Wednesday, January 6, 2010

2010 Any Better... not yet.

The list continues to grow. (bold are the new additions).

They include (in not particular order):

So if you see listings for these places, and unless you hate your life, don't go to:
1. Mother Earth (Queen St.) learing to speak english is optional.
2. Lily Resto-Louge (College St.)
3. Coco Lezzone(College St.)
4. Caplansky's Deli (College St.) (sorry spelled it wrong on the last post).
5. Nota Bene (Queen St.) I wonder if the guy who's paying $10 for soup knows the cooks are only making $10/hr.?
6. Watermark Irish Pub (Harbourfront), ok this place seems to seat over six hundred people at capacity, with only 4 cooks, and seeminly lost wait staff, charging premium prices for substandard pub fare. DEAR WATERMARK: Say Hi to the Edmund Fitzgerald when you end up in the bottom of another Great Lake.
7. Bravi (Wellington St.)
8. Magic Oven (Multiple Locations)
9. Sandwich Box (Multiple Locations)
10. Funnel L. Fun (Avenue Road)
11. W Burger Bar (College St.)
12. Subway Sub (45 Carlton St. Location) read the growing thread on Craigslist .

Wow, are there any decent places to work?

24 comments:

  1. Would it be possible to link each resto to the corresponding comment that prompted the inclusion on the list? I would like to show a friend who loves Nota Bene how miserly David Chang is compared to what he charges diners, but I can't remember where the comment was. Also, it might help those new to the blog to click on each link to see what happened. Thanks!

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  2. I was considering doing that, but unfortunately, the links to craigs list tend to be deleted in short order.

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. Marinella's, 640 on College St @ Clinton is a crappy place to work! Never apply there!

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  6. Other place:"Caplansky's Deli" never work there!!!

    Working with a well established team! Ha are you kidding me from a place that had more than 20 people walk out because the owner is rude to all his staff. I've known multiple people who have tried to worked there please don't do it!

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  7. One more....B Esspresso Bar (3 locations):

    To anyone looking to work here, don't. They r the most messed up people to work for. Corrupt and want you to work for FREE! They also tell people they've got the job then cancel on them. Terrible place to work. Pay is also very shifty. Beware!

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  8. Liberty Noodle:

    Arshad doesn't pay his staff. I recommend that no one eats in this restaurant. The place is filthy dirty. I seen the cook pick food off of the ground and put it back into the fryer. His reasoning was: "this will kill the bacteria."

    The staff's checks are bouncing (NSF) because the owner is a douche-bag and is driving the place into the ground.

    This is for your own good: "DO NOT EAT IN THIS RESTAURANT TO AVOID FOOD POISONING."

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  9. Warning to all who plans on applying @ "LA PETITE FRANCE" (3317 Bloor St. West).
    The owner has posted an add on Wednesday Feb,1/2012,Looking for server and kitchen help immediately.

    Since January he has gone through 3 servers and has stiffed 2 of them out of their tips. He owes one girl roughly $400.00 in tips and other girl who only worked their for 1 month.

    He owes her roughly $800.00 in tips. Tips that were accumulated from credit cards. The owner Patrick has a bad habbit of STIFFING his employees.

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  10. Warning about the Burger's Priest:

    As someone unfortunate enough to have worked at the Burger's Priest (thankfully for a short time), I completely agree with the other poster. The owner is a narrow-minded fundamentalist (read: bigot) and desperately needs to remind people who is "boss".

    And, to all the people who patronize this establishment, please don't kid yourselves that this is "gourmet" burgers. It is box store bought meat (with extra fat), cheap packaged buns and processed cheese, Price Chopper standards. The only thing they do differently is not over-handling the patty when it comes out of the grinder. That isn't exactly rocket science and doesn't make up for the shoddy ingredients.

    1636 Queen Street East

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  11. One more....."merci mon ami,171 East Liberty Street #107":

    DO NOT WORK HERE! this couple will rip you off. make sure you get payed. they make a living off of new staff not getting payed. their "restaurant" would fail if they didn't have a constant flow of new Staff they trained but didn't pay. Pigs

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  12. O'Gradys on Church: the owner hires and fires people the same day to spite his own ego and drug problem, Ogradys on Church is the number one hated pub on facebooks toronto restaurant blacklist page, because of his illegal labour practices, etc, this is the worst place you can ever think of working, this place is hated on Church st by the nieghborhood, by the gay community, by anyone who walks by that place. Avoid this place like the plague!!!!! The kitchen and bathrooms are disgusting as well!!! He steals tips from the staff, cheats out of hours, had his liquor license revoked, he is about to go bankrupt, cannot get food or beer delivered without having CASH to pay for it.

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  13. A warning to all fellow cooks:

    If you enjoy being ripped off by hundreds of dollars, having racial slurs hurled at you, or being subjected to sexually discriminatory insults and condescending childlike name-calling, having your recipe books and personal equipment stolen, working 12 hour days 6 days a week for $400 a week (again, getting hundreds less than what you're owed).... go work at Nyood! They're desperate because every single cook quit.

    Until new owners & management come in (happens every couple years anyhow), stay away from these psychos.



    To all the fellow cooks that have e-mailed me with inquiries/offering support & suggestions: Thanks again, I'm glad we at least have some way of warning each other of rip off and messed up places but I wish there was a more formal blacklist online.. check out the Facebook Toronto Restaurant Blacklist y'all


    Arturo/Moise/Mary/Ariel/Miranda: Keep flagging, I'll continue to post this.. see how much more of your time I can waste until you decide to pay your cooks for the hours we've worked.

    NYOOD, 1096 Queen Street West Toronto

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  14. This place is well known for being the worst place to work, number one on the Toronto Restaurant Blacklist page, they do not pay for your " training shifts" which last several days which is completely illegal, they give the huge sections and the best sections to their "core"staff. The managers take huge sections and have everyone else run their food while they collect the tips. They take all your cash at the end of the night and give you back what they feel you worked for in your tips, which is pitance. You never get to know other staff members names as they get fired to put fear into other employees. Their liquor is watered down and he has had his license suspended for this several times, absolutely the worst place to work!!!! They are lying cheating theives,sell stolen meat, cant get a beer or food delivery without having CASH to pay, they wont even unload until they get their cash first.Stay away!!!

    O'GRADYS on Church/old vic/the Fox NIGHTMARE Places to Work (Church ST)

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  15. Capitol Restaurant (Little Italy) 597 College St:

    "I have never worked for more disgusting owners in my life. You will not get a break in your 10 hour shift. During your shift she will yell and scream at you, hurling insults, threatening to fire you for things like looking at your tips. THEY STEAL YOUR TIP MONEY!!!!!!!! DON'T BOTHER TRYING TO KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TIPS, AS SHE WILL THREATEN TO FIRE YOU. YOU WILL BE CALLED LAZY AND DISGUSTING IN FRONT OF CUSTOMERS. Her CREEPY husband bartends, and you split your tip money equally with him. He makes constant sexual remarks. DO NOT WORK HERE!"

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  16. BLACK MOON/SANDWHICHBOX

    "To all self respecting server/bartenders DO NOT WORK HERE. If you have ever worked for a REAL company you will not put yourself through the hell that is working at this establishment. The owners are very disrespectful to their employees, and will overwork you whilst making you feel like you are completely incompetent. They do NOT know how to run a proper house, as well as YOUR PAYCHEQUES ARE NEVER ON TIME AND THEY WILL BOUNCE ON YOU MULTIPLE TIMES. Not to mention your tips from credit cards/events will never be given to you unless you hound them for it. Again, if you want to be treated like a piece of shit and not even get payed for the disrespect you will be given, spare your energy and find a place to work for that will actually make you, and your bank account, happy."

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  17. 126, 136 McCaul Village Idiots Pub/Sin & Redemption:

    "I warn you, this guy is only gonna you as a temp. He will not train you, or pay you accordingly. What he will do is hire you for the weekend where you slave being other servers bitch, get about $10 tip out while the other servers make more than $100, then he will tell you you are not good enough, or "he will call you". He has been doing this for a long time. You do not get paid for the training too, $10 is what you will make for wasting your time."

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  18. Urban Herbivore, 64 Oxford St,(Kensington Market):

    "The reason why urban herbivore has a high turnover is because it is poorly mismanaged and has dismal shifts. there is no quality of work and everything is done via verbal abuse.

    If you take a job there you may as well ask to be compensated for losing your dignity. which is worth a lot more than you'll make even working there after a number of years. its basically the job from hell.

    Don't expect anything from any of the management because they will run you down to bare bones. the turnover is so high you ll likely be fired or want to quit within the first 4 hours."

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  19. ZAZA Espresso Bar (75 Yorkville Avenue,Toronto):

    "do urself a favour and dont work here...he and his wife scam new hiring staff...how? they say training is paid $5.50 an hr. this is very illegal and so corrupt...how long is the training? until they think u r fit.....dont be a slave..I know cause ive been offered a job there and have ad first hand experience... "

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  20. Campagnolo,832 Dundas Street West:

    "This place is SKETCHY!

    But then again, it's the restaurant industry. And they're not forthright at all. They're going to make you feel like you're the best thing since sliced bread, and then don't intend to call you back, and you're supposed to just assume that you didn't get hired.
    Either they're colosal, closeted douchebags who don't know how to manage basic communication, but will continue to smile at you to your face and over-thank you till your ears bleed, OR they actually don't know what they're doing and they're just making it up as they go along. The food's great and totally unpretentious, but the rest of the staff have their noses up in the air, as if working there is such a privilege. Tips are pooled, so you don't actually know how much money you're making for the night, if any at all. Let's just say I never got my share.

    Great PR + Bad Business, but great food. I wish their reviews actually matched their people, and I wish reviews also looked into a more thorough research on how restaurants are being run, because I'm fairly certain that this place isn't worthy of owning the merit of "Canada's Best Restaurant."

    LAME.

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  21. DO NOT work at Ogradys on College:

    "Owners are rip off artists and treat there staff like communists. They take your social insurance number and pay you in cash!! Many times you ask them for cheque after, they don't give it to you. Why do you need my tax information then, brother?? Do yourself a favor and stay away from this place, don't work or go there to drink!!! "

    Other comment:

    "Glad to hear someone say something about this bar. I used to go there all the time when I was at U of T, plus I know a couple people who worked there. No cheque and no pay stubs either and sketchy tax forms at the end of the year that make no sense (I saw one...WTF). Aside from that, the place isn't taken care of and the owners cut corners any way they can. Watered-down alcohol, kegs being switched with something else. Basically you don't get what you pay for."

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  22. BELOMNTE RAW,1022 Queen Street East:

    "Do not work for Belmonte Raw. There's a reason they advertise this job constantly: they never actually hire anyone.

    They will call you in for 'training', have you wash their dishes, never actually have you do any of the work you applied to do and never call you again. There is no opportunity to learn and grow, when all Belmonte Raw will hire you for is free labour

    It's bad enough this business rips off their customers, don't let them fool you into working for them for free."

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  23. Bistro on Bay
    595 Bay Street. ( Atrium on Bay):

    Don't waste your time applying for these crazy people!!!

    First of all, the owner tells you're a full time but he doesn't keep his word changing your schedule all the time as a part-time. Also nobody is happy there.

    Every week they post a new ad here.....!

    Note to the owner: Keep flagging, I'll continue to post this...see how much more of your time I can waste until you decide not to play games with your employees!!!

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  24. 640 College:
    You do NOT want to work at this restaurant. The owner steals money from the staff. The tips are pooled but there is no cash out. Nobody knows what the tip out is. The owner just pays you whatever he feels, making sure to look after himself first. On top of that, John, the owner, is the worst owner in the city. He spends all day yelling and screaming at his employees. He is your typical, ignorant, uneducated Italian owner who has been working for his mommy for 20 years and abuses all of his employees. Be warned!!!

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