I got let go today.

[u/Beeaybri]

First time in my 15 year career of being a chef.

I was working at a college running their dining hall, with a ton of creative freedom. In nearly 3 years I trained the entire staff from bare basics knowledge, to being able to execute things like pork roulades and etoufee's for 1500 kids, 3 times a day. I revamped the menu for each shift from the bottom up, and created an entire vegan focused menu for one station in the dining hall (im non vegan so it was a challenge). I did so many things, and with one decision the rug was pulled from my feet.

It was due ti budget cuts within the school for low enrollment trends. They had to make up for over 300k of the budget somewhere and I got axed. They made it very clear several times that this decision had nothing to do with performance or a lack of want for me to be there, but it was what was being asked of them financially. I was the chef manager, directly under my chef director. And I ran the floor. 20 employees. Those guys became my family. My dining general manager that let me go was crying while even trying to give me my papers.

I'm distraught. I worked so damn hard. Im sad for myself, but I'm so sad for my team. Its hard being let go, but its even harder having to watch my staff cry after they got the news and I was cleaning out my office.

Its a really hard day. Im trying not to take it personally, or feel less than, or that I didn't do enough. Its just hard.

This is just really really hard. :(

anyone been in this boat?

[u/carortrain]

Had a similar experience many years ago, was let go with a 4 day notice from a job I'd been at for 5 years, and had invested tons of my energy into.

Don't really have any great advice, other than, these moments are learning lessons as to how we need to handle and compose ourselves in this industry.

The industry does not care about us, employers might a little bit but they care much more about their business at the end of the day. It's always a smart idea to have something in the back of your mind ready as a backup plan, or have something you do on the side for yourself that could potentially lead to a bit of cash in times of need.

Other than that keep your head up. Most people in this industry are too jaded/impatient or naive to actually see and understand when they have a good chef running their business. Most employers will jump at any chance to improve their situation, regardless of how it affects those who work for them.

Most employers are too scared to let someone smart actually be in charge. At least that's my observation after a decade in this industry. Good chefs usually get taken advantage of. But it's at least funny to watch a place crumble after you left, it usually only takes about a week for them to realize the gravity of their mistake.

When they start texting you about recipes and how you did stuff, let them know that the work has been terminated, therefore you cannot provide assistance for free, and you won't be replying to them again in the future.

[u/Beeaybri → u/carortrain]

Youre right. At the end of the day no matter how good we are or how much we care, we are just a number. A metric. A dot on a screen. If they feel like they need to eliminate the dot, poof! You're gone. Its more professional at the corporate level, but in restaurants they just tell you not to come back. Its all the same, mostly.