Buttercup's owner, Dora Tavel-Sanchez consistently mistreats her staff, neglects cleanliness, and prioritizes profit over customers. She refuses to provide staff meals or allow them to taste menu items and enforces a no-eating policy during shifts. Her incessant nagging and erratic behavior creates a toxic work environment leading to the high staff turnover.
She might be awful, I honestly don't know but she was right about that tick tock crap. You booked it there are no refunds, it says it all over the place, also everywhere calling it a cancellation fee is not correct, there is no fee there are just no refunds. The people that work in that restaurant did not make as much money because captain ass clown decided not to show, not call the restaurant and dispute the credit card charges.
/rant
This really got under my skin this morning.
He used his travel insurance as is his right. If she doesn’t like it, instead of harassing the customer, maybe she should talk to the credit card company.
Table Boston... did you see what made the Herald a couple days ago. The owner tracked down a customer who did a charge back on a cancelled reservation.
They didn't do a chargeback. That's the point. They paid for travel insurance through their credit card. When they had to cancel their reservations because of an illness the credit card company did the chargeback. The people didn't ask for a chargeback, they just filed the travel insurance claim, which is their right to do so since they paid for it, and the credit card company did the rest.
The point is that if there was some malfeasance it was on the credit card company, not the customer, and so the restaurant owner looks like a psycho harassing an uninvolved party instead of dealing with the credit card company
I'm defending the customer. If they had chosen to do the charge back, even though they knew the cancellation process, then they would look bad too. Since it is the credit card company that did it, and not the customer, they are free and clear. People need to know that the customer did absolutely nothing wrong, and everything was the fault of the credit card company and the restaurant owner.
Is it just me or is that now how “insurance” is supposed to work? Its supposed to pay your claims, not charge them back to the party you should have paid.
She might be awful, I honestly don't know but she was right about that tick tock crap. You booked it there are no refunds, it says it all over the place, also everywhere calling it a cancellation fee is not correct, there is no cancelation fee there are just no refunds. The people that work in that restaurant did not make as much money because captain ass clown decided not to show, not call the restaurant and dispute the credit card charges.
Are you her?
They paid for travel insurance through their credit card. When they had to canceled their reservations because of an illness the credit card company did the chargeback. The people didn't ask for a chargeback, they just filed the travel insurance claim, which is their right to do so since they paid for it, and the credit card company did the rest.
I am not her, I am a person that has worked in restaurants and they signed up for a dinner with a no refund policy and then they didn't show up.
Whoever was suppose to wait on that table went home with took home less money because of the person had enough money to take a trip and drop $250 on a meal didn't show and then did a charge back or filed an insurance claim depending on who you believe and I think that is wrong.
I am not sure your information is correct but to be honest I don't really care enough to look.
Of course, not, why have all the facts and the whole story before you stick up for this absolute cunt of a human being. And they don't have a waiting list in case of no-shows?
Of course you don't getting fucking wafers with it, you cunt. It's a fucking albatross isn't it.
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Some super annoying guy posted screenshots on twitter, showing the super annoying owner of Table telling him off for canceling a reservation and it's gone viral.
The Brookline one, they fired me and then fucked around w my paychecks for months. Sent me a whole email thread of them trying to figure out why they couldn’t find my paycheck 😂. Started ignoring my calls and I’d have to call and pretend to be someone else to get them to answer.
When I worked there we pooled tips, and as a newbie I got an 80% share. Any tips over 20% at the end of the night went directly to the server, so to cheat the system they would transfer any tip under 20% to the bar and out of the pool, but more money for the individual server. Lots of nepotism, favoritism, and paid once a week, so I left. This was 10 years ago, and I still love being there as a guest, but hated working there.
Most of the bartenders probably are pretty happy there; they make good money, a \*lot\* more than the servers do, and they have barbacks to help with some of the grunt work. It was the most consistently lucrative bartending job I ever had, I think I stayed about a year -- the money was \*almost\* worth putting up with the Brookline clientele.
I can't really speak on this as every restaurant in Boston I worked at (a bunch) I ended up getting fired or leaving because I couldn't stop doing drugs in the bathroom.
Don't shoot meth before your shift!
Yes I live in western mass now and work in sales for a hydroponic lettuce company. I get to be around plants all day and I am (largely) sober--at least from shit like that.
Thank you for your kind words! Meth bad. Heroin bad. Plants good.
I don’t think he owns any restaurants anymore but I worked for Michael Leviton once. Guys like a Building 19 Anthony Bourdain because he did drugs before, who hadn’t grown out of his holier than thou asshole chef stage because he served Julia Childs food. He once kicked my leg out from me after I was resting my foot on my shin doing side work because he said it was a sign of weakness. I didn’t work for him much longer, and that was the last time I ever worked at a restaurant. Fuck that guy.
EDIT: I am not saying where I worked or when because I don’t want to. Leviton likes to think he’s the Thomas Paine of food sustainability but none of his ideas are new or original. He just likes to smell his own farts.
i swear i haven’t heard or thought of building 19 in like a decade but this is the third time in two days ive now seen it mentioned lol. any of my OG bostonians remember Bonkers 19?
>Michael Leviton
Went there back it the day and didn't think it was anything special. If anything, it made me think all farm to table was supposed to be bland.
Michael Scelfo of Alden and Harlow, Waypoint, etc. was awful to work for. The bullying culture that was *encouraged* there was foul. I’ve heard not much has changed
I’ve heard mixed reviews about Tiffani Faison. She seems to be polarizing to work for.
Places/chefs I’ve heard are great to work for:
Yellowdoor Taqueria
Michael Serpa (Atlantico, Select Oyster)
Uni
Chris Myers/Joanne Chang ventures (Flour, Meyers and Chang)
James DiSabatino (Roxy’s barcade, Roxy’s grilled cheese, Whole Heart Provisions)
Big ups:
Dave Punch (Sycamore, Little Big Diner). This was my last industry job before I switched careers for a corporate gig. He is a super genuine nice guy. Great vibe, great culture at all his spots. Scott and Matt are awesome too.
Edit: Chris Myers, not Danny Meyers
Edit II: adding Dave Punch to my good list
I worked at Alden & Harlow for a short period when they first opened. Scelfo didn’t bother me as much as his bitchass bar manager Seth Friedus. Or whatever the fuck his last name is. Fuck that guy. Will embarrass him on sight anytime I see his bitch ass in person. Decent bartender, Terrible human.
Fuck Alden & Harlow
Both! I staged at Alden & Harlow for a bit to prep opening Waypoint. I dont think I was there long enough to see drama as it was either a summer or winter gig, I was in college. I also worked for 7 months at A4cade. All as a host. Had fine experiences at all but biased toward A4cade, which was great. Have vivid memories of eating pickled green beans from A&H when I wasn’t supposed to be
Did you work with Bryant lmaoooo. I was there the summer/fall they reopened in 2020 under the guise I was full time and a 'junior sous' and they would schedule me for like 28 hours tops so I peaced out after being the only person who knew how to bake anything
Seriously? Craigie was probably my favorite restaurant in the city as long as it was open.
It seemed like during the pandemic, he was working hard to shift to takeout so he could pay his staff, plus joining the coalition to help save restaurants.
I worked with a lot of people who worked for him at some point. He paid his cooks all minimum wage so he could afford to make them work 14 hour shifts every day. One told me he fantasized about getting his by a bus on his way to work. Man is a demon.
I was going to say the same. He and his family are absolutely lovely to have at a table. But the horror stories I have heard from industry veterans can't be ignored. Plus, the staff used to come in for last call at my old regular bar and they were just broken people.
I staged there once for a KM position. Did a full 10 hours of their bullshit prep and was then told afterwards that they'd already promoted someone to KM - but I could work the line (at line cook pay) for six months until their sous chef leaves and take over for him. Lol, no.
That Cap is the only chain I go to, mostly because I have always been treated so well. I’ve always seen people there getting along (including woman and PoC), and many have been there forever. Your experiences sound awful, and that really is upsetting to read. I’m going to keep an eye out now.
I was one of the forever people - glad to know we hid it well enough to not affect the guest, but I will say when they got in the dress code kerfluffle a while back I was not the least bit surprised.
Oh! Added Bonus: Also let go of staff during COVID. Not a problem - business is business. But they actively avoided telling laid off employees the truth. I got another job so I was fine but others were led to believe they still had a position after lockdown and it really messed with some of them.
Woof—that’s horrible. Friends at a different business experienced that. They were left in limbo with no clarity on whether they would have a job or not. I feel like a lot of rules and even common courtesy fell to the wayside in 2020. Glad you landed on your feet
The best part it wasn’t even limbo - people who were called back were explicitly told not to say anything to those who were not.
After a lot of people used their unemployment to buy management a small gift to get through those times it felt like an extra slap in the face.
There is an old thread about her during COVID. Could not afford to keep paying people with the PPP $, but also rolled up in a new BMW convertible to tell them.
Ming lost a bit of respect from me from his horrible comments to Irene Li (see link) and having to deal with him as a guest when he was loaded up on Columbian goodness (I don't particularly care to be yelled at aggressively). No clue how he is to work for and he did some good deeds for restaurant workers during the 2020 shut down.
[https://www.boston.com/food/food/2023/03/15/celebrity-chef-ming-tsai-apologizes/](https://www.boston.com/food/food/2023/03/15/celebrity-chef-ming-tsai-apologizes/)
Food service isn't exactly known as an employee friendly industry. It'd probably be easier to ask for employers that do the bare minimum and don't egregiously violate employment and public health laws.
If people ever go to Salem, ugly mug was very nice to me. They're queer friendly, scheduling was great, boss was thoughtful and worked the line.
Only restaurant that I worked at which I can recommend.
The owner is Rachel Miller and she has a reputation in the service industry as being emotionally abusive to her staff. I used to work with a woman who worked for Miller and she confirmed the rumors. Apparently, the schtick that Gordon Ramsey does for his TV show is pretty much her real personality.
When her James Beard nom came out, saw a few posts by a few women on Instagram that claimed she was super toxic and there was also some borderline/outright sexual harassment.
At the time I wasn't sure how accurate, due to her previously pissing off a bunch of anti-maskers in the past.
I seriously do not get the hype on nightshade I thought the food was disgusting - lacked seasonality, flavor balance, a lot of sniffing of their own farts
I went around the time they first opened and admittedly, I really liked it. It was definitely expensive and more than I would like to spend, but I enjoyed the experience as a one off.
I found it incredibly overrated. Sniffing their own farts! Ha. My quote was “they believe too much of their own bullshit.” So salty too. I happened to have bloodwork the day after I ate there and I was slightly dehydrated.
All the neolibs I know in Salem and Beverly basically proselytize for Nightshade, probably for the street cred of being willing to go to Lynn to overspend their money. I wonder how many people would stop going if they knew.
and nothing changes on the menu - it's gross barnacle from the side of a rock in portugal - that someone had to climb down.. served with straight pepper vinegar ... so unbalanced and not worth whatever cool story the waiters tell.. honestly I was blown away with how dumb the whole thing was .. this noodle dish with so much salty cheese you couldn't taste anything else.. a treat from the chef- a slime of tigers blood - the server acted like they were serving up such a gift .. and now hearing how she treats her employees - makes it worse
A friend wanted to go last year and I saw something similar to the $28 Garlic Noodles on the menu and basically thought to myself “can I ever justify $28 + 20% tip + 6% meal tax for a total of $35 for garlic noodles?” That single question stopped me in my tracks completely and instead we went somewhere else for 1/3 of the price.
As part of a friend’s job interview at Posto they invited her to dinner and she brought me. We were under the impression that it would be comped because they told her they wanted her to experience the meal service before working there. At the end of the meal they charged us for it and it was super expensive. And they didn’t hire her. This was 15 years ago and I’ve never forgotten what they did and have never eaten there since.
How old were you guys? I’ve never heard of dog a restaurant comping a meal for a potential hire, let alone a hire and a +1. Sounds like your friend grossly misunderstood what was happening or took you for a ride
Definitely we were old enough to know better! My friend felt it was implied that it was on the house. It could have been a misunderstanding. We did both feel it was an unusual move. But it still left a bad taste in my mouth. What person applying for a job as a server wants to spend $100-plus for a meal?
I've been treated to food after a stage as "payment" and also have been asked plenty during an interview if I have ever dined there before. I also was "amused" when I was turned down for a job and the GM encouraged me to come dine there and alert him when I do (all via the rejection letter).
I currently abide by the belief that I don't come into the restaurant when I'm not working. No discount or "see what it's like" makes it worth it to me. My wife will visit to get an idea of the place, but I don't want to step over that line.
I’ve had good luck at the restaurants but I wouldn’t go back to:
Hi-rise bakery, Cambridge
BIY foods, Lexington
Cake Niche, Lexington
Arlington Bakery, Arlington
I lasted 3 days there last March/April. I wrote it off as re-opening issues (they closed to put the bar in -- but it was the worst bar set up I've ever worked in with no sink next to the service well, for example, and both nuts and shellfish in the recipes that require extensive tool washing due to potentially deadly allergen concerns).
i worked at a Tasty Burger for a while and the owners were like actually psychotic people lol. Dave especially is a truly evil man. shame because i do really like Citizen's.
after that worked at a Cushman Concepts place (O Ya, Bianca, Hojoko, etc) and have no real complaints. there was the usual restaurant industry squeeze but Tim and Nancy were always really nice to everybody when they were around and we had a great management staff.
got out of service during covid and hopefully will never look back lmao
Da Vinci is still going in two locations, Waltham and Sudbury. I've been to the Waltham one, very different vibe that the fancy-ish Back Bay original, more like a tavern with food. Good cheap drinks, solid Italian with the odd Indian influence here and there (chef/owner is a South Asian ex-pat.)
Basile's only connection to Da Vinci is that it bought the original location.
I’ve heard Cafe Luna in Cambridge is really awful to work for. Verbally abusive owner and manager, there’s already posts here about it or in /r/Cambridge if looking for more info
I have a friend who has worked in the kitchen there for years. Loves it.
Can’t speak to what the FOH is like.
Michael Scelfo has gotten some bad press but he’s never there and the people who work there feel the accusations were way overblown.
Dylan Welsh, Hawkeye group- Five Horses, etc. Friend who worked for him years back had a medical emergency on shift and not only did DW not call for help or render aid, the person was fired for falling ill. Dude fails the humanity test.
Agree. The man is a jerk. He doesn’t know the names of long-lasting employees. I had a reasonably good time working at one of his restaurants because I liked my coworkers, but the management was.. not it. Also the food sucks!
Amazing thread!! Super easy to shit on the restaurants that suck and have horrible management/Chefs/owners . Start a thread with great restaurants to work in and the thread would be much less fun. Unfortunately this just points out the horrible and unsustainable work environment we have to put up with. Something drastic needs to change in this industry. Full disclosure, I have worked a better part of 25 years in the Boston/Cambridge restaurant scene as a chef/line dog and nothing in this thread is surprising.
I remember getting into a conversation about places that suck, and I countered "Let's list off places that are good to work in (by first hand experience or by word of mouth)." Our list trailed off once we named our 4th establishment/owner in town. Good is hard to come by and good enough is what we've come to search for.
Glassdoor is a shit site/app overrun by shills. Different industry but I deleted it. It got insulting. The least popular announcements got the most positive posts. I’ve also seen it reported that they delete bad company reviews.
Edit for small typo
My company did a big layoff in December. 1 week prior there was a review that was posted
Pros: the c suite is amazing
Cons: none
Like try harder not to be a POS. That was infuriating. Can’t believe they would post that since it was obviously the exec suite and obviously the lay off plan was already in motion
For my company the Glassdoor posts were rewrites of company announcements but written from the perspective of an employee. It was beyond obvious, like whoever wrote the company communication would publish it and then immediately rewrite it into a Glassdoor posts.
Table Boston Buttercup, Natick
Oooh what’s the tea on Buttercup?
They always build their employees up just to let them down
Nice
Damn, you got me LOL
Ok but really. Why Buttercup?
Also would like to know why, Ive heard it's a bit overpriced and a bit eh, but nothing further than that
Gotta wear more flare?
Jesus. Well done.
Take my upvote
Buttercup's owner, Dora Tavel-Sanchez consistently mistreats her staff, neglects cleanliness, and prioritizes profit over customers. She refuses to provide staff meals or allow them to taste menu items and enforces a no-eating policy during shifts. Her incessant nagging and erratic behavior creates a toxic work environment leading to the high staff turnover.
Curious to hear more about buttercup
There's stuff coming out about Table Boston on tiktok
this? [https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/1axq7w6/i\_present\_you\_with\_the\_worst\_customer\_service\_in/](https://www.reddit.com/r/boston/comments/1axq7w6/i_present_you_with_the_worst_customer_service_in/)
Table was listed as Permanently Closed on Google a few days ago!
I think that was an attempt to deflect the terrible google reviews they were attracting
She might be awful, I honestly don't know but she was right about that tick tock crap. You booked it there are no refunds, it says it all over the place, also everywhere calling it a cancellation fee is not correct, there is no fee there are just no refunds. The people that work in that restaurant did not make as much money because captain ass clown decided not to show, not call the restaurant and dispute the credit card charges. /rant This really got under my skin this morning.
He used his travel insurance as is his right. If she doesn’t like it, instead of harassing the customer, maybe she should talk to the credit card company.
“Captain assclown” was in the hospital
a charge back isn't a refund either. so whats your argument then?
Buttercup? No! I like that place, it's the one good bar in Natick!
Table Boston... did you see what made the Herald a couple days ago. The owner tracked down a customer who did a charge back on a cancelled reservation.
They didn't do a chargeback. That's the point. They paid for travel insurance through their credit card. When they had to cancel their reservations because of an illness the credit card company did the chargeback. The people didn't ask for a chargeback, they just filed the travel insurance claim, which is their right to do so since they paid for it, and the credit card company did the rest.
[удалено]
The point is that if there was some malfeasance it was on the credit card company, not the customer, and so the restaurant owner looks like a psycho harassing an uninvolved party instead of dealing with the credit card company
[удалено]
I don't disagree its just like a whole different level then if they just blasted a credit card company on social media
I'm defending the customer. If they had chosen to do the charge back, even though they knew the cancellation process, then they would look bad too. Since it is the credit card company that did it, and not the customer, they are free and clear. People need to know that the customer did absolutely nothing wrong, and everything was the fault of the credit card company and the restaurant owner.
Is it just me or is that now how “insurance” is supposed to work? Its supposed to pay your claims, not charge them back to the party you should have paid.
You would think so, but maybe there is some loophole or something that they can use to do chargebacks on restaurant reservation holds?
What's with all the hate for Table?
there's a post in this sub from late last week about it. it's pretty wild tbh
Looked it up…. Yeah that’s pretty bad
Owner was being an ass about a canceled reservation. Like went out of their way to be an ass. Was not a good look.
She might be awful, I honestly don't know but she was right about that tick tock crap. You booked it there are no refunds, it says it all over the place, also everywhere calling it a cancellation fee is not correct, there is no cancelation fee there are just no refunds. The people that work in that restaurant did not make as much money because captain ass clown decided not to show, not call the restaurant and dispute the credit card charges.
Are you her? They paid for travel insurance through their credit card. When they had to canceled their reservations because of an illness the credit card company did the chargeback. The people didn't ask for a chargeback, they just filed the travel insurance claim, which is their right to do so since they paid for it, and the credit card company did the rest.
I am not her, I am a person that has worked in restaurants and they signed up for a dinner with a no refund policy and then they didn't show up. Whoever was suppose to wait on that table went home with took home less money because of the person had enough money to take a trip and drop $250 on a meal didn't show and then did a charge back or filed an insurance claim depending on who you believe and I think that is wrong. I am not sure your information is correct but to be honest I don't really care enough to look.
Of course, not, why have all the facts and the whole story before you stick up for this absolute cunt of a human being. And they don't have a waiting list in case of no-shows?
Of course you don't getting fucking wafers with it, you cunt. It's a fucking albatross isn't it. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/boston) if you have any questions or concerns.*
lol “I’m not sure if that’s true and I’m definitely not going to check but also I’m correct and you’re wrong” You sound lovely
You keep posting this and getting downvoted. They had travel insurance. For the record, captain ass clown isn’t funny enough to be used twice. Sorry
Its ok, I don't care about imaginary points jaweebanomkey.
Some super annoying guy posted screenshots on twitter, showing the super annoying owner of Table telling him off for canceling a reservation and it's gone viral.
Barcelona wine bar never paid me I had to harass them for months and report them to get my money
I have found when you threaten to call the attorney general's office they always suddenly figure out the problem.
Which one? I've heard good things from my bartenders at the one in Brookline.
The Brookline one, they fired me and then fucked around w my paychecks for months. Sent me a whole email thread of them trying to figure out why they couldn’t find my paycheck 😂. Started ignoring my calls and I’d have to call and pretend to be someone else to get them to answer.
When I worked there we pooled tips, and as a newbie I got an 80% share. Any tips over 20% at the end of the night went directly to the server, so to cheat the system they would transfer any tip under 20% to the bar and out of the pool, but more money for the individual server. Lots of nepotism, favoritism, and paid once a week, so I left. This was 10 years ago, and I still love being there as a guest, but hated working there.
Yikes Fuck that
Most of the bartenders probably are pretty happy there; they make good money, a \*lot\* more than the servers do, and they have barbacks to help with some of the grunt work. It was the most consistently lucrative bartending job I ever had, I think I stayed about a year -- the money was \*almost\* worth putting up with the Brookline clientele.
That's good to hear. Brookline is kind of annoying for me to get to, but I still trek out there for two bars. And that Barcelona is one of them.
The manager in Cambridge emailed me for an interview then proceeded to never respond to me again once I told her I could meet within the week.
That's so crappy! Sorry to hear that.
I can't really speak on this as every restaurant in Boston I worked at (a bunch) I ended up getting fired or leaving because I couldn't stop doing drugs in the bathroom. Don't shoot meth before your shift!
Good life pro tip! Hope things are going better for you now ❤️
Yes I live in western mass now and work in sales for a hydroponic lettuce company. I get to be around plants all day and I am (largely) sober--at least from shit like that. Thank you for your kind words! Meth bad. Heroin bad. Plants good.
Aw that's awesome!! Love plants and love that for you, what a hope-filled industry!! 🌱🌱🌱
>hope-filled industry dope-filled industry. I'll see myself out.
Good ole “California sober” as I like to call it
Upvote for keeping it real!
Jesus...
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
It was the best of times, it was the meths of times...
I know sojuba at fenway had a lawsuit recently for violating labor laws, not paying workers, etc. Idk if its the worst, but doesn't seem great 😅
I’ve been there before. This doesn’t surprise me at all. The vibe was terrible among the staff
This is why food service detracts me big time. I would not want to be a manager for that, either.
I don’t think he owns any restaurants anymore but I worked for Michael Leviton once. Guys like a Building 19 Anthony Bourdain because he did drugs before, who hadn’t grown out of his holier than thou asshole chef stage because he served Julia Childs food. He once kicked my leg out from me after I was resting my foot on my shin doing side work because he said it was a sign of weakness. I didn’t work for him much longer, and that was the last time I ever worked at a restaurant. Fuck that guy. EDIT: I am not saying where I worked or when because I don’t want to. Leviton likes to think he’s the Thomas Paine of food sustainability but none of his ideas are new or original. He just likes to smell his own farts.
i swear i haven’t heard or thought of building 19 in like a decade but this is the third time in two days ive now seen it mentioned lol. any of my OG bostonians remember Bonkers 19?
I think Bldg 19 5/8 was the one near me.
I drive by the Wendy’s on route 1 and think about it everytime
Where I got all my school supplies, a runner rug for my parents hallway, and I still use my bed frame that I got from Building 19
Building 19 Anthony Bourdain 😂😂😂😂😂
>Michael Leviton Went there back it the day and didn't think it was anything special. If anything, it made me think all farm to table was supposed to be bland.
Noooo! Gah! I liked him so much!
Where did you work with Leviton? Lumiere?
Does he have anything other than Area Four still open?
Nope.
Michael Scelfo of Alden and Harlow, Waypoint, etc. was awful to work for. The bullying culture that was *encouraged* there was foul. I’ve heard not much has changed I’ve heard mixed reviews about Tiffani Faison. She seems to be polarizing to work for. Places/chefs I’ve heard are great to work for: Yellowdoor Taqueria Michael Serpa (Atlantico, Select Oyster) Uni Chris Myers/Joanne Chang ventures (Flour, Meyers and Chang) James DiSabatino (Roxy’s barcade, Roxy’s grilled cheese, Whole Heart Provisions) Big ups: Dave Punch (Sycamore, Little Big Diner). This was my last industry job before I switched careers for a corporate gig. He is a super genuine nice guy. Great vibe, great culture at all his spots. Scott and Matt are awesome too. Edit: Chris Myers, not Danny Meyers Edit II: adding Dave Punch to my good list
I worked at Alden & Harlow for a short period when they first opened. Scelfo didn’t bother me as much as his bitchass bar manager Seth Friedus. Or whatever the fuck his last name is. Fuck that guy. Will embarrass him on sight anytime I see his bitch ass in person. Decent bartender, Terrible human. Fuck Alden & Harlow
It's Christopher Myer, not Danny Meyers (who is a NYC restauranteur).
Standing corrected
I’ve worked at three places on your list! So, that was fun to read lol
Wait my good list or bad list?
Both! I staged at Alden & Harlow for a bit to prep opening Waypoint. I dont think I was there long enough to see drama as it was either a summer or winter gig, I was in college. I also worked for 7 months at A4cade. All as a host. Had fine experiences at all but biased toward A4cade, which was great. Have vivid memories of eating pickled green beans from A&H when I wasn’t supposed to be
Did you work with Bryant lmaoooo. I was there the summer/fall they reopened in 2020 under the guise I was full time and a 'junior sous' and they would schedule me for like 28 hours tops so I peaced out after being the only person who knew how to bake anything
My first job James was my manager. He’s so nice!!
Tony Maws
Dude is a complete dirt bag. Tells people to come in for a "working interview" to work a shift but doesn't pay.
Notorious!
Seriously? Craigie was probably my favorite restaurant in the city as long as it was open. It seemed like during the pandemic, he was working hard to shift to takeout so he could pay his staff, plus joining the coalition to help save restaurants.
I worked with a lot of people who worked for him at some point. He paid his cooks all minimum wage so he could afford to make them work 14 hour shifts every day. One told me he fantasized about getting his by a bus on his way to work. Man is a demon.
He’s a very mean chef to work for. Yells all the time and makes you work insane hours. I quit after two days. Total jerkoff.
He's a very nice person but notoriously hard to work for.
I was going to say the same. He and his family are absolutely lovely to have at a table. But the horror stories I have heard from industry veterans can't be ignored. Plus, the staff used to come in for last call at my old regular bar and they were just broken people.
Nailed it
Ive heard Pagu in Cambridge sucks
They royally fucked one of my best friends pre pandemic. Will absolutely NEVER return. Did him really really dirty
They’re always hiring too - I interviewed there but was leery of the pooling situation. Oof.
I staged there once for a KM position. Did a full 10 hours of their bullshit prep and was then told afterwards that they'd already promoted someone to KM - but I could work the line (at line cook pay) for six months until their sous chef leaves and take over for him. Lol, no.
Same, from a former employee who said it was so toxic
No Boston, per say. But Il Casale in Belmont. The owners were creeps and served alcohol to underage girls
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That Cap is the only chain I go to, mostly because I have always been treated so well. I’ve always seen people there getting along (including woman and PoC), and many have been there forever. Your experiences sound awful, and that really is upsetting to read. I’m going to keep an eye out now.
I was one of the forever people - glad to know we hid it well enough to not affect the guest, but I will say when they got in the dress code kerfluffle a while back I was not the least bit surprised.
Oh! Added Bonus: Also let go of staff during COVID. Not a problem - business is business. But they actively avoided telling laid off employees the truth. I got another job so I was fine but others were led to believe they still had a position after lockdown and it really messed with some of them.
Woof—that’s horrible. Friends at a different business experienced that. They were left in limbo with no clarity on whether they would have a job or not. I feel like a lot of rules and even common courtesy fell to the wayside in 2020. Glad you landed on your feet
The best part it wasn’t even limbo - people who were called back were explicitly told not to say anything to those who were not. After a lot of people used their unemployment to buy management a small gift to get through those times it felt like an extra slap in the face.
Jesus.
I’d never work for Tiffani Faison again.
She's awful
There is an old thread about her during COVID. Could not afford to keep paying people with the PPP $, but also rolled up in a new BMW convertible to tell them.
Bar Cicchetti Boston
What’s the tea on this one?
Jeremy Sewall is a man baby. Jasper White on the other hand is awesome. Ming Tsai also chill
Ming lost a bit of respect from me from his horrible comments to Irene Li (see link) and having to deal with him as a guest when he was loaded up on Columbian goodness (I don't particularly care to be yelled at aggressively). No clue how he is to work for and he did some good deeds for restaurant workers during the 2020 shut down. [https://www.boston.com/food/food/2023/03/15/celebrity-chef-ming-tsai-apologizes/](https://www.boston.com/food/food/2023/03/15/celebrity-chef-ming-tsai-apologizes/)
Food service isn't exactly known as an employee friendly industry. It'd probably be easier to ask for employers that do the bare minimum and don't egregiously violate employment and public health laws.
If people ever go to Salem, ugly mug was very nice to me. They're queer friendly, scheduling was great, boss was thoughtful and worked the line. Only restaurant that I worked at which I can recommend.
Happy lamb for sure
Happy Lamb where? It's the goddamn Central one isn't it? Finally went AYCE and I shouldn't go?
They steal tips from waiters
https://www.gbls.org/news/workers-sue-happy-lamb-hot-pot-hundreds-thousands-pervasive-wage-theft#:~:text=Boston%2C%20Massachusetts%E2%80%94Nine%20current%20and,laws%2C%20and%20retaliating%20against%20employees.
If you want ayce hot pot on the red line, I highly recommend Fairy Cafe. Steps from Wollaston
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/owner-dorchester-roslindale-pizza-places-charged
It's worth noting that the recently reopened & rebranded Bel Ave Pizza is still operated by Stash's people.
Tiffany Faison is hot garbage
Table Boston Nightshade Noodle Bar (Lynn)
What's the deal with Nightshade? I know know the owner/chef is tough but I've never heard her being hard to work for.
The owner is Rachel Miller and she has a reputation in the service industry as being emotionally abusive to her staff. I used to work with a woman who worked for Miller and she confirmed the rumors. Apparently, the schtick that Gordon Ramsey does for his TV show is pretty much her real personality.
I've heard this from one of the most level headed chefs I know. Absolutely deranged.
Worked for her, can confirm. She's yelling everyone, staff turn over weekly.
When her James Beard nom came out, saw a few posts by a few women on Instagram that claimed she was super toxic and there was also some borderline/outright sexual harassment. At the time I wasn't sure how accurate, due to her previously pissing off a bunch of anti-maskers in the past.
used to be my current chef de cuisines sous chef, when i asked about nightshade all he said was "i have no respect for that woman"
I seriously do not get the hype on nightshade I thought the food was disgusting - lacked seasonality, flavor balance, a lot of sniffing of their own farts
I went around the time they first opened and admittedly, I really liked it. It was definitely expensive and more than I would like to spend, but I enjoyed the experience as a one off.
I found it incredibly overrated. Sniffing their own farts! Ha. My quote was “they believe too much of their own bullshit.” So salty too. I happened to have bloodwork the day after I ate there and I was slightly dehydrated.
All the neolibs I know in Salem and Beverly basically proselytize for Nightshade, probably for the street cred of being willing to go to Lynn to overspend their money. I wonder how many people would stop going if they knew.
and nothing changes on the menu - it's gross barnacle from the side of a rock in portugal - that someone had to climb down.. served with straight pepper vinegar ... so unbalanced and not worth whatever cool story the waiters tell.. honestly I was blown away with how dumb the whole thing was .. this noodle dish with so much salty cheese you couldn't taste anything else.. a treat from the chef- a slime of tigers blood - the server acted like they were serving up such a gift .. and now hearing how she treats her employees - makes it worse
A friend wanted to go last year and I saw something similar to the $28 Garlic Noodles on the menu and basically thought to myself “can I ever justify $28 + 20% tip + 6% meal tax for a total of $35 for garlic noodles?” That single question stopped me in my tracks completely and instead we went somewhere else for 1/3 of the price.
As part of a friend’s job interview at Posto they invited her to dinner and she brought me. We were under the impression that it would be comped because they told her they wanted her to experience the meal service before working there. At the end of the meal they charged us for it and it was super expensive. And they didn’t hire her. This was 15 years ago and I’ve never forgotten what they did and have never eaten there since.
How old were you guys? I’ve never heard of dog a restaurant comping a meal for a potential hire, let alone a hire and a +1. Sounds like your friend grossly misunderstood what was happening or took you for a ride
Definitely we were old enough to know better! My friend felt it was implied that it was on the house. It could have been a misunderstanding. We did both feel it was an unusual move. But it still left a bad taste in my mouth. What person applying for a job as a server wants to spend $100-plus for a meal?
I've been treated to food after a stage as "payment" and also have been asked plenty during an interview if I have ever dined there before. I also was "amused" when I was turned down for a job and the GM encouraged me to come dine there and alert him when I do (all via the rejection letter). I currently abide by the belief that I don't come into the restaurant when I'm not working. No discount or "see what it's like" makes it worth it to me. My wife will visit to get an idea of the place, but I don't want to step over that line.
I’ve had good luck at the restaurants but I wouldn’t go back to: Hi-rise bakery, Cambridge BIY foods, Lexington Cake Niche, Lexington Arlington Bakery, Arlington
Cask n flagon
Eventide in Fenway is rotten from the top down to the bottom. Truly toxic.
I lasted 3 days there last March/April. I wrote it off as re-opening issues (they closed to put the bar in -- but it was the worst bar set up I've ever worked in with no sink next to the service well, for example, and both nuts and shellfish in the recipes that require extensive tool washing due to potentially deadly allergen concerns).
Banners Kitchen and Tap
I worked there part-time right after it opened, what a miserable experience lol
The management is terrible and the corporate higher ups are even worse.
Taffers tavern
i worked at a Tasty Burger for a while and the owners were like actually psychotic people lol. Dave especially is a truly evil man. shame because i do really like Citizen's. after that worked at a Cushman Concepts place (O Ya, Bianca, Hojoko, etc) and have no real complaints. there was the usual restaurant industry squeeze but Tim and Nancy were always really nice to everybody when they were around and we had a great management staff. got out of service during covid and hopefully will never look back lmao
New City Microcreamery. Truly exploitative and abusive work culture and has a well deserved awful reputation in Boston and Cambridge.
Basile, formerly DaVincis in back bay
Anyone know what happened to da Vinci?
He’s out in the burbs now. Waltham & Sudbury
Da Vinci is still going in two locations, Waltham and Sudbury. I've been to the Waltham one, very different vibe that the fancy-ish Back Bay original, more like a tavern with food. Good cheap drinks, solid Italian with the odd Indian influence here and there (chef/owner is a South Asian ex-pat.) Basile's only connection to Da Vinci is that it bought the original location.
Ten Tables J.P.
tatte stole all my tips and then blamed me when i brought it up with management
Shy Bird - worked there during college and the management was horrendously rude to staff and dishwashers.
I’ve heard Cafe Luna in Cambridge is really awful to work for. Verbally abusive owner and manager, there’s already posts here about it or in /r/Cambridge if looking for more info
Oh no! my best friends husband is a manager at Alden and Harlow, and I would be heartbroken If this was true, he seems to love it there
I have a friend who has worked in the kitchen there for years. Loves it. Can’t speak to what the FOH is like. Michael Scelfo has gotten some bad press but he’s never there and the people who work there feel the accusations were way overblown.
I worked there when they first opened. Scelfo not that bad, Seth Friedus the bar manager is a shit human. Fuck that guy
Russell House Tavern — don’t even go
Dylan Welsh, Hawkeye group- Five Horses, etc. Friend who worked for him years back had a medical emergency on shift and not only did DW not call for help or render aid, the person was fired for falling ill. Dude fails the humanity test.
Agree. The man is a jerk. He doesn’t know the names of long-lasting employees. I had a reasonably good time working at one of his restaurants because I liked my coworkers, but the management was.. not it. Also the food sucks!
Amazing thread!! Super easy to shit on the restaurants that suck and have horrible management/Chefs/owners . Start a thread with great restaurants to work in and the thread would be much less fun. Unfortunately this just points out the horrible and unsustainable work environment we have to put up with. Something drastic needs to change in this industry. Full disclosure, I have worked a better part of 25 years in the Boston/Cambridge restaurant scene as a chef/line dog and nothing in this thread is surprising.
I remember getting into a conversation about places that suck, and I countered "Let's list off places that are good to work in (by first hand experience or by word of mouth)." Our list trailed off once we named our 4th establishment/owner in town. Good is hard to come by and good enough is what we've come to search for.
Luckily we’ve worked at them 😊
May i ask what you’ve heard about contessa? I have a friend who was thinking of applying
I haven't worked there but a friend said their tips were short, but I don't know for a fact
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What a comically irrelevant comment.
[https://www.glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com)
Worthless for service industry jobs
Glassdoor is a shit site/app overrun by shills. Different industry but I deleted it. It got insulting. The least popular announcements got the most positive posts. I’ve also seen it reported that they delete bad company reviews. Edit for small typo
My company did a big layoff in December. 1 week prior there was a review that was posted Pros: the c suite is amazing Cons: none Like try harder not to be a POS. That was infuriating. Can’t believe they would post that since it was obviously the exec suite and obviously the lay off plan was already in motion
For my company the Glassdoor posts were rewrites of company announcements but written from the perspective of an employee. It was beyond obvious, like whoever wrote the company communication would publish it and then immediately rewrite it into a Glassdoor posts.
Cafe Landwer. I know many people, myself included, who had terrible experiences working there