I really did go for a ride working at Domino's. As much as I miss the work itself, and might go back to work for Domino's (either corporate or a different franchise), it will never be Team Cowabunga.
The last thing I posted on here was about me being on track to being a GM, turns out they're called OP (Operating Partners), and Tanner was helping me with my progress.
Tanner ended up being one of the best managers I ever had. His only fault was that he didn't really get in the middle of employee drama, even when a manager SHOULD step in. For example, there was another AM, his name was Joey, and Tanner had me start training him up as soon as he got hired because part of the 4 step AM program was being able to successfully train up new employees, and any new employees he got in he had me training as part of my training. Obviously he kept an eye on it and tweaked my performance where need be, so he knew I was on the right track when he put Joey in my hands.
I helped Joey out in so many ways, and even though I was specifically told to mentor him and help him move along, anytime I tried to point out something wrong, Joey would go off on me. I mean full on belittling, yelling, insulting, would harass me via text even when I wasn't on the clock. It got so bad that one day I was at work on an opening shift and Joey came in, off the clock, to go off on me for something he thought I messed up the night before. He didn't care that our coworkers were there to here it, and he didn't leave until we started getting some walk ins and I had food to make. He didn't know I recorded the whole thing since I hit record on my phone when I saw him storming up to the store's doors.
I had Tanner listen to it, since Joey never did this shit in front of him and would never act on heresay, and all he did was talk to Joey about it but then did nothing when Joey blew up at me at a later day for "recording him like a bitch".
I wasn't the only one Joey had issues with, but Tanner never stepped up as manager to do something about the way he was turning our store into a toxic and hostile work place. And that company is already toxic enough as it is.
Granted, there was only so much Tanner could do, if he would've at least tried, but Joey really couldn't decide who to be mad at or why.
Just to give a few examples, Joey's half black, half Puerto Rican, but if you don't know him personally and have no idea he's a mix, he looks like he's just black and not any kind of mix. If you called him black, he'd be quick to inform you in a rude way that he was half Puerto Rican and tell you to remember that and not insult him again. But if you had any kind of issue with his attitude, ATTITUDE, or had some issue with how he was speaking to you, now you have a problem with him because he's black....What? Your skin color isn't making you rude, you're just being an ass and trying to bring an Uno card to a Poker game.
He even tried pulling the race card with some customers when they called him out (rightfully) for how rude he was being not only to them but sometimes his coworkers too. There was another AM he almost got into a fist fight with because other dude, AJ, didn't put up with Joey's kind of shit. All of us at the store were surprised there weren't any actual, physical fights. But Joey's big mouth did cost him one day, at a very public event, and no one let him live it down.
There was a big work event for the franchise held at a hotel/convention center. I'm talking every single higher up, all the way up to the franchisee himself. Everyone you don't want to see you acting like an idiot was there. They gave everyone the option of getting a room, or just driving there for each of the two days if they were close by. Joey ended up taking a room because there would be an open bar. I went home, but ended up wishing I had stayed. I found out when I came back the next day that Joey got wasted and forgot to behave himself.
I no longer remember all the details, but at the time this happened everyone was "off the clock" from the work part of the meet up so the open bar got hit. Groups of OPs were all hanging out and in two nearby groups, Joey is in one, this other OP (also black) is in the other. Joey was apparently a loud and obnoxious drunk - which makes sense because he was loud and obnoxious when sober - and was even throwing shade at other OPs from other regions. Something to keep in mind, Joey had only been an official manager for a couple of months at this point. He was given the store he had been trained in so he was just continuing a routine he was used to and it was going well for him because of things Tanner had put in place before he moved to another store. So none of the shade he's throwing at these long time OPs was valid and he was pissing people off.
The other OP in question finally told him to stop running his mouth before someone did it for him and Joey shot back, asking if he (other OP) was the "right n****r" to do the job. Next thing everyone knows, Joey's unconscious on the ground. Because everyone was "off the clock" no one was punished. Joey dealing with being banned from open bars from then on and having to explain why was his long running punishment.
You would think that getting laid out by someone - and nothing being done about it - would be enough to straighten him up. Nope. He ended up going off some an elderly white lady who was upset her pizza was wrong and telling her to not be so picky when she's going to die next week anyway. Of course he tried to sue for racial discrimination, and no, he didn't win.
People like Joey are the worse examples of humanity. Like, there is enough negativity out there, and enough toxic crap in the world, why do you have to add to it? Why do you have to set such bad examples and leave such an negative impact on somone's life when that person was actively trying to help you learn and grow so you could move ahead with them?
I could've understood his issues with me if I had been trying to sabotage him, or hold him back somehow, but every tip or trick I tried to help with was looked down. I was told so many times I should quit trying to be a manager because I wouldn't get anywhere. When he found out I was getting my own store before he was (despite my being with the company longer, and further ahead in the 4 step program than him) he made my last day at the store a living nightmare. Trashing me, yelling at me for this or that, telling me I got something wrong when I didn't, even getting up in my face when I was making food that he was apparently about to make. As if I was a mind reader and knew what he was about to do.
There are a lot more stories I could go into with him, but honestly, he's a blip on my radar compared to Mike Chastain. God fuuuuuuck Mike Chastain. This motherfucker right here is the one that really fucked with me. I'm still deeply effected by what happened with him. This man personally made my life a living hell during the almost 2 years I was an OP. Before I get into him, I'm going to need a minute. And I kind of want to knock out my bullet points bit by bit with some current stuff in between, so I think I'm going to cover Domino's in a couple of parts and call it quits for now. My back's bugging me and all I want to do is lay down.
Hope you all had a safe weekend.
