Trial shift process.
Prospective employees work several hours to show their skills and to allow kitchen staff and chef to determine a right fit. When I arrived, there was no eye contact, no handshake. I was brought to the kitchen, I had to introduce myself to each staff member. When someone from the office/some individual in management came into the kitchen, my presence was not even acknowledged. I have never had a more impersonal or indifferent or unfriendly interview in my life. There was a stated desire not to have to train someone, that there was no time for the anyone to do that, and that is surely the experience I had in the kitchen for the whole shift. I had to familiarize myself with all of the equipment, the location of materials, tools, and ingredients. I was asked if I could follow a recipe. I said I could, so I was left to simply complete the recipe and prepare the dish on my own, figuring things out as I went along.
A few of the staff members were extremely friendly and helpful, but the individual watching my performance was not. They seemed to be annoyed by my presence and the need to give me any attention. I am not sure if this is the way they and management and administration treat all potential hires, or if there was something going on.
There was some mild suspicion on my part that my appearance and ambiguous gender presentation (I am transgender) might have been a factor, though I cannot prove it. I will caution people who are LGBTQ to really pay attention to cues, verbal or otherwise, that they are being treated differently during the interview or hiring process.
I did not get the job, but I will say that it is true: I was not qualified for the job, based on the criteria of their needing someone who required no training and who could simply jump in and complete tasks without guidance. My skills were not as sharp as they desired and that fairly disqualified me. No complaints there. But I will say this: I have NEVER worked in a kitchen environment where there was zero training available. I do not think that is reasonable. Anyone who runs a kitchen MUST be part teacher and trainer. It is not reasonable to be in charge of a kitchen and only want to be left alone to cook. If the staff that make up kitchen leadership does not want to train new hires, Sugarsnap would be well-served to create the post of Trainer. Everyone who is new to an environment needs to be shown the ropes re: equipment, processes, practices, rules, and the location of ingredients and other supplies. A sink or swim philosophy will cause more employees to fail, and ultimately, that costs Sugarsnap.
