The Right Way and the Wrong Way To Quit Your Restaurant Job

There is a right way and a wrong way to leave your restaurant job. The right way is to submit a formal, written two-week notice. You then offer to train whoever it is that will be taking your position. Finally, you finish out your shifts with maturity and a sense of pride so that your boss will want to provide a reference for you in the future.

The wrong way is how I quit Bennigan’s in Houston, Texas in 1993: I told my boss I was going to the Taco Bell next door to grab a Mexi-Melt before my shift began and instead I got into my car and drove home, never looking back. I left Pizzeria Uno five years later after a pre-shift meeting when a manager berated every single one of us for secretly adding the gratuity onto checks and then getting double tipped. There were only a couple of people who were doing that and I didn’t appreciate being lumped into that category. After the meeting, I put on my coat and walked out the door. Someone said, “Hey, how come you get to leave so early?” “Easy,” I replied. “I punched out and I’m going the fuck home.”

Everyone understands how we should quit a job, but sometimes it just makes more sense to do it on your own terms. Here are eight ways you 100%, definitely should NOT quit your job. (The responses have been edited for length and clarity.)

Chris: I received a phone call at 9:00 am on a Saturday to come into work for a mandatory meeting about the condition of the kitchen. This was after working until 2:00 am the night before. My station was left spotless. I was told whoever’s not there will be fired. I said, “Well, I’ll save you a phone call, I quit!”

Michelle: I worked in a Greek restaurant and we were made to park 1/2 mile away. One night in a snowstorm I tried to park closer and the owner’s 16 year old son came out and scolded me for parking too close. I parked right where I was, went inside, stood in the doorway and told two managers and the son to FUCK OFF in front of the entire restaurant and never I went back.

Chyna: I brought in a cake that said “I quit.” Left it on my boss’s desk and walked out.

Courtney: I was told if I didn’t like things they way they were to leave the keys & get out, so I left the keys and got out.

Annie: My manager quadruple seated me (four 8-tops during happy hour and early bird). I took my apron off and handed it to her and said, “nope.” She called me the next day to see if I was coming in. I just laughed and laughed.

Dianna: I just quit a job a couple of weeks ago. My idiot manager said she was giving me a 30 day probation that would end on October 7th, for “poor performance” because I held the door open for an elderly guest, and made a table wait two minutes for their food. I told her to enjoy learning how to serve, because she could shove that probation up her ass. I flipped her off and walked out.

Deena Marie: I was a bartender at a dive bar. The owner put liquor in the wrong cabinet and when I opened the cabinet, the bottle fell out and broke. The owner called me an idiot and berated me in front of patrons. I finished serving the customers who were there and then walked to juke box. I played “Take This Job and Shove It” and walked out.

Teri: I sent a lovely postcard from Key West informing my boss that I quit.

None of us who left our jobs in these less-than-ideal situations can ever expect a glowing reference from our bosses, but at least we have a great story to tell. And in the long run, I think we can all agree that’s much more important.