The other evening I was sitting at my favorite watering hole on Suffolk street ranting about how I was let go of my new serving gig for reasons of “it just isn’t a great fit.” I started telling the owner my woes as in inuired about any shifts picked up this week. He didn’t but he reveals to me the ugly truth of my situation. He says “you’re gonna get black listed.”
What? A black list? I ask him to go on. He tells me if I keep jumping around from place to place I’m going to be put on this list that’s passed around all the big chefs and companies in the city; a who not to hire, off the gird kind of list. I ask him how he knows of this (because he isn’t anyone of importance or reality chef star fame). He tells me his pops, a restaurateur as well , was just asked for a copy by Jean-Georges himself!
So I inquiry more…all the big shots have it? He tells me for sure McNally has it, Jean-Georges now, Alain Ducasse, David Bouley…and the list continues. I start to get worried.
The next day I ask my chef friend from Patina Group. “Oh yeah, there’s totally a list. I’m not sure for FOH but we got one here.” I ask a friend who works for B.R. Guest and he informs me that if you quit one of their restaurants without two weeks notice you’ll never work for them again. He wasn’t sure if they were in the loop of the list but he said probably because Steven Hansen is in the know.
Is it fair and just to have such a list? Are all the listed people grouped together as criminals, rapists and child pedophiles are?
AND if this list is tru, where is the list of drunk, cokehead, erratic managers who you should never work for? Or the sommelier that enjoys groping you in the back side station?
Since I will probably never know the validity of said list I’m going to continue my job search and assume my name is not on it. Yup, thats my plan.
