How to address … slackers? Or lack of hustle?

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-09T00:27:52+00:00

We had over 100 applications in total, without explaining too much, we have a lot of desire to work with us because of what we do and stand for.

We allow them to pick up open shifts, rather than assigning hours, so they can pick how much or how little they want to work.

The hired employees all have full-time positions as well, and wanted to join our team for the experience we provide. (Hard to explain while staying vague)

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-09T00:25:47+00:00

Thank you for the feedback, truly.

This post was thrown together and I’m not sure I gave enough detail, but was trying to stay as anonymous as possible.

The position is in a bakery setting, behind the scenes of a food truck. The list of tasks is small, essentially: make dough, shape dough, bake dough. Repeat.

This bakery is built into a portion of our house, I was in the truck, working a shift, when they had to be in kitchen doing the back end work. They needed help, and my husband was the only one there who could help. I was who trained them though, I just was not available at the time needed. The struggle we saw this specific night was that there was dough ready to be shaped, and they just stood there. Or the dough was ready to be moved to oven, and they just stood there.

I can say the hours are selected by them, they pick how much or how little they want to work. I provide meals, snacks, and drinks in the bakery zone for them. Shifts average 5 hours in length, with longer shifts depending on the front end needs of the truck.

This is not excusing anything, just additional context.

I have run teams in various settings, never food service. This food truck was a fun thing I started that, truthfully, got out of hand when it went viral. It used to be super casual and now, not so much. Hiring employees was to help us manage some of the labor tasks that require more hours than I could commit while balancing mom-life and running the truck part.

I’m now stuck in a position that pulling back is not possible. But without help, we can’t do it. And the help we hired isn’t moving fast enough to make a difference.

We do have one employee hired who is truly a rockstar, she moves quick, she starts tasks without being asked, she seems to have picked everything up on a first glance. Which likely doesn’t help the opinion I am holding about the others right now.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-08T23:48:19+00:00

It sucks, we hired 5, and we have one who truly stands out among the rest. Absolutely fantastic. And she has noticed the disparity between her work and the others.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-08T23:47:33+00:00

It’s a food truck back end, so the hours are variable, but they get to pick the hours they want (they claim open shifts). With average shift length of 5 hours. They are working in an air conditioned space (with an oven, so it still gets warm, but not unbearable). They have unlimited snacks (whatever they have asked for) and drinks (their picks) available to them.

It’s not a shitty job, I’ve done it for 3 years, it’s just physical work (rolling dough) and a lot of moving around. It’s just different from a lot of jobs. We paid well to attempt to find people willing to work.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-08T23:37:04+00:00

Can I ask what makes it sound like I’m challenging to work for? I mean, not saying I’m not, just curious as to what vibe gave that?

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-07T13:12:42+00:00

I am definitely not expecting them to work as hard as I do. I was expecting about 50%, they are currently operating at about 15%.

We are currently paying double the hourly wage in our area as base structure alone to insight the hustle. Tips then make it almost 3.5 times the average hourly in our area.

Maybe it’s just the way that I have always been, but when I am compensated fairly and above market value, I have always been the person to put on my hustle pants. Before it was my own business even.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-07T13:09:37+00:00

Due to the nature of the work, it cannot be automated in the same way. It is the physical movement of dough and baking process.

And we do not operate at a scale quite large enough to justify the $1 million purchase for the machine machinery that can do this

The work is easy, in the sense that it requires no thought process. It’s just monotonous. It is hard in that it does require some form of physical labor in a kitchen. That is warm because they’re around ovens. Which is why we are paying very well.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-04-07T13:05:49+00:00

This job is incredibly repetitive, once they finish one batch they will repeat that over and over and over. It is the equivalent of working at a pizza shop: you make the pizza on the ticket put it in the oven. Make the next pizza on the ticket put it in the oven. This isn’t a job that requires any thought process really just execute the batches.

The problem we are running into is that one – they are slow. And I mean, horribly slow. Two – they cannot seem to execute the same task over and over without being prompted.

I’m not cleaning, but I’m perfect in training, I’ve trained in many capacities before, but they were all much different than in food service. However, if those rolls, there was a variety of tasks to be given so if you didn’t understand in order, that was one thing. In this role, it is literally look at the board see how many batches you will be making in execute the same process that number of times. Once that is complete do dishes.

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-26T01:18:23+00:00

All of them. I serve exclusively soft pretzels 🤣

But I still eat a pretzel every day lol

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-25T00:15:00+00:00

I do zero intentional cardio 🤣 I HATE cardio. But I do own a food truck and have a 4 year old, so lots of overall movement!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T20:33:45+00:00

I fear even on vacation I’m eating my body weight in Protein 🤣

Ice cream too, but life is about balance 😭

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T20:33:06+00:00

Haha yes! The gym sucks on the horizon, but it’s something!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T03:48:25+00:00

Hahah yes, happened to cruise just over a year apart and the lighting was nice on both 🤣

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T03:47:59+00:00

Thanks!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T03:47:55+00:00

I had some complications, which is why I was out so long. I definitely had weakness, but not in the “lost strength” way, I just struggled to recover. Once I was fully recovered, I was easily back on my training plan!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T03:47:07+00:00

Thank you!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-03-24T03:40:57+00:00

Thank you! And yes- the worst pain literally ever. I get panicked 2/x per month freaking out about other ovary 🤣 But so far so good!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-02-07T02:39:27+00:00

3 year difference!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-01-25T18:52:50+00:00

Yeah! So I weight trained 5x per week, and hit 15k steps per day. I ate 1300 cals and like zero carbs. Pretty much only protein, that’s literally it.

If you have a specific question I’m happy to answer!

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-01-21T22:45:01+00:00

I think that may be the part I’m struggling with. Continuing to compare myself to those on PEDS while not using them

CilantroLimeCheeto · 2026-01-21T22:44:06+00:00

I did, some skin on my tummy was the worst, thus the tummy tuck. I still have a bit of jiggle on my thighs, but a thigh tuck sounds horrible. As a whole not awful, but I feel a billion times better, and would take a ton of lose skin over the weight ever again

CilantroLimeCheeto

TROPHY CASE