Today, if employees show up for a shift, owners call it a win. But winning the attendance lottery isn’t the same as having a crew that actually works.
Restaurants are short-handed everywhere, and that used to mean one thing: more money for the people who showed up ready to hustle. Now? “Short-handed” too often equals “one-dimensional” employees.
Example: no dishwasher tonight. A line cook jumps in to wash dishes, great… except now they’re unavailable to run the line. The kitchen stops being a machine and becomes a series of improvisations. ONE DIMENSIONAL.
If everyone understood teamwork, really understood “get-shit-done” and helped each other, the kitchen would hum. But I’ve watched us try to teach teamwork for more than a decade. I’m past “train more.” We’ve trained. We’ve written memos. We’ve spoken one-on-one. We’ve followed up. Some of these folks have been here 11 years and came from corporate gigs where micromanaging was normal operation. This is not ignorance.
So what is it? Defiance? Laziness? A refusal to care? I don’t know. What I do know is this: I can control me. I can control expectations and consequences. I can’t control someone else’s choices … but I can decide whether those choices keep a job.
This business will survive. We’ll be short for a season, we’ll hire, and we’ll rebuild standards. But there has to be accountability. We need to implement a demerit system: three documented failures to perform essential tasks and you’re out. No drama, no opinion, just standards, enforced.
If you care about your job, show it. Restock the line. Put the next shift in a better position than you found it. Teamwork isn’t a warm, fuzzy idea, it’s the difference between a smooth service and chaos at 7 p.m.
We can keep doing the same thing and expect different results. I’m not that hopeful, or insane. I’m that done. Time for consequences.
Ever try to get some work done around your house or business? Simple stuff, like fixing deck boards, patching a roof, jetting a clogged driveway drain, or finally finishing that mysterious hole in the drywall that’s been staring at you like it knows your secrets?
So you call around. You text. You leave voicemails with the enthusiasm of someone who still believes in humanity. But what do you get back?
Crickets.
Ghosts.
A few “I’ll get back to yous” that age worse than milk in the sun. Or my favorite, when we hang up text me your name, address and job description and I’ll get to it. Meanwhile, a year later you’re still brooming rain water from your garage during every rainstorm!
I’ve got a notepad…. yes, a physical notepad, filled with the names of contractors who vanished like they got drafted into another dimension. They respond to messages, maybe even throw out a quote, but then poof! They’re gone. Or they show up once, sniff around, tell you it’ll be “about $700, give or take,” then hit you with a $2,800 bill for “materials” and “labor” and “uhh… time spent thinking about the job.”
We’ve all seen the commercials: Angie’s List (or whatever it’s called now… Angi? Like it’s trying to sound hip?). It works in bigger cities where reviews flow faster than Jamba Juice in L.A…. but in small towns? It’s as useful as a screen door on a submarine. And it sure as hell doesn’t warn you about the guy who never called back or the one who showed up smelling like last night’s dive bar and used your toilet more than his tools.
But here’s the real twist…
The big contractors?
The “we’ve got trucks and matching shirts” types?
They’re disappearing like Blockbuster in the early 2000’s
And what’s replacing them?
Handymen.
Guys with tools in the back of a dusty pickup, a telephone pole ad that says “No job too big,” and an Instagram full of before-and-after pics that are, let’s say, inspired.
Now listen, I love a good handyman hustle. They fill a gap, especially in small towns where calling a licensed contractor is like trying to book a table at a 5-star restaurant with a McDonald’s gift card.
But here’s the problem:
They’re handy. Not experts.
Need a new door hung? Perfect.
Need your electrical box redone so your breaker doesn’t trip when your wife curls her hair while your son is on a week long Xbox bender? Maybe not so much.
We need a new kind of system. Not Angie’s List 2.0. Not Yelp (because let’s be honest, most Yelp reviews were written during emotional breakdowns). We need a “No-Call, No-Show” database, a place to warn your fellow neighbors and friends before they waste a week waiting for someone who never intended to show up.
Contractor Ghosted You? Add ’em. Got quoted one price, then got hit with a “surprise?” Add ’em. Handyman rewired your house and now Alexa only speaks in Morse code? Add. Them.
We’re not here to bash the blue-collar heroes who actually do show up and do it right. We’re here to call out the ones who treat your time, money, and patience like they’re optional.
Until then, I’ll keep updating my little black notepad of contractor shame.
And if you’re in my area and you are “handy” I have some projects that need attending too! Show up, finish the job and stay out of my little black book!
Driveway Drain: Clogged from a neighbor’s pine tree. Called a plumber. Explained the issue clearly. He agreed to come take a look… never showed up.
Basement Bulkhead: Needs torn out and rebuilt. Plumbing and ductwork inside need repair and rerouting. I reached out to several contractors and even sent photos. Not a single one followed up.
Back Deck to Four-Season Room: Contacted multiple contractors to either repair or tear down the existing deck and convert it into a four-season room. One showed up and seemed interested. Said he’d email a quote and contract. That was two years ago. After three follow-up messages with no response, I gave up.
There’s a real challenge in today’s work force. I grew up in time where parents worked their asses off and forced us to get jobs when we hit the age to work. I remember seeing and hearing friends parents complain about not being able to take a vacation or able to attend a party due to having to work. These were times when everyone worked, and everyone helped out. A neighbor a few doors down from where I grew up put in a swimming pool. The entire neighborhood gathered daily with shovels and tools to help dig and install the pool. People were just different back in the day! They worked, they showed up, they helped out, they offered their time to assist in your dilemma… kindness was a staple! If for any reason someone wasn’t able to work or able to help, they were accountable for their actions. There weren’t any terrible excuses or blow offs… Today, we have workers who want all the paychecks but none of the responsibilities! Most workers today don’t even know their job responsibilities. Most workers I’ve had encounters with are lazy, unfamiliar with what their job actually entails and have zero accountability. So many workers in my experience don’t have the desire to do more than they actually need to and won’t offer any help, whether their company needs it or a coworker. We live in sad times and it’s not looking any better moving forward! Is there a solution? Back in the day, companies would fire you, suspend you or demote you and ultimately replace you with someone who wants and can do the job! Today, however, no one is applying for jobs. No one is looking to take on more responsibility at jobs. Companies are seriously handcuffed! How do you short yourself by firing the dead weight, when there is no one to replace them with? This is the new normal, business owners and managers are killing themselves to cover shifts and keep up with their own duties and responsibilities. The future of small business is doomed if small businesses have to continuously depend on others to help out.
Hard Lessons & Honest Thoughts 