Probably - but people too lazy to cook their own christmas dinner are spoiling mine

All my teens work in hospitality- we have dinner at 7 and it’s absolutely lovely. I’m grateful they have jobs that pay regularly and tip well
This is the most insane post ever.

The world owes you nothing OP. Nothing.

Not sure where your sense of entitlement came from? The world and the pub and the workers at the pub and the clients of the pub do not revolve around your DS's needs.

Your DS CHOSE to work. At any point he could have walked out and not gone in today.

He had choices. And he chose to work. Not sure why you are complaining? No one put a gun to his head and say you must work today or you'll die.

No, they said you'll get double time. Nice. And he worked longer hours so he'll be paid more.

If he wasn't working, someone else would take the job. It shows there's market demand for this sort of job. There is market demand for all sorts of casual work. People come, people go... would you rather that this wasn't the case? Because in that case, there'd be no job at all for your DS. That's what it's like in France but anyway... never mind, you really don't understand how business and the economy run...

If you disagree with his hours, that's your problem, not the pub's problem or the people paying to eat there.

And by your argument he's selfish, because he's taking a job from an 18 year old when he shouldn't be working the hours he's working aged 16. An 18 year old who is out of work needs it more than him.... He's selfish because what about the people that will be servicing him in his expensive hotel, when he's paying for a bit of luxury? Should they all not be working long hours? Why is his expensive trip not selfish to workers but Christmas out for other people is?

You have no idea OP. No idea at all how the world works.

Well, it's tough really, isn't it? If he wants an expensive trip and this is the most convenient job for him, then that's what he's got to do. This is what adult life is in many respects - weighing up options and finding that there's probably no ideal one, but you prioritise what you want most. It likely will only be a few years before he has other options and can hopefully move into a job that doesn't take up all of Christmas.

This thread truly shows that some people have zero understanding of how the economy works.

Actually I agree with you. Cook your own.

If your son gets laid off because people don’t use their local pubs - which is a very real possibility - you’ll be moaning at people for being too stingy to eat out and putting your precious baby out of a Saturday job.

Do you seriously not understand that the money pubs and restaurants make at Christmas keeps them afloat in January and February? My ex partner ran a pub and if he hadn’t made enough money at Christmas, he would have had to cut staff hours or get rid of his kitchen porter altogether in January. People who eat out on Christmas Day help to keep pubs and restaurants in business. And no, it isn’t fucking lazy to use a business for the purpose it’s designed for. The people eating in that pub are lining your son’s pockets and you’ve got the fucking nerve to have a go at them?

Your child is a school kid working for pocket money. He doesn’t have to do any job at all. He isn’t supporting a family or paying rent. He’s a child with a Saturday job. He could say no to hours and look for something else any time he wanted.

Fucking hilarious that you’re getting annoyed with people being rude to you when you’ve just posted a massive insulting rant at anyone who dares to have Christmas dinner at the pub. Grow up.

Well if he didn't want to work over Christmas and other holidays he needs to get a job that isn't in hospitality, police, fire, hospital, caring, prisons, etc etc or his mother needs to leave him to it if he wants to earn money.

According to the op everyone is selfish going to a pub for Christmas Day of course she’s delusional I’m glad you got Christmas off and I hope you enjoyed you dinner out. The op is off her head.

Also why does going out for Xmas make you lazy? You could say that for every meal out celebrating then couldn’t you?

The good thing about how he is spending his Christmas holiday now, is not only is he making a lot better money than he would be if he was only getting the 8 hours a week he thought he would be getting, but also he is gaining that experience that he didn't previously have.

If I were a potential employer, hearing that this young man with limited experience has worked all those hours over a busy Christmas season would show me that he is reliable and dependable and hardworking and adaptable.

Oh fgs you want him to have a job or not?! Plenty of yp would be happy to have the work.

My DH is a hospital doctor & works Christmas Day every 5 years. We just shift it to another day and celebrate then. Our kids understand, it really doesn’t matter what day it is. I’m sure you and your other DC could have found another day to have had the Christmas meal with your son, even if it was the 15th Dec or 8th Jan or whatever.

So as a midwife, I’m not allowed to go out for lunch on Christmas Day the odd year I am not working in the hospital?

I worked Xmas day in a pub at 16 and it was great fun with good tips. I also like to go out with the family on Xmas day like we did yesterday. 27 of us. I don’t wish to spend my entire day tied to the kitchen getting all flustered cooking then cleaning up. And yes it’s overpriced. However I’m well aware we are paying for luxury of having people to the heavy work for us not necessarily the food. You should carry on as normal and he can heat his when he gets in. I would never have expected my family to wait on me.

I completely understand your frustration. It seems so unfair doesn't it? You're young teenage son just wants to work a handful of hours for some pocket money and job experience, he thinks he might be getting about 10 hours a week and he ends up working exceptionally long days and night shifts during the holidays, when you would prefer him to be home enjoying family time. Such is the life of those of us who live and work the hospitality game. A lot of us out there, and yeah, not necessarily by choice (sometimes there is no other job option) We give up our evenings, weekends, and holidays, so that we can make the evenings, weekends and holidays of our paid customers that much better....
It's not always as easy to say "Well then don't work in the hospitality field then"... Because depending on where you live, your transportation options, your experience and skills etc, sometimes there aren't a lot of choices for young workers.

The good news is, if your son is anything like I was at that age doing the same thing, he will be making pretty good money, better than 8 hours a week anyway, and he will appreciate his time off all the more. At least I did. When I had endless time off from school and work, the hours just faded away easily and lazily. When I had very few hours off, I really appreciated the time that I had for the little things like having a family meal or playing a game with the family or going for a walk with the family, hopefully, you can enjoy some other times with your son and he with you and your family over the less busy days of this holiday season.

I know it feels unfair, but that's life. Think of all the people who work in essential services, all the doctors and nurses, all the taxi drivers, all the firefighters and security guards and phone operators... True they get paid a lot better to be an essential service, but then think of all the pizza delivery drivers, all the cooks, all the dishwashers, all the chamber maids, all the night clerks, all the bus boys... They all work so that other people can enjoy their time off. Hospitality and tourism is not the easiest thing to work in, but know that he is giving other people and enjoyable evening. There is a simple pleasure in that knowledge that you could contributed something nice to somebody else's day

Maybe your beef should be with the pub that not only opened on Christmas day, but had 700 groups booked in.

Businesses control when they are open. If they're not open then those lazy buggers would just have to cook wouldn't they!

So what would your DS do to earn money if not for all the lazy so-and-so's going out to eat? It's ridiculous you complaining when he's there of his own free will!

I'm afraid if your DS works in hospitality ( as most students finish up doing at some point) it comes with the territory. Either your DS is contracted for 8 hours- and does them ,or he is being paid overtime- in which case you can't complain.I very much doubt he is working unpaid overtime
Have your festive meal when he isn't working- working is his choice.
You can't work in a restaurant and then complain you don't get a lunchbreak- it's part and parcel of working in hospitality.
The only person you can complain to is your son, a pub is a pub you can't complain they open Christmas day, you knew that when he took the job.

Why don’t you stand outside the restaurant with massive boards calling customers selfish twats… that’ll get your son home sooner 😂😂

what a rage baiter!!

Trying to be kind in my reply OP, but you are being unreasonable. I’ll start by saying I have NEVER been out for dinner on Xmas Day and never will. But there’s nothing wrong with people going out for dinner on Xmas Day. They aren’t selfish unless they turn up without a booking perhaps.

My parents ran a pub from when I was 5 years old. I think I was around 10 when we started doing food. I didn’t have a choice about working on Christmas Day. I was expected to. My parents refused to ask any members of staff to work on Xmas day be use they didn’t think it was fair… I would work behind the bar, doing the cleaning, cooking, waitressing and washing up. I’d usually be left on my own once the pub was closed doing the washing up whilst my mum went to cook the family dinner and my dad had a lie down. I’d get a few hours break then the pub would open again at 8pm and I would be back on bar duty. I was paid for this, but not a lot! Not once did I think the customers were selfish or that they were ruining Christmas. I really didn’t enjoy the kitchen work as it was exhausting, my mum and I would be so stressed we were yelling at each other (it was the 2 of us working to feed 70-90 people over 1 sitting). But I loved seeing all the customers.

Not everyone can cook. Some people don’t go out for meals all year but save to go at Xmas. Some want the company they get at the pub. Some people are working so hard all year round, they just want a break for 1 day. Some people don’t celebrate Xmas so don’t see it as an issue to go out.

if you want to blame anyone, blame the pub for not ensuring they had enough staff, for allowing staff to work so far past their shift end, for not following the law around working time for a 16 year old. Blame your son for not telling them he was unavailable for Xmas day - they wouldn’t have sacked him if he was that short staffed for the other days…

I can kind of see what you are saying OP. Did he get additional pay for working Xmas Day? He should do if they are charging £85 a head. It might be that the pay was a draw for him

If he's 16 and still in school, are those hours actually even legal?

Ummm, that's working in a pub for you. He's earning money well done to him, and sticking with it too, which will look great on a CV so brilliant for future application. He could say he's not available for one of those days and then have his Christmas meal then. No doubt he'll get a lovely big top in this pay packet too. Encourage him to save some for university if he's planning to go or towards a big item rather than just spending it.

Huh ??? I mean I always cook my Christmas dinner here at home ( and cheat a bit for gravy or maybe dessert ) but I wouldn’t berate the people who decide to book a Christmas lunch or dinner at a hotel , restaurant or pub .
My mum and dad sometimes took us out for Christmas dinner when we were children, it was at a local hotel .
Neither wanted to cook .

My nephew works at McDonald’s. Or did. He was given all the crap shifts over xmas. Xmas eve. Xmas day. New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day. So he jacked the job in 2 days before xmas. Maybe you should have encouraged your son to do the same? Maybe you should be paying for his expensive trip and giving him pocket money so he doesn’t need to work all over xmas and miss the day with his family.

This is on you OP not the restaurant or the people going. If you don’t want your son to work then you need to fund his lifestyle