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Coffee Talk
As a teenager, I worked the afternoon shift at a very busy coffee
shop that would often have line-ups to the door even in the summer.
One very hot July day, the repairman had been in to fix the air
conditioner, and finished at the same time that the Manager was
locking up her office for the day before going home. (They only had a
Manager for the morning shift back then.)
A couple of hours later, we realized that not only was it still hot,
but it was getting hotter! The repairman had actually switched on the
HEAT instead of the air conditioner! We called the manager, but she
refused to come in to unlock the office door where the controls were,
as she had finished her work day. When we mentioned that one of the
girls had fainted from the additional heat of the dishwasher when she
opened it, she told us we could each have one free bottle of water,
but that she was not coming in.
Customers refused to sit inside, and a couple of them actually came
back to bring us a watermelon or popsicles out of pity! One customer
at the drive-thru complained at the heat blasting out at him, while
we stood there by the six pots of coffee and hot soup. We survived
the shift, mostly by rotating turns to go stand inside the walk-in
freezer, or run to the back for a bite of watermelon when we had the
chance!
22 Comments to Coffee Talk
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should have had someone (a non employee) kick her door open. you were working in a unsafe environment. calling the police to help would have got you no help at all.
wat a dick
Sounds like a “manager” all right!!
I tend to get nauseous from hot temps, so I’d have left after getting too hot. Her butt WOULD have come in if there were NO employees left.
Suck it up, puss. Be glad you didn’t work in the engineroom of a Navy ship. The air they pipe down to keep those guys cool is over 100 degrees.
Whiny-assed wannabe barista thinks he’s got it bad…. WAAAAAAAA!
Yes, this definitely counts as a bonehead boss. She’s lucky someone didn’t become really ill–I’m glad no one did.
There really should be some sort of moderator on this site to go over the comments…There are some people on here (*cough* the guy that fired… *cough*) that are posting antagonistic comments on every story just to start arguments. I thought the point of this site was to offer stress relief by sharing stories–not a forum for bored low-lifes to pick fights. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but some are abusing the privilege.
In regards to the coffee shop situation, I’m suprised no one contacted the health department or something. It seems like a place that sells food should be able to regulate their ambient temperature.
@the guy that fired your lazy ass-you’re full of hot air just like the engine room. What a butt pirate!
The thing is, TGTFYLA, the guys in the Navy KNOW they will be working in those conditions and take the job on with that expectation. I would’ve walked out. I know in Western Australia there are OSH laws which talk about workplace temps.
TGTFYLA, no need to be nasty. Sounds like someone is a little bitter themselves.
And, regarding the story- that’s terrible!
Uh, not me! I wouldn’t have stayed. It’s sad the manager couldn’t take a few more minutes out of their day to open up the office. I’m surprised the customers didn’t complain, or file a complaint. You don’t get paid enough to sit through that nonsense!
Oh no! I would have called EMS for the girl that fainted then called the corporate office! I would have told them I did not get hired as a slave and should have to work in slave conditions! Oh her butt would have been in so much trouble if not fired because that is ridiculous!
@CG – Apparently there is, but like most management they are too “busy” to do more than just push the “ok” button. Why proofread, that’s what peons are for.
Lmao I know he’s just antagonizing us, but that’s the worst comparison I’ve ever heard: baristas to Naval officers!! Puh-lease! How much does a barista make compared to someone in the Navy, hmmmmmm??
Well, I got a good laugh out of that, at least…!
I’d have gone into the back storage room,
and located the big gray metal cabinet door on the wall marked FUSE BOX.
Shenanigans.
I’d have gone into the back storage room,
and located the big gray metal cabinet door on the wall marked FUSE BOX.
Your story, eh… it has holes.
Not only that ‘Kween, but a call to OSHA would be in order as well, given the demand that they work in hot conditions with little water. A boss like that would have me looking for my next job! OH, and TGTF-boy, you sound like a 30-year-old still living with his mommy!!
I was extremely tempted to echo the sentiments of “the guy that fired your lazy ass” but snarkiness aside, I’ll just say I’m a chef…last August on one particular very busy 39C (102F) day inside over 16 gas burners, 3 ovens, 4 deep friers and a 4′x3′ gas burger grill… yeah our indoor thermometer said 49C (120F) all day. Workers are required to wear closed shoes and long-sleeved fire retardant jackets, pants (no shorts), and chef caps all day. I drank 5.5Liters of water in ten hours and did not use the washroom once. Worse still, all those a******* on the shaded patio were in plain view drinking mojitos. You can bet I am not going to be cooking this summer! So now, you want to tell me about heat stroke??
bigbadbear-
one problem with that, you signed up for that, those teens didn’t. As a manager to totally disregard the well being of your employees who are of young age and did not consent to such conditions is completely ridiculous.
Also, it isn’t those ******* fault your career choice was one you aren’t entirely happy with and I’m glad they were able to enjoy a nice day with a tasty Mojito.
why not just break into the office and adjust the temperature?
Wow, I think this even calls for asking the police or fire department to open the door.
If for some reason they didn’t think it was important enough to come down, and then I would’ve called a friend to come bust it down. And yes, definitely call the labor board and HER boss on her lazy butt.
I was a manager of a restaurant in Wash DC where it gets hot *and* humid. We had four days of temps between 104 and 106 degrees F. The A.C. could barely keep up. On the second day, it died. The repair man said it couldn’t keep up because of the humidity (something to do with condensors), so we had *no* A.C. I made the executive decision to turn off all of the heating elements and posted a sign outside that read salads, sandwiches, cold items only. Still, we didn’t get many customers, because it had to be about 110 inside, even with fans blowing, and no one wanted to sit inside a hot, humid restaurant. So I called the corporate head office and explained the situation, and got my arse reamed for making the decision on my own to shut down the hot side of the kitchen. Then the bigwig who yelled at me showed up the following morning, at 8:30 -(we open at 11)- and declared, “It’s not so hot in here…” I reminded him that it was morning and not noon, and that the restaurant was empty, not full, and none of the heating elements were on. That didn’t seem to sink in, because he said, “Make sure you open the cooking side of the kitchen so we can get back to grilling and baking,” I told him flat out, No. It was 120 degrees in the kitchen where the line cooks were working and I wasn’t going to ask anyone to work in those conditions. So then I was told to not pay the staff if they weren’t working. Again, I gave a flat out No Way. It’s not their fault they aren’t being provided suitable working conditions. So again I got my butt chewed for not following direct orders. But the bigwig left. We had no customers for the third day without A.C., and so the chef and I spent the entire day (days 3 and 4 of the heatwave) at the bar, sitting in front of a large fan, with the blender going and drinking margaritas. Whenever a customer entered, they walked right back out. I spent four days in that hell hole because I was the manager, but I wouldn’t ask my employees to do it. At the end of the week, I got a call from the owner. Apparently the big wig had ratted on me. I talked with the owner, explained what was going on and got a “You did the right thing” and lots of pats on the back from the owner for a job well done!!