Do F&B owners have the right to reprimand staff over food wastage from excessive preparations?

 

EVER step into a makan shop and found the food on offer to be stale, cold and unappetising?

A short clip of a restaurant boss raging at his staff over this very issue has gone viral. A post on the X platform by social media influencer Local Confessions (@ConfessionLocal) shows trays of leftover food in a kitchen with the boss roundly telling off his staff for cooking too much food.

He is heard shouting at his staff that they are supposed to cook in moderate amounts and replenish at 10-11am. This is to ensure the food remains fresh and edible, justifying that it is him who has to be “answerable” to customers when there is a pronounced dip in quality.

The video ends with the boss completely losing his cool and flinging the plates of uneaten food onto the kitchen floor – his rage and displeasure all too clear. The clip has generated a whopping 3 million views at time of writing and no shortage of comments.

Many netizens agreed with the boss’s sentiments but frowned on his over-reaction for throwing the dishes onto the floor.

One pointed out that the reaction was probably due to the staff consistently ignoring his instructions.

One netizen took the employee perspective by saying that the boss’s behaviour was “toxic”, suggesting that “he should be cooking himself” if he was unsatisfied with the workers’ performance.

The above comment was met with these retorts where some netizens took the employer’s perspective. They asked the above commenter to try running a business as an owner while handling the multiple tasks, including ensuring profitability and paying his staff.

With a few more also sympathising with the boss, saying those who cannot follow simple instructions should not be part of the workforce.

Another pointed out the importance of staff in the FnB (food and beverage) industry to adhere to instructions lest it leads to wastage.

Another said such instructions were not according to the whims and fancy of the boss but are based on profit and loss.

In this instance, it would appear the majority of comments were on the side of the boss with many saying those who claimed this was the behaviour of a “toxic” boss did not understand the nature of FnB industry.

This post highlights a few issues.

Firstly, could there have been better modes of communications? Perhaps but the tone of the boss in the video suggests this is a recurring problem and that his instructions have been roundly ignored. Again.

Secondly, if workers think issues of profit and loss are none of their concern then it is they who need an attitude adjustment, not the obviously enraged boss.

Thirdly, the video does indeed highlight that good staff are hard to come by. Anyone who has worked in the FnB industry or even watched famous foul-mouthed chef Gordon Ramsay in action will know that professional kitchens are not for shrinking violets. Staff cannot expect to be molly-coddled.

As the saying goes, if you cannot handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen. – Focus Malaysia