86 Perrier
Posted by Foobooz on January 1st, 2009
Brasserie Perrier has closed. New Year’s Eve was the final evening for the Center City institution. Details to follow.
Related Tags: Brasserie-Perrier, Closing
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January 1st, 2009 at 5:35 pm
They got rid of a massive amount of the employees on the 17th of December and the rest were told at 11:45pm on New Year’s Eve.
January 1st, 2009 at 5:47 pm
wow that really blows. What a crappy way to treat employees. Sorry to hear about it.
January 1st, 2009 at 7:18 pm
I thought it was really unfair that Rick Nichols said there’s no good fish mops in Ridley.
January 1st, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Telling your employees at 11:45 pm that there will be no tomorrow – real classy, Perrier style.
January 2nd, 2009 at 7:05 am
you have to let people go that way… As a former bar owner who closed awhile back Thievery was overwheming with employees when they knew we were to shut down. Perrier may be classless himself, but he did the right thing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:37 am
As a restaurant owner it is a tough line. I think my employees come first then the guest. The only way I can figure to close without theft is to offer severance based on the behavior at the end of the restaurants run (if it is possible to afford such a thing, which i am guessing a 5 restaurant operation such as signature restaurants can afford). Even telling employees at 11:45 it is their last night, you are leaving all the time needed to rob a place and angering people just enough to do it.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
As a bar owner I can say without hesitation that if I was faced with closing I would have a meeting with my employees and tell them honestly and directly about the situation–with as much notice as possible. I don’t believe in treating people like they are insignifigant.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pm
Having been at the last night for Silk City and Khyber Pass when they closed, I can tell you that George Perrier completely did the right thing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I agree. I have been in restaurants that have simply changed CONCEPTS and no one lost their job yet the Imperia pasta machine as well as lots of other production goodies walked out the door between the old theme and the new one and the transition took only 36 HOURS!! Perrier did the right thing.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:22 pm
not to get too deep into this.
but the term “right” is interesting here. Morally, you really have to question Perrier’s actions…screwing over the honest members of staff who wouldn’t steal because others would steal is a dubious moral strategy. And on new years, it stings even worse. Can’t there be another way (the severance pay option seems feasible. Or just accept some petty theft, but bring in some people who will stay on your staff to make sure there isn’t much theft beyond some SMALL mementos).
however, it certainly sounds like the “smart” thing to do, as its common practice (it seems) and does minimize theft opportunity. Just seems horribly distasteful to do it on new year’s…and it seems particularly important (in terms of judging the move) to know whether or not it involved a severance package of any sort. In fact, there may be an irony here–the standard practice that is designed to avoid stealing might actually encourage it (i’d probably steal something on new year’s eve…maybe not on a random wednesday). i wonder if there have been any studies on how to properly fire restaurant staff and not have theft problems.
all in all, it is stories like this that make me happy to be an enjoyer of the restaurant business, but in no way involved in it!
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Good lord. Please, all of you, grow up.
We were informed at the end of service. Naturally, it was very distressing. Personally, I am very glad they told us at the end of the night, because I simply would have lacked the motivation to continue if told any earlier. It was sad, it was disappointing, it was the end of a good run–but in no way did they screw us over.
Every single cook that night was guaranteed a position at one of the sister restaurants within a week, week and a half tops. They are doing all they can to make the transition easier. We were allowed to rank our preferences, and they made sure to get all of our contact information from us to be able to call us when they needed to. Don’t blame anyone, don’t think that they didn’t do all they could to try and keep this restaurant afloat. They tried so very, very hard, and they put everything they could into this. They say you are only as good as your last night–and our food was spot-on. It was a damned good way to go.
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Well, goody for you cooks but what about us front-of-the-house people. A lot of us weren’t given the option to move over to the other restaurants. And if we were, it’s because they’re cleaning house at Table 31/Le Bec/Georges and replacing the staff with former Brasserie employees. That leaves another crop of angry Signature Restaurant employees out of work.
You’d think that after 30-plus years in the business George Perrier and those directly underneath him would know how to staff and run a restaurant somewhere besides into the ground.
January 4th, 2009 at 9:24 pm
Oh, poor George Perrier and Chris Scarduzio! Anyone that feels bad for them is too blind to see just how selfish they really are. My friend was laid off and said that it was a blessing in disguise because those two were creeps. Apparently, they have found humor in the past when bad things happened to their competitors. HAHA! Yeah, that’s so funny to see others suffer. How about being real gentlemen, and being happy to see your successors and competitors achieving something and congratulating them. Instead, you have treated your past and present employees like dirt, and now IT’S GEORGIE’S TURN TO CRY! Awwwww! Someone get them a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a box of Kleenex. I think it is never good to see someone’s empire fall apart after so much hard work, but when it is someone that laughs at another persons demise, it is actually quite comforting to know that karma really will come back to slap you in the face. These guys are done. Well-done. Sort of like the Medium Rare steak I ordered at Table 31. This whole situation is yet another PR nightmare that will only cause more and more Philadelphians to go anywhere BUT a Perrier/Scarduzio establishment. Good luck, guys! You deserve it! Think of all those little people when you can’t renew the lease on your wife’s BMW. You screwed them all, and now you’re screwed. Get used to it, boys! Remember when you thought that Table 31 was going to be the new hot spot in the city? Remember when you thought you’d be killing the competition? Those were the good old days, now weren’t they? Every action in life comes back- so put on some popcorn, cuz watching these two sink is going to be better than the $150 fifteen course menu at Le Bec!
January 5th, 2009 at 10:28 am
It always amazes me how spiteful people can be. Instead of rooting against Perrier and Scarduzio, why not root for their employees who may or may not have gotten screwed. Why not push Perrier abd Scarduzio to have a benefit for employees who may be getting screwed by this move. It might not be feasible for someone who was working on Walnut St over the past couple years to take the train or drive to AC for Mia or out to Wayne for Georges.
Perrier and Scarduzio should tap into their base of customers, who’ve had foie gras 300 different ways, to have a benefit for all the employees that may be getting left in the dust here.
either way, advertising your spite by “making some popcorn to watch the dimise” is the least productive way to start 2009
January 5th, 2009 at 11:20 am
andy–
while you’re right that Uarts went overboard, it shouldn’t be up to the customers at BP to make sure the waitstaff is treated properly after BP closes. that’s something a good owner should do on his/her own. Giving staff time to find a job either via a severance package or advanced notice if they can’t afford severance is all anyone can really ask for in a situation like this.
uarts–
something more than a bad steak precipitated that comment. wow.
their employee–
i’m glad the cooks are being treated well and that’s a good sign. but who needs to “grow up”? the former front of the house employee who got no advanced warning and no help getting a new job? really? she should “grow up”? the people who agreed with the move? the one commentor who said that it wasn’t classy? that one is “all of you”? lol.
i do hope all of you get jobs in the next week or two…i also hope you got that in writing as i could see that promise vanish into thin air…that definitely happens (not saying it will, just that it can) and it’d be great if some similar act of responsibility were done for those at the front of the house.
January 5th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
uh, yeah it was kind of shitty for them to close without notice. but seriously, for anyone working there even 6 months ago it was obvious they were letting the place go to SHIT.
you should’ve been looking for a new job back then.
January 6th, 2009 at 1:25 am
Honestly, I just resent the idea that cooks–or any other kitchen workers or front of the house staff–will steal from their company just because they are laid off. We’re trade workers, but we’ve got our self-respect and dignity too. I respect the position my chefs were in enough to realize they had their reasons for waiting to tell us, but we weren’t stealing anything, and assuming all cooks would clean out assumes that you don’t respect where you work. Been working there for a while–best staff I’ve ever been with over the years. Good to grab a beer with, too.
As for the front of the house workers, I’m sorry–I can’t say much more. We didn’t know you weren’t getting placed, we didn’t really do much more than clean up and leave. Best of luck. Maybe someone can start a thread on finding jobs on this site? No idea how, but might be more realistic than hosting a banquet.
January 6th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
their employee–
i apologize for misinterpreting who you were criticizing (and i agree with you!)
January 7th, 2009 at 1:06 am
Rory
I’m not saying it should be up to customers….I clearly said that george and Chris should call their customers for a favor and maybe throw a benefit for those who may be getting lost in the shuffle. Call it a hand out or a hand up…whatever…it would be a nice gesture for those rittenhouse fat cats (george and chris included) to maybe show a little appreciation for 11 years of good food and service.
seems you’ve misintrupreted two of us Rory
January 7th, 2009 at 11:12 am
i’d honestly rather push perrier and scarduzio to do it themselves. even rich customers shouldn’t be asked to help when a company closes (though if they want to do it, more power to them). they should be asked to be reliable good tippers tho!
January 8th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
“but we weren’t stealing anything, and assuming all cooks would clean out assumes that you don’t respect where you work. ”
yeah-
I really don’t think it was about the potential for theft. Really, after cooking on the line til 1am on NEW YEARS EVE, and finding out you don’t have a job, do you really want to drag out a half broken robot-coupe or a 10 year old fryer that barely works? no, you want to get drunk.
sucks to lose your job without notice, but I doubt it will be difficult for the cooks to find work. I know a lot of restaurants in the city has a hell of time finding half decent talent in the kitchen.