Cantina Latina: RUN AWAY. RUN AWAY AND NEVER RETURN
Establishment: Cantina Latina
Location: Union Square
I’ve been working there since September, when the restaurant opened, but I swear I’ve seen it all.
I knew the place was bad news as soon as we got our first checks and I noticed that we were paid server’s minimum wage for two weeks of training - not the sales minimum wage that we should have been paid, since there was no way that we’d get tips from sitting around being lectured by a manager (who quickly quit once the restaurant opened - now we’re left with one “general manager” and one “bar manager”).
The owner, Lesly Bernard, is an overbearing, manipulative, passive-aggressive man who repeatedly ignores employment laws as well as common sense. In two months I’ve seen six servers and at least as many bartenders either quit or be arbitrarily fired - and when I say arbitrarily, I mean Lesly sitting in at a meeting and suddenly saying, “That guy. I want him gone.” The last great thing Lesly did was attempt to fire the only two male servers in the restaurant, because he “didn’t want dicks on the floor” - not because they were dicks, but because they had them. His last restaurant employed only female servers, and it looks like he’s aiming for the same at his newest restaurant. Lawsuit, anyone?
Lesly and his investors love to come into the restaurant, take up tables, eat lots of free or heavily discounted food, and generally terrorize the servers - nothing we do is right! And believe me when I say that all of the servers still working at this place are very intelligent and savvy individuals who do not deserve to be treated like they’re working their first day of waiting tables at the local Denny’s. Some of the investors tip, some don’t…but it’s very uncomfortable to watch these men literally eating up the restaurant’s profits.
Although we’ve been open for two months, our menu still lacks dessert options, espresso, and even coffee; our restaurant still lacks proper glassware, real menus (we’re still using folded, ink-smeared paper printouts from the ancient printer downstairs), and LOCKERS. Last week, as the servers were setting up the restaurant to open, someone snuck into the unlocked unisex changing room, where all our personal items are kept, and stole $200 and an iPod from a server’s purse. Cantina Latina refused to reimburse the server for either. Now we keep our purses either locked in the office or crammed into an empty drawer under our POS.
We’re supposed to be paid every Friday, but the last two paychecks have been DAYS late. I finally got my last paycheck this Monday. The excuse the manager gave this time was that Lesly was throwing a birthday party for his girls this past Saturday and didn’t have time to come sign our checks - since we were supposed to get our checks on Friday, I don’t see why this would even be an issue - regardless, this is a BUSINESS. The owner needs to take time out of his otherwise busy schedule to sign paychecks so his employees aren’t evicted from their apartments.
The meager-at-best tips ($100 on a good night, closer to $20-40 on an average night) don’t come anywhere close to worth working here.
The servers who’ve hung in there from the beginning are starting to see the writing on the wall; this is why suddenly Cantina Latina is looking for more servers. But there’s a good reason - many reasons - why we’re starting to jump ship.
I predict that Cantina will not survive the winter…regardless, I’d hate to think that any loyal, hard-working servers would be subjected to the generally asinine atmosphere. If you see an ad for servers from this place on Cragslist, PLEASE look elsewhere.
Comments
Actually, as someone who has been working for this man and his establishments for a good long while and has first hand and back of the house knowledge of how he/they operate ..
I can vouch for all of the above, and much more.
The story above pales in comparison to the rest of what goes on
His reputation goes back many many years and is well deserved
Stay away
DOES THIS GUY LESLY PAY HIS BILLS ?
I HEARD ALL HE DOES IS OPEN AND CLOSE RESTAURANTS BOUNCE CHECKS AND DOSNT PAY FOR EQUIPMENT OR SERVICES …..
HOW DOES HE GET AWAY WITH ALL THAT
My take on this is that the business isn’t going well, and the owner is genuinely stressed out. He obviously, if what you state is true, needs to lean that what is in his head shouldn’t always come out of his mouth. As regards the checks getting to you a few days late, big deal. Sure, its an inconvenience, but I wouldn’t read any malevlent intent into it. Small businesses, particularly resturants, provide for more than one man can reasonably do in a week if he has a family. As regards the low tips, take a tip from poppy: if you don’t make enough money working there, get a job somewhere else. This is a free country. As for your co-servers, if they are indeed so savvy, they will do the same. Or, maybe you are just angry and using this board to vent unnecessarily, a likely probability. Good luck.