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Ok, it's time to vent! I am sick and tired of all the lazy manager/owners at the venues I'm currently at. It amazes me that these places are still in business given the way they are run. I'm talking about natinal chains, not mom and pop bars. You would think their standards would be higher.
I'm relatively new to the karaoke business( almost a year and a half) and am having a rough time adjusting to the lethargic mentality of most venue owers/managers I meet and work with on a consistant basis.
All they care about are "numbers". I don't have a problem with that as long as there doing their part in meeting that goal.
I know most of us at one time or another have had to bus a table or two or maybe seat someone at your venue. It happens and its part of the deal. I get it. What I dont get is having to do it every time I do a gig.
It's the manager's duty to staff the venue I work at not mine. If the bartender or servers dont like karaoke then why schedule them to work that night?
If I invest the time and money in making up fliers or posters to put up at your venue then please make sure they get hung up.
Why is the venue always understaffed? People shouldnt be complaining about not getting service.
I'm at these places for over a year and its the same story. Talking with managers has gotten me nowhere. It almost feels like sabotage. The list goes on and on so I wont bore you.
Is it the same in your neck of the woods?

1. I never bus tables or seat anyone, that's not what I'm paid to do and you'll not see me doing it. The closest I may come is if someone leaves a glass or bottle on the stage (or stage area) I'll probably take that back to the bar at some point.

2. Posters, this is a constant struggle. Some clients are very good about making sure they're hung, others are not. We deal with this with our band all the time too. Places that specifically request we have posters for them will receive them but never put them up. It is just part of the joy of the gig.

3. People not getting served quickly enough at a bar is always a complaint. I've yet to be in a bar what someone wasn't complaining about the bartender not seeing them and getting them a drink fast enough. If it is a major issue due to under staffing, the venue will suffer as people start choosing alternative establishments.

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That's the problem with National Chains! All they care about is the numbers and all the corporate office cares about is the numbers.

Busing tables, come on now, you are not paid for that and I sure wouldn't do it.
As for hanging up fliers I would do that myself especially if I made them. If they didn't like where I posted them then they can take them down, this will give you the idea they really don't care and then I would ask WHY did you remove them and if you don't like where I posted them where do you want them.

Just who is booking your service the manager or the regional office?

I have never done a National Chain (bar?) so I can't tell you if it happens here.

Just what National Chain are you talking about?

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Usually ...National Chain type bars and restaurants hire "so called? managers etc to run the place. The OWNERS are usually some corporation full of greedy partners who invested some of their ill gotten gains into a "BUSINESS" and rarely ever visit the place. So you have to deal with some MANAGER who knows NOTHING about running a business and barley enough to hurt themselves. I advise look for another venue or sign up to be an employee and receive double compensation since your're already doing the work. YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WEAR ONE OF THEM SILLY UNIFORMS that the chains have

Sounds likes ya had a bad night spotlight. I work with both mom & pops and big corporations. I find trying to get any promotions done with the corps is a PITA. M&P's, well that just depends on the owner/manager.



One of the bartenders at my karaoke show was telling me how much she hated karaoke night. So I had to ask, "Why do you always want to work that night" ? She replied, "That's the night I make the most money." I just shook my head.

Spotlight, You will find out there are alot of things in the business that you can't control. You just have to deal with them the best you can as they come along. But bussing tables....no way you need to be doing that crap.

hang in there, Mojo

As far as staff 'hating' karaoke - I experienced just why they would hate it the other night. To my suprise a local place (that I had approached several years ago about doing karaoke but received the snooty response they were NOT THE KIND of place that would do karaoke) has started Fri & Sat karaoke -- funny how these places all start panicking when their bottom lines have fallen secondary to the economy and they bring in karaoke as the magic elixir. Anyway, I stray. We walked in and it was so loud in every corner of the place that in spite of choosing a table as far away as we could from the section of the place they were having the karaoke, we couldn't hear each other easily when we were talking. It's one thing if you have a group of great singers singing - I can tolerate it being a bit loud if it's enjoyable to listen to. However, this was NOT. One of the KJs is male and his mic was booming so badly as he likes to use the "bass" voice - couldn't understand a thing! He alternated with a female. I'm positive neither of them could tell you what their adjustments were on the mics as far as highs, mids, and lows....and they played a few SGB discs which are SOOOOOO screechy high if you don't adjust the EQ on them. Then they played dance music in between but it was difficult to tell that it was professionally recorde music because, again, of their lack of ability to hear how it should sound and reproduce that.

So I ask the waitress if it was like that every weekend. She gets this look on her face that indicated yes, it was. I asked her if she enjoyed working those nights (which for servers are the biggest nights of the week) and she kind of sighed and said no...and that she would ask them to turn it down.

The thing with this place is it used to be CROWDED with people and it's a big place. The part of this place where you could partially escape the din was probably a quarter full. So they've sacrificed their regular customers (who can't tolerate this noise) to have a room full of crummy singers. I can't see that it will balance out at all - they've been there over half a year and I had never even heard that they were doing karaoke, which seemed odd to me. This is in an area where I had a Fri/Sat show every weekend for two years and ran it nicely in conjunction with the other side of the room which was a card room. Mind you, the caliber of singers is completey differently, and my ability to run the board is obviously different...and the staff there LOVED karaoke night because they made so much money. MMmhhhh....

As far as Poster go I never just drop them off and hope they get hug..for one reason I know it wont happen so I awlays go prepared with a roll of tape

Yeah, I usually hang the fliers, posters myself but these chained bar and grills specifically asked me to drop them off and a "manager" would select an appropriate place to put them (on is desk).
I know I shouldn't whine i just get tired of the overall laziness and uninterested managers I deal with.

Sometimes you need to vent - I think it helps to know others understand where you're coming from and have similar experiences.

I'll pick up glasses and bottles off tables and set them on the bar if I see the bartender can't keep up on a busy night. I usually only do it for the tables directly around the karaoke area, on occasion. People don't want to sit at tables that look occupied. I wouldn't do it though if I was working in a restaurant where there should be busboys. Aaaarg!

What would happen if you didn't do it? I'm assuming this is a restaurant.

As far as the posters. I always hang my own too, but if the manager didn't want me doing it and it wasn't getting done I'd be frustrated too.

These are my suggestions. I'm not sure it will work not understanding the situation of course as well as you do, so take it with a grain of salt. I wouldn't bus tables. I would bring it to the attention of the person who is in charge at the time (manager, bartender) that it needs to be done.

With the posters - I would speak with the manager about the fact the posters are not getting hung and how important it is to the success of your show. Explain you understand he/she is very busy and can't always get to hanging them and that you'd love to help them out. All you need to know is where they'd like them hung. Since this is something that needs to be done on a regular basis it is one less thing they'll have to worry about. Heck if this is a continual problem I'd write it into the contract that you are solely responsible for hanging posters.

Good luck - I hope things get better for you.

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Thx everyone for the encouraging words. I'm gonna chalk it up as a bad week. Maybe cause there's two people doing my show (wife and me) we get alot more opportunity to see whats going on around us thru-out the night.
I really dont like bussing tables and seating people but I get nervous when customers come in the door and nobody greets them or theirs four or five tables filled with dirty plates,etc. I was in the restaurant business for about ten years so this probably has a lot to do with it.
This is a numbers business like any other. We as kj's are judged by the z-tape at the end of the night. I know for a fact that these venues are losing BIG money on karaoke night because of poor service, poor attitude, etc and it stems from the management. I've actually had numerous people on numerous occasions ask me to get them a server or drink because they cant find anyone. It really infuriates me to see customers waiting at the door to be seated and the hostess is texting on her cell in the corner oblivious to it all.
OK.... I said I would stop........ AHHHHHHHHHH!

That kind of behaviour drives me nuts as well. There is no excuse for lack of customer service, particularly when there is an employee busy texting in the corner. If I was running a restaurant or bar again, the first thing I would do was make it a firing offense to possess a cell phone or texting capable device at work. I've run into it at the grocery store even! The cashier is too busy texting to run my groceries through. Infuriating!
Wish more employers would take a serious stance on the issue.
As far as bussing tables, don't do it. Management hasn't seen fit to have more employees on when it's apparent to you that it's needed. Why should he? You're doing it for free! Keeps his payroll costs down, doesn't it?
Perhaps someone (or lots of someones!) should complain to head office about the shoddy service and poor customer relations. Might get the head office to wake up and send someone to clean things up. I've seen it happen before. When a large chain gets enough complaints about a particular store, they WILL do something about it. They have to protect their brand, after all. But they won't do it for just a few in the short term. It has to be a fair number over a period of time. So get your custies on board, if you dare! It's probably the only way you're going to make a difference. It's obvious that the current management doesn't care.

This is not your job. I have only helped pick up glasses on rare occasions when I go over time & the bar is short staffed. As a matter of fact I do not believe a bars insurance would cover a non-employee (you are contracted only) to bus tables in case something happened. Not sure on that - I know that even if a glass breaks, they prohibit any person other than a staff member to pick it up due to insurance purposes. As far as seating, again not your job, however if someone is trying to find a seat, I may point them in the direction of an empty table - but that's it.
I would consider this a part of my job as advertising. But I also expect the venue to do some of their own as well.

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That's all well and good, but consider if you were carrying a stack of dishes, tripped, and fell on the broken glass. You would not be covered because those are not the duties for which you were hired! And technically, the restaurant can deduct the cost of the broken dishes from your paycheck. You are there to be focused on providing the karaoke service. Anything else is beyond your responsibility - and control.


Possibly because the hostess knows you'll "cover" for her? I can understand why customers might approach you because you are the person front and center and they can get your attention. The waitresses or hostesses might be in the kitchen or behind the bar or some other inaccessible place.

IMHO you need to take a stand so the other employees will have some respect for you and what job duties are yours. Next time you're approached by a customer for a drink, let them know you'll take care of it. Then instead of quietly going up to the bar and telling the server, get on the mic and say, "Welcome to (restaurant)! We have some great food and drinks for you and our new arrivals would love to have some - if they can get a waitress. So if one of our fine staff can give the folks sitting (point to where they are) over there some attention, it would be appreciated. Thanks!"

Then every time that happens, you call them out on the mic. I'll bet that the manager will hear those announcements too and sooner or later ask the service staff to be more attentive. Problem solved!

Regarding posters, what about table tents? Most all restaurants use those plastic holders on each table to promote specials. Sit down with the manager and be candid. "Since you asked me to provide you with some posters, I was wondering if they were OK since I didn't see them put up yet. Would you rather I do some table tents for you?"

I've always found that opening a dialogue instead of sitting and stewing is the quickest resolution to the problem. Good luck!

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I'm curious about the layout of this place. Is it a restaurant that has a seperated bar section, and do the same waitstaff serve both restaurant and bar? Do you get to share in the waitstaff's tips?

Look man......I have no idea how to serve a karaoke crowd...but to me, this sounds like some kind of owner/slave relationship......screw that man! Stand up and tell the owner what your terms are! If you can't do that, it's never going to go your way!

Make a contract to yourself.....if they won't honor it, move on to the next.....you don't need their $hit......get some balls man......Perry

Again, we are quibbeling about owner-manager/KJ host responsibilities.

I would do what Spotlight is doing under the same circumstances. And fortunately for me one of my first jobs was in a restaurant as a busboy. And even without such experience I am not going to worry about dropping things and other legalities and technicalities about whose job it is do to what.

I am in business and my first responsibility is to focus on what impacts MY business. Sure, management should be aware of the problem, and seeing a KJ doing the job of restaurant employees should be enough notice for any manager that he/she is falling down on the job. Obviously, though, such efforts have not worked for Spotlight

AS FOR ME, I am not going to stand idly by while my business is not reaching its full potential, regardless of whose is responsible for the problems. IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY to PROTECT and GROW my business and I am not going to let anyone/anything interfere with MY business that I have any control over!

Spotlight, deal with it for as long as you can and so long as the prospects are good for the future of the gig. When you find that the prospects are wanting.... well you know what to do!

Well, well, now my manhood is in question. Look, I have a "pair" as you say and have had discussions with management regarding this situation. Besides writing a letter to corporate headquarters my options are limited. I'm kinda on "tovmod" side of thinking here. I have brought the problem to the manager's attention and whether or not he decides to do something about it the problems are still here right now.
Having to do these things is a royal pain but it also reflects my "numbers" at the end of the night. I enjoy the crowd we've built there and would hate to lose either one of these gigs.
I know I'm whining but as someone stated sometimes its good to clear the air. I needed to vent and I have. My original question was has anyone experienced similar circumstances and if so how they went about resolving the issue.

To answer your original question, I had a gig at a restaurant, not a franchise, but privately owned. I ran into the same problems that you are experiencing. Sorry to say that the outcome is bleek. I did ALL that you're doing AND MORE, including rearranging tables so I could set up. The problem usually comes from the EMPLOYEES, as you've noticed. I'd talk to the manager, we'd come to an understanding, he'd talk to the waitresses, front end manager, etc. Everything was going to be better NEXT WEEK. Next week would come, and SAME S--T. Waitresses seating people EXACTLY where we were to set up (15 minutes) before we were to set up. The WHOLE rest of the place was EMPTY, and they would seat the people there ON PURPOSE. When I would ask what they were doing, (with that dumb look on their face) I didn't know you needed that spot. We would be starting late, singers would see us hustling around to get things set up at the last second, apologizing to the singers for having to wait, (as you can see), I KNOW THE STORY WELL. Needless to say, BOTH the OWNER and MYSELF came to the conclusion that it wasn't worth it FOR ME to put in all the effort I was putting in for the amount I was making. I might add that it was a good paying venue. Just WAY too much HASSLE.

Srnitynow

If the reason you're having to do things like bus tables is because the place is overflowing with people, well hallelujah for that. If you are busing tables because the waitresses are too distracted, or lazy, or hate karaoke, then you are facing a situation that is indeed a bleek one. It would appear that the management has no power over the staff there. (Of course, a lot of these managers work 80 hours a week on a salary that probably equals about $10/hour.)

I have dealt with this situation before - not because the server didn't like karaoke, she just wanted to smoke and joke with her friends more - she'd be outside smoking, talking on her cell phone, and whatever the heck else went on outside. Her tables would be looking around trying to figure out where she was. Then they would tell me....then I would remind the manager....then I would tell the owner....then I would tell the other servers....pointless. She ended up getting fired because she couldn't cut the pace.

This is a management issue, and if management is powerless over the staff, then they are heading for trouble anyway. Sadly, some people go to a place in spite of the service, not because of it. I'd be looking for another place. Ride this one out and then tell them as you walk out the door that it was the employees that are responsible for your departure. What a pathetic situation this one is.

Spotlight

I don't see any upside to involving the corporate office and I think that approach might hurt matters more than improve them. If nothing else, as an independent contractor, you are expendable to the manager and notifying corporate of your observations would put you on his wrong side! Which, surely, wouldn't help matters!

You might want to find out how long some of the staff have been employed there. If they have been around a good while, there is little likelihood that their performance will change or that they might leave the employ of the restaurant soon.

If the staff is "new", however, they might improve or they might quit. So if they are new, that does leave open the possibility for change.

Such information should be a help to you in further evaluating your circumstances!