Hideaway Pizza Restaurant thanks its staff then cuts their salaries

For a while, it really seemed like 2020 was going to change work and life forever — and for a while, it really did change everything once we went back to work.

But hey, how quickly the world of work returned to the same old hellscape it was before the brief shining moment when employers came up with the harebrained idea of paying fairly for 15 minutes.

A restaurant employee posted a perfect example of this nonsense online, and of course it went viral for all the wrong reasons.

A pizzeria posted a notice thanking its “amazing” staff, then slashed their pay.

The review came from a restaurant called Hideaway Pizza, a small chain in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. (The chain does NOT include The Original Hideaway Pizza in Stillwater, Oklahoma, however.)

The chain doesn’t appear to have been spared from the enormous problems caused to the restaurant industry during the pandemic – the problems have only been magnified.

The notice expressed gratitude to staff for helping Hideaway Pizza get through the worst of the pandemic.

Restaurants have struggled mightily in 2020 and 2021 – estimates range from 70,000 to over 100,000 restaurants going bankrupt in just one year, from mom-and-pop establishments to establishments run by the world’s most famous chefs, like Thomas Keller .

Then, once the worst was over, restaurants couldn’t find staff to save their lives, a problem that still persists to some extent today.

Hideaway’s way to combat this seemed to be the most reasonable: pay its staff more.

“In fall 2021, at the height of the COVID crisis,” reads Hideaway’s review, dated November 2024, “we realized how critical it was to support and reward our incredible servers and bartenders, who supported us throughout such difficult and uncertain times.”

He then explains how the restaurant has coped with these difficult times – introducing a “commission” structure for servers and bartenders to give them more incentive to keep their jobs, “a small way of showing our appreciation for your hard work and your commitment. “. So far, that’s the case.

The restaurant then announced it would end the extra pay staff had been counting on starting in January.

“Over the past four years, it has been our privilege to continue to provide this benefit,” exclaimed the reviewer. “We are truly grateful to each and every one of you who came out here, pouring drinks, serving these pies and bringing warmth to our guests. You have been nothing short of amazing.”

The opinion then did an about-face. “After careful consideration, however, we have made the difficult decision to end payment of the server/bartender commission effective January 6, 2025.”

So, to make this clear, Hideaway’s servers and bartenders — who, according to the Redditor and Hideaway employee who originally posted the review, “are already paid for a (expletive) dog” — supported Hideaway during the darkest days the restaurant industry has ever known. our lives, and now you want them all to take a substantial pay cut?

“Thank you for all you do to make Hideaway Pizza special,” management continued condescendingly. “We are truly lucky to have such an incredible team and we are excited to continue this journey with you.” Weird way of showing it.

Employees and social media users were outraged by the announcement.

Naturally, Hideaway staff didn’t feel this appreciation: In pen, one employee wrote at the bottom of the notice: “?? TAKE AWAY PAY = THANK YOU”

Or, as one X user put it, “you were so essential to us here, take a pay cut.” The Redditor also couldn’t help but notice the effective date of January 6, 2025, the day the 2024 presidential election will be certified (and, of course, the fourth anniversary of the 2021 coup attempt). “It’s pretty messed up and seems politically charged given the date.”

They were not the only ones to make this connection. “More to come, get ready,” another Redditor wrote. “Businesses will feel more emboldened after the last election.”

After all, the new administration has made eliminating worker protections a cornerstone of its agenda.

January 6 is also the first Monday of the year, so it’s possible the date has no more significance than that. Regardless, the Redditor reported that after their post went viral, Hideaway removed the review. “They also ate cake today. Small victory??” they added.

Hopefully this will be enough to stop their entire staff from resigning en masse after being “let go” with a pay cut in what must be the most ridiculous example of unbridled greed and deeply incompetent management in the history of the restaurant.

John Sundholm is a writer, editor and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. It covers topics related to culture, mental health and human interests.