bad way to treat employees

While I understand their reasons for not giving advance notice (and
there are legitimate reasons for handling it this way as others before
me have posted), I do agree that some severance based on length of
service should have been offered. Best of luck to you on your job
search.

This sort of thing happens a lot. When I lived in Illinois a Subway
did the same thing to it's employees. It is a pretty shady thing to
do, but a lot of the companies do it because they're afraid of the
employees chances of looting the place and steeling from the company
because they're mad and know they're closing it down.

THis happened to me when I was workignas a waitress in college. I was
able to collect unemployment (it was NOT worth it - very hard to make
up tip money).
But, it was better than nothing, especially when I had a mortgage to
pay.
It is sad, though!

This happens all too often at businesses. The chain decides to close
a location "pronto" in order to cut their losses as much as possible.
Their thinking is that if the employees know that their outlet will
close in a week then a good portion of the employees won't give "a
hoot" about how they do their jobs and that will leave the customers
with a bad experience of that chain. I tend to agree with that
theory. However the employees should be given some sort of severence
based on how long they have worked for the chain.

That's terrible the way it was handled. I wish you all the best with
your new job now.

Sad to happen but sorry to say that is the way it goes.
And its hard on the employees while this manager was probably shipped
to another location to help out until another restaurant can be
opened.

Under the WARN Act, employees affected by a plant closing or mass
layoff must, under certain circumstances, be given 60 days notice.
That notice can take the form of laying off the employees but keeping
them on the books, at full pay and benefits, for 60 days.

I got laid off in 2002 and the firm had to pay us for 60 days and then
I got a six month severance package since I was a bank officer. I
received full pay and benefits for 8 months.

Is a crap organization, terrible food if you actually must eat at a
National chain (which I'm usually opposed to), and some of the worst
service standards in the industry. So this doesn't surprise me at
all!

I can see people's point that giving the employees advanced notice
would hurt the business. Maybe the employer could have at least given
them a week's pay to cover them a little while they are looking for
new jobs. Hopefully, the employee's can find another job right away.
However, for some it may easily take several weeks.

How sad - I've seen companies here in Cleveland do that too -
employees show up for work to find the building barricaded and a sign
on the door stating the restaurant is permanently closed.

Ground Round, ChiChi's, Rio Bravo - all of them did it.

Guess they hold the wait staff in as little regard as some of our OP's
(Yes, Dora, we're talking about you and your stupid waffles with
strawberries again!)

I am so sorry that this happened to you, but hopefully it will lead to
a better oppty. for you that is even better.

I want to add that my heart goes out to anyone else who had to go
through what I went through on Monday. When I moved to Arizona 5 1/2
years ago I didn't know anyone. I'm originally from Cleveland and all
of my family is there. The people I worked with became more than
friends, almost a second family to me!

I agree with the below statements that many people didn't care as much
about the job as I did. For many employees, it was just a job. Some
of them may well have looted the store for all they could carry.
While I agree with the choice as a business move, I will never agree
with the pain this caused people.

I admit these things because I am a realist at heart. I understand
that, in general, this business dosen't always attract good, honest
people, who would have left the store intact and continued to work
their shifts as if nothing was wrong.

My heart also goes out to our regular guests. If any of you are
reading this, YOU are what made it worthwhile for me every day! I
know most of you by the food you ordered instead of by name, but I
want to thank Chris, Jill, Kay, Scott, the Hiller family, and anyone
else whose name I may not know, but whose food was etched into my
memory, for your patronage and compliments!

This same thing happened to me when Ground Round closed. I came into
work on a Friday night at 5 to see a sign on the door "Closed due to
emergency". But there were still employees inside and even a few
people eating. Management told us we would have a meeting when the
last guest left, and in the meantime, we broke down the salad area and
expo line as if we were closing for the night.
Then we were informed that corporate had called at 4:45 and told our
GM that all the corporate run locations would be closed, effective
immediately. We all hung out together in the bar, crying and hugging
for a while, and then we all went home. It was really sad, we were a
close-knit group at that restaurant.
I found out that one of our other locations further up the street,
kicked their guests out, pulled their plates right out from under
their noses. So our GM handled it way better.

I had a new job a week later...at TGI Friday's

I sympathize with you cookgirl. I'm glad that most of you have found
jobs already, hopefully comparable to your previous job. I do however
understand why they did this the way they did. It sucks for the
employees yes...but the restaurant business is extremely customer
service oriented. If they gave even a weeks notice, employees would
disappear. As you've stated your fellow employees were able to find
positions with in a day's time. That would mean that they have no
employees left to run the place. Even if they are able to keep
employees around, who's to say they won't be offering up terrible
service because of the awful position they've been put in. It sucks,
but it is a sound business decision. Maybe the "moral" thing would
have been to let the employees in on the closing prior to it
happening. Unfortunately there are a lot of employees that wouldn't
return the favor if given time to react.

If they were to give employees notice, what would have happened?
Alcohol would have went missing, things would be taken off the walls
and out the the kitchen. Employees would start looking for a new job,
find one and then just not show up. There wouldn't be anyone there to
take care of the guest while the doors were still open. So, cookgirl,
I see that you worked there for a number of years, how many of your
coworkers were working there just as a job, not as a career? (I'm
only assuming that it was your career) Most, no all, but most
restaurant employees are just working there to pass the time by, they
don't understand the importance of showing up for work. Generally
they don't really care about their jobs. They will go and find a new
one tomorrow and life will go on. Why would they come back to work
there if they found one before the doors were closed? I agree it
really sucks what they did to you and your coworkers, but there are
probably reasons to why they did it. Why they couldn't wait another
month until after Christmas, well that's beyond me, but I'm sure they
know the answer to that. Maybe you should be writing them. Most of
these people went to school to learn how to run a business so I'm sure
they have good reasons for everything they do.

This happened at at Logan's Roadhouse in Dallas a few years ago. My
husband showed up for work and the place was closed down. Seemed
corporate had been there the night before and decided to shut the
doors. No explanation was given.

Corporate chains like TGIF and others don't care about the people who
work their butts off for them. All they care about is making money.

cookgirl here again. I want to thank everyone on here, my family, and
my fiance who wrote the original letter for their support. No, the
company was not under any obligation to give us notice, but that
doesn't change the fact that it was just a rotten thing to do to
loyal, hardworking people this close to the holidays.

Anyway, I appreciate all the kind wishes and "good luck" messages.
Like most of my fellow employees I am already re-employed, but that
was never the point. I do my job well and work hard and I guess I
expected a little better from an employer of 7 years.

I have filed official complaints with the necessary parties, so
hopefully if they have to do this again, maybe they can handle it a
little bit better.

this certainly is a very bad policy for a business and
I really think eventually these places will not prosper because they
are putting the bottom line above people. They seem to be heartless
along with
plenty of other companies in the U.S.

Who do they think will patronize them if not the
American people!!!!

First, the employees should be the ones writing letters, or filing a
complaint w/ the corporation, or somebody, who are you? Why are you
writing a letter? This is not a consumer issue, this is an employment
issue, and this is not the correct place for your letter, but at least
your heart is in the right place

I feel for the employees when that happens, and I feel for people who
had a gift certificate and never got to use it. Too bad TGIF
corporate didn't step in to pay people what they were owed, eh?

In theory, I totally agree with you. However, as Harleycat says below,
the restaurant is probably under no obligation to give notice.

This has happened at other restaurants in my city, even non-chain
ones. There was a steakhouse with Brett Favre's name on it that did
the same thing.

The customers of these restaurants are also hurt. I once went to a
restaurant for lunch, only to find out it closed without notice. Man,
I was angry. I really wanted one of their menu items.

It sucks, but it is what it is.

I remember when that happened, it's really close to my house, and I
felt horrified that they would do that to their employees. I heard
they had to file a class-action to get their last check too. Hope
that dosen't happen to us!

there was a krispy kreme down the highway that did the same thing!
Everyone showed up for work that morning, and the doors were chained
shut and customers and employees alike were left milling around the
lot waiting for someone to tell them what happened. I think there was
a note on the door or something...I drove by there that day and
thought perhaps it was a fire or flood, but no. Krispy Kreme closed
the store LITERALY over night! manny and fi fi can most likely vouch
for me they live in the general area.

I WAS one of those employees that was let go, after 7+ years with the
company, over 5 at that location! Restaurant jobs are a dime a dozen
in this town and I'll be getting another today. Friday's needs to
wake up! Letting people go on no notice, right before the holidays, is
NO WAY to run a business! Many other complaints about Friday's are
based on customer service. Well, why should employees care when things
like this can happen to supposedly valuable staff members? This was
not a "mom and pop" restaurant, and that's part of the reason I chose
to work there. I enjoy the security that comes from working in a
corporate setting (ha! what security?) and am personally disgusted
with the way this matter was handled. Farewell, Friday's! I will
never walk through your doors again, as a customer or as an employee,
and I strongly urge all of my friends who were also let go to do the
same.

From the way the letter is written, you were not an employee. I am
glad that you care about people, however the letter would have more
impact if it were written by an (ex)employee.
Employers are under no legal obligation to give notice of
termination. Many times, the employees would be so upset that
performance would be affected. There are a myriad of reasons. It is
not a nice thing to do, but big business is that way.
Many of these same employees would leave without notice if they were
offered a better job. It is too bad that people are unemployed,
especially at this time of year. I hope they are able to find work
soon.

Welcome to the real world. They are under no obligation to give
employees any notice.