The Unraveling of a Restaurant Empire

As I stood in the midst of my restaurant, surrounded by the chaos that had become our work environment, I couldn't help but feel a sense of despair wash over me. The air was thick with tension, and the once-vibrant space now felt like a battleground. My team members looked at each other with a mix of frustration and fear, their eyes darting towards me as if searching for answers that were nowhere to be found.

Shane, one of my employees, spoke up first, "Uh, Shane please downstairs Danel would you describe this environment as a positive work environment? No no it's not positive at all why not?" He paused, his voice laced with desperation. "Sometimes you come in, you don't even want to come in sometimes, ready like all right." His words hung in the air, a stark contrast to the vibrant atmosphere I had once envisioned for our restaurant.

As I listened to Shane's words, a sense of regret washed over me. We had let things spiral out of control, and it was time to face the music. The root of our problems lay not with my team members, but with myself. I had been so focused on trying to make ends meet that I had neglected to provide proper training or leadership. Our restaurant had become a breeding ground for chaos, and I was the catalyst.

My father, who had initially invested in the restaurant, had his own set of problems. His struggles with addiction had left us all feeling lost and uncertain about how to move forward. He had bought this restaurant thinking it would be a legacy, but none of us knew how to run it. It was thrown into our laps like a bombshell, and we had been winging it for seven years without any real guidance or support.

I couldn't help but think back to when I first took over the restaurant. I had no formal training, and I had learned everything through trial and error. But as time went on, I began to realize that this wasn't sustainable. Our food quality suffered, our customer service plummeted, and our finances were a mess. We were living on borrowed time, and it was only a matter of time before we hit rock bottom.

One of my team members, Autumn, was particularly troubled. She had made mistakes in the kitchen that I couldn't even begin to comprehend. "Autumn like I can't account for anything Autumn's ever made," she said, her voice shaking with frustration. "I'm not a cook." Her words stung, and I knew that I needed to do something about it.

Another team member, Logan, who was also a part-owner of the restaurant, seemed disconnected from the chaos around him. He appeared more interested in his own well-being than in addressing our problems. When asked directly if he saw himself as the biggest problem in the restaurant, he hesitated before answering, "It's Autumn." His words were laced with venom, and I knew that I needed to address this head-on.

As we continued to discuss our problems, it became clear that addiction was a major issue in our midst. My father's struggles had spilled over into my team members' lives, creating a toxic environment that was difficult to shake. And then there were the conflicts of interest, like when Phil, another team member, was given preferential treatment due to his relationship with one of my family members.

The more we talked, the more it became clear that our restaurant was on the brink of collapse. We had tried everything to turn things around, but nothing seemed to work. It was time for a change, and I knew that I couldn't do it alone. I needed the help of my team members, and most importantly, myself.

As we came to this realization, it was clear that our restaurant's downfall was not just about us, but also about our family dynamics. Our father's addiction had created a ripple effect that had impacted everyone around him, including me and my siblings. We had all contributed to the chaos in one way or another, and it was time for us to take responsibility for our actions.

But as I looked around at my team members, I couldn't help but wonder what we were going to do next. Were we going to continue down this path of destruction, or would we find a way to rebuild? The answer, like the future of our restaurant, hung in the balance.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enVictoria what is your position here technically I'm a waitress and a manager what are you employed as a waitress a waitress but then you manager as well sometimes why because no one else is here to do it wow why do you stay here I think it's a loyalty thing I've been here since before we even opened so I want to see this place succeed and I want to be able to say I'm so proud of the place I work at and how you feeling right now embarrassed mhm and used I mean Germaine is such a good person he's not a bad guy at all at all and I want to help him as much as I can and have put so much time and my own money into this place soorry your own money yeah what does that mean I bought ice this past week CU our ice maker doesn't work it's came out of my pocket Jermaine can I just have 2 minutes on my own with the team please can you get some fresh air just go for a walk please oh boy you're now buying items for the restaurant yeah that's beyond loyal he's the owner you're not the owner Whitney why is Jermaine lost his way he's just never I don't think he never really had it leaders ship I can't say that that's ever been anything that Germaine has ever why would a guy that can't be assertive can't be a leader can't motivate why would you open a restaurant of all the businesses in the world he just wanted to make his parents feel proud of him make his parents feel proud with this Incarnation oh man I didn't want him to open a restaurant to be honest God told him like no I think this is a bad idea let me go get J come in oh very depressing jine do you have any idea how to run a restaurant not a clue not a clue this is Major League this is money running out the door cost that we burned to keep the lights on and the stoves hot it's insane like I said I didn't understand what I was getting myself into until I was already in it so I've been trying to wing it ever said don't do it I said I'm here to help I am going to start teaching you but you need to step up otherwise there's no point me being here is that clear yes sir are you scared of him I've definitely been scared several times somebody can get hurt seriously you should not be walking in fear you should not be living your life like that absolutely I want you to speak up so Brad can hear this cuz he needs to understand how low we've got yes sir I want to get them in just going sit down Brad you need to know what the is going on here yeah you may be running Bruce gear and that's the little shiny jewel in the crown big deal because right now you're a busy idiot you're taking money from there to keep this place open whilst this guy puts himself in an early grave months ago you had a text based on his behavior the night when we all quit when Steven yielded us it was a disaster what happened that night we were all counting our money after hours just waiting to go home and he was extremely drunk and he was just telling us that bruy is better and that we weren't doing a good job and so we all just quit and walked out and left him here because I mean we were all hurt we didn't want to work here anymore after that happened the violent outbursts the heavy drinking they smashing up the tables every member of Staff in here is petrified and you're ignoring it but last time I remember throwing tables I remember everybody laughing but yeah sure they're petrified well when I get that text about his behavior and I talk to him about it he says well it was blown out of proportion or I'm going to change or this and that and I take his word for it it's very frustrating that you haven't done anything about it and you think it's funny no I don't think it's funny I think these people have been repeating these things over and over in their minds so often that they think it's the truth I haven't heard anybody say anything that they've done wrong yet for every wrong thing I've done up here I've done a 100 good things but when you do things yourself it's like stapling fabric that doesn't even match the booth to the really how about that patio out there that's got a wood deck how about the roof over it how about the hole in the wall right there that we can SE people through the patio now it's just like well we don't clean up around here because the owner punched a hole in the wall back in 2007 well guess what the owner also did he built that damn wall you know if I build a sand castle I'll kick it over if I want you're the owner an absent owner well I just think everybody just needs to look in the mirror for a minute it ain't my fault that these are all alcoholics up here you're telling me that the staff for alcoholics yes fact you can't just stand there and blame your staff I'm you know the me is your responsibility I've made mistakes I probably shouldn't be punching those I probably shouldn't be kicking chairs I probably shouldn't be drinking like a have you probably shouldn't be open Steven cut the you're heading for the Rocks you're taking every down with you and you just sat there watching it happen and if you wear a friend you'd get him help months ago I came here to help you but deep down inside I don't know if I can the clock is ticking we got some big issues here the staff are the foundation of any restaurant so can you two give me 5 minutes with the staff do you mind sure thank you who's in charge honestly not really any one we have no guidance we have Katie who is like the main person here right now like the dayto day we don't have a general manager or a head chef yeah unbelievable I would like to know what the problems are Katie you got really upset at Hellen Wheels where does this start help me to understand he leaves it's like he's abandoned us and then when he does come back in it's a showbo it's everything's fine wow I don't know if it's just because he's an experience if he doesn't want to face the problem if it's too much of a burden on him um I don't know the ownership was given up on themselves the restaurant and the staff and that's honestly I think the reason why we stick around is just because for each other we really do stay for each other man we could go get jobs anywhere else but let me tell you something you all are the reason why I'm here now I know it may seem tough but understand I've got your bag okay okay sit down please I've had a an amazing chat with your staff and what I've heard is pretty shocking there's no leadership there's no structure I mean if I'm not here if I'm gone half of the month I'm going to interrupt you let's talk about you not being here okay not by choice I'm working but you have a restaurant that's failing and you're not here again not by choice and then there's no infrastructure what's that you have no managements you put all this money into the restaurant yet you're chasing dreams elsewhere and this doesn't seem to be the number one priority yet it's siphoning a lot of money if I was to come here and just put everything into this restaurant we wouldn't be in a house next month you're missing my point you're not here you're not helping when you are here I disagree with that why' you disagree because you're not actually hands on you can't expect to run a business properly when you're not here you're not running the business well it's not true what little business is left your staff are running it but they're not empowered to run it properly that's not true though that's not true you are so delusional I disagree with that Angela you don't know how to run a restaurant you don't know how to run it I appreciate your honesty you're absolutely right I've had enough for one day I've got 24 hours to fix this place and that seems A Million Miles Away you need to man up and not disappear get your priorities straight it's a simple as that now I'd like to hear from you Tim what's wrong with Southern Kitchen communication here is the biggest issue we need to all be on the same page as a team but where does that miscommunication come from it's between Chelsea Shane and Kellen they argue a lot when they get to the kitchen it's just me my mom and my sister pretty much trying to do everything you also have to take accountability and responsibility too you can't just throw it all on the ownership in defense of the waiters I was asking where my plate was and then it was a your plate is coming don't worry about your plate stop asking about your plate they're sending food out on different tickets so the waiters don't know which plate to grab I didn't see Shane in the dining room at all if she always in the kitchen most of the time yeah but she's not a chef yeah I Tred to get her out of the kitchen they try to get her out of the kitchen but then they don't do it properly when she's not back there and what I hear right now yeah okay there's a little a little bit of miscommunication that may happen but you're also miscommunicating it's communication as a team we're a team we all sinking each other down it ain't just Kellen Shane and Chelsea you're all not communicating you're too busy in the serving station talking and laughing or too busy at the hostess station chopping it up Chelsea are you saying that the staff are lazy absolutely they can be and then they can come in here and sometimes and they can work their tails off but we've all gotten too comfortable we've known these kids for a long time 6 seven years they're like our family and that's how we treat them and because we treat them like that sometimes I feel like they get a little LAX but they had to work are they we've known these kids for a long time they're like our family and because we treat them like that sometimes I feel like they get a little LAX but they H to work are they I know when it's a lot of playing going on everybody's getting too comfortable and then when you say something to them it becomes a problem you know I come here to work and I come here to make sure the work I'm doing is a direct reflection of the establishment I'm working for for it seems in order for us to have an effective team we need to all be on the same page owners need to be able to communicate in order for our teams to follow teams need leaders and leaders need structures and it sounds like there's no structure in here whatsoever I'm can you go and get me uh Shane please downstairs Danel would you describe this environment as a positive work environment no no it's not positive at all why not uh sometimes you come in you don't even want to come in sometimes you ready like all right we're going to get screamed at today tough when you got no Direction no leadership and you're frazzled on a daily basis Shane in your mind what's wrong with the place um people aren't taking the job seriously and they don't see it as their livelihood cuz they've been with me so long we've always made payroll whether I had to Bor from my mom whether I get it from a credit card we've always paid them and I gave them money when their families were down loaned them money so it has become a thing of disrespect towards me and my family and then when I saw screaming and hollering about it it's like what's wrong with her now she lost her mind I need member staff that is being rude disrespectful why are you employing them they need to work you know so I don't want to harm anybody's life you know you're running a restaurant not a charity I've got so so many problems to deal with how did we find ourselves in this situation our father is an alcoholic and needs no help I'm being honest ni he bought this restaurant thinking he was about to die it was kind of like a family Legacy and yet none of you knew how to run it it was thrown in our laps Chef none of us have had real training things aren't properly done on a regular basis we've been winging it for 7 years no one's ever sat down with me and taught me food I've learned it on my own what I know I can understand that you were a novice 7 years ago but you still can push yourself I need to be a better boss I know I'm I'm not good at it Logan you're 20 right I wouldn't dream of throwing any of my 20-y olds in a mess like this what keeps you here I have a Little Dream I can see this going further I'm trying to help out my family I'm trying to get us to a better spot I'm trying to make a dream Logan would go way in Beyond I wanted to step up and make a change I really did and Logan in your mind who is the biggest problem in the restaurant it's Autumn like I can't account for anything Autumn's ever made I'm not a cook Logan it's not being a cook you own part of the restaurant part owner of a restaurant you're supposed to know all aspects of the restaurant can I speak up yes please he's outside smoking pot okay I was going to try to keep this stuff back I'm not ashamed of smoking pot it's legal and in how many states now stop trying to throw my out there what about you what are you doing for this family nothing you're taking advantage here you show up you show your face you don't get an award for that I didn't say I get an award you don't even get a pen on your shirt for that but I'm 20% owner in the beginning you said you didn't want anything to do with this place you told us how you wished it burned down bull crap how you're going to laugh at us when it failed bull crap you H said that to you as soon as she saw the cash they made at the end of the night she said I'm on board bull crap so they how crazy you are for your tips no I'm not she's chased customers out of the door because they didn't leave enough tip what is that right you chase customers there yes I oh my go when there's days I need to work and she'll tell me you're not working tomorrow cut it out Philip's working and take my spot for me but why is your auntie putting Phil in front of you cuz they're in a relationship oh God what is that right Phil kind of yeah yeah sleeping with a line cook getting these hours in front of your own families you like there's a huge conflict of interest this is my third time back I don't quit three times the only reason I'm back this time Phil to be honest I know why you're back God God God God if it's was up to me I wouldn't even I wouldn't even be back if you don't want to be here right do everybody a favor and go thank you you want to say goodbye to your girlfriend see you how long is this relationship with your sister being toxic or who loves then why are you in business together because we're family that is not a good enough reason everything's put in this there is no plan B this has to work this is all we have it's hold not three household Old AmberVictoria what is your position here technically I'm a waitress and a manager what are you employed as a waitress a waitress but then you manager as well sometimes why because no one else is here to do it wow why do you stay here I think it's a loyalty thing I've been here since before we even opened so I want to see this place succeed and I want to be able to say I'm so proud of the place I work at and how you feeling right now embarrassed mhm and used I mean Germaine is such a good person he's not a bad guy at all at all and I want to help him as much as I can and have put so much time and my own money into this place soorry your own money yeah what does that mean I bought ice this past week CU our ice maker doesn't work it's came out of my pocket Jermaine can I just have 2 minutes on my own with the team please can you get some fresh air just go for a walk please oh boy you're now buying items for the restaurant yeah that's beyond loyal he's the owner you're not the owner Whitney why is Jermaine lost his way he's just never I don't think he never really had it leaders ship I can't say that that's ever been anything that Germaine has ever why would a guy that can't be assertive can't be a leader can't motivate why would you open a restaurant of all the businesses in the world he just wanted to make his parents feel proud of him make his parents feel proud with this Incarnation oh man I didn't want him to open a restaurant to be honest God told him like no I think this is a bad idea let me go get J come in oh very depressing jine do you have any idea how to run a restaurant not a clue not a clue this is Major League this is money running out the door cost that we burned to keep the lights on and the stoves hot it's insane like I said I didn't understand what I was getting myself into until I was already in it so I've been trying to wing it ever said don't do it I said I'm here to help I am going to start teaching you but you need to step up otherwise there's no point me being here is that clear yes sir are you scared of him I've definitely been scared several times somebody can get hurt seriously you should not be walking in fear you should not be living your life like that absolutely I want you to speak up so Brad can hear this cuz he needs to understand how low we've got yes sir I want to get them in just going sit down Brad you need to know what the is going on here yeah you may be running Bruce gear and that's the little shiny jewel in the crown big deal because right now you're a busy idiot you're taking money from there to keep this place open whilst this guy puts himself in an early grave months ago you had a text based on his behavior the night when we all quit when Steven yielded us it was a disaster what happened that night we were all counting our money after hours just waiting to go home and he was extremely drunk and he was just telling us that bruy is better and that we weren't doing a good job and so we all just quit and walked out and left him here because I mean we were all hurt we didn't want to work here anymore after that happened the violent outbursts the heavy drinking they smashing up the tables every member of Staff in here is petrified and you're ignoring it but last time I remember throwing tables I remember everybody laughing but yeah sure they're petrified well when I get that text about his behavior and I talk to him about it he says well it was blown out of proportion or I'm going to change or this and that and I take his word for it it's very frustrating that you haven't done anything about it and you think it's funny no I don't think it's funny I think these people have been repeating these things over and over in their minds so often that they think it's the truth I haven't heard anybody say anything that they've done wrong yet for every wrong thing I've done up here I've done a 100 good things but when you do things yourself it's like stapling fabric that doesn't even match the booth to the really how about that patio out there that's got a wood deck how about the roof over it how about the hole in the wall right there that we can SE people through the patio now it's just like well we don't clean up around here because the owner punched a hole in the wall back in 2007 well guess what the owner also did he built that damn wall you know if I build a sand castle I'll kick it over if I want you're the owner an absent owner well I just think everybody just needs to look in the mirror for a minute it ain't my fault that these are all alcoholics up here you're telling me that the staff for alcoholics yes fact you can't just stand there and blame your staff I'm you know the me is your responsibility I've made mistakes I probably shouldn't be punching those I probably shouldn't be kicking chairs I probably shouldn't be drinking like a have you probably shouldn't be open Steven cut the you're heading for the Rocks you're taking every down with you and you just sat there watching it happen and if you wear a friend you'd get him help months ago I came here to help you but deep down inside I don't know if I can the clock is ticking we got some big issues here the staff are the foundation of any restaurant so can you two give me 5 minutes with the staff do you mind sure thank you who's in charge honestly not really any one we have no guidance we have Katie who is like the main person here right now like the dayto day we don't have a general manager or a head chef yeah unbelievable I would like to know what the problems are Katie you got really upset at Hellen Wheels where does this start help me to understand he leaves it's like he's abandoned us and then when he does come back in it's a showbo it's everything's fine wow I don't know if it's just because he's an experience if he doesn't want to face the problem if it's too much of a burden on him um I don't know the ownership was given up on themselves the restaurant and the staff and that's honestly I think the reason why we stick around is just because for each other we really do stay for each other man we could go get jobs anywhere else but let me tell you something you all are the reason why I'm here now I know it may seem tough but understand I've got your bag okay okay sit down please I've had a an amazing chat with your staff and what I've heard is pretty shocking there's no leadership there's no structure I mean if I'm not here if I'm gone half of the month I'm going to interrupt you let's talk about you not being here okay not by choice I'm working but you have a restaurant that's failing and you're not here again not by choice and then there's no infrastructure what's that you have no managements you put all this money into the restaurant yet you're chasing dreams elsewhere and this doesn't seem to be the number one priority yet it's siphoning a lot of money if I was to come here and just put everything into this restaurant we wouldn't be in a house next month you're missing my point you're not here you're not helping when you are here I disagree with that why' you disagree because you're not actually hands on you can't expect to run a business properly when you're not here you're not running the business well it's not true what little business is left your staff are running it but they're not empowered to run it properly that's not true though that's not true you are so delusional I disagree with that Angela you don't know how to run a restaurant you don't know how to run it I appreciate your honesty you're absolutely right I've had enough for one day I've got 24 hours to fix this place and that seems A Million Miles Away you need to man up and not disappear get your priorities straight it's a simple as that now I'd like to hear from you Tim what's wrong with Southern Kitchen communication here is the biggest issue we need to all be on the same page as a team but where does that miscommunication come from it's between Chelsea Shane and Kellen they argue a lot when they get to the kitchen it's just me my mom and my sister pretty much trying to do everything you also have to take accountability and responsibility too you can't just throw it all on the ownership in defense of the waiters I was asking where my plate was and then it was a your plate is coming don't worry about your plate stop asking about your plate they're sending food out on different tickets so the waiters don't know which plate to grab I didn't see Shane in the dining room at all if she always in the kitchen most of the time yeah but she's not a chef yeah I Tred to get her out of the kitchen they try to get her out of the kitchen but then they don't do it properly when she's not back there and what I hear right now yeah okay there's a little a little bit of miscommunication that may happen but you're also miscommunicating it's communication as a team we're a team we all sinking each other down it ain't just Kellen Shane and Chelsea you're all not communicating you're too busy in the serving station talking and laughing or too busy at the hostess station chopping it up Chelsea are you saying that the staff are lazy absolutely they can be and then they can come in here and sometimes and they can work their tails off but we've all gotten too comfortable we've known these kids for a long time 6 seven years they're like our family and that's how we treat them and because we treat them like that sometimes I feel like they get a little LAX but they had to work are they we've known these kids for a long time they're like our family and because we treat them like that sometimes I feel like they get a little LAX but they H to work are they I know when it's a lot of playing going on everybody's getting too comfortable and then when you say something to them it becomes a problem you know I come here to work and I come here to make sure the work I'm doing is a direct reflection of the establishment I'm working for for it seems in order for us to have an effective team we need to all be on the same page owners need to be able to communicate in order for our teams to follow teams need leaders and leaders need structures and it sounds like there's no structure in here whatsoever I'm can you go and get me uh Shane please downstairs Danel would you describe this environment as a positive work environment no no it's not positive at all why not uh sometimes you come in you don't even want to come in sometimes you ready like all right we're going to get screamed at today tough when you got no Direction no leadership and you're frazzled on a daily basis Shane in your mind what's wrong with the place um people aren't taking the job seriously and they don't see it as their livelihood cuz they've been with me so long we've always made payroll whether I had to Bor from my mom whether I get it from a credit card we've always paid them and I gave them money when their families were down loaned them money so it has become a thing of disrespect towards me and my family and then when I saw screaming and hollering about it it's like what's wrong with her now she lost her mind I need member staff that is being rude disrespectful why are you employing them they need to work you know so I don't want to harm anybody's life you know you're running a restaurant not a charity I've got so so many problems to deal with how did we find ourselves in this situation our father is an alcoholic and needs no help I'm being honest ni he bought this restaurant thinking he was about to die it was kind of like a family Legacy and yet none of you knew how to run it it was thrown in our laps Chef none of us have had real training things aren't properly done on a regular basis we've been winging it for 7 years no one's ever sat down with me and taught me food I've learned it on my own what I know I can understand that you were a novice 7 years ago but you still can push yourself I need to be a better boss I know I'm I'm not good at it Logan you're 20 right I wouldn't dream of throwing any of my 20-y olds in a mess like this what keeps you here I have a Little Dream I can see this going further I'm trying to help out my family I'm trying to get us to a better spot I'm trying to make a dream Logan would go way in Beyond I wanted to step up and make a change I really did and Logan in your mind who is the biggest problem in the restaurant it's Autumn like I can't account for anything Autumn's ever made I'm not a cook Logan it's not being a cook you own part of the restaurant part owner of a restaurant you're supposed to know all aspects of the restaurant can I speak up yes please he's outside smoking pot okay I was going to try to keep this stuff back I'm not ashamed of smoking pot it's legal and in how many states now stop trying to throw my out there what about you what are you doing for this family nothing you're taking advantage here you show up you show your face you don't get an award for that I didn't say I get an award you don't even get a pen on your shirt for that but I'm 20% owner in the beginning you said you didn't want anything to do with this place you told us how you wished it burned down bull crap how you're going to laugh at us when it failed bull crap you H said that to you as soon as she saw the cash they made at the end of the night she said I'm on board bull crap so they how crazy you are for your tips no I'm not she's chased customers out of the door because they didn't leave enough tip what is that right you chase customers there yes I oh my go when there's days I need to work and she'll tell me you're not working tomorrow cut it out Philip's working and take my spot for me but why is your auntie putting Phil in front of you cuz they're in a relationship oh God what is that right Phil kind of yeah yeah sleeping with a line cook getting these hours in front of your own families you like there's a huge conflict of interest this is my third time back I don't quit three times the only reason I'm back this time Phil to be honest I know why you're back God God God God if it's was up to me I wouldn't even I wouldn't even be back if you don't want to be here right do everybody a favor and go thank you you want to say goodbye to your girlfriend see you how long is this relationship with your sister being toxic or who loves then why are you in business together because we're family that is not a good enough reason everything's put in this there is no plan B this has to work this is all we have it's hold not three household Old Amber\n"