barista

shift manager

general manager

district manager

facilities manager

Better Buzz Coffee

Do yourself a favor and have standards for a workplace because this place isn't it!!  This company will do the BARE MINIMUM for its employees while you will have to work super hard!! 

Issues:
* Scheduling is always off, meaning you will often have to work twice as hard. 

*MINIMUM PAY RATE- $12.00. I believe this is an issue considering they have plans to expand their stores instead of caring for their employees first and give them a living pay. They do the bare min and will say the tips make up for it- THEY DON'T and Customers aren't obligated to tip!! You can take latte art classes for a $.50 raise, which are often filled up to even take. 

* High-Stress work environment!- Considering the schedule never is accurate, you will guarantee be running around like a chicken with its head chopped off!

*Management promise change, but it never happens. Encinitas store is falling apart, but hey at least they are opening new stores right?!? .....NOT COOL.

*Good luck hearing from HR (Martha), She never responds back to emails. I am not the only one she doesn't respond too, others have agreed too.

*New district manager comes and observes while our store is in chaos??? STEP UP AND HELP ON THE FLOOR.

*Owners have high expectations- I would too if I had a coffee shop, but the Male owner is known for yelling at a SS in front of customers when frustrated of how the store looks. Maybe hire SM that know how to make schedules right, so the floor runs smoothly for the SS?

*Employees have built a close bond together because they all know the struggle of this store. Sadly the work of the baristas goes unnoticed. It is apparent, the company sees all baristas as replaceable. 

*Huge turnover rate!- For a while, they stopped providing full-time hours and kept everyone part-time except SM, SS, and upper management. Now that they have HAD/HAVE A HUGE turnover rate, they finally realized they had to offer full time again.

* NO INCENTIVES- Imagine hearing every day to upsell, or sell black cards all day... but for what??? OH so the company can rake in that extra money and still keep baristas min wage? YA.. NO THANK YOU. Keep your baristas happy= It will show in customer service. 

*NO FREE MEAL- Unlike other companies, like Starbucks that offers a free meal for every shift worked, you must pay for it at a 30 percent discount.  I believe this is unfair, considering everyone works their bottom off. 

*DON'T EXPECT HOLIDAY PAY- IT'S LITERALLY NON-EXISTANT. 

*NO EMPLOYEE LUNCH ROOM- LITERALLY JUST TWO SEATS THAT IN A TINY PART OF THE BACK ROOM. Plus no microwave to heat up any food.. oh and barely anywhere to put away employee personal items (Purses, etc) 

* It's is horrible to know they required you to have experience before being hired (Funny how min pay is still $12.00 with experience), but now since the turnover rate is so high they started to higher new people with no experience and the youngest being 16- Who has NO WORK ETHIC. COME ON BETTER BUZZ!! GET IT TOGETHER.


Plus don't expect for the company to celebrate its employees (The ones that KEEP this company together). Sadly, unlike other companies, Better Buzz will not do a meeting with food included or any activities, except for activities up in hillcrest, which sucks because almost everyone at Encinitas is working whenever hillcrest plans yoga. 

FIX YOUR COMPANY AND ENCINITAS STORE BEFORE IT GOES DOWN THE DRAIN. IT NEEDS TO BE REDONE OR SOMETHING BECAUSE IT IS LITERALLY THE WORST LOCATION TO WORK AT, THERES NO SPACE FOR NOTHING. MAYBE CONSIDER A NEW BIGGER LOCATION IN ENCINITAS?? WITHOUT YOUR EMPLOYEES, THIS COMPANY IS NOTHING, SO TREAT THEM RIGHT! WE NEED A LIVING PAY, IT IS UNFAIR YOU EXPAND YOUR COMPANY WITHOUT EVEN FIXING THE ISSUES YOU HAVE WITH YOUR OTHER STORES.

This is a good job for someone who is in high school or college as it pays pretty well considering the tips and you get free food and drink on shift, but other than that it is not sustainable. Hours aren’t consistent and having loyalty to the company means nothing to supervisors or GM. If you are getting consistent hours, you will never have two days off in a row again and they will work you until you’re physically burned out and then get mad when you have to call out because your body and mind are so exhausted. We have gone through multiple GMs and supervisors since this location opened as well as baristas, they hire too many people and don’t allot hours to those who have been with the company since the beginning will just give them all to new hires. Need to pay rent? This isn’t the job for you. If you’re not part of their clique, are your own type of person and don’t fit everyone else's personality then you will feel alienated and segregated. Baristas gossip all the time about other people, don’t ever think you’re not being spoken about! It’s like high school all over again. There is favoritism and if you’re not a favorite or liked by baristas no one will help you until you have to demand it and make yourself look worse. They will write you up for not suggestive selling, except you are doing that’s it’s just people don’t want a plastic fake curated feeling of customer service as another reviewer said. The product is expensive enough, no one wants to add on! And if you have an early morning shift there’s no real way to call out if you end up becoming sick in the night, they’ll tell you “you should have called in the night before” HOW can I do that when I don’t know I’m sick until I wake up???? They’ll tell you to try to find a cover for your shift at 3am in the morning?? I’m not gonna annoy my coworkers at 3AM. And also get punished by having your hours cut for being a human getting sick! They set you up to be written up. Not one part of this job isn’t stressful no matter where they put you, and you’ll be pulling the weight of others if you let them see you’re a hard worker. They’ll leave you outside in really hot or even rainy weather to take orders, and customers are either very sweet or downright rude. The music can be loud and overbearing too. Managers and supervisors do acknowledge when someone works hard but at this point it’s just not enough. They will do everything they can to not give you benefits by keeping you part time. The one manager who actually deserves to be GM here won’t be considered by corporate because corporate doesnt know how to run a company and are so focused on expanding and not putting effort into the current stores they already have. They want drinks and food to be made at unrealistic speeds, especially in drive thru you have to have them drive away in a minute or less and it’s absolutely impossible when you only have two people in drive and one person in the kitchen. My loyalty for this company fleeted gradually from everything I have noticed about this place. This is the MOST stressful job I have EVER had in my entire life. It is not worth the pressure you put on yourself, not sure why I stayed for so long. 

Better Buzz Coffee tends to have a similar effect on almost all members of their company. They hook you in with this amazing vision of the company during the interview process, and you feel energized and stoked to be a part of this company. Fairly quickly, however, you see behind the facade that they have put in place. The funny part is that they clearly attempt to hide the true nature of your position as leader for this company as long as they possibly can, desperate for you to not see behind the veil. Soon enough you will meet the few veteran members of management that they have (red flag #1), and although they genuinely want to help you, you can literally see in their eyes their exhaustion and stress. You see, at Better Buzz, you will be held accountable as though you are the business owners themselves (yet they micromanage every chance they get to...?) and you will most likely be stuck at store that is already struggling because, lets be honest, all of their stores are always struggling. The fact that the company can't hold onto team members, especially in the leadership arena, is what really distressed me from the start. On top of that, I feel as though the ownership here truly refuses to recognize the good in its people and in any situation, really, and CHOOSES to wake up each day and focus on the negative. This makes for a culture of FEAR. We also have a Human Relations Coordinator who not only cares more about having the backs of the owners, but will lie and slander you as an employee in order to make themselves look better to the OWNERS. The employees at this company are terrified of their own HR and for me that was red flag #100.... The only silver lining for me has been the friends I have made with the other team members who are truly trying to do their best everyday. On top of all the other stressors that we normally face in the customer service industry, we are currently working through COVID-19 . This company has doing shockingly little as far as employee mental and emotional support compared to others. Considering how hard it is waking up and going to work every day in this current world climate, its disturbing to see how little care is given to us. 

- Work starts at 6 am, going through weekly deposits and audits for all sales transactions at my location. Using an excel spreadsheet I input all sales data, deposits and  discrepensies from my audits. I can gather information such as weekly sales increases from last year and in turn that will help me with making schedules and adjusting product ordering. I provide customer service and am a source for problem solving throughout the day.

- I have learned how to develop a raport with staff members and become a source of support for the business in general. I have learned be very efficent with time management, a better self starter, an effective leader and have helped to develop an organizational method of reporting sales company wide.I have learned to manage a store and increased sales by a consistent 25 - 30 % weekly over last year. ( so far this year, 2013).

- The staff that I manage are great. They are repectful, responsible and have learned to effective as leaders when I am not there.

- The hardest part of the job for me is constantly dealing with policy changes as far as getting support and lack of training. There is no follow through when it comes to disciplinary action and I have seen team members leave the job becasue of this. Also, to a certain degree working for a compny that seems to care very little about their employees and doesn't seem to value potential and honest, hard work. Rather the concern is sales and how much money the company is making or not making. That is absolutely important and priority but better support for empoyees would be nice to see as a priority as well. Also, valuing the customer a little more, as they what keeps a business going.

- The most enjoyable part of this job has been my customers as they make coming to work everyday something to look forward to. Building  relationships with customers and other team members has made the job worthwhile.

Cons:
-Huge turnover rate, you will be a senior employee in 2 months.

-no consistency throughout all the stores with quality or service which results in angry customers and management. 

-training is non existent, youll be train by someone who was hired a week before you.

-Drink/food quality is bad because no one is trained properly to make them to recipe correctly. 

-If you’re an honest hardworker you’ll quickly be burned out by all the work that will be put on you by either getting promoted to lead or told to do pretty much everything in the store on your own because “you can handle it” 

-Safety and sanitary conditions are horrid, trust me if you take the job you’ll see real quick how gross this place is. 

-Espresso machine is disgusting, never cleaned properly, serviced and or dialed in which results in terrible espresso shots. 

Pros (if you can call them that):
-Coworkers and shift leads can be fun people but other than that it’s whatever.

-free food and drinks on shift 

-Tips can be nice but barely compensated for the pay that we should be getting. Aka the customers pay for your salary and the tips don’t really do much in the end for the workload expected.

Overall if you need something quick just to stay afloat for some time this can be an option depending on the store you get hired for. I have friends in different locations and all have the same issues but the main store in hillcrest seems to have alot more customer traffic and issues. 

I consider myself a good employee, I never call out, I do what I’m told and more because I’m proud of my work but this place will never reward you for that like my previous jobs have. Same treatment as those who call out or are lazy so don’t bother trying. If you read this long I appreciate and hope I can spare you the trouble of applying. 

Better Buzz is easily the worst company I’ve ever worked for, and I’ve worked for a few well known corporate coffee shops. This place pays minimum wage and expects you to do the work of three people every day you come in. The job is simply too stressful for what it is.

Your experience will completely depend on your store manager. I had three different managers in one year while working for Better Buzz, and only one of them was a good and honest person. She made each day enjoyable. The others were completely obsessed with keeping drive through times down, and expecting food to come flying out of the kitchen before the ticket even printed. Most of my coworkers were miserable, overworked, and frustrated. It made my heart hurt.

Important to mention: I also worked throughout the entire pandemic, and Better Buzz did absolutely nothing for its employees. Stores didn’t close, we did not receive hazard pay, had no time off, had to deal with the angry I’m-Not-Wearing-A-Mask-Because-Freedom public for months, and were expected to be grateful we still had a job. A higher-up member of Better Buzz came into our store at the beginning of the pandemic and thanked us for working, while we were all exhausted and uncomfortable. Despite our distress, all he gave us was a “thanks.” 

The only reason I stayed for so long is because the tips and hours were decent. I had a pretty steady paycheck that worked for me. I hung in there for as long as I could before realizing that I (and all of my coworkers) deserved much better. After watching a few events occur at my store, a deep calm came over me. I knew it was time to go. I always cheered for the people who were able to make it out alive and find a different job, and now I’m thrilled to finally be one of them. 

Don’t recommend lol. 

Depending on your location, your average work load can vary. For drive thru’s, you are expected to have one minute window times, which is completely unrealistic considering how long it takes to prepare multiple items. Imagine if they have food. The turn around rate is ridiculously high, due to poor management and short staffing. They expect you to do the work of 2 people, for minimum wage. This company has gone through 3 Head of HR in 2 years, as well as 4 district managers. They offered ONE free pastry item as hazard pay during 2020 COVID. They force employees to stand in the rain, with the store poncho, and take orders. If guests complain, they’ll automatically take their side. They will sell you with their new hire orientation how wonderful the company is, but after about 2 months you’ll soon start to see the truth. After you are hired, you’ll have 4 whole days of training before they throw you into the work line. Most of the customers are great, but in true customer service fashion, occasionally there are a few rude people. You will learn minimal coffee knowledge. There are a few older loyal employees, who should have escaped long ago. In the past year alone, because the the company’s lack of decency, they’ve lost multiple dedicated workers they had for over 4+ years, and they made zero efforts in trying to right their wrongs. The owners disappeared last year in July and now they have several investors. Tips are decent.

I dont even know how to start this. The job itself is very fun and fast paced and I never ran into any issues regarding scheduling outside of my availability or anything of the sort. For the most part working for this company is fairly enjoyable, but don’t feel a need to overachieve or go above and beyond because trust me they do not care. They’ll treat you the same way as they treat the employees that call out or put in the bare minimum effort. The pay also doesn’t even begin to compensate for all the stress put on you, once they see that you’re good at a certain task you will ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be asked to do it. My best advice when working for this company is don’t do anything more than what you’re asked because you’ll just be taken advantage of. The coworkers are normally friendly and enjoyable to be around, but this company has a very high turnover rate so new employees are constantly being hired because once you’ve worked there for long enough they’ll have you training people when you’re not even given a raise for taking on 10x more work than what the job description calls for and everyone ends up getting burnt out. As I said before the people who go above and beyond in their job are taken advantage of yet receive no reward of any kind and are still treated like other employees that clearly don’t pick up the same amount of work. This a good summer job or short term but after about 5 months it gets really really old.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part was my coworkers. Management was so awful that it forced us to bond together and compile all the things they needed to change in our store just to get them to sort of listen to us.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Every food item and drink has to be completed in under a minute from when the customers order. We’re always pressured to upsell and suggest expensive seasonal items which makes the customer interaction feel ingenuine and money-hungry. Things like being one minute late or having a small design on a jacket will leave you with a write up or forced to wear no jacket even if it’s cold outside.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Sometimes it’s fun, assuming you’re friends with your coworkers. Other than that, it feels like you’re being watched all the time and berated for the smallest things.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
My store opens at 3:30am and those shifts are awful for our health. Some students can’t afford to be going to sleep at 7pm the night before just to get decent enough sleep to wake up in the middle of the night for work. When I work one of these shifts the day before and the day following is ruined by headaches and sleepiness, that’s how it feels most of the time.

My experience working at Better Buzz was one of the most frustrating and disappointing jobs I’ve ever had. At my location, my manager Austin created an environment that felt chaotic, unsupportive, and discouraging. When I tried to address concerns, I went to Jason, the district manager, and even escalated everything to HR. Despite all of that, nothing changed, and it felt like my concerns weren’t taken seriously at any level.

After talking with employees at other locations, it became clear that these issues aren’t just isolated to one store. The lack of support, accountability, and follow-through seems to be a pattern across the company. Because of this, I genuinely wouldn’t recommend working at any Better Buzz location. The culture and management structure made the job unnecessarily stressful, and employee well-being never felt like a priority.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 162 salaries reported	$18.64 per hour
Shift manager 109 salaries reported	$19.25 per hour
General manager 35 salaries reported	$32.43 per hour
District manager 5 salaries reported	$120,500 per year
Facilities manager 3 salaries reported	$80,000 per year

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