It starts at the top
Establishment: Bella Bacino’s
Location: Wacker and Michigan
This place has an amazing location, one that most restaurant’s would die for. The problem comes from the ownership. They wonder why we, the waitstaff act indifferent. How about not understaffing us? You can’t run a restaurant with three or four servers, one busser, and one manager who also has to take deliveries, room service, phone calls and do some ridiculous package service. Does anyone think that you can run a 60-person indoor area with a 50-person patio with just five or six people??? I don’t.
Comments
Yep, looks like something Linda, the owner, would say.
That kind of “money before customer service” type thinking is what she lives by.
She’s as dumb as a door knob, too.
By the way, Linda, we are not complaining ABOUT this website, we’re complaining about YOU (and your shitty restaurant) ON this website.
Linda is as dumb as a doornob? Yet, you are the bloody loser not only working for her, but passing what time you have left on earth writing anonymous posts about her. And she’s as dumb as a doornob? Umm, YOU ARE! The only thing dumb about Linda is she hired you and others like you. Smart Linda owns one of the cities most celebrated restaurants. So busy in fact that Obama could not get a table when he showed up recently! Ha ha!
Oh this was absolutely the worst place I have ever ever worked. I quit as soon as I could afford to.
The servers were sweethearts, I felt so bad they had to work there for those people.
Every one of them hates their job, and those managers.
I HOPE YOU GUYS GOT OUT!
Nick,
Linda married the real owner of Bacinos.
The question isn’t how they got the capital to open, but how they get the capital to STAY open. They’re losing money daily and the hotel is doing everything they can to get them out.
The servers are over staffed and stand around and do nothing because business isn’t coming in.
The managers are knit picky and bitchy about everything. There is only one nice manager and he’s not part of the family.
Linda says rude comments and acts like her shit don’t stink. Well, Linda, it stinks…
The waitstaff is super sweet and gets treated like shit.
I love Bella Baccinos. I noticed that all the staff is treated well. I talked with the owner, Lovely Linda, and she says most waitstaff are sensational, but there are a few rotten apples who steal and those are the same types that go on websites and post anonymous lies.
this place is a joke. The management is HORRIBLE. Turnover rate is huge. and handing out pizza on the corner, to increase business is stupid because noone comes in after that. linda, the owner is a barbiedoll wanna be and is such a bitch. she talks bad about everyone that works for her but then is nice to their face. 2 faced. and she acts like she is better than everyone, but really, is taking advantage of her husband’s business and career and calls it her own.
Its pretty disgusting that an owner would defend themselves if it were not true. As i can see by her comments she is not one to work for. Passing up a table for Obama???? Really, that sounds like complete and utter bull shit to me. I had a friend work there when they first opened. I went over there and visited my friend and grabbed a bite to eat. I can honestly say that this place is running in a piss poor way. Food tasted like it was rushed.
I have worked here for years. Make a ton of money and Linda is great. She is planning on opening a place soon near sears tower because all the west loop wants her to do this.
Any positive comment on here about Linda Bacin, OR Bella Bacinos is complete BULLSHIT, and was most likely left by Linda Bacin herself, or one of her illegals working in the office. I worked there for a long time and getting out was one of the best decisions I ever made.
Here are a few things I, and my fellow workers, saw while working there.
TOLD BY SERVERS ABOUT LINDA BACIN (once head of the National Restaurant Association)
“Once Linda Bacin accidentally threw away food that was to be wrapped to go then take that food out of the garbage (HERSELF), wrap it up and give it to the customer.”
“Linda Bacin told my girlfriend she was not pretty enough and needed to wear more makeup to work (”you need to look like you’re going on a date when you come in here…like me”)”
“I have seen Linda Bacin tell two female servers, who were groped by drunk customers in the bar, first that they were asking for it, then fire them two days later saying they had anonymous complaints (but really because they got angry by her response and tried to get other servers involved in getting the restaurant in trouble).”
“I have heard Linda Bacin use the term ‘nigger-rigged’ (many many times) when referring to things not fixed correctly. Then blaming her racist remarks on her ‘country upbringing.’”
“Linda Bacin offered me and two other female servers $5000 if one of us would marry one of the head morning cooks so he wouldn’t be sent back to Mexico. We said no.”
“They take out 30 minutes of every shift worked saying it’s for your break. You’re not allowed breaks…ever.”
They shave hours off your work time to keep it under 40hrs/wk, but if you worked way more than 40 they just leave it. Doesn’t matter, you don’t get paid over time anyway.”
“The food storage room has rats.”
“I turned them in to the Wage and Labor Department for not paying overtime (EVER), the case is pending.”
Nobody (who matters) has ever heard of Bella Bacinos.
Obama has never heard of Bella Bacinos.
The owners are just a bunch of rich socialites who don’t know how to run a business.
If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away from there.
Linda Bacin is probably the biggest bitch I have ever met. I feel bad for the employees that stick around there. Get OUT! They steal from their employees, don’t pay them for the hours they work, fuck up their paychecks, overstaff when it’s not needed, understaff when staff is needed. Get a clue. Get your head out from in front of the mirror and instead of looking at yourself, look how you are screwing up your business. Your pizza sucks. Linda tells her staff they are not presentable unless they have makeup on or look “dolled up” like her. She is racist and is the biggest shit talker I have ever met. Karma is a bitch though.
All I know is some of us work hard, own a business and dress nicely (umm that would be me) and some of you go on websites and lie, write nonsense and then wonder why you get fired from jobs. Also you wonder why life is so rotten and why is your apartment rotten and why are your kids rotten and why do your relationships fail? Well, because karma is a bitch.
Linda, you’re rotten, and everyone knows it.
Also, why would people take the time out of their busy lives to “lie” about your restaurant? I take the time to write on here because you were such a terrible person to work for, I feel it my duty to warn people about it.
Nobody thinks I’m rotten except losers. Such as the posters here. If I am so rotten, why am I doing a wonderful business? I don’t handcuff you losers to my restaurant. Go to Lou Malnati’s where you pigs can throw pizza at other pigs. My customers are not the Lou Malnati types. But the “servers” and I lose the term loosley since they serve mainly on their knees, that post here, are punks, skunks and drunks.
I used to work at bella bacinos and I can say that its not bull shit at all. I worked 100plus hours quite a few times and never ever got overtime pay. The whole linda taking food out of the garbage and giving it to a customer thing is true. She doesnt pay her delivery drivers at all, she takes advantage of people who dont know how to say no and she is a total hyprocrit. The owners blame the poor business on the waitstaff nkt looking energetic and definitely does tell the female staff that they need to look like they are going on a date. I can also say that she did offer some of her female employees money to marry her illegal kitchen staff for papers,but im sure she would deny that one in a heartbeat. She tries to make it seem like she cares if you approach her with a problem and then avoids u forever until u end up dealing with it yourself. Their books are def not legit since they definitely overwork their entire staff. Some of her employees have stayed overnight so that things would work out. Oh and of course you wanna talk about servers being lazy, the way i remember it we were overstaffed or slammed in the mornings and then had no manager to either cut people or help until 11 if we were lucky usually it was later. Wow ive written so much and that doesnt even cover half of the horrible things i can say about this place. The servers there arent losers either, they just unfortunately are stuck with having to settle due to the fact that most of them are students and need the money. They arent losers at all and are very talented and educated people. Maybe the owners should take the time to listen to their employees once in a while vs always blaming and attacking them. The way i remember it we always ran out of stuff, never had a manager there, never had cash in the drawer to give customers change and servers never did get a break. Im so happy i got out. The only good thing that came out of working there was definitely meeting all of the lovely servers whom i know are some of the best people. Oh and linda if you think the servers are losers why did u hire them only to spend ur time on this website complaining about how terrible they are. I dont understand how you are chairman to the national restaurant association.
I tell you how I am chairman, by running a damn fine restaurant that is celebrated all over the world, including Obama and Mayor Daley. And, Rahm called wanting a table too. Also, how am I chairman is getting rid of loser waitstaff easily and effortlessly. Let’s face it, there are restaurants all over so nobody has to stay at my place but the smart privledged waitstaff stay and make money. But let’s also face this sad fact: Real Servers serve and make money. Crybabys who can’t manage their own lives post on websites and quit and cry and get drunk and blame their managers and jobs, parents, go into therapy and hopefully get hit by a bus. Thank God for this website because if you are posting on it about me, you aren’t working for me. So POST AWAY losers!
So you say crybabies come on this site and complain about things linda then what does that make u? If u have nothing to hide then why even address the so called lying losers on this site. Some of the stuff you say really makes no sense like the fact that you are a restaraunt association chairman because u can effortlessly get rid of staff yet at your nra meeting you preach that making your employees happy is key to a good business. Perhaps you should practice what you preach before someone calls u a hypocrit with good reason as well. Saying one thing while practicing another shows a lot about you as a person which frankly isnt much. You seem to have a big head for a business you didnt even start.
I do make my employees happy. One way to do that is getting rid of the drunks, skunks and punks that infiltrate my good staff. And when I get rid of the losers, the happy productive employees are happier and even more productive! It is evident that you worked for me and you fell into the drunk or punk status. So, I hear Burger King is looking for help and although I have nothing against Burger King as a business model, I fear sending you to them will certainly be their downfall. Please people GET JOBS AND QUIT POSTING ABOUT ME. Jealousy looms in the hearts of losers. Apparently.
Linda, I worked there for almost 5 years and never ever ever saw ANY of the people you claim to have had in your restaurant. I think that anchorman from ABC was the biggest name to come through there…and he usually sat in the back corner alone.
Oh, and let me tell you a little secret…
GUESS who turned you into the Wage and Labor Department! IT WAS ME! ME ME ME!!!
Yes, it took them a long time to get to my case, but when they called with your “books,” asking what it meant when people got paid under “other” and why every clock-out was crossed out with a 30 minute time change, I gladly spilled the dirt.
Let me tell you something, Linda…
You do NOT run a good restaurant. WHY DO YOU THINK THE HOTEL WANTS YOU OUT?!? Your food is greasy and terrible, it all comes from cans and boxes. You couldn’t pay your servers on time for the past few months because “you’re out of money” (an actual quote from you). You boast about running a good business…you lost hundreds of thousands of dollars on that GROUPON ad. HA! I remember hearing about the day your husband came in and saw someone buy a pizza with one of those groupons (their bill was maybe $3), he was SO PISSED! Dan has NO idea! Classic!
You keep calling your servers drunks…
You’re one to talk. I remember the WORST nights were when you were closing, because that meant nobody was getting cut and by 7pm you were at table 10 WASTED on red wine and probably sitting on some nobody business mans lap, only to leave early and have Miguel (the busser/delivery driver) close up and cash everyone out.
I remember one year you made some of us stay the night at the hotel (not in a room, but on a cot) just to be there at 5am to serve the marathon runners. THEN offering us breakfast, only to make us PAY for it after.
Your servers are great people who get stuck working there because they don’t have the experience to work in a nice restaurant downtown, but probably had a pretty enough face (or knew someone) to get hired by you.
All of them either now serve in very nice restaurants (making 10x the money they did at Bacinos because those fine dining establishments had NEVER HEARD OF BACINOS and assumed “italian bistro” was a nice place) or in the professions they were using Bacinos to pay to go to school for. None of them are worse off than they were at Bacinos.
The best part about this site is what we (current and ex) servers say doesn’t really matter. You can deny what we say all you want…people only have to read the responses you leave here to know what kind of nasty individual you really are. I mean seriously…
Haha! What are you trying out your comedy routine here because Zanies won’t accept a louse like you? Turn me in to anyone you want–my books are sparkly clean! In fact, I know you made a complaint about me and I know who you are. Luckily for you, I haven’t seen your ugly mug. However, even if I did see you, who cares–your a filthy liar and everyone knows it. Oh and one of the reasons why I fired you is all the bartenders were complaining how your ripped them off and wouldn’t tip. So there you have it. I look forward to your next work of fiction posted here you louse of a rugrat.
I worked at Bella Bacino’s and found it an ok place to work. What I’m a bit stunned by is the people on this site that claim they have worked there for 5 years and hate it so much. Why did they stay 5 years? I think there is some serious nonsense going on here. I found Linda to be fine. Not perfect but fine. Whatever. This thread is weird.
Wow linda really? You think your employees are happy? If you took a random poll i think you’d see how mistaken you are. You know that other poster isnt lying and to be honest you probably dont have a clue as to who it is. Also you say you fired that last person ha! The way i remember it you used to let the person you were looking to fire work the entire day and then get a manager to fire them. I never saw you actually face a person you wanted gone. You take advantage of everyone working for you. The poor kitchen guys work crazy hours and work for pennies compaired to what they should be making and your delivery drivers dont make anything but tips. In the winter they barely make any money and neither do the servers. I saw the drivers make 50 dollars once from 10 to 1 to split among 3to5 drivers! They spend more on gas for crying out loud and on top if it you make them pay for their food. I dont know how u sleep at night knowing you are stepping on all these people you call your employees. You even let your supposed beneficial new business partner drive your good friend out of your restaurant. Its truly digusting that anyone would allow that to happen to a friend under any circumstance and do nothing to help or prevent it.Since you only get rid of drunks or punks which was your friend? Oh and your books are only clean because u have someone good in your corporate office now because if it were up to you you wouldve failed an audit in a second.You have no clue how much each location makes and you blame your servers for numbers going down and give them no recognition when business is good and customers are happy.You are ridiculous linda and you only make yourself look worse by attacking the servers that vent on this website. This is a site for servers thus not you but to each his own. How do u think it looks when its apparent that you check this site for updates? I just hope the restaurant association never gets wind of this site.
Charlie sheen who are you? Clearly you havent read all the posts on here miss bacin just digs herself a bigger andbigger hole.
This is a sad day in America when one of our finest proprietors, Linda from Bacino’s is lied about by wimpy servers who choose to work for Linda, eat her delicious food and then crybaby on a website. There are so many places to work yet people choose her restaurant. And frankly, if there are some really stupid people that want to work for really cheap, is this Linda’s problem? They need to go get another job, not be miserable and post things. I’m never amazed at the losers in the industry. However, three cheers for Linda at Bacino’s!!!!!!
Linda is making money and having a good time and a great life! That is why she is WINNING! The posters on here are all sad and sorry and poor which is why they are LOSING!
I just got a job at Bella Bacino’s and I met Linda boy is she great. Everyone seems to like her. Alot of people are unstable in the restaurant biz and I think that is what the posting is about.
yes, thanks Marybeth! You will be getting a raise very soon. As for the rest of you skunks, If you DARE to give me a call and let me know your name, and ADDRESS or a meeting point where witnesses are not expected, please do so. Life is going to take a turn for the worst for some of you skunks. Oh yes sirree. I’ll meet anyone, anywhere very near the lake in the dark. Think carefully folks but feel free to give a call and I will certainly extend an “invite” to a lakefront promenade! Oh yes!
Wow linda i bet you offered that poor new girl a raise just to post on here about you which she will probably never get. Marybeth im sorry but you will learn with time. Like i said its not just servers that get screwed its the kitchen guys and in all honesty even the managers get screwed. Which is probably why they dont care enough to be there for servers anyway. Then if course there are her office workers that she treats like personal assistants. Whoever made that national restaraunt association post is full of shit, however it sounds like a confirmation that linda is cheap when it comes to paying her employees. I mean she pays her hostesses 10 dollars an hr when at most places hosts make 14 an hr and up. Charlie sheen linda enjoys all the luxury her husbands success can buy i dont know how thats really winning and most of the servers posting on here talk about how much happier they are they left. I guess you arent big on comprehension. Also this is a domain for servers to vent its what its for, the fact that linda insults and threatens former employees shows a ton of class. If all us former employees were so bad how did we last there for so long? Im pretty sure most of us left bacinos we didnt get fired. Whatever we know what we are talking about linda and you know it. Just accept it and proceed to enjoy your husband’s money and getting drunk in your own restaurant during working hours.
Marybeth if you have better prospects i say take them while you can. Linda fired one of her good friends who had worked for her for years,imagine how it would end for someone who just works for her. Just ask her i dare her to deny it.
I did ask Linda about this whole website and she didn’t know what I was talking about. She thought someone broke into her computer and was posting on her email but she told me anybody could post and make things up. She hasn’t posted here, didn’t know this site existed and she told me it’s probably one or two friends that didn’t work out at her restaurant that keep inventing things and posting under differernt names. She thought it was funny and thanked me for alerting her to this huge string about her place. So for what it is worth, if this is all fake posting, what a waste of time. I’m not returning to this string. But good luck to all of you. I think you may need it.
Ha thats the biggest load of crap ive ever heard in my life. She knows this site exists because she would have staff meetings about it and how she knew who it was. Whatever believe what you want to believe she left her good friend of many years out in the cold, what could the rest of her staff possibly mean to her. Good luck and like i said you will see. Talk to the older staff if any of them have been there over a year that is they can tell you. I wish you the best of luck and be sure that it really is linda posting on here.
Linda is a pathetic piece of shit. She talks about people behind their back but never to their face. Most people walk out, quit, or just don’t show up to their shifts. She hires people based on their looks, and wants girls to show up like they are going to their prom. She gets wasted at table 10 DURING business hours and then flirts with EVERY man that comes in and pretends she’s been lifelong friends with them. She even has servers find out guests names that she claims “shes friends with” because shes too wasted to remember. She takes advantage of everyone. The restaurant associate should read this thread. Linda Bacin is the devil.
So I sneaked this photo of Linda, and uploaded it to her very OWN Twitter page!
I think it just screams “I don’t know how to run a business”
It was one of those days we had maybe 6 servers on and no business. Linda walks around telling the girls to put some make-up on (because that’s why there are no customers) then sits at table 10 and drinks wine.
GOT SOME VERY GOOD PICTURES OF THE NASTY KITCHEN AND RAT INFESTED STORAGE/DISHWASHER ROOM DOWNSTAIRS, TOO.
But I’ll save THOSE for another time.
Oh and Linda, I CANNOT WAIT to meet you by the Lake…I dream of the day!
Speaking of which, I just went to the NRA website and got addresses and phone numbers of all of the 90-95 Chairs (although I think I’ll start with Dawn, Sally and Rosalyn) and copied this website thread to send them. I think they’ll LOVE to see one of there former chairs THREATENING servers!
I love how all the comments left by “National Restaurant Association” “Linda at Bacinos” “Charlie Sheen” AND “Marybeth Ricino” were all left on the same day…hmmm…
WHAT are the chances they’re ALL the same person…hmmm…?
Ha maybe someone should get one of her kissing the Irish guy mike who has been a regular forever and send it toner husband i wonder how he would feel about that. Props to whoever has pictures and contacts of NRA members its about time.things caught up with Linda bacin.
Not Linda, are you saying that there is a possible conspiracy between Charlie Sheen, NRA, Linda and Marybeth? Are you thinking that possibly people could be just posting all kinds of nonsense? So, is it your theory that Charlie Sheen didn’t really visit this website? And could it be that Marybeth and Linda are one and the same person? And what about the NRA? This whole thing is damning. Because if everything on this website isn’t true, why I may start calling this the liar website.
I looked at the photo of Linda. Umm, so what? I thought it was going to be some damning thing and of course, it’s Linda on the phone. Wow. Big Deal. Probably not the most ladylike pose in history, but frankly, who in the heck is taking photos of Linda on the phone? Please, let’s get the “real juicy” photos that are supposedly out there. This photo here is totally stupid. What a fool to post it. Oh well.
Wow. I’ve lived Streeterville and the Loop for many years and I’ve never heard of this place, though I’m familiar with most of the restaurants around it which are obviously better-known. Now, the comments from employees are disturbing enough, but the comments from Linda are an atrocity and will definitely keep me from ever going there. And yes, it’s pretty obvious she replied herself (doesn’t sound like there are many who would come to her defense and use her name…what would be their motive?) and it’s pretty obvious she’s posting under different names (it doesn’t take the FBI to recognize the same words and speech patterns, no matter how abusive they are to the English language). I’d love to watch an expose unfold on this place by the media.
First of all, instead of passing time complaining about this website, how about shut up and get back to work? If you weren’t so fat, perhaps you could move more quickly through the restaurant and make more money by getting more tables? Also, is it that difficult to bus your own tables, freeing it up so you can make more money? Also, I do want to say that I’m tired of the waitstaff eating food off the plates of customers! Stop it and maybe you will get a better tip and you won’t have to go online and complain!