My rant
Establishment: Purple Cafe & Wine Bar
Location: Seattle
DO NOT WORK FOR THESE JERKS!
Management has more attitude than anything, and if you don’t fit in with the "inside" clique of inept management and their favorite servers, you are readily expendable no matter how hard you work. The wine director is a class A ass. Purple says that they don’t want to be pretentious about wine, but that guy sure is. When I worked there he’d give me a dirty look or a reprimand if I talked to tables about wine. Granted, he knew a lot more about wine than me, but I certainly could hold my own. When I read citysearch reviews where patrons express their dissapointment that their server didn’t know anything about wine, I know why. This guy’s ego prefers it if all the front of the house staff are just mindless waitrons so he can have all the wine expertise glory. Unfortunately, the place is so big (and he takes his sweet time) that people find it difficult to get a chance to talk to him or one of the few other people that are "allowed" to talk about wine. I never even got to taste a single wine unless I paid for it with my own money. I worked hard for them, and they set me up to fail, then got rid of me when I inevitably did. Unless you’re some sport-loving jock boy or blonde-haired sorority bitch, you probablly won’t fit in with the staff and will evntually be terminated because of it. God forbid you know anything about wine, just keep your mouth shut. The food is hit or miss also. Mostly miss.
Comments
Egotistical? Check. Unhelpful? Check. Condescending? Check. Part of the ineffectual management team at the Downtown Seattle Purple Wine Bar location. Big ol’ fatty check! The man is Chris Horn and I think he sucks! I have talked with so, so many others who hate this guy so I know it’s not just moi. Also that f#&*ing Ryan kid has no business being a manager whatsoever. I remember one day they put him on the floor ’cause we were short a server and he didn’t even know the table numbers let alone the steps of service. Of course, he’d be the first one to come down on you for similar errors, but someone would probably have to explain to him that you actually made an error since he seems to have no idea what’s going on most of the time. Yes, I am still bitter. Yes, I still hold a f#&*ing grudge! Purple blows f#&*ing goat gonads, especially Chris Horn!
You probably work for them. By the way, my new job kicks ass and there are none of the “problems that are everywhere” of which you speak. Purple management would tell you that knowing when to ask for help was a big deal, but when you did they didn’t come through, and when you gave up on asking for help (since no one hardly ever would or could help you) you got chastised for not asking for help. Ridiculous! The place is also set up very poorly, think six servers crammed into that stupid wine tower that doubles as a service bar on a busy Friday night, all trying to get their wines and cocktails from an overworked bar staff duo who also have a full rail of bar patrons to contend with. You’re right about one thing though Brett, I AM BITTER, it’s just something that happens to me when I work hard for someone and they screw me over. Go figure.
I interviewed at Purple last year, and was a little disappointed when I didn’t get a call back (I am a VERY experienced, rock star of a server, btw, and I also happen to be blonde, though not of the sorority-girl variety) and even a little surprised. After reading your review (which matches up to things I have heard from former Purple employees) I am DAMN GLAD I didn’t work for them.
I don’t think ‘Brett’ has a clue, or else has never worked as a server in an environment where one is treated without respect. I don’t blame you for being bitter, Bitter. I, too, have worked hard and been screwed over by employers. Glad you are here spreading the word on Purple! Read my post about Wild Ginger……the experience was similar.
Hey, thanks for the support Junglistgirl77 (this is the author of My Rant, Whatever, and Bitter above). Us professional servers have got to have each others’ back especially in an industry so dominated by idiots and managers that got their jobs by kissing the right asses. I read about your experience at Wild Ginger and must say it sounds like a nightmare. I actually applied there and never got a call back much in the same way as you did at Purple, and it seems I should thank my lucky stars for that. I love my job now, the managers are great (and all friends of mine) and the staff is fairly competent (with some minor exceptions). The money is decent and the respect is there for everyone. It just goes to show that their are restaurants out there where you can actually enjoy showing up to work. My recommendation to servers looking for a job like mine though is to get the hell out of Downtown Seattle and find a nice neighborhood restaurant even if it’s a corporate one, just so long as it is not Downtown. Something about Downtown seems to attract the worst types of management, and I speak from experience having had several restaurant jobs there. Glad to hear that you are happy with your current gig as well Junglistgirl77. Looks like we both escaped! I still check in on this site from time to time though because like I said I hold a grudge when people screw me over. I had to struggle to make ends meet even after I found a new job because they fired me right when a bunch of bills were due and that left me behind the proverbial Eight Ball for sometime. I will not forget that so easily and I don’t want it to happen to anyone else!
oops…that should have been “there are restaurants out there” not “their are restaurants out there”. I swear this site use to let you edit your silly mistakes. Yeah, I’m a bit of a perfectionist so sue me. 
Listen , I really think that you are just bitter cause things didn’t work out the way you wanted , take a look at the big picture , you’ll see that every other place will have the problems you talked about , its just how u handle and deal with those problems .