Roadside Cafe - SCP Foundation

chung-bung 05/18/15 (Thu) 12:25:40 #24584451

Workplace.jpg

I've recently got a cashier job at a burger place called "Red and Maroon". Folks here sometimes call it a restaurant, but I'll be honest, it doesn't look like anything close to what you'd imagine when you say that word. It's more like your average cafe, the one you'll usually end up in when your only other option is to starve. The amount of clients is surprisingly high though, sometimes we barely have enough tables to seat everyone. And don't even make me start about the lines: "May I take your order?" for hours on end. It looks like everyone who eats here really enjoys our cuisine, even though the menu is fairly simple and it's pretty much all meat.

So, a couple of days ago I've come to realize that I've never once seen how the food was prepared. Mainly due to the fact that we and the kitchen staff don't have to communicate directly. Basically, behind our cashier frontline, there is a metal slide with rollers at the end. When people at the back receive orders, they cook the meals and send them to you using this slide.

Speaking about people at the back, I don't think I've ever met anyone from the kitchen staff, and other employees that I work and (sometimes) talk with didn't either. At least that's what they told me. I've seen a door leading to that place, but there's always a guard standing next to it. I've been told that he's there to prevent "trespassing".

Recently, I stayed longer than usual to help one dude with cleaning and suddenly strange sounds started coming out of that door. It was pretty loud and sounded like heavy machinery. I'd expect to hear something like this on a factory, not in a small cafe. I think that time I decided to ask the guard what was going on, he said that "it's normal" and nothing else. A couple of minutes later, I smelled something weird. It was similar to beef, but not the typical roasted one. More like when it's left for too long and gets all moldy. I thought that maybe someone left their food on the table and we overlooked it, but I couldn't find any.

Talked to the manager about the kitchen once. He said that after our working day is over, people who work there still need to clean their working place and make preparations for tomorrow, so they leave even later than we do and don't have time for chit-chat. I wanted to get more answers, but he just said that he doesn't have time either and I should get to work instead of asking dumb questions. Conflict with the manager wasn't what I was looking for and I already had a bad reputation for being late a few times, so I had to lay off.

I've heard the sounds of machinery several times since then. It looks like they only start when most employees and all customers have already left the place — as if so no one would suspect anything. I've tried to listen from outside of the building too, the sounds definitely come from where the kitchen should be located. Also, sometimes I leave my workplace later than others, and once I even waited outside for quite some time, but I didn't see anyone from the kitchen exiting.

That's all I've got so far. My gut tells me there's going to be more though, so I'll keep ya posted.

narcissist 05/18/15 (Thu) 9:49:43 #14567876

Dunno man, it seems like you're overreacting a little. All this "freaky" stuff you told us about the kitchen could mean that it has poor sanitation and owners just don't want anyone to randomly wander in and see cockroaches casually walking on the walls.

Besides, is it really impossible to see what's going on there? Can't you try and look through the far end of the roller slide? And aren't there any windows? Dunno about the machinery, but I generally don't know much about fast-food equipment. Don't you think it could've been some "normal" device, as the guard told you?

crilasxowe 05/18/15 (Thu) 11:11:39 #16789812

Of course, you can look for windows or ask more people… Or you can pull off a better move and sneak into that place past the guard to see everything yourself. Be careful tho, who knows what they're hiding? >:)

> chung-bung: Also, it looks like everyone who eats here really enjoys our cuisine

It seems like the food is the weirdest thing there, did you eat anything out of the menu yourself? How did it taste? :P

chung-bung 05/20/15 (Sat) 08:12:27 #32675891

Hello again. Sorry for not answering sooner. The day was pretty long, we had even more orders than usual. After coming back home, I just took a shower and fell asleep on the couch till morning, couldn't get around to updating the thread.

> crilasxowe: did you taste anything out of the menu yourself?

No, I'm taking lunches from home, even though the manager really doesn't want me to. I've already told you about my suspicions, I'm trying not to eat too much of their food. I still constantly hear clients complimenting it though.

On the subject of clients, I've started to notice why our place has full houses so often. There aren't that many new faces, but almost everyone whom I've seen here once will come back later. I think several people even eat here on a daily basis. Their health probably won't benefit from this.

> narcissist: All this "freaky" stuff you told us about the kitchen could mean that it has poor sanitation

Actually, it could be an explanation, but I think in this case they're overdoing it. Protecting the kitchen from visitors' eyes is fine, I guess, but why would they go as far as to hire a guard and not let anyone, even their own employees, in there?

> narcissist: Besides, is it really impossible to see what's going on there?

Yeah, unfortunately. There are no windows leading to the kitchen at all, I've checked from the outside. The slide is structured in such a way that it doesn't let you see shit either. Recently, I've tried to listen more closely while picking up burgers, so it would like I'm just doing my job. The first thing I heard was the grill. A moment later, sounds of something being cut, several distant hits and then someone talking. Couldn't make out anything tho, it was too noisy in the dining area.

I've probably been near the slide for too long, the manager came running to me and started screaming about me being too slow, performing my duties poorly etc. The man was extremely mad at me with no apparent reason. He also told me that if I'll keep slacking off, they'll find someone more reliable.

chung-bung 05/22/15 (Mon) 03:12:15 #18976563

So, today I decided to find out how those burgers everyone likes so much taste. Well, had to, because I forgot to pack my lunch and felt like I was starving.

When I finally got some time off, I went to the break room with my well-earned burger. It smelled fine and tasted surprisingly good, easily filled my stomach. But I still have doubts regarding the meat. They say it's beef but it doesn't look like it. It's a lot redder and easier to chew, although maybe it's due to how they cook it. I had terrible insomnia the night before, so after finishing my burger I just nodded off right there at the table and had one of the weirdest daydreams I've ever seen.

It began with me feeling that the floor is vibrating like during earthquakes. A moment later, I heard several loud, echoing hits. It took me a moment to realize that they were coming from below. Then, it felt like I could see the whole dining area. I saw many people, all of them were eating large amounts of meat. They chewed it like savages and picked up more and more with their bare hands. Some nearly bit their fingers off trying to shove as much food into their mouths as possible. And below the place, there was something else. Or someone. I couldn't see it but somehow could feel its presence. I listened closely and heard loud whimpering coming from underground. Those hits I wrote about earlier… It was that thing, no doubt about it. It was trapped there, below the burger place. And it was in agony.

When I woke up, the break was over and I had to get back to work. Still couldn't get this weird dream out of my memory. I've asked other employees, no one saw anything similar. That's what you get when you theorize about the kitchen too much.

Still, I feel uneasy every time I stand near that slide. There's this constant urge to try and see what's going on behind that door. I mean, even if I trespass and they aren't hiding anything too bad there, the worst thing they can do is to kick me out. Honestly, I don't think I even want to continue working in this weird place. So, wish me luck guys, I'll tell you everything if I'll be able to write here after this.

crilasxowe 05/22/15 (Mon) 10:25:27 #19875761

Hell yeah dude. Don't forget your phone and take some pictures if you'll come across something interesting. :p

randomdudefromthedark 05/25/15 (Thu) 07:11:19 #25678523

I'm not sure about this place being paranormal, but this whole thing still looks very suspicious.

Yesterday I've decided to look up the diner online. I couldn't find any information on who owns Red and Maroon or when exactly it opened but I've discovered that they have a website. It's not much, although there's a section dedicated to people who seek employment. It has all that standard stuff about high salaries, easy responsibilities and friendly colleagues, but for some reason, the entire section is aimed at recruiting either cashiers or janitors. I couldn't find any job offers for kitchen staff or guards (i. e. someone who'll have access to the back).

Adding this information to what you've described and those burgers' side effects — I find it believable that you've come across a very elaborate scam. I don't know what exactly they're adding to the meat, but I'd suggest drawing the government's attention to this place.

narcissist 05/27/15 (Sat) 09:42:59 #17656899

randomdudefromthedark: Honestly, I really don't think this thread will come to life again. Chung hasn't posted for a while and I think if he truly saw something paranormal, he would've told us already. Either something really happened to him, or he was just some kind of troll trying to get forum's attention.

chung-bung 05/28/15 (Sun) 01:02:07 #39451786

I'm back. Sorry for the lack of updates. I was… Kinda busy during last few days.

I've decided to follow through with my plan and was able to end up inside the building after hours.

So, I knew from experience that the guards tend to not look in every single corner before closing the place, so I just had to make it seem like I'm leaving and then sneak into one of the bathroom stalls. After two or so hours, I finally heard the front door getting locked. Unfortunately, my phone died while I was waiting, so I couldn't make any pics. I guess you'll have to take my word for it. After a couple more minutes, I exited the stall and headed to the kitchen. Surprisingly, it wasn't locked. The lights were on but there was no one there.

The place actually looked like a kitchen to an extent. Grills, fridges, etc, but the first thing I've noticed was blood. Unnatural amounts of it all over the place. I think the color was too bright but honestly, I'm not sure. Then this smell… Just like during that evening shift, but this time it was much worse. I've been to fast-food kitchens and butcheries before and nothing there smelled like this. I kept looking and saw several handsaws lying on the tables. There was also a big chunk of meat and the blood from it kept dripping to the bowl placed on the floor. For some reason, I decided to grab a saw and touch it. The chunk slightly moved. Probably because of the emerging blood, but I'm not sure.

Then, I saw another door. It was located behind one of the fridges and led to a descending staircase. The back area was a lot larger than it initially seemed, there were at least three floors down there. I've also seen several doors, all of which turned out to be locked, so I don't know whether they even led somewhere. The place wasn't well lit and I nearly tripped on the blood splattered on the stairs. There was a lot of it and it looked pretty fresh. When I reached the last floor, the sounds of machinery started again, and they were very close. I went down and found a place that looked like a storage room. I've noticed kitchen instruments and outer clothing lying on the nearby tables. It was clear I wasn't alone in that place.

The noises were actually coming from the elevator shaft located at the center of the room. Judging by the cables, the platform was far below and kept descending. I looked into the shaft but couldn't see a thing, it was completely dark there. A minute later, the elevator made a loud, rattling sound and stopped. I took a step closer and heard loud whimpering coming from the shaft, it echoed throughout the whole room. I could feel the agony in this voice. One moment later, whimpering turned into a high-pitched scream, accompanied by the rattling of chains. This cacophony lasted for about a minute, then the elevator started lifting.

If I recall correctly, I acted on the instinct and grabbed a meat cleaver to defend myself. But the elevator got closer, my limbs started to shake, thoughts became messy and I fled. Exited the kitchen or whatever it was, opened one of the windows in the dining area and jumped out. Can't remember how I got home after that.

I didn't go to work since. Yesterday, the manager phoned me and said that he's fed up with me and that I was fired. I was fine with it. Honestly, I'm thinking about packing my stuff and moving out. Not sure if they know where I live and I don't wanna check.

Also, not sure if that's worth mentioning, but I'm constantly thinking about what happened during that night. The meat, its smell, that reckless scream I've heard emerging from the shaft… I don't know why, but they make me so hungry. Sometimes when I eat, I imagine biting into that big red chunk I saw on the table. Last night I dreamed about opening the kitchen's door, seeing a dozen of freshly cooked burgers there and eating them without any second thoughts. I'm sure that even when I heard that desperate whimpering in the storage room, I could feel my mouth watering.

No matter how I suppress those thoughts, they always come back. I can't stop speculating on this thing underground, how delicious it might be. And my urge to taste more of it grows with each day.