Worker took a part time job after 6 months of searching, then coworkers started quitting, their hours crossed 35 and reported kitchen conditions had them rethinking the job

Finding a job after months of searching can feel like a relief, especially when bills are waiting, and there are few options nearby. But for one worker, that relief lasted only a few days. A Reddit user said they spent six months looking for work in a rural area before finally landing a position at a chain restaurant. What initially seemed like a much-needed opportunity quickly turned into a workplace they described as chaotic, understaffed and unsafe.

The worker shared the experience on Reddit's r/work community in a post titled, “Everyone is quitting and its been a nightmare.”

Two employees had already quit within days

The warning signs appeared almost immediately. According to the worker, the two people who had held the position before them had both quit after just two days. At first, the new employee found it unusual but assumed there could be an explanation. After spending two weeks at the restaurant, however, they said they had begun to understand why.

The worker claimed one of the cooks had made an inappropriate comment to the first employee, who then stopped showing up for work. The next person reportedly left after getting what the Reddit poster described as “bad vibes.”

The turnover did not stop there.

One resignation left the new employee with extra hours

Only a few days after starting, another employee quit. The Reddit user said their boss then scheduled them to cover that person's hours without asking first.

That created another problem. The worker said they had accepted the position, expecting a part-time schedule of no more than about 30 hours a week. Instead, they were suddenly facing a schedule of more than 35 hours.

At the same time, another cook reportedly stopped showing up without notice, leaving the remaining staff unable to contact them.

The result, according to the employee, was an tense workplace where workers were leaving faster than replacements could be found.

The employee says the kitchen raised bigger concerns

Staffing was not the only issue. The Reddit user also described the restaurant's kitchen as a “walking and talking health code violation.” Among the conditions they listed were more than two inches of grease underneath the oven, pans with grease permanently cooked onto them, dirt throughout the kitchen and a fryer that was reportedly changed only every two weeks despite being used heavily every day.

They also claimed the mop and janitorial closet were located less than three feet from a refrigerator.

The job was supposed to help pay the bills

The situation is particularly difficult because the employee said they took the job out of necessity. After spending six months searching for work in a rural area, they had hoped the position would help them pay their bills and pay off their car.

Now, they are questioning whether staying is worth it. The worker said they were considering side hustles, even though those options would require traveling into town.

That leaves them facing an uncomfortable choice: remain in a job that grows difficult and potentially concerning, or give up a steady paycheck and look for another way to cover their expenses.

A job opportunity has turned into a workplace dilemma

The Reddit post highlights a problem that can be particularly difficult for workers in areas with fewer employment options: leaving a bad job is not always as simple as finding another one.

For this employee, the restaurant's rapid turnover may have been a warning sign that only became obvious after they started working there. But with bills, a car payment and limited local opportunities, walking away also carries its own risks.

The worker has not said whether they ultimately plan to quit.

For now, the question remains whether the job is worth keeping, or whether the conditions that made previous employees leave will eventually push the latest hire out too.