DON'T PUT PROFITS BEFORE PEOPLE-The T.G.I.Fridays Story - Part 8 of a Ten Part Series

Getting discharged from the Navy and moving back home was a scary feeling. With no real skills and having been paid $575 A month for four years didn't leave me with many options. I saw a want ad in the paper for T.G.I.Fridays hiring for all positions. I thought a waiter or bartender sounded like fun. After three exhausting interviews I got a call back for a final. You see they had to hire me for something as the Goverment was paying $2,500 to any business that hired a servicemen. I owe that to all the underappreciated Vietnam Vets who came home to be spit on and could not find a job. So they tell me I am going to be Hot Sauce/Broiler/Window 1???? Thank God that Bob Layman was my Window 2. Think about it if you were around in those days. Bob Layman and Don Dube was the KM. Bob Had just come from the closed Ford Motors Assembly line and Don came out of retirement from Cleveland. Something about a baker and Smokey. The reason I tell you this is God has our lives planned and sometimes he surrounds you with the best just so you can make it. I forgot to mention Don Eichorn on Expo. All with hand written checks. The opening team was team leader Joe Nichols with Dana Holler,Kevin Sullivan and the famous Debbie Mack. That was the opening dream team. Nichols changed my name to Big Guy and had me dump 40 lbs of chicken nacho mix in the trash because the cube on the chicken was 3/4" instead of 1/4". I was back in the military and it was a tight run ship. I would need 5 hot sauces to open and Layman would always be asking for an ETA on the soup of the day. We did $100,000 The first week out of the Box and the rest was History. We were so Green we did not no any better and thought that was normal. Boston and Philly were the closest stores so you couldn't run over to another restaurant and pick up what you were out of. Remember everything was made fresh. Six months in I was promoted to AKM at $18,000. Fred Hultz became my Regional and his style was Definetly different but effective. He sat me down and told me he was sending me to Warwick , R.I. for the new opening. I participated in 3 New England openings while being promoted to KM of Warwick which was a slow store only doing $80-90,000 per week. Then things got busy when In was sent to be the KM of the Newbury St. Friday's in Boston. About half the size of a normal Friday's doing $100-120,000 A week with a 50/50 food and beverage split. I tell you all this because it was a different time a great time where people either survived and moved up or were chewed up and spit out to go somewhere else and work lower volume.

After spending 5 years in the New England Region somebody decided I was the guy to do openings as the phone would ring and I would have two days to get ready and get to a New Opening. The trick was having someone strong enough to hold it all together once the opening trainers left after 2 weeks. First it was Raleigh, North Carolina with Tony "The Hammer" Humphries as the GM. Pete Boudreaux was my Regional and he got a call from Smokey that I was needed in Huntington,Long Island with K.C. Moylan to do that opening. From their I got to become a Primary KM for the Friday's in the Northeast working under Smokey. We would drive around all week and I would get to work with some great KM's. Chip Wade in Tarrytown, John Faison in Bensalem, PA. and Abdul in City line Avenue. Though Neitzel told me he didn't need help. Abdul and I were on the Circle of excellence Presidents Council back than and would fly to Dallas for great Round Table discussions with Frank Steed where we would come up with ideas to make things better that came from actual people in the field. On a visit to Huntington with Smokey and Nick Galanos we spent the day with K.C. and John Mangels and got in Smokey's car to take Nick to the Airport. They asked me what I thought was the problem in Huntington. I came right out and said obviously the "Success Syndrome". That answer got me promoted to opening GM of Watchung ,N.J.. I did that opening and at the same time Friday's was rolling out the New Training Certification program. So in 16 months I had opened 3 $100,000 restaurants and was burnt out so I gave my notice. I was married and had only seen my wife 3 time as she had a great job and was still in Rhode Island. I was only gone 6 months when a call came in one night where I was working from Neitzel to go back to Warwick and be the KM, which would work out great for my marriage. It actually was a trick as The dreaded West Hartford Store was in rough shape. I went to the Hell that was West Hartford taking recent Johnson and Wales graduate David Butler with me as AKM and a promise not to date Kelly. I really didn't want to go as it was the final nail in the coffin that was my marriage. From West Hartford I was promoted to GM of Danvers. I was doomed from the start as the staff did not welcome change. It was a store set in its ways like my AGM spending an hour on Thursday night's with a TV in the Cashier stand watching "Dynasty". I made the fatal error of counting the product on the line. If you were around in those days you did not want to be the manager working Mondays. The standard was to run everything down and the 86 list were legendary. Then Tuesday your labor was a mess because you needed 30 items made fresh to open. My steward called Nick Galanos and Nick called Neitzel and I was terminated on the Patio in Warwick. It was probably the most confusing termination as after way to many MGD'S and Shots of JD, I woke up on Neitzels couch with his wife cooking us breakfast. I also played in the Danvers Golf outing with him and to the staffs dismay won the long drive contest.

So here we are 30 years later having just spent 8 years helping my wife beat one of the Rarest Blood Cancers in the World. In 2012 she was given 6 months with no cure in site. After Two Clinical trials and Brain Surgery she is cancer free. Definetly the hardest job I ever had. In 2019 Don Eichorn and Dano Nash email me that John and Smokey had gotten the Band back together and a lot of people are going Back. My wife was Cancer Free and after a half a million in Medical related expenses it was time to go back to work. I emailed Smokey and asked if he needed a certified Hot Sauce Broiler Window one and he got me an interview. I took the test they make you take to see if you were a fit and get this email saying I scored the highest ever on the test. I had three answers where I was basically to easy on employees, otherwise I could have aced it. It was like having the answers as I was one of the people used for the original Batrus Hollweg Assesment that set the standard for what it took to be a Fridays Manager. So being a really greatful person I am so excited to come back to where it all began and to help Get Friday's back to its "Glory Days". It seems that the only thing I was remembered for was for getting fired for counting the inventory. Everything else I did was wiped off the slate. EVERY time my Boss hired or talked to someone from back then. I had to here that they said, "you know he got fired for counting the inventory". It was a real slap in the face to come back to people counting the dirty grease in there fryers. Training was underwhelming as it was during endless apps and stratigectly planned to not have a fry cook scheduled. Out of training I go to a store that was total Culture shock. Employees drinking Hennessey and smoking pot on the back DOCK during every shift. When I bring it up, I am told to do nothing as legally we can't prove what they are doing? I was blown away with employees smelling of pot or alcohol out in the dining room in front of Guests. Closing dish as the closing manager was normal for the whole region as labor cost was so important. One shift I was one of three male managers on and a Guest complaint came in that said the male manager looked angry. The next day I was told by the GM that her boss said I had to be written up for not smiling. Not sure how they determined I was the Guilty one of the three male managers. Thank goodness I was quickly promoted to GM of the store I trained in. Here is where the real fun begins. As Friday's again trying to save money when they bought the franchise back from Gold Coast they left the liquor license in Gold Coast Name? So I am told I have to be fired from corporate Friday's and hired as one employee of Gold Coast based in Florida and I'm in Massachusetts. This is all because my name needs to be on the Liquor License. It is three weeks before Thanksgiving in a Mall location and I am severely understaffed. Remember 3 months ago I worked Fry every night as they did not have staff. I have a KM who decimated the bar business by short PORTIONING all of the alcohol on all the drinks for months. Now she is putting one slice of cheese on every burger and short PORTIONING Everything! I had to sit down with her and my Boss and apologize to her because I talked to the Bar staff about implementing changes without my now KM's approval? Talk about having the rug pulled out from under you? It's becoming real clear, real fast that that fixing Friday's is not in anyone's short term plan. Hiring and training 3 weeks before Thanksgiving is not a real option. Getting creative with scheduling and running some overtime seems like the obvious choice. And Gold Coast has sent me a hire packet via email as you need to remember I was terminated and lost all my benefits. Very professional I may add emailing the hire packet? Finally in December I find out that even with a $10,000 raise, With the same benefits from Gold Coast I am going to take a cut in Pay. A great company would say we will cover the difference as the Liquor license situation is not your problem. Instead my boss tells me that half the liqour licenses have been changed and the rest will be done in January and I will go back to corporate with my old benefits. In the chaos of Christmas season I am like ok, I can go less than 2 months without benefits. So in all this chaos we are getting beaten up daily about Gift Card sales contest. Threatening to write up managers for not hitting daily goals. Having done $3,000 The year before they give me a $10,000 goal even as sales are tracking 10% below prior year. I have come up with a plan and set up a $500 prize to the employee with the highest sales. (That $500 is coming out of my pocket.) I also purchase $1500 in Gift Cards myself to use as prizes for Daily sales winners. All in all we ended up with over $10,000 in Gift Card sales while being down in sales from prior year. On the GM's conference call when it comes time to review the contest. "KEVIN everyone knows that you put in your own money"?. We are up over 200% in Gift Card sales from prior year and that is the recognition I get. Then comes the Christmas Eve conference call that will stay with me forever. My Boss texts me to say she needs to talk to my KM and I on a call at 10am. It's Christmas Eve and I'm thinking a merry Christmas call as I am working the whole Holiday. "KEVIN how #%#$ dare you for two weeks run 100 hours of overtime and embaress me with my boss. " This goes on with vulgar language for ten minutes making us feel totally useless. When I tell her that we came in below budgeted labor percent for both weeks she totally dismisses it. I left that call knowing I was in the wrong place and no one deserves to be belittled on Christmas eve. Move now to the start of my nightmare. NEW YEARS EVE. My Boss is in to verify our inventory and sends me out in the mall to check our Mail as the Liqour License has not arrived and the one we have expires at midnight. The picture above shows where I went up into the air and landed my 220 pounds directly on my back and right hip. An ambulence is called and I'm off to ER for 8 hours. They insisted on doing a cat scan even though I did not hit my head. The Doctor tells me I have some obvious bruising on my lower back and they have found an Anurysm behind my eyes on the front of my brain which was small and should be looked at. Remember now I chose not to take a cut in pay and get put back on corporate payroll with my benefits in January. Sore as hell I am scheduled to work New Years Day even though I have a doctor's note for five days off. My Boss did not think to maybe cover my shift? I did not take anytime off and could not get anyone to look at my Anurysm as I had no insurance. The only way a hospital would see me is if it burst and it was an emergency. I had to pay cash out of pocket for any doctors visit. I was told to go on line and do a Workmans Comp case. That was opened and quickly denied. Found out 8 months later that because it was Gold Coast they had given me the wrong company. It did not say that in the denial so I was left with no coverage for either my fall or the Anurysm. January came and went no Corporate insurance. FEBRUARY no insurance . It is becoming clear that Friday's is self insured and has no plan of ever putting me back on Corporate insurance. Gold Coast just wants to be done with me. Then Covid-19 comes and I couldn't get care so I go to work Thursday through Monday with two open close shifts when my back is so bad that I cannot sit up from a laying position. Sleeping is a nightmare as I keep waking up from the pain. We had one server and three cooks and another manager with me. We worked harder than you could imagine. By the end of the night I could barely walk the pain was so bad. By Boss at some point told me that I had money and I could afford the operation. She never asked me about my back. Remember this happened because I had to go on the liquor license. How do you think I felt going through all the pain to look at the license and see they once again thinking it was only for the month of January left the GM on it who no longer worked for the company or lived in the State. It says on the application , knowingly entering False information is Perjury. Corporate said that perjury is not a big deal. I fell again in August face forward into the dish table catching my left arm on the glass rack shelf and tearing my shoulder. So Gold Coast let's me reopen my fall from 8 months before and opens a second WC on the second fall. They are always talking Anurysm not thinking about my back. The Anurysm does not stop me from working. It's now my back and shoulder that is making it impossible for me to work. I go out on medical leave in September and put due to falls. The Gold Coast Manager on her own puts in Anurysm. ???? I get six physical therapy sessions and both claims are denied again. I have trouble walking and a Doctors return to light duty with no lifting of over 2 pounds. No bending. I am not offered light duty return and I have over $10,000 in Medical bills from my back and shoulder. If the leaders of Friday's had any backbone they should have been upfront and honest and told me, we can't as a company absorb the cost for an operation on your Brain. I would have accepted it and respected them for having the guts. Don't tell me we are going to switch back in January and then just blow me off. I sent an email to both Workmans comp companies how they were doubling down on the deny,deny,deny practice hoping the poor patient will give up and that I was getting a lawyer. Friday's response was to have Gold Coast email me my termination the day before Thanksgiving. Really classy. My wife could not believe what I was going through and moved back to Florida. I had to stay and fight as Massachusetts was my residence and the only State I could get benefits from. The courts are so backed up due to Covid and I cannot collect unemployment as I am being told that I am permanently disabled. A great reward for going Back to a company I loved and gave them everything. I wrote a letter via email to the CEO and COO of Friday's and received a call from the COO who told me things were getting better. He had a woman from Human Resources call me. I explained to her how I needed medical coverage for the two falls and that over $10,000 in Medical bills have not been paid. She did the Texas Two Step and gave me the standard protocol answers. I told her I was going to be homeless and I needed Four months back pay and the medical bills for my two falls paid. That was never an option. So My dog and I have been living in my car for almost two months. I would not wish living like this on anyone. But I am going to stay in Massachusetts and fight for what's mine . I would rather be working. My birthday is Monday and the last thing I ever thought I would be is HOMELESS. THANKS FRIDAYS FOR BACKING MY STRIPES!

WHATEVER DOESNT KILL YOU , MAKES YOU STRONGER!

TWO MORE AND WE ARE DONE. WHAT FRIDAYS SHOULD HAVE DONE AND COULD STILL DO.