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

[SheinIsShite]

My youngest DS is 16 and works in a pub kitchen. Dish washing, food prep, plating starters/dessert. He is contracted to do 8 hours a week which is usually OK. Obviously this time of year is busy and because he is not at school he has more shifts.

School finished on Friday, he worked Friday evening. And Saturday, and Sunday. Did an extra shift on Monday afternoon as they were short. Yesterday was rostered 11-6 but got home at 22.50 as they were so busy and needed to prep for the 700 covers they have booked today between 12 and 4.30pm. He starts again at 10am this morning, and although they have said he'll be done by 6.30 I don't believe that so he will more than likely miss our family meal.

So all of you paying £85 a head for Christmas lunch in a very standard chain pub, thanks for that.

Totally appreciate that some people have to work and we are all grateful to the police, fire, midwives etc. But going out for your Chrtistmas lunch is not essential.

Pathetic to post this.
Maybe your son preffered to work ever thought about that?
Save up his hard earned money and go travelling cut the apron strings.

This totally agree .. he is probably working this hard to escape his moaning parent.

Is he getting paid to be there though? Presumably that’s his incentive to do it? He’d rather get the money instead of being with you? he’s not a slave working for free.

ultimately, if your son didn’t need he money, he wouldn’t have done it. It begs the question whether you and your partner, have enough money yourself? Bc he obviously feels incentivised to work over Christmas- would he do that if he had the money from you instead?

To add to what I wrote. There was a gentleman and an elderly lady in the table next to us. The staff knew him by first name and included him in conversation's when there were quiet periods between customers queuing up for their lunch. The lady I can only assume was his mum (or aunt) maybe not, had her cup of tea, a small lunch, and kept leaning forward on the table and falling asleep. He had company and a nice atmosphere, the lady was able to nod off occasionally. How lonely would it have been for him I wonder had he not been there.

These ‘you sound like x’ posts on mumsnet are weird. You literally cannot work out what her son is like based on him working Christmas Day in a pub 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣

Fucking hell I've genuinely heard it all now.

It is strange. It reads like ‘all hospitality should close nationally on Christmas Day (including those with workers that don’t really mind) because you’re ruining MY Christmas’

So that is the choice he has made. He is 16. You've indicated you think the employer is blase around treatment of employees. So why are you blaming ordinary people trying to have a nice time?

As a teenager I volunteered to work over Christmas because I didn't want to be at home with my overbearing mother.

You just ridiculously compared air traffic control as essential vs hospitality. It isn’t essential that people fly on Christmas Day - where would it end if it were upto people like you? I went out for Christmas dinner and paid £120 and it was diabolical the food so you’ll be happy to know I’ll not be bothering next year.

I am struggling to find any "shades of grey" in your post since you labelled everyone going out for a meal as "lazy". 😝

I worked Christmas eve, Christmas day, boxing day, new years eve, new years day and all Bank Holidays over Easter every year for 3 years when I was a student. Service industry is a service.

Your DS will earn money from it, so if he's not bothered neither should you be. Try to be a little more flexible - the world doesn't revolve around you.

And Christmas lunch and dinner are essential for some people who don't have the ability to host large family gatherings or who, like my mum is scared of dogs (all 3 of her children have dogs, probably cos we weren't allowed pets as kids) so can't come to our place for Christmas and she can't host all of us. We pay for our overpriced meal and leave a good tip because we are grateful that people can't celebrate their christmas until they finish their shift.

So you would rather he be out of a job? If you had your own way, no one would be coming for Christmas dinner, or also maybe on any other day which might annoy you (a family birthday perhaps) so he would be let go. Is that what you're after?

This reminds me of that post this morning where the op was wishing all things bad on people who shop on Boxing Day because her sister once had to work it.

Good lord. Get over yourself. He got a job in hospitality. You could say the same about people manning petrol stations etc. I'm sure OP in your life, you've gone to a shop or garage late on a holiday night or on Christmas day because you needed something essential. People could have berated you. On Christmas day, I had to get petrol, then a bit later I went for a walk and a little browse round Tesco Express as I wasn't ready to go home yet. I bought a Galaxy ripple and a magazine that I didn't even need. WHAT A COW I AM. That poor boy that served me in Tesco Express kept away from his family.

I fucking hate the puritans who want everything shut for a week.
They come at the world from real privilege. Not all people are happy and healthy at home. Sometimes people need somewhere to go, a reason to get out of the house

People all over struggling to get jobs, parents at their wits end with their unemployed adult children lounging about the house....and OP over here complaining her 16yo is working hard. Make sure he has a lovely hot plate of food to come home to and a hug from his proud mum.

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

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 .

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.

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

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

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…

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!!

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.