I used to work at Barcelona as a bartender. I was 20 years old when I got hired, which is already illegal in Arizona, because the legal age to bartend is 21. I was hired to be the bar manager, to replace the bar manager who had gotten another job elsewhere.
Within 3 days of training, I was confronted by a fellow employee, Chris Sawyer, who told me "I will be highly offended if you become the bar manager once Brian leaves." To which I responded "That is what I got hired for". Chris complained to the manager, saying that he had been working there a lot longer than I had been, and he had seniority over me, and he should get handed the bar manager job. He did get the job, and I was just bartending. Whatever.
A few weeks working there, the manager, Patricia, quit, and a new manager took her place. Jon Rosenthal is his name. He used to work at McDuffy's in Tempe as a bouncer, although he is 5 foot nothing and a scrawny little jacka$. He followed me around everywhere I went in the restaurant, he was constantly hitting on me, touching my back, telling me jokes to make me laugh, telling me he missed me whenever I didn't work, calling me to see if I wanted to go to parties with him. I always told him that I would never date a co-worker because it isn't right, and is a conflict of interest with my position as well as his.
He knew my age, and told me that it was fine for me to bartend there, although it was against the law. He would even ask me if I wanted to drink after work IN THE RESTAURANT after everyone had left. Of course, being 20 years old, and free alcohol, I agreed and spent many nights a week for many hours after work getting drunk with Jon. Jon could get HUGE fines for that, as well as lose his job.
In the beginning I considered Jon my friend. The more I turned him down, the more anal he got towards me. He would make rules against the way I worked... For example, he would make a rule stating that bartenders cannot eat during their shifts anymore, but servers still could. Even if it was before work, he would let everyone order food, BUT me. He would tell people to keep an eye on me and report back to him if I did anything that looked suspect. Whatever that means.
He even got a sexual harassment charge on him because he found a condom on the floor and gave it to the hostess and told her she should use it, or do something productive with it. I can't believe Barcelona lets this kind of management represent its image. I can't believe I even worked there.
OH, and to top it all off, Chris Sawyer and Jon are close and Jon lets Chris do ANYTHING he wants, from making out with his dirty girlfriend in the restaurant during business hours, to stealing wine from the inventory to bring home. That place is a JOKE, and so is the management!
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