Worst Monday of my life turned into a career lesson

Last Tuesday I got absolutely slammed at the restaurant on my day off covering for a sick coworker. The fryer broke at 6 PM during a 200-cover dinner rush and I had to figure out how to pivot the whole menu on the fly. What made it stand out was the head chef told me afterwards that staying calm under that pressure was worth more than any culinary school class. Has anyone else had a shift go completely sideways and end up learning something unexpected about their own skills?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_elliot4mo ago

dude that sounds brutal but honestly kind of awesome for your career. a boss seeing you handle chaos like that is huge. that kind of trust is gold.

luna_kim402mo ago

Gotta push back here a little. One bad day where you scramble and look like a hero doesn't always translate to long term career gold. Lots of bosses just see you as the person who can handle the next dumpster fire, not the one who gets promoted.

tessa_hart184mo ago

Kinda depends on the boss though. Some people see you handle chaos and just give you more chaos to deal with, not actual trust or growth. Been burned by that enough to be careful about seeing it as automatically positive.