I hope you will continue to write about your new job. Could be a sitcom
That's the spirit. Good on you. It would not surprise me that the lady is not used to being stood up to and may well cave in to your demands. You don't know until you try and it sounds like you have and won a minor victory.
Bullies are cowards.
I checked Trip Advisor and fancy that I may have found the place. Reviews from the French seem pretty good but the English reviewers well less happy.
Good for you Zoe - 'Nil Illegitimi Carborundum' !!!
So, to update, I have announced that I am staying. What sort of manager cannot manage to the extent that they throw in the towel without even trying (despite the fact that I AM exhausted after a week of "trying".
I have changed my attitude, and said to mamie "I am responsible for the restaurant and it's reputation now, so anything I deem dirty, unsightly, or kitch, I WILL get rid of it. She ran out of vases for her flowers (not supposed to have cut flowers on tables, but hey, it keeps her out of the way for the hour she goes to pick flowers), and so she is putting the flowers in used fruit juice bottles. I have ordered proper vases, in the hopes that it will win brownie points, but I am scared she will think "How dare she spend money" I no longer care, I am stepping up.
My intention is to turn this place into a restaurant I can be proud to work in. I might fail, but I have to try. I seem to love putting myself in toxic situations, but hey... 4 months will fly, and then my contract is up. I might not be able to change everything, but hopefully I can bring the directors around to seeing <what a real hotel should run like.
In Ireland I wouldn't have batted an eyelid at this sort of behaviour, but somehow, in France, this all shocked me.
Padlocks to stop us putting things INTO them, haha. They have a cover on the bin, to stop the dogs rummaging in it. Not a real, norm conforming bin with a pedal for the lid, but an actual old school dustbin, with a lid... which you must use your hand to lift off. The place "looks" clean, but I am sure a hygiene inspector would have a field day in this place
Accor has a star rating system, this place somehow has earned the 4 stars it is accredited with. Maybe when the inspector calls they make sure not to give them broken water caraffes and unchipped delph.
I'm not quite sure, the place is run by her son and daughter. Both are there all day, all night, every day and every night. She obviously "owns" the place and they maybe run it for her. Unsure of the whole operation.
At her age, she should be relaxing, but she is hell bent on managing every little detail, from the bread, to the stock in the cellar, to who sits at what table.
Does she have a controlling financial interest then Zoe?
I wouldn’t flip it off as “French life”, I have worked in some wonderful professional operations here in France. It’s more that the mother is stuck in her ways, it’s her house, and she treats the hotel as her living room. Again today I was taking a load of plastic bottles to be recycled, and got told “that’s Mrs P’s personal bottles, she refils them…don’t touch her stuff.” How can I decide what "her stuff"is if it’s lying around with my hotel stock and equipment.
Hi Theo, maybe it is just a 'claimed' 4-Star as I am almost certain (without going out to check) that the plaques outside French hotels are controlled ratings by, I always thought, some sort of government agency. I always thought also that it is a good idea as you had a reasonable idea of what to expect at each star level.
I know that this is not the case in Italy and other countries, and I am not sure the old AA and RAC ratings still apply in the UK either.
Norman, Zoe is saying its supposed to be a 4star... But like in Italy as well, this star business is relative. Patina does not stay for quality as also the "Crillion" in Paris have had to learn
And the hard way, (inspector d' sante) as proposed by some is not helping anyone either. Its like with so many offers these days, too many of the same & too little thinking on sustainability and quality and individual responsibility because the boss is contradicting every chance. Thats then the personal decision when the "golden cut" need to be made if necessary change is not possible...
Zoe, I suggest you force them to fire you for doing your job, if they really want you to go. I don't see you have anything to lose. You know what has to be done. It's just a matter of how you go about it, which requires thought.
Remember Fortune favours the brave.
Good luck
PS the only thing missing from your description of the rationing is padlocks on the dustbins
Please tell me where this place is so that I don’t ever accidentally eat there!!! Dogs in the kichen?? Can’t you get shut down for that??? Stick to your guns - get something on paper and then present it to the directors. Having it on paper will enable you to all talk about it objectively as you can use language like ‘The report states…’ - this means it’s no longer you criticising them, rather the report suggesting how you can all approve (I know, even though you wrote the report, trust me, this is a management technique that works a charm!!)
Hi Zoe, sounds like fear, mutual mistrust and lack of honesty are endemic throughout the place. It's easy to think it's all about the old biddy, but in truth it's a system, because the others are also allowing it. That's not something you can fix by trying to layer good management over the top.
It's up to you how long you decide to stick with it and which changes (or not) you feel you can settle for, but it seems a waste of your wonderful enthusiasm and diligence; if it was me, I'd be working on my next job in the background from right now - where those qualities will be valued.
Fawlty Towers and all that!
Pardon my ignorance, but isn't there an 'authority' to check Star ratings? Maybe a suggestion/hint that you MIGHT just have heard that there are Inspectors in the region, might put the frighteners on them?
Just a thought.
yes Jane, its clear, that's why Zoe was hired for. I was ironic in my comment because I learned, while working in France, there is nothing much you can do if the CEO is not backing you up when you need do the things you were hired for while you have to deal with a fonctionnaires mentality or the "ce la vie" syndrome...
Theo, it may be French life but it does not make a hotel tick and run at a profit and I think that was what Zoe was hired to do.
Zoe, its really good written, but what is really upsetting you? It sounds so much of real life, not cyber, not dead theories so its much more about what YOU DO OF IT, not the missing staff-member you expected under your regime, nor dogs, nor sponges, its French Life. Enjoy or kick it into the bin of experiences...
Thanks, ladies.... you're just confirming what I was thinking, and basically, if I don't try to impose myself, and say "NO, this is just not happening like this", the mother will walk all over me, and in turn, the waiters, when they eventually arrive on saturday, will see no reason to respect or listen to me. Of course not, when the mother is going to constantly contradict me.
I still am in fight or flight decision mode, and I'm (for once) thinking about the consequences of both staying, and leaving. Normally I'd have pulled out of there in a heartbeat after one week like this, but to be honest I also feel that if I throw in the towel, it's basically telling them that I'm the problem, not them.
I told the director during a fairly heated conversation last night that No maitre d'hotel that I know could help turn things around, and I said quite clearly "not even Gordon Ramsay can help you"
They are the only 4 star hotel in a pretty fancy resort village, overlooking the Mt Blanc, with swimming pool and all that jazz, the wine is highly overpriced but sells well, the team in the kitchen is pretty amazing, and to be fair, the kitchen is clean, and the lady leaves them alone because to her, chef de cuisine is a skill that she can't just muscle in on, whereas up until now, service was being carried out by people with no formal hotel management education, so she finds it easy to impose her views on them.
I've read their reviews on tripadvisor, and it's fairly clear that people see it as "an expensive 3*", moreso than an actual 4* hotel. My role, my mission, and my intention was to change that. I arrived full of energy, looking forward to showing guests that yes, this place DOES deserve it's fourth star.... but if we're not changing table napkins between service, they should just give bck a star.