good luck, Eric. This can't be easy.


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## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)

Too bad you don't have an HR department, if so, they would tell you to ask them if they were drunk or stoned. If they said yes, then send them home. If they say no, let them work. If something happened, send them to the hospital and make sure you get blood samples. If they refuse, get rid of them. If they do and the results show that they were indeed under the influence, you get rid of them.

We manager used to get together to nominate employee of the month. One of the criteria used was that they were never drunk or hungover when they came in to work.

Kuan


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## dburgess49ers (Sep 16, 2002)

Send him home! Period!
When he comes back the next day hung over, come behind him when he's not looking and slam an old hotel pan on the ground! Watch his reaction!
Give him a day he will never forget!
Then start looking for his replacement!
Been there! Did that!


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## chefkell (May 9, 2003)

NO WAY! They think CHEFS are crazy!LOL! 

I have made the mistake of letting this slide or that slide too many times and have it bite me in the behind in a big way not to lay down the law right off now. If you let it go once it becomes like a freakin' cancer and spreads like wildfire. Much better to squash it from the beginning.


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## chefboy2160 (Oct 13, 2001)

I like slamming the hotel pan on the ground myself , used that technique many times ! 
On to another drunk dishwasher story . I was the restaurant chef in the 200 seat coffee shop for a major hotel and casino here in town . The food and beverage director decided that the cocktail waitresses were to slow in getting beer and wine to the diners so he puts a refer in the back of the kitchen and fills it with beer so that the wait staff can come back and get the beers for the customers themselves . I saw the potential for a major problem as the refer was placed right by the dish station but the F&B director would not be detered . 
Well the second day that the beer stocked refer was there we were getting hit with our usual heavy lunch rush . I was on the line helping the cooks when we got low on plates . I ran back to the dish room to get some more and there was my dishwasher sitting on the ground with his back against the wall drinking a beer . Needless to say he was as drunk as a skunk but to make matters worse instead of washing the dishes he had been throwing them into the trash and had dumped most of them into the trash room . He had then compacted them ! Looking back now it seems pretty funny but at the time I had food to sell with no plates , cups & silverware were also getting low . I called security and let them know of my discovery and then I raided the Buffet for plates . You know how big those Buffet plates are so my food just did not look the same for the rest of the shift . The irony of this situation was that security took the dishwasher to there office and he told them he was on cold medicine and they let him go home ! They even let him drive ! Man was I hot , I gave the head of security a piece of my mind at the end of the shift and then the F&B director walked up so I gave him what was left .
This dishwasher was able to return to work the next day with nothing done . I mean they didnt even give him a breath test . 
Needlesss to say the next day I turned in my resignation and when I went to the kitchen my cooks asked me about the beer in the refer and if it was ok for them to also take beer brakes during there shift . I told them to not even go there and that I was only there for 2 more weeks .  It was not funny then but looking back on it , well


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## miahoyhoy (Jul 23, 2002)

Tonight my dishwasher didn't show at all.

So now I will become the Drunk Dishwasher...

jon


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## emhahn (Jun 13, 2002)

No dishwasher is worse than a drunk dishwasher.

Keep in mind, I let him sober up some before he got started.....

In time, the buzz wore off.... But still....


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## miahoyhoy (Jul 23, 2002)

This morning I'm the Hung Over Dishwasher 

jon


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## mike (Jan 24, 2003)

Try escorting an artic lorry load of Beaujolais Nouveau from Calais to Southern England when;
1. It has to be on customers menus by lunchtime via warehouse split & multi drop vans.

2. Your French lorry driver is legless when you meet him in Calais.

I wasnt too worried about dying because the truck was big & the cars small. but heck I had a mission to deliver that years crop to our restauranters all over the south west of England...no drunken garlic razzled surrender monkey was going to stop me....it was very cold & wet...I came up with a plan to overcome this swarthy swines objections & pleas to "juz leet mee sleeep for one hour I be ok "
**** no...he had to stop at every gas station drink two cups of black coffe 3 sugars and walk around the truck twice in the sleet and wet freezing cold..just as he recovered it would start again.
Needless to say we arrived on time did not exchange telephone numbers and a good time was had by all. I think my remember Agincourt remark put paid to our budding friendship...ho hum...


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## chefkell (May 9, 2003)

That's It Jon....You beter pull yourself into the walk-in and give yourself a good talking to. !LOL! Maybe you should suspend yourself for a day or two just to show yourself you mean business!


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## emhahn (Jun 13, 2002)

Well folks, it's the end of the phenomenon!

He showed up drunk again today.

FIRED!

So, that's that.

Pulled a guy off the line to cover the tank, we did about 300 ala carte, and all went well!

Now all I gotta do is find another one!

Fun, eh?

Eric

RestaurantEdge.com


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## chefkell (May 9, 2003)

Give em and Inch....

Sorry to hear that. At least he pushed the hand for you. No worries about "what to do" now!LOL


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## miahoyhoy (Jul 23, 2002)

Eric,
If you fly me in and give me a running bar tab I'll be your dish dog!

No seriously, you gotta do what you gotta do. An occasional thing is kind of acceptable but that sounds slightly out of hand. You did the right thing, the right way.

If you're ever in a pinch and I'm in Michigan and you have a case of Stroh's or a few 40's of schlitz I'm your man!

lates,
Jon


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