What did you actually change on the edger? I'm guessing you backed off the depth a bit or swapped the blade. That beaver comment from the foreman is brutal lol. Small tweaks make a huge diff on edges.

That fry cook point is worth pulling apart a bit, because Marcus wasn't lowest on the line. Line cook, fry cook, they're on the same rung basically, and he was cooking your food next to you all night. The lowest person on the line is usually the dishie or the prep kid, and they see every plate come back half eaten. They just don't say anything because nobody asks them. The advice that actually fixes plates comes from whoever's closest to the food, not whoever's lowest on the org chart. So if you want real feedback, ask the dishwasher what people leave on the plate.

Funny thing is this same pattern shows up everywhere in life. People get by on shortcuts for years because nothing has blown up in their face yet, then one day it does and suddenly the $4 tool looks like cheap insurance. My dad framed houses for 30 years and always said the guys who measured twice were the ones who never had to tear out a wall. You can eyeball a lot of stuff and be right most of the time, but "most of the time" is exactly what bites you. A comeback on a plug job costs way more than the gauge ever will, in money and in your name. I finally figured out that spending a few bucks up front to take the guesswork out is the cheapest habit you can build, whether it's a gap tool or a torque wrench.