Hi Linda, Ok, I am the hotel manager and I'll also assume I'm the hotel owner. This is an employee of mine who is making my customers very happy and thereby creating repeat customers who will tell their friends about my hotel and bring me even more customers. He is showing initiative, leadership and entrepeneurship. This is going to raise my bottom line. I would have a private meeting with my employee, and first of all make it clear that he needs to work with me on this as he IS working for me. Everyone deserves a second chance. While he has shown both disloyalty and dishonesty here, which WILL get him fired if repeated, he has also helped my business and if he's willing to work with me, can now develop a plan to provide this same level of excellent service for our customers that he has developed. Of course his new position will bring him a higher level of income as well. Now some may immediately jump all over me for even suggesting such a thing. But stop and think about it: Everyone deserves a second chance. Have you ever had a second chance you didn't deserve? The service this person was providing, while not going through the proper channels, was improving business, not taking away from it. My customers were very happy, which is worth more than all the advertising dollars that could be spent elsewhere. If my employee accepts my terms, we have a win-win situation. God bless, Dave

Hi Linda and everyone, I would not fire the employee. I do not feel what he was doing was stealing. He saw a need and met it. My main goal would be to give my customers what they wanted. I would try to work out a deal where everyone involved would benefit. It sounds like a good situation to me for creating a successful partnership.

Hi Linda, There are some great posts here. Of course, what matters most is the customers! However, the employee did steal business away from the hotel which was wrong. This is really a tough situation, but I would try to improve my own room service and menu so customers wouldn't want to get food from the cafe. As for the employee, he would certainly need to be told he had to stop doing this ... not sure if I would fire him or not. My first reaction would be to fire him, but not sure it that would be the best thing to do. Your friend, Beth

. . When are we going to find out what happens next?! ======================================= "But is that really the case Jim? If that was so, why was it only that one employee that was doing this?" ======================================== Because it was a side deal with his cousin. Now, you're the employee in whatever job you have. You're diverting company business and resources to your own side business. And then your caught. Do you feel that you deserve a second chance? You knew what you were doing. You did not fill a known need, you created a need and then filled it. Now that's good business, I don't agree with that, but you're not the business owner, you're the employee that was dishonest, and you cannot be trusted :0) Jim

. . Oops! That's supposed to say "I agree with that" not "I don't agree with that" Sorry! J