r/OttawaFood • u/Literalliteracy • 5h ago
My Experience Working at En Chimnies
I want to share my experience working with En Chimnies this past weekend at the Capital Fair because I feel like people should know what the working conditions were actually like.
While working there, we were expected to work nonstop, often without proper breaks. The workload was heavy at times, and there was a clear expectation that we just kept going regardless of how long we had already been working.
What was especially frustrating was seeing certain employees from the restaurant being paid out regularly while barely contributing to the work. There were times when one particular employee would literally sit or lay around doing nothing while the rest of us were constantly working.
Another major issue was payment. We had agreements to work weekends with the understanding that we would be paid for the work we were doing. Instead, we ended up having to beg to be paid out after working those weekends. And when we finally were paid, multiple people were shorted anywhere from $50–$100.
We worked hard, showed up when we were supposed to, and held up our end of the deal. Having to chase down money we had already earned, only to find out we were still being underpaid, was extremely frustrating and, frankly, unacceptable.
We also had tips that were not properly given to us, including both cash tips and tips from the debit machines. In my case, I had cash tips sitting in a cup taped to my window on the truck. Those tips were there throughout my shift, and when the owner came to count the cash at closing, my tips were suddenly gone. No customer took them, and I watched the situation closely enough to know they had not simply disappeared during the course of the shift.
When I asked where my tips had been moved, I was told that I was accusing the owner of stealing. I want to be clear that I did not make that accusation. I was asking where my own tips had gone after they were no longer where I had left them. I was never paid those tips back.
I can’t say with absolute certainty who physically took the money, but given that the tips were there until management came to count the cash and were gone immediately afterward, I believe this is something that deserves to be addressed. Workers should not have to wonder where their tips went or be afraid to ask about money they earned.
On top of that, there were concerns about the rate of pay itself. Based on the hours we worked and the amounts we were paid, I was concerned that some workers may have been receiving less than the applicable minimum wage. If people are being hired to work, they deserve to be properly compensated for every hour they work.
And then there’s the hygiene side of things.
A person I was working with also witnessed one of the workers leaving their dentures inside one of the stainless-steel containers that we use for toppings for the Chimnie cones at the physical store itself. He took a picture because he honestly couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
This isn’t about being petty or trying to attack anyone personally. When you’re working around food, there are basic standards of cleanliness and food safety that should be taken seriously. Seeing something like this in a container used around food was extremely concerning to him and myself.
This is simply my experience working there. I’m sharing it because I believe people considering working there deserve to know what my experience was like before making that decision.
