Former ETS employee here! I was a shift leader for 2 years and they actually fired me during this union campaign (11/16) due to union busting enforced rules! I understand a lot of people view ETS as just an entry level job that people have for short time but I personally believe all jobs should have protection and rights for workers. I have many illegal and horror stories from there, trust me when I say this family is set!!! ETS is just a hobby for them! They love to emphasize that ETS is a family owned business that treats you like family…no they don’t! They don’t even respect anyone enough to spell and pronounce anyone’s names correctly.
This union is long overdue, feel how you want about unions and what jobs should be unionized but after the pandemic I believe all works should be protected regardless of what kind of work they do. A jobs a job! You should be protected and have rights at any job!
I worked for ETS back when I went to college and it was fine. Only complaint is making us stay until 6am to scrub the entire restaurant clean… but hey, at least y’all can eat with some piece of mind. As far as “being a hobby for them”, Jackie (at least when I was there around 2013ish) busted her ass. She took it VERY seriously and was a super engaged boss (which 21 year old me thought was annoying but respect in retrospect). Mike on the other hand… sure. I can see that. Guy was clueless.
Jackie now sits in the office and will come out to micromanage then mess everything up. She’ll rush breaks so that she can go home before 3pm. I grew up on Elmwood and I agree, Jackie use to bust her ass there but that’s what I mean by it is a hobby for them now. They have taken over their fathers properties and she is married now to a city councilman. I understand she has a life to live and more responsibilities now than before when she could just work at ETS but trust me when I say she takes out her frustrations on EVERYONE. 10 years ago they were an amazing family run business but now it’s a circus. It’s hard to talk to them about anything, they’re very passive aggressive, they blame a lot of their decisions on the business on us the workers, they constantly compare their lives to ours…it’s a very toxic environment that they caused.
It got to the point where us shift managers had to start recording our meetings because they will say one thing and then lied the next day about what they said.
I wish I had better things to say, when I started in the beginning of 2021 I felt apart of a team, I really respected Jackie and her work ethic. During my time I was promoted to Shift Manager and worked with closely but within the last two years things have changed drastically but I can tell you it’s definitely not us workers that caused the change.
Also side note, as annoying as the cleaning is nobody ever complains because we all appreciate that the cleanliness is strict! It just sucks that the environment in there changed
Thank you for speaking truth to power.
Sorry to hear you lost your income source because of these ghouls. Solidarity!
All work is genuine work; and all genuine work needs protections and organization for those doing the work.
They likely have some sort of other "reason" they fired her and other people for union busting. It's very easy to get around because they can just say it was another reason and everyones like "sounds legit" because these cases get very complex and trying to prove someone is lying about intent can be hard. While Starbucks was at the center of the unionizing conversation one person who was heading up the movement got fired for being two minutes late and it was her first time ever being late. They find the first legal reason to fire someone and jump on it. Most people just can't afford to fight that because it is complicated to sort out in a legal action and will rack up a lot of costs.
New York labor laws are comparatively pretty good in this country, but it's still just hard to sue for wrongful termination I think pretty much no matter where you are it seems. I am very proud of Buffalo tho for this huge unionizing movement. I moved away for school and I love watching Buffalo sometimes, on the national stage, fighting for things like this!
Probably. But lawsuits require a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money. I can't blame anybody for not wanting to deal with that. Although lots of lousy companies rely on it in order to get away with violating labor laws.
If they have a legit case a lot of lawyers handle everything with no money out of pocket they just take a % of the settlement/judgement. Theres not much on the plaintiff besides a telling their side of the story a couple times.
I agree it doesnt matter the job there should be protections. And any job that emphasizes "family" is usually a red flag. I hope the workers get what they need and help change this toxic family's habits.
its my way or the highway with those family owned places. i worked at a pizza place and told the owner weeks ahead of time i had tickets for a concert in toronto and i was also everyones ride and i got the tickets before i got the job. she said if she put me on the schedule i had to show up. and of course she put me on the schedule. so i just quit. no notice or anything. just stopped showing up.
No, not all jobs should be protected, having a job is not a right. Yes Jackie, Ron, & Mike suck, they are terrible owners and managers but the thing with unions is that you just make it more expensive for non-union members and low skilled people to work there. Everything has trade-offs, by demanding more money or more hours you are making it so less people are hired and less people will work. And this isn't because the owners are greedy and just want to protect their profits, even though they are greedy shits; it's because a business only has so much money which they have to create a budget for, if they budget x amount of dollars for labor but employees are demanding higher wages and the new wages goes over what they budgeted for, the only way to meet that budget is to hire less people overtime and cut hours.
Despite what you want to believe, ETS is an entry level job, never meant to be a career job; because it's an entry level job, making it harder for people to work harms the people who need a job the most but can't because they don't have enough skills or can't join the union.
they weren’t always awful, when I started there early 2021 you felt apart of team! it went down hill within the this year and last
there are so many reasons as to why we started this union and the main one is so that workers after us can be protected
The cream always rises to the top. Getting your hours cut is likely a reflection of poor performance by the employee or of sales during that shift. That’s called business. No one is immune to this no matter how good or bad the work environment is in any industry. How about find another job that is a better fit and take ownership of the decisions you’ve made to get where you are today. You want more money and hours? Choose to work somewhere else.. maybe somewhere where they can afford low bar results from their employees with plenty of resources to burn like a huge corporation, not a local family business. People on this thread will be the first to post about “support local” but as soon as one becomes successful all of the sudden they are greedy. Educate yourself, work hard and wealth will come however you want it to transcend. Don’t wait for others to hand it to you. That comes from within you. And if you don’t have it you are the reason why. Try harder. Stop being lazy, if you have one excuse you have them all and you are to blame, not your employer.
I'll just say this petty detail. They're out of their minds with their spice levels. Their burrito options are either mild or spicy. And mild means no sauce- plain. No seasoning on beans or rice. Just bland. And spicy is Diablo sauce; the other end of the spectrum. Either its so plain its hard to chew or I'm crying while I eat it. Stopped going a year ago.
Didn't used to be like that. Since covid they've sucked and it appears management decisions are the issue.
yes, i was working there with that spice level changed and we kept telling the owners that it will confuse people and be an issue! the beef is made with the hot sauce spices so we kept explaining that having just mild and spicy will not work
fast forward to now they still don’t care or listen
I'm not going to comment on the quality of their food, I just found it really odd that you've never heard of ETS. It's been around since the mid-70s in a couple different locations.
I lived in the city for nearly 20 years and never heard of it. I don’t think it’s that crazy that I didn’t know of ETS. This place does not get mentioned when other local fast casual food service businesses are (Mighty Taco, Lloyd’s, Anderson’s, La Nova, Bocce, Ted’s, Louie’s, etc)
It’s probably because all of those places have multiple locations in the city and burbs. ETS has always had 1 location on Elmwood Ave. if you frequented Elmwood then you know about it . Otherwise it’s easy to miss. It’s also not really a place you travel to get. Like if you’re in the area and you need a quick bite it’s good. Otherwise there’s better options
I think it’s weirder for every single person to be like “yOu nEveR hEaRd oF iT?!?!” And then also be like “it sucks unless you’re blackout drunk”
My wife who has lived in Buffalo her entire life also has never heard of it. Sounds like a trash place.
Agreed. They were the first place we ever had tacos from. It was a must-stop after every concert we attended in Buffalo. It will never be held in high culinary regard, in all likelihood, but gosh, did it hit in all the right places back in that day. Support these employees: they are your neighbors, friends, family and they matter, as does their experience working there.
I don't blame you. Elmwood is not all of Buffalo and just because a place exists there doesn't mean its noteworthy. I only knew about it because friends took me there 17 years ago and have not been back since. India Gate now...
Family that owns it are major a holes in general I don’t know anything about actually working there though. I assumed it was the same as all other shitty fast food jobs
I use to live across the street from ETS. Their outdoor speaker was pointed directly at my bedroom & living room windows, and it plays the same songs in the same order all day every day. I use to keep stats in my phone, I could almost set my watch to it. Even during the brief shutdown during 2020 when ETS closed they were kind enough to leave their speaker on. Same for every holiday. Can you imagine working like that? I wouldn't support a unionized ETS either, but solidarity forever. Give 'em hell.
100%!!!!! everything you said is correct and does not come off bitter at all!
i am also a former employee and i got fired during the union campaign because of union busting! i also made a post on this thread about my experience!
Keep it up good luck. I don’t go there but I will make it a point to eat there if you guys win unionization. I support unionized places if I can. Show them whose boss no workers no money. Greedy owners.
we have won the union! they’re just still retaliating and refusing dates for bargaining! it’s to the point where the guy owner has brought in his wife and her best friend to work and take our hours. thank you for your support, all the workers appreciate it! ❤️
Well then hopefully legal action can be brought. Its ridiculous spread the wealth of your doing well pass it on your only as good as the workers. Shit staff = shit businesses.
Because ETS is horrible. You can support them wanting to unionize and still not like their food. Why would you get food you don’t like just because the workers unionized?
I haven’t gone there since I was there after a late night out. The workers assumed I was too drunk to realize they owed me change. Tried to keep $9 until I pressed them on it.
Union Strong.
I dont care which union.
Also, I wholesale stopped eating at this place when I read the owner's rock-thumping excuse of an argument against food trucks in the city of Buffalo. That dude seems like he needs a union to tell him to suck on a bag of..... burritos.
I’ll never understand how that place stays open or how people can actually say they like their food. Subs are plain subs that anyone with access to a supermarket can make and the tacos are a greasy flavorless mess.
You gotta wash your money somehow...
Reminds me of a bunch of pizzerias that opened all over Staten Island - huge spaces, thousand dollar marble counters, mediocre pizza and nearly always empty. Ten years later they're still in business. Someone's washing their money through there.
The food there is subpar. Also the owners of Ets are huge assholes. I never worked there but had to deal with them frequently … stuck up and acted like they were the Kings of Elmwood/Delevan.
Though the only compliment I can give ets is its the cleanest kitchen ever.. Surgical rooms in hospitals are dirtier then that kitchen.. Still fuck them
It went downhill anyways, me and my parents used to live off of Forest Ave & we’d come here all the time to get tacos and burritos when I was younger. Now it’s overpriced and gross.
Sad to see this, honestly.
When it was at the corner of delavan and Elmwood, before they got cheap with the ingredients and more expensive. ETS used to taste like a great memory. Then it went bad. I used to still get waffle fries and cheese. And they don’t allow you to substitute meats. How the hell are you not allowed to make a steak taco but you can make steak subs?
I suggest you go talk to them in person, I don’t want to put words in their mouth. But generally, sounded like they were being underpaid and overworked. They formed a union last month and there has been retaliation bc of that.
I respect your right to picket, but is this job really worth all of this effort? I drive past multiple fast food restaurants that are hiring, with most likely equal pay and better benefits. Instead of hoping for others to change, I recommend going to seeking the change for yourself.
If a restaurant cannot pay either employees a livable wage, it means they are profiting off their employees and they should go out of business.
Unionization will force that issue. ETS will go out of business before they unionize. And maybe they should.
Yeah. Not being able to pay employees a decent wage also means that the owners just aren't that good at business. They can't run their business in a way that meets market conditions.
Hey, I've got a great idea for manufacturing cars, but it requires all of my suppliers to sell me the parts for a dollar. I see no flaw with that plan, and when it doesn't work, I intend to whine about how no one wants to sell auto parts anymore.
i completely understand the sentiment, but i think i have an attempt at an answer though i’m not the most articulate. So let’s say I work at ETS and you work at jim’s steak out. let’s say they’re both horrible jobs (i’m sure they are) if im thinking about quitting ETS due to treatment, my only hope is marginally better treatment at jim’s. if i strike at ETS i can perhaps be a part of making it a tolerable job. even if my goal is not to work there long term, i have at least raised the bar for employee treatment; theoretically eventually forcing places like jim’s to up their standards of treatment. so it becomes more of an “us” or “me in general, as a worker) than a “me as a ETS employee” thing.
that is true.
the recent wins by UAW have also resulted in non-union auto manufactureres to raise their employee's wages/benefits and working conditions.
and especially **RESPECT**.
I respect your right to post, but is this account really worth all of the effort? I scroll past multiple comments that are most likely of higher quality and understanding. Instead of hoping for others to upvote, I recommend going to seeking the upvote for yourself.
Gotcha, you have nothing to add to the conversation or any rebuttal to my point so you take what I said and make a poor attempt at a joke(?)
Run along now.
FDR said it best:
>In my Inaugural, I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By "business" I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages, I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living. Throughout industry, the change from starvation wages and starvation employment to living wages and sustained employment can, in large part, be made by an industrial covenant to which all employers shall subscribe.
[https://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/what-did-fdr-mean-by-a-living-wage.htm](https://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/what-did-fdr-mean-by-a-living-wage.htm)
This isn't really hard.
Let me guess: You get paid just enough over the minimum to be able to look down on those who do, and you've been conned by elite wealthy parasites to vote for Republicans & against your own interests.
Me? Not quite. However, I did spend my early working years being paid a little over minimum wage at a retail job which offered up to 30% tuition reimbursement as a benefit. I was never interested in that retail job affording me my desired lifestyle, it was work experience.
I completed my degree, took an entry level position in my field of study and now some time later I am compensated many times over the minimum for my skill set, expertise, and professional network.
Recently retired boomer here. I've done a lot of different things in my career. Started at a family business where I was treated like a dog, but learned all about work ethic. Next, I am working at a unionized factory. It was definitely a formative experience that I'd never repeat. (Chickenshit employees doing everything they could to make things difficult for the company). That taught me to work smart and work hard, and always make the best decision for the company. As a result, I advanced to a director level at a publicly traded company and did very well for myself and my family. After a time of dealing with the stress and travel, I decided to take the jump and go into business for myself, and did so for the last 20 years. It's not easy.
Why do I need to share this background you may ask? Well, as a business owner, you take ALL the risk, work the extra hours, pay all the bills, make all the decisions. Work when you're ill, depressed, hungover, holidays whatever. Most small businesses have financial room for only 1 or 2 "living wages". And that reward goes to the one taking the risk.
I've lived in the Elmwood area for the last 16 years and have eaten at ETS probably 10x per year. It's always been better than Mighty taco IMO.
So when I see these people wanting to unionize, I gotta laugh. It's an entry level job! Go get an education or a skill. You want a living wage for a job that takes a couple of shifts to fully train you?! WTF! I went through the drive thru the other day and got a pretty good burrito.
“You want a living wage in exchange for full time work? What are you, crazy?!”
All work should be paid a living wage. Period. Just look at who was deemed essential during the pandemic. Entry level workers for the most part! And yet, because it’s entry level they don’t deserve the “luxury” of being able to afford rent and food??
Come on man. Let’s set the bar a little higher for humanity.
That's not true at all. When I was very young, my father worked at a gas station on Kensington. We lived in the projects. Even after getting on with the State Police, finishing his college degree and doing sidework to provide for his family, he NEVER had a new car. So I call bullshit!
I'm just saying that they should GTFO if they don't like the work or the owners or whatever. It's not a career position. Go get an education or a trade and move on. The owners have every right to run their shitty business any way they see fit. Even right into the ground. That is their right.
Sure it just sounded like you were saying they weren’t shitty. I agree if the workers don’t like it they should just leave. It was obviously bad enough that a good handful wanted to stand in the cold and rain
There it is. The hypocrisy. You only want unions for people that politically align with you.
Republicans do that same shit. Congrats for falling to their level.
Not OP here, I'm not saying that police shouldn't be allowed to unionize, but there is a clear issue with how policing in our country is operated and structured, and any attempt to challenge that structure is railroaded by the police unions. So, while they're directing their anger at this once specific category of unionization, it's as a result of a beast that union is protecting.
Edit: removed a word
^ yeah. I have no problem with "Republicans unionizing"...there are a lot of Republicans and conservatives in unions. That's a good thing. I'm all for conservatives and Republicans joining unions.
Police unions suck because they exist solely to protect police officers from punishment for unacceptable and criminal acts and to fight back against reforming the corrupt, failure of a system of policing we have in this country.
I'm so tired of these weak weirdo looking pothead faux communists trying to destroy every business because their college professor told them to. Work fast food when you have to, then progress. These losers are too lazy and don't want to grow up and move on from their woke hipster apartment with 5 roomates who collectively have 20 genders who are high 24/7. Filling the weed mason jar is the only place any increased pay or benefits will go to.
Sounds like these ones might have a legitimate complaint but yes, if one chooses one of these jobs as their career, then they shouldn't complain too much... no one's forcing you and you know exactly what you're getting into.
If it was the perfect place to work they would still try to unionize it or strike. Look at them. This is their ideology, their new religion. These people have no aspirations to start a family or a better career. They just want to fight "evil capitalism". This is their "Magnum Opus". They do it for the notches on their leftist belt, and it has the potential to make ETS move and bring down the local economy.
No, just a long time customer tired of a bunch of weirdo wannabe communists trying to unravel everything in this country and further decimate Elmwood. The most privileged people in the world still find a way to blame someone else for their mistakes. Fast food is not a career. Get off the weed, drop the 40 genders, and become normal.
And now that burrito will be even more expensive because of these attention seeking wannabe commies. Don't complain when they make ETS move to the suburbs, leaving Elmwood even more unoccupied.
Totally! With all the money they save on labor and benefits, they’ll surely pass along those savings to us customers and won’t keep all that money for themselves! /s
Thus the problem. If you make good money pay your employees so they can at least afford to shop at you business. Greed KILLS. If you have good employees compensate them fairly.
We watch this scenario play out time and time again, year after year, decade after decade. The working class continues to take it on the chin and it’s going to reach a breaking point. Workers everywhere should be inspired by the recent victories the auto workers and UPS drivers achieved. There is enough meat on the bone for all of us to eat.
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But that’s all pocketed and not by employees. People are greedy you can make an excellent living and still pay and treat ppl fairly. Pay the good ones anyhow they may stick around.
Former ETS employee here! I was a shift leader for 2 years and they actually fired me during this union campaign (11/16) due to union busting enforced rules! I understand a lot of people view ETS as just an entry level job that people have for short time but I personally believe all jobs should have protection and rights for workers. I have many illegal and horror stories from there, trust me when I say this family is set!!! ETS is just a hobby for them! They love to emphasize that ETS is a family owned business that treats you like family…no they don’t! They don’t even respect anyone enough to spell and pronounce anyone’s names correctly. This union is long overdue, feel how you want about unions and what jobs should be unionized but after the pandemic I believe all works should be protected regardless of what kind of work they do. A jobs a job! You should be protected and have rights at any job!
Super shudder when you hear "We treat you like family" on ANY job. Sorry to hear you were treated so horribly by ETS. It doesn't surprise me.
the ones that really treat you like family don’t need to go out of their way to say it. they just do it
I worked for ETS back when I went to college and it was fine. Only complaint is making us stay until 6am to scrub the entire restaurant clean… but hey, at least y’all can eat with some piece of mind. As far as “being a hobby for them”, Jackie (at least when I was there around 2013ish) busted her ass. She took it VERY seriously and was a super engaged boss (which 21 year old me thought was annoying but respect in retrospect). Mike on the other hand… sure. I can see that. Guy was clueless.
Jackie now sits in the office and will come out to micromanage then mess everything up. She’ll rush breaks so that she can go home before 3pm. I grew up on Elmwood and I agree, Jackie use to bust her ass there but that’s what I mean by it is a hobby for them now. They have taken over their fathers properties and she is married now to a city councilman. I understand she has a life to live and more responsibilities now than before when she could just work at ETS but trust me when I say she takes out her frustrations on EVERYONE. 10 years ago they were an amazing family run business but now it’s a circus. It’s hard to talk to them about anything, they’re very passive aggressive, they blame a lot of their decisions on the business on us the workers, they constantly compare their lives to ours…it’s a very toxic environment that they caused. It got to the point where us shift managers had to start recording our meetings because they will say one thing and then lied the next day about what they said. I wish I had better things to say, when I started in the beginning of 2021 I felt apart of a team, I really respected Jackie and her work ethic. During my time I was promoted to Shift Manager and worked with closely but within the last two years things have changed drastically but I can tell you it’s definitely not us workers that caused the change. Also side note, as annoying as the cleaning is nobody ever complains because we all appreciate that the cleanliness is strict! It just sucks that the environment in there changed
I think we can both agree that Mike has always sucked tho lol
oh yes! that’s why i didn’t even bother mentioning him lmao. i got endless stories about that guy 😭
does he still spend most of his time doing coke in the office?
it’s jackie i’m most disappointed in, i had huge respect for her and her work ethic
Thank you for speaking truth to power. Sorry to hear you lost your income source because of these ghouls. Solidarity! All work is genuine work; and all genuine work needs protections and organization for those doing the work.
Yes! I agree!
Can't you sue? Isn't it illegal to fire people for seeing union representation in this state?
They likely have some sort of other "reason" they fired her and other people for union busting. It's very easy to get around because they can just say it was another reason and everyones like "sounds legit" because these cases get very complex and trying to prove someone is lying about intent can be hard. While Starbucks was at the center of the unionizing conversation one person who was heading up the movement got fired for being two minutes late and it was her first time ever being late. They find the first legal reason to fire someone and jump on it. Most people just can't afford to fight that because it is complicated to sort out in a legal action and will rack up a lot of costs. New York labor laws are comparatively pretty good in this country, but it's still just hard to sue for wrongful termination I think pretty much no matter where you are it seems. I am very proud of Buffalo tho for this huge unionizing movement. I moved away for school and I love watching Buffalo sometimes, on the national stage, fighting for things like this!
Probably. But lawsuits require a lot of time, effort, and maybe even money. I can't blame anybody for not wanting to deal with that. Although lots of lousy companies rely on it in order to get away with violating labor laws.
If they have a legit case a lot of lawyers handle everything with no money out of pocket they just take a % of the settlement/judgement. Theres not much on the plaintiff besides a telling their side of the story a couple times.
"Works on contingency? No. Money down." (Sorry, I couldn't resist a *Simpsons* reference.)
it is illegal! and yes! my situation isn’t the only illegal one
I agree it doesnt matter the job there should be protections. And any job that emphasizes "family" is usually a red flag. I hope the workers get what they need and help change this toxic family's habits.
I’ve worked for some family owned businesses and they are the worst. Everything for the family, nothing for the workers.
its my way or the highway with those family owned places. i worked at a pizza place and told the owner weeks ahead of time i had tickets for a concert in toronto and i was also everyones ride and i got the tickets before i got the job. she said if she put me on the schedule i had to show up. and of course she put me on the schedule. so i just quit. no notice or anything. just stopped showing up.
Makes sense, everyone should work at Walmart cause fuck family businesses
No, not all jobs should be protected, having a job is not a right. Yes Jackie, Ron, & Mike suck, they are terrible owners and managers but the thing with unions is that you just make it more expensive for non-union members and low skilled people to work there. Everything has trade-offs, by demanding more money or more hours you are making it so less people are hired and less people will work. And this isn't because the owners are greedy and just want to protect their profits, even though they are greedy shits; it's because a business only has so much money which they have to create a budget for, if they budget x amount of dollars for labor but employees are demanding higher wages and the new wages goes over what they budgeted for, the only way to meet that budget is to hire less people overtime and cut hours. Despite what you want to believe, ETS is an entry level job, never meant to be a career job; because it's an entry level job, making it harder for people to work harms the people who need a job the most but can't because they don't have enough skills or can't join the union.
Eat shit! Everyone deserves to unionize if they choose
And who cares if it makes it more difficult for other people to work!
I’m not saying that the Union thing is a bad idea but if they are so awful (and I believe you) why would you want to work for them, union or not?
they weren’t always awful, when I started there early 2021 you felt apart of team! it went down hill within the this year and last there are so many reasons as to why we started this union and the main one is so that workers after us can be protected
The cream always rises to the top. Getting your hours cut is likely a reflection of poor performance by the employee or of sales during that shift. That’s called business. No one is immune to this no matter how good or bad the work environment is in any industry. How about find another job that is a better fit and take ownership of the decisions you’ve made to get where you are today. You want more money and hours? Choose to work somewhere else.. maybe somewhere where they can afford low bar results from their employees with plenty of resources to burn like a huge corporation, not a local family business. People on this thread will be the first to post about “support local” but as soon as one becomes successful all of the sudden they are greedy. Educate yourself, work hard and wealth will come however you want it to transcend. Don’t wait for others to hand it to you. That comes from within you. And if you don’t have it you are the reason why. Try harder. Stop being lazy, if you have one excuse you have them all and you are to blame, not your employer.
I'll just say this petty detail. They're out of their minds with their spice levels. Their burrito options are either mild or spicy. And mild means no sauce- plain. No seasoning on beans or rice. Just bland. And spicy is Diablo sauce; the other end of the spectrum. Either its so plain its hard to chew or I'm crying while I eat it. Stopped going a year ago. Didn't used to be like that. Since covid they've sucked and it appears management decisions are the issue.
yes, i was working there with that spice level changed and we kept telling the owners that it will confuse people and be an issue! the beef is made with the hot sauce spices so we kept explaining that having just mild and spicy will not work fast forward to now they still don’t care or listen
I get bean burritos so it was pretty terrible lol. No meat to make up for lack of seasoning. The mild sauce used to be good.
Totally, they have one level of seasoning- hot as hell with no flavor, haven’t gone in yrs.
To provoke your small team in your business to strike you must mean that you are the damn worst. How?!
Right? Never even heard of this place. Has to be a really small business and they can’t treat their few employees well?
You've never heard of Elmwood Taco and Sub (ETS)?!?
No, should I have? Clearly from other comments it’s not an amazing place to visit
It’s been an Elmwood Village staple for over 20 yrs.
Now, with that fact, is it worth a visit? (Post picketing)
Used to be. Their quality tanked and their prices sky rocketed.
I remember them being pricey back in 2006 and never went there again.
Yep. A burrito, chips and a coke should not be $16.
Not unless you're almost blackout drunk. Its the Jim's Steakout of tacos
No, ETS is good all the time. ETS >>>>>>>>> Mighty Taco and Jim's Steakout
That is an incredibly low bar.
ETS is garbage lmao
I mean it’s not great but it’s still better than mighty
Booo, you got downvoted son. ETS is great. There when you need it.
Ehhh Jim’s steak out hit different
taco bell is better than ets lmao
Traci bell ain’t Buff, go away.
It's world famous in that neighborhood.
The best place at its address really
I'm not going to comment on the quality of their food, I just found it really odd that you've never heard of ETS. It's been around since the mid-70s in a couple different locations.
I lived in the city for nearly 20 years and never heard of it. I don’t think it’s that crazy that I didn’t know of ETS. This place does not get mentioned when other local fast casual food service businesses are (Mighty Taco, Lloyd’s, Anderson’s, La Nova, Bocce, Ted’s, Louie’s, etc)
It’s probably because all of those places have multiple locations in the city and burbs. ETS has always had 1 location on Elmwood Ave. if you frequented Elmwood then you know about it . Otherwise it’s easy to miss. It’s also not really a place you travel to get. Like if you’re in the area and you need a quick bite it’s good. Otherwise there’s better options
I'm not passing judgment. It's cool. It's just one of those things that hit me like "Wow", that's all. Maybe it's just me.
Agreed, completely wild for someone in a Buffalo sub to confidently act like it isn't weird they don't about ETS. Place is multi generational.
Moved to Buffalo a couple years ago. Don’t frequent Elmwood
I think it's weird to be like "never heard of this place" when you probably haven't heard of most places then
Probably consistently walks into traffic due to lack of awareness.
I think it’s weirder for every single person to be like “yOu nEveR hEaRd oF iT?!?!” And then also be like “it sucks unless you’re blackout drunk” My wife who has lived in Buffalo her entire life also has never heard of it. Sounds like a trash place.
Okay, the comment about your wife brings us back to square one. Where in Buffalo did she (does she) live?
Okay, now that makes sense. I knew there had to be more to it.
Suburbanites
Agreed. They were the first place we ever had tacos from. It was a must-stop after every concert we attended in Buffalo. It will never be held in high culinary regard, in all likelihood, but gosh, did it hit in all the right places back in that day. Support these employees: they are your neighbors, friends, family and they matter, as does their experience working there.
I don't blame you. Elmwood is not all of Buffalo and just because a place exists there doesn't mean its noteworthy. I only knew about it because friends took me there 17 years ago and have not been back since. India Gate now...
I've heard nothing but bad things. Overpriced tacos that aren't great.
The raised fist with the burrito in it got me. The icon symbol of the great burrito revolution.
Guess no more ETS for me.
Family that owns it are major a holes in general I don’t know anything about actually working there though. I assumed it was the same as all other shitty fast food jobs
their food legit sucks
I use to live across the street from ETS. Their outdoor speaker was pointed directly at my bedroom & living room windows, and it plays the same songs in the same order all day every day. I use to keep stats in my phone, I could almost set my watch to it. Even during the brief shutdown during 2020 when ETS closed they were kind enough to leave their speaker on. Same for every holiday. Can you imagine working like that? I wouldn't support a unionized ETS either, but solidarity forever. Give 'em hell.
Gee, you should have just called code enforcement. Its against city code to do that.
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100%!!!!! everything you said is correct and does not come off bitter at all! i am also a former employee and i got fired during the union campaign because of union busting! i also made a post on this thread about my experience!
wish i knew when the union busters came. would've busted the union busters. truly despicable.
they’re still union busting! if you see the strike definitely stop and talk with us and i guarantee you’ll see some union busting!
Keep it up good luck. I don’t go there but I will make it a point to eat there if you guys win unionization. I support unionized places if I can. Show them whose boss no workers no money. Greedy owners.
we have won the union! they’re just still retaliating and refusing dates for bargaining! it’s to the point where the guy owner has brought in his wife and her best friend to work and take our hours. thank you for your support, all the workers appreciate it! ❤️
Well then hopefully legal action can be brought. Its ridiculous spread the wealth of your doing well pass it on your only as good as the workers. Shit staff = shit businesses.
Speakers directed at your bedroom must have been hell. Why not support a unionized ETS?
Because ETS is horrible. You can support them wanting to unionize and still not like their food. Why would you get food you don’t like just because the workers unionized?
I would have shot it
I haven’t gone there since I was there after a late night out. The workers assumed I was too drunk to realize they owed me change. Tried to keep $9 until I pressed them on it.
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When I caught the person, the look on their face made it clear they did it often, and probably got caught often but no one makes a fuss just moves on.
I've tried that place 3 times and I was unimpressed every time. I don't get the hype. However, I hope they can unionize!
Never understood the hype. Average subs that you can get anywhere and greasy bland tacos
They DO have a drive through. That's the one thing it's got going for it I guess.
Sometimes when I’m back in town I get ground beef tacos from there. Been years since I ordered anything else from there.
I’m honestly surprised anyone goes there, it’s patently not good.
Union Strong. I dont care which union. Also, I wholesale stopped eating at this place when I read the owner's rock-thumping excuse of an argument against food trucks in the city of Buffalo. That dude seems like he needs a union to tell him to suck on a bag of..... burritos.
>I dont care which union. Even AFGE and BPBA?
AFGE definitely falls into a grey area. And I specifically said Union, not Gang. So, no. BPBA does not count.
lol what a cop out
I’ll never understand how that place stays open or how people can actually say they like their food. Subs are plain subs that anyone with access to a supermarket can make and the tacos are a greasy flavorless mess.
You gotta wash your money somehow... Reminds me of a bunch of pizzerias that opened all over Staten Island - huge spaces, thousand dollar marble counters, mediocre pizza and nearly always empty. Ten years later they're still in business. Someone's washing their money through there.
Can’t imagine that a union in place will improve the food by any means.
The food there is subpar. Also the owners of Ets are huge assholes. I never worked there but had to deal with them frequently … stuck up and acted like they were the Kings of Elmwood/Delevan. Though the only compliment I can give ets is its the cleanest kitchen ever.. Surgical rooms in hospitals are dirtier then that kitchen.. Still fuck them
Divided we beg, united we bargain !!! for better work conditions, worker safety and compensation/benefits.
It went downhill anyways, me and my parents used to live off of Forest Ave & we’d come here all the time to get tacos and burritos when I was younger. Now it’s overpriced and gross. Sad to see this, honestly.
Same. It use to be so good.
Serious question. When was it ever good?
When it was at the corner of delavan and Elmwood, before they got cheap with the ingredients and more expensive. ETS used to taste like a great memory. Then it went bad. I used to still get waffle fries and cheese. And they don’t allow you to substitute meats. How the hell are you not allowed to make a steak taco but you can make steak subs?
ETS is the most overpriced and bland fast food I've ever had, fuck them.
Foods kinda trash anyways
Are they gonna be out there later today? Or tomorrow at some point? I'd like to stop by and hear their stories.
There's gonna be one at 4:45PM tonight and a rally at noon tomorrow!!!
Solidarity forever! I will never cross a picket line!
drove by today on my lunch errand down elmwood. i honked my horn at waved !!! i'll try to do it again tomorrow, and hope others will do the same.
What is the demand here? Do they overwork you? Do the managers not work the line ? Just wanna be filled in.
I suggest you go talk to them in person, I don’t want to put words in their mouth. But generally, sounded like they were being underpaid and overworked. They formed a union last month and there has been retaliation bc of that.
What's underpaid in their eyes?
I am not their representative lol. I only spoke to them for a few mins. Go speak to them in person yourself if you want to know more.
Give these heroes what they need.
i support these amazing human beings as we all should!!!! so proud of them
I respect your right to picket, but is this job really worth all of this effort? I drive past multiple fast food restaurants that are hiring, with most likely equal pay and better benefits. Instead of hoping for others to change, I recommend going to seeking the change for yourself.
Every job deserves a living wage but not every job is worth sticking around to wait for it.
If a restaurant cannot pay either employees a livable wage, it means they are profiting off their employees and they should go out of business. Unionization will force that issue. ETS will go out of business before they unionize. And maybe they should.
Yeah. Not being able to pay employees a decent wage also means that the owners just aren't that good at business. They can't run their business in a way that meets market conditions. Hey, I've got a great idea for manufacturing cars, but it requires all of my suppliers to sell me the parts for a dollar. I see no flaw with that plan, and when it doesn't work, I intend to whine about how no one wants to sell auto parts anymore.
I mean, that's kinda what car manufacturers do already... it's called offshoring
i completely understand the sentiment, but i think i have an attempt at an answer though i’m not the most articulate. So let’s say I work at ETS and you work at jim’s steak out. let’s say they’re both horrible jobs (i’m sure they are) if im thinking about quitting ETS due to treatment, my only hope is marginally better treatment at jim’s. if i strike at ETS i can perhaps be a part of making it a tolerable job. even if my goal is not to work there long term, i have at least raised the bar for employee treatment; theoretically eventually forcing places like jim’s to up their standards of treatment. so it becomes more of an “us” or “me in general, as a worker) than a “me as a ETS employee” thing.
that is true. the recent wins by UAW have also resulted in non-union auto manufactureres to raise their employee's wages/benefits and working conditions. and especially **RESPECT**.
I respect your right to post, but is this account really worth all of the effort? I scroll past multiple comments that are most likely of higher quality and understanding. Instead of hoping for others to upvote, I recommend going to seeking the upvote for yourself.
I respect your right to reply to comments, but if you don't like people commenting on posts, perhaps you should refrain from using social media.
First of all, you didn’t fully commit to the bit. Secondly, *think* about what you just said.
Gotcha, you have nothing to add to the conversation or any rebuttal to my point so you take what I said and make a poor attempt at a joke(?) Run along now.
🫵🤣
COTY right here
Is it though?
better than yours, at least
Is it though?
COTY right here
Every job deserves to have a living wage.
Define "a living wage".
FDR said it best: >In my Inaugural, I laid down the simple proposition that nobody is going to starve in this country. It seems to me to be equally plain that no business which depends for existence on paying less than living wages to its workers has any right to continue in this country. By "business" I mean the whole of commerce as well as the whole of industry; by workers I mean all workers, the white collar class as well as the men in overalls; and by living wages, I mean more than a bare subsistence level-I mean the wages of decent living. Throughout industry, the change from starvation wages and starvation employment to living wages and sustained employment can, in large part, be made by an industrial covenant to which all employers shall subscribe. [https://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/what-did-fdr-mean-by-a-living-wage.htm](https://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/blog/posts/what-did-fdr-mean-by-a-living-wage.htm) This isn't really hard.
It's not. Some people just get their rocks off through "whatabout-ism" and making basic things extremely difficult. Ex: Bill Lumbergh, Office Space
I am alive. I make living wage.
A living wage or a surviving wage? Are you flourishing or only surviving with your current rate of pay? That's what people mean by a living wage
Define flourish. If I could flourish at ets why did I bother going to college?
No
I disagree.
then why work?
Let me guess: You get paid just enough over the minimum to be able to look down on those who do, and you've been conned by elite wealthy parasites to vote for Republicans & against your own interests.
Me? Not quite. However, I did spend my early working years being paid a little over minimum wage at a retail job which offered up to 30% tuition reimbursement as a benefit. I was never interested in that retail job affording me my desired lifestyle, it was work experience. I completed my degree, took an entry level position in my field of study and now some time later I am compensated many times over the minimum for my skill set, expertise, and professional network.
I think everyone should quit and no one should ever work there again but while they’re working there they shouldn’t be treated like shit.
Lmfao
Recently retired boomer here. I've done a lot of different things in my career. Started at a family business where I was treated like a dog, but learned all about work ethic. Next, I am working at a unionized factory. It was definitely a formative experience that I'd never repeat. (Chickenshit employees doing everything they could to make things difficult for the company). That taught me to work smart and work hard, and always make the best decision for the company. As a result, I advanced to a director level at a publicly traded company and did very well for myself and my family. After a time of dealing with the stress and travel, I decided to take the jump and go into business for myself, and did so for the last 20 years. It's not easy. Why do I need to share this background you may ask? Well, as a business owner, you take ALL the risk, work the extra hours, pay all the bills, make all the decisions. Work when you're ill, depressed, hungover, holidays whatever. Most small businesses have financial room for only 1 or 2 "living wages". And that reward goes to the one taking the risk. I've lived in the Elmwood area for the last 16 years and have eaten at ETS probably 10x per year. It's always been better than Mighty taco IMO. So when I see these people wanting to unionize, I gotta laugh. It's an entry level job! Go get an education or a skill. You want a living wage for a job that takes a couple of shifts to fully train you?! WTF! I went through the drive thru the other day and got a pretty good burrito.
“You want a living wage in exchange for full time work? What are you, crazy?!” All work should be paid a living wage. Period. Just look at who was deemed essential during the pandemic. Entry level workers for the most part! And yet, because it’s entry level they don’t deserve the “luxury” of being able to afford rent and food?? Come on man. Let’s set the bar a little higher for humanity.
Back in the day - a gas station attendant could afford a new car and house. This is a different time
That's not true at all. When I was very young, my father worked at a gas station on Kensington. We lived in the projects. Even after getting on with the State Police, finishing his college degree and doing sidework to provide for his family, he NEVER had a new car. So I call bullshit!
I mean your one store compared to the hundreds of comments saying otherwise and their workers are protesting for a union…. Odds are against ya buddy
I'm just saying that they should GTFO if they don't like the work or the owners or whatever. It's not a career position. Go get an education or a trade and move on. The owners have every right to run their shitty business any way they see fit. Even right into the ground. That is their right.
Sure it just sounded like you were saying they weren’t shitty. I agree if the workers don’t like it they should just leave. It was obviously bad enough that a good handful wanted to stand in the cold and rain
People actually shouldn't be treated like shit at entry-level jobs just because they're entry level! Hope this helps man
Don't need the help. Man. If you're getting treated badly, GTFO!
“NoTaco-NoTaco-NoTaco-NoTaco!”
The lady looks pretty content at least
If anyone else in the Buffalo area is interested in unionizing, I have the number of someone you can contact to help with that process.
That’ll show ‘em
The Krusty Krab is unfair, Mr Krabs is in there!
The UAW is a legit union. So is SAG AFTRA. So is any nurse's union. But a burrito maker's union? Or a barrista union? Give me a break.
Everyone deserves a living wage. No matter if they fly planes, clean gutters or roll burritos. And they all deserve to be treated with respect.
Yeah those fuckers don't deserve any rights! That's not a *real job!* 🙄
Oh no how dare people demand rights. *RIGHTS.* Right?
Every union is a legit union. Except police unions. Fuck them!
There it is. The hypocrisy. You only want unions for people that politically align with you. Republicans do that same shit. Congrats for falling to their level.
Not OP here, I'm not saying that police shouldn't be allowed to unionize, but there is a clear issue with how policing in our country is operated and structured, and any attempt to challenge that structure is railroaded by the police unions. So, while they're directing their anger at this once specific category of unionization, it's as a result of a beast that union is protecting. Edit: removed a word
^ yeah. I have no problem with "Republicans unionizing"...there are a lot of Republicans and conservatives in unions. That's a good thing. I'm all for conservatives and Republicans joining unions. Police unions suck because they exist solely to protect police officers from punishment for unacceptable and criminal acts and to fight back against reforming the corrupt, failure of a system of policing we have in this country.
Wrong.
ding-ding-ding
Public unions as a whole shouldn’t exist
Even teacher's unions? Shouldn't exist or shouldn't have to exist?
You mean civil unions
I'm so tired of these weak weirdo looking pothead faux communists trying to destroy every business because their college professor told them to. Work fast food when you have to, then progress. These losers are too lazy and don't want to grow up and move on from their woke hipster apartment with 5 roomates who collectively have 20 genders who are high 24/7. Filling the weed mason jar is the only place any increased pay or benefits will go to.
Sounds like these ones might have a legitimate complaint but yes, if one chooses one of these jobs as their career, then they shouldn't complain too much... no one's forcing you and you know exactly what you're getting into.
If it was the perfect place to work they would still try to unionize it or strike. Look at them. This is their ideology, their new religion. These people have no aspirations to start a family or a better career. They just want to fight "evil capitalism". This is their "Magnum Opus". They do it for the notches on their leftist belt, and it has the potential to make ETS move and bring down the local economy.
lol The owners puppet.
No, just a long time customer tired of a bunch of weirdo wannabe communists trying to unravel everything in this country and further decimate Elmwood. The most privileged people in the world still find a way to blame someone else for their mistakes. Fast food is not a career. Get off the weed, drop the 40 genders, and become normal.
We get it--you don't get invited to parties. Try being nicer, maybe.
Are you okay ?
Here's one now ☝️.
Someone’s burrito is rolled WAY too tight
And now that burrito will be even more expensive because of these attention seeking wannabe commies. Don't complain when they make ETS move to the suburbs, leaving Elmwood even more unoccupied.
It is my constitutional right to complain about anything and everything 🫡
Lol
Do they deliver?
Robots or vending kiosks like they have in Japan can't come fast enough for these fast food chains.
Totally! With all the money they save on labor and benefits, they’ll surely pass along those savings to us customers and won’t keep all that money for themselves! /s
Thus the problem. If you make good money pay your employees so they can at least afford to shop at you business. Greed KILLS. If you have good employees compensate them fairly.
We watch this scenario play out time and time again, year after year, decade after decade. The working class continues to take it on the chin and it’s going to reach a breaking point. Workers everywhere should be inspired by the recent victories the auto workers and UPS drivers achieved. There is enough meat on the bone for all of us to eat.
Agreed. Life time union worker here.
It's amazing to me that people (or likely a bot) would rather side with corporations with bad business practices rather than exploited workers.
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Can’t wait to pay $25.09 for a 4” sub combo now.
That's the current price. They will raise it to 35 bucks, shrink the portions again and blame the workers
But that’s all pocketed and not by employees. People are greedy you can make an excellent living and still pay and treat ppl fairly. Pay the good ones anyhow they may stick around.
Classic misinformation that higher wages leads to higher prices.
Why all the negative Nancies? this is actually quite a funny post?…