If you have to ask, don’t do it. I have hinted at this, but now I’m going to tell you some of my stories, and this doesn’t even include most of the thieves and snots I referred to in earlier posts.

Lee had worked at several of the rinks when Pierre asked her to work for us. He later told me people were shocked that he wanted us to hire her. She was great about some things; she had experience, she had good party ideas, she donated some office supplies (which I later found out her husband had lifted them from the main ice rink in Frisco), etc. But if you didn’t know this before, know now that people can only be on their best behavior for so long and then the true person shines through. Lee became controlling and insubordinate. I told her over and over not to cook food when there was no one in the rink. Still, she would make 2 pizzas, 2 cheese breads, and not 1 but 2 batches of popcorn at 9am. We would have to throw out all of it because we didn’t have customers until 4pm that day. We wanted to be there to start building a daytime business but we didn’t want to waste food. She said she couldn’t work in a snack bar that had no food. I tried to explain that people would prefer to wait 7 minutes for fresh pizza than eat out of the warmer. One day she said to me, you just want your way because it’s your restaurant. Well, duh! My restaurant and my money you’re throwing away. I also told her (and many other employees) she couldn’t put her phone and personal items on the counter, as the counter was sanitized for food prep. One Saturday, we were super busy and I had said something to her that pissed her off – don’t even remember what it was. I saw her phone on the counter by the coffee machine and it was covered with cocoa powder from making hot chocolate. About 30 minutes later, Lee starts demanding I return her phone. I told her I didn’t have it. She said she would call 911 if I didn’t give it back. I told her to go ahead as I didn’t have it. So right in front of the customers, she starts making a scene and dials 911. I guess she hung up without talking to anyone, because the next thing I know she’s quitting and leaving me with all the customers. I heard her come back in twice before she was gone for good. I saw later that she had taken the box of office supplies, some she had donated but some I had bought. So she stole some stuff on her way out. I went to make some coffee and the cocoa powder had been wiped up. Best I can tell, she must have stuck her phone in her own pocket when she cleaned the counter and then forgot where it was. The police came, because they have to even when you hang up without reporting anything. I explained what happened, again in front of customers, and the police were satisfied and left. I assume they called her on her cell because they asked me for her number.

What’s her name – I can’t even remember her name. Tattoo pregnant girl whose boyfriend sat in the arena while she worked her shifts. I was trying to teach her how to make the pizzas – everybody has to make them the same way so people can count on good food no matter who is working. She got madder and madder, saying she couldn’t work with me looking over her shoulder. She told me I should leave her alone, as she could figure it out on her own. It was a half pepperoni half plain cheese, as someone had ordered 1 slice of pepperoni. The pizza finished while I was in the back, so she pulled it out and cut the pizza into fourths. But instead of cutting along the line of pepperoni so you end up with 2 slices of pepperoni and 2 slices of plain cheese to sell, she cut it so she had 1 slice pepperoni, 1 slice plain cheese, and 2 slices that were half pepperoni and half cheese. I don’t think she was figuring it out on her own. So I tried to help her with the next pizza. She got very angry and told me off as she quit – and once again it was a busy Saturday. After she left I got a letter from the State to garnish her checks for unpaid child support. What is wrong with people?

We had one bartender who was a veteran and had a lot of stories to tell, which is good for a bartender. I figured out he was helping himself to the alcohol. He quit before I could ask him about it. Right after he left, I received a letter from the state to garnish his checks to pay back child support. Another guy started in the cafe and started training as a bartender. I knew there was something wrong from the security camera, but like Kyle said we needed proof before we could confront him. He decided he didn’t want to work in the cafe anymore (just in the bar), but I’m the boss and I expected him to help where ever whenever I asked. One night I left and told him he needed to mop the floor before he left. Later when I looked at the security camera, he did mop but he flipped me off in the camera several times. Once I figured out that he was helping himself to alcohol (he was under age for drinking but not for serving) and he was serving his underage friends, I moved him out of the bar and back into the cafe. He applied for a job with the rink, which was fine with me as I don’t want employees who don’t follow the rules. He came in for his Sunday shift, gave me a resignation letter and told me off – even after Kyle had told him not to make a scene. Then he went over to the front desk to hang with his new friends. Good riddance. Another bartender decided she only worked for Kyle. It’s my restaurant and my retirement money that pays her check. One day she told me she didn’t need to do anything on the list of things to do because the bar was already clean enough. So I told her she could do them or go home. I heard her start to lock up the bar. I told her she was not to close my business and lock out customers just as we were about to get busy and she should clock out and leave right that minute. She started to cry as she packed up and left. This was about the time I was thinking about getting out of the cafe business, so I told Kyle she owed me an apology if she wanted more hours or Kyle could bring her back in after I was no longer around.

Oh Sean, I’m so disappointed in you. Sean was difficult to train. He just didn’t pay attention to anything. He had to be monitored and directed, but he was young and this was his first job. Then he changed. He got motivated and started cleaning and doing things without being asked. It was wonderful. Little did I know it was a facade, a misdirection. One day a customer came in with his receipt and explained that his receipt didn’t match his credit card bill and he never tipped on the card, he only tipped in cash. I thought it was a mistake as I had found a mistake previously where Sean had mistaken a 2 for a 4, and it was close. I had to really look at it to see it was a 2. I did my research on this man’s receipt and had to tell the customer it wasn’t a mistake and gave him the tip money back. I then pulled all the signed card receipts and compared them to what was entered into the pos system. Sean had overtipped himself at least $500. I checked all the receipts for all the employees – don’t want to discriminate or overlook another thief. Every morning, you should compare all the card receipts with the computer entries. Catch thieves right away. I had to call Sean’s parents to let them know what happened and have them bring him in that day so I could fire him. I was crushed. Sean’s dad assured me he would make Sean pay me back. Then I requested all the credit card numbers from my pos vendor and credited all those customers’ overcharges. It’s been several years now and I haven’t received a penny from Sean. I even texted the exact amount to Sean and his dad to remind them. His family can spend thousands on hockey but can’t repay stolen money.

Ryan was the first employee to request to be paid by debit card rather than direct deposit. Our accountant didn’t do paychecks, he just set everyone up as direct deposit or debit card. After the first check she claimed her money wasn’t on the card and customer service said they were working on it. I got all the information from our accountant to show that her money had been sent to the debit card. Meanwhile, I offered to front her $60 cash for diapers, to be paid back when she got her next paystub. Always get this in writing. They have to sign they know you will be taking money out of their pay because of the laws governing employees’ pay. She didn’t show up for her next shift and then quit just at the end of a pay period. I immediately made sure the accountant was deducting the $60 to get my money back. When Ryan got her check stub, she sent me threatening texts. I guess she faked all of this to steal an extra $60.

Bryan was a good friend whom I had known for about 15 years. We had worked together at a computer company. Bryan had fallen on hard times, leaving him homeless and jobless. I gave him a job at the restaurant and a free place to stay at my house. Big mistake. Instead of being grateful for free rent and a job, he argued with me on everything. He refused to do things the way he was trained because he knew better ways. I tried to explain that he would be a mentor to new employees and consistency was very important. He argued that he could keep track of things without following procedures. (Horrible procedures like – drinks came with 2 free refills so we would mark the cups as people came back for refills. He said he could keep track without the marks, but what if he’s not the one at the counter when they come back?) He’s my friend and I bent over backwards for him and he refused to do as I was paying him to do. No wonder he was jobless. He was a nurse and I’m guessing hospital management doesn’t put up with that kind of crap. After I left the restaurant business I got a letter from the State to garnish his checks for unpaid child support. Later I read about narcissistic behavior and that described him to a Tee. Bryan no longer speaks to me and even unfriended me on facebook.

As you can see, being a boss has numerous challenges. I made notes in each of these employees’ files in case they ever became issues. When I was a teenager, my dad taught me that you are being paid to do a job that was designed by the people paying you. It’s ok to express your opinion if you have some ideas, but you always do the job as trained. That’s what you’re getting paid for. Seems like many parents didn’t teach this philosophy. My mistake here was opening a restaurant when I’m too old to do all the work myself.