Staff disruption

One of our senior chefs is leaving;but some weeks before handing in her notice she started a sly campaign to undermine the f+b management and the kitchen chef.this has only now started to come to the surface with the knowledge that she is going to a nearby restaurant in direct competition with our establishment and it would appear that she has managed to convince 5 or maybe more staff that they should leave and work with her. i know no job is perfect but she has managed through rumour and lies to devide what was a very good team.Is there any advice you can give for damage limitation or should we accept the enevitable and look for replacement staff and start re-training.

By W.DeBord on Monday, January 31, 2000 - 07:18 am: Edit

If you sling mud too it gets your hands dirty also. Good teams don't last forever. Make it your goal to see if you can repeat making it a good team again. All you really can do is move on, do it with class.

By Gumbo's Child on Wednesday, February 02, 2000 - 09:49 am: Edit

Ditto Debord's comments for me. I recently took over the kitchen in a small restaurant, and due to the sideways, underhanded way the "management" dealt with letting the previous chef go, we lost half the staff along with him. So I am currently running this place with an entire team (including the GM and dining room manager) who have been in place for no more than 6 weeks. You just have to keep your chin up and work, work, work to put together another kick ass team, its all you can do really. To join in your senior chef's on-the-sly undermining tactics only reduces you to his level. You just have to plug away at it, it'll come together again...

By Steven (Steven) on Tuesday, February 20, 2001 - 04:14 pm: Edit

I`m not sure I understand, if/when I leave my current job I`m taking as much of my crew with me as I can, I hired them, I taught them, I bailed them out of jail.
The only one I wouldn`t be taking is my sous, unfortunately, but I would be certain he got my position and retained as many key players as he could, if he needs anything, help is but a phone call away.

By Peachcreek (Peachcreek) on Wednesday, February 21, 2001 - 04:13 pm: Edit

Irreplacability is a myth. I have seen it far too many times. We foodservice workers, not members of a personality cult. If the departing person stoops to plagerizing the menu and stealing the staff, they are probably more insecure in their own abilities than anyone realized. Trust me, your restaurant will survive.

By W.DeBord on Thursday, February 22, 2001 - 07:59 am: Edit

If your a talented chef you can teach and lead almost anyone...provided they want to do good. Any staff I had to bail out of jail wouldn't be the team I'd blanket my-self with. I'd rather have non skilled workers than people who can't act with-in the law (as if that's hard to do). How do you trust people who can't control their behavior?