Need Advice

[Chefjaswan]

I have been working in the restaurant industry for the last 16 years and need advice on how to deal with my current situation. Six months ago I was offered a position as Kitchen Manager/Head Chef and took the job even though it paid slightly less than the sous chef job I previously held at a different restaurant. I made improvements to the menu and stepped up the specials, as the management wanted and really improved on the quality of products used. About half way into the busy season we lost a couple of cooks and and gained a new restaurant manager. He wouldn't put an ad in the paper, to hire new cooks, so I had to shedule myself on the line. Slowly over the course of the last 3 months he has been taking over my responsibilities in the kitchen, over riding my shedules, rehiring people I fired, adding things to my orders and meeting with the sales people without me. Whenever I have tried to discuss it with him, he just blows me off. He finally put that ad in the paper, and hired a cook, at a higher pay than myself. At this point I am pretty sure he is my replacement, but management won't tell me. I am so confused, I don't know what I did or didn't do, or at this point where I stand. The only problem I have had was my food cost was 2% to high last month due to the high cost of grouper and our set menu price. Any advice on this situation would be great.

[jonesg]

They're going to fire you.

Whats next?

[mark1]

Yeah, it does sound like you should start looking for another job.

[jayvader]

you have been demoted

get yourself a new job and maybe even your old sous job

16 years is too long to be screwing around with a line cook job if you want to be a Chef
because thats what you have been demoted too

[holeshot]

does not sound good,

maybe looking for another job is the go.

[M_Cantor]

In the corporate world this would be called "phasing you out." Basically your future with this organization is in serious doubt. I would begin looking elsewhere immediately. No worries though, it sounds like you know your stuff.

[frydaddy]

yes you sound very knowledgable, its a shame that some owners set ridiculously high expectations for the exec chef. You will be succesful nonetheless.

[chefthomas]

Sounds like you are a scape goat for something you are unaware of

[Chefjaswan]

Thank you all for your support and advice. Unfortunately they did fire me, with the reason cited as poor management skills. When I asked the GM to elaborate, he really couldn't cite any examples. I asked for a letter of termination, hoping it might be a little more insightful, however the GM didn't know what one was. Ironically one of the things he did manage to say was that my kitchen lacked teamwork, come to find out half the kitchen crew walked out after I had been fired. Well maybe its time to get out the kitchen and try something new. Thanks again.

[jonesg]

Chefjaswan,

No surprise there, they lost confidence in you.
You're probably not ready for the position yet.

Graduate to chef when you are ready, not just when opportunity comes along.

If you walk away from the food biz, you simply don't belong in the first place, but if you persevere you'll get past it.
Fall back, regroup. Chin up.

[eknatheknath]

no one should work in this field if hes not having liking for this field, problems and difficulties are part and parcell of any field ,u can make money in other fields also this is not the only one .....
u need to have flare hmmmm

[jonesg]

I wish I had stuck with plumbing school.