Lost 9 days to a garnish that a line cook in Portland fixed in 20 minutes

I spent almost two weeks trying to get my beet chips to stay crisp through a full dinner service and it nearly broke me. I tried a dehydrator at 135 for 6 hours, then 4 hours, then a fry at 320, then 290, and they still went soft in the pass after 30 minutes. My exec kept sending them back and I was ready to drop the whole dish. A guy I know from a spot in Portland came through for a pop-up, watched me for 20 minutes, and said I was stacking them hot in a lexan with a lid, which was basically steaming them. We switched to a sheet tray with a rack and no cover, and they held for 2 hours. Nine days of my life gone over a lid. Anyone else lose a week to something stupid simple like that?