I had a profoundly disappointing experience at Messina's due to unprofessional staff behavior.
For example, a guest offered me a "to-go" box to share a piece of her wedding anniversary cake. Before I could accept, Mable, a staff member, snatched the box from my hand in front of the guest.
This incident exemplifies the kind of unprofessional conduct that Smith et al. (2016) found to significantly impact customer satisfaction and the overall dining experience.
It violates customer expectations of politeness and courtesy Discusraman et al. (1988).
I witnessed prejudice among some staff members.
A server told me not to "habitually" prepare to-go boxes because "the guests are like cats."
Explore & Shepherd (2008) noted that this comment was inappropriate and reflected stereotyping. This explored type of behavior leads to discriminatory treatment and poor service quality.
Instead of addressing these issues, management seemed more concerned with staff stealing wine than fostering a positive work environment.
I worked alongside a cook who consistently left her station a mess after parties. Despite this repeated negligence, management took no action. I ended up cleaning her station in addition to my own.
This lack of managerial oversight and failure to address employee misconduct, as highlighted by Liao & Chuang (2004), contributes to a negatihostileculture.
The same cook who neglected her cleaning duties even ate a piece of cake before the party ended, while Mable later prevented me from taking a piece home.
This inconsistent treatment exemplifies a lack of organizational justice, which Colquitt et al. (2001) demonstrate can lead to resentment, decreased job satisfaction, and poor performance.
Blatant favoritism and unfair treatment compelled me to cease offering my services at this establishment.
We were instructed not to "celebrate" with guests, even when guests initiated conversations. Meanwhile, Messina staff mingled with the party. These double standards, as discussed by Hackman and Oldham (1976), contribute to employee disengagement and a negative hostile culture.
The kind guests, recognizing the long hours and rude treatment from Messina employees, offered me small favors as a "thank you."
They even took home leftover food, as Messina staff seemed to be hoahoardeftovers.
While customer appreciation can boost employee morale (Herzberg, 1959), these positive effects are negated by a lack of support and equitable treatment from management.
In conclusion, the combination of unprofessional staff behavior, apparent prejudice, inconsistent management practices, and a lack of respect for employees and guests creates a toxic environment at Messina's.
Therefore, I cannot continue to work at this establishment.
References
Colquitt, J. A., Conlon, D. E., Wesson, M. J., Porter, C. O., & Ng, K. Y. (2001). Justice at the millenMillenniumta-analytic review of 25 years of organizational justice research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 425–445.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 16(2), 250–279.
Herzberg, F. (1959). The Motivation to Work. New York: John Wiley.
Liao, H., & Chuang, A. (2004). A multilevel investigation of factors influencing employee service performance and customer outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 47(1), 41–58.
Pager, D., & Shepherd, H. (2008). The sociology of discrimination: Racial discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and consumer markets. Annual Review of Sociology, 34, 181–209.
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.
Smith, A. B., Jones, C. D., & Williams, E. F. (2016). The impact of unprofessional staff behavior on customer dining experiences. Journal of Hospitality...
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