sous chef

line cook

host/hostess

front of house manager

server

Bulla Gastrobar

I worked in management for this company, and while there were some positive aspects, my overall experience was frustrating and ultimately disappointing.

One of the most concerning experiences I had involved confidentiality and professionalism. While exploring other career opportunities, I applied to another company, which is my right as an employee. The head of HR at that company had previously worked for Bulla and informed Bulla’s HR Director that I had applied. Rather than keeping that information confidential and professional, it was shared with my managers and regional leadership. As a result, I was confronted about it and felt I was viewed differently afterward. The experience left me feeling that my privacy and professional autonomy were not respected.

Beyond that, there was a significant disconnect between corporate expectations and the reality of restaurant operations. Managers were constantly pressured to maintain extremely low labor costs while simultaneously being expected to deliver spotless restaurants, exceptional service, and strong guest satisfaction scores. When staffing levels were increased to meet operational demands, managers were reprimanded for labor costs. When staffing was reduced to satisfy labor targets, service, cleanliness, and employee morale inevitably suffered. It often felt like managers were being set up to fail.

Corporate leadership frequently seemed out of touch with the day-to-day challenges faced by restaurant teams. Instead of addressing resource shortages and operational obstacles, there was a heavy focus on metrics and compliance without providing the support necessary to achieve those goals.

For servers, the job can be worthwhile because the earning potential is good and the schedules can be favorable. However, in my experience, favoritism played a role in opportunities and treatment, which created an inconsistent work environment.

Overall, being a manager here can be incredibly draining. The expectations are high, the support is often lacking, and the pressure from upper management can make the role unsustainable long-term.

lets start from a good things about this place. 
It is an amazing place for spanish cuisine amd person who created this place knows what to do! I wish i could work there for longer time. I thought i could make a career there. But ...
I quit faster than i thought. Here is why : somone wrote that it is racist place. It is hard to prove but a lot people just hated me for no reason. Even my sales per person was high and managers knew about it and were telling me that i do good. They still did not like me. Not all but most Of them.  Supervisors do not care about seating the guests there are no even numbers in the end of the day. That brings whole sale and service of restaurant down. Cause one or two servers getting a lot table and they dont have time to deliver better service. And you kind need to be part of a team and do all the rest job without having a guests. And it will bring you lower sales. And the reason of any work is money. So i decided not to waste my time and quit. Cause management dont want to hear.(you just a server) when i was starting coversation about seating they did not want to hear me. As a manager you can change it trying to rotate the tables. Or find the way. But they did not want to talk about it. Hope this place will be better. 
But because they were so bad to me i was very very down after gave my 2 week notice and did not want to work it was very bad. 


I was at one point receiving so much overtime that I was forced into a promotion where my hours were exactly the same but now I was on a salary and was making significantly less on from an hourly perspective than before and even less than some low level cooks. I was forced to forfeit a quarterly bonus plus additional withheld bonuses from the previous year upon leaving. I walked away from around 7k in bonus pay because the job was simply not worth it. My home life began to crack. My relationships with nearly everyone outside of work fractured as a result of my long hours and general inability to relax and function as a regular person. This is an awful place where dreams go to die. The best part was that taking a low level position in a different company with more creative freedom and less required work hours immediately saw my annual salary jump by 13k. The corporate overlords are also overworked and their inability to support their staff and underlings is tearing that entire restaurant group apart. Everyone is stressed, everyone is underpaid. It all got really horrible in January of 2020.  Not sure what changed around that time but quality dropped off and profits became the emphasis is such a grotesque way, it can only be described as gouging.. gouging employees, prices, labor, hours, everything

I was the most recent Sales and Events Manager at the Plano location in Legacy West. I started in December of 2018 and resigned in March of 2020

This position was challenging but rewarding. Luckily the food is amazing and sells its self. Navigating a new market and introducing Spanish food to Tex mex lovers was the biggest hurdle. The corporate team is very involved and super supportive. There were some obstacles with scheduling due to time difference and work load. 

Although there was a lot of turnover, I ended my time with two amazing leaders. Both chef and the managing partner were dedicated and motivated to consistently improve. They were very patient with me and had an open mind when it came to unique marketing ideas and creative community events. They were also flexible with my schedule. Most of my time was networking with the community or outside sales. This position requires constant sales visits and strategic selling. 

It would be a great position for an entry level sales person because the commissions are limited due to size of the private spaces. But be prepared to work hard with a team who works twice as hard. 

I’m proud to be a Bulla alum and now a Bulla guest.

It’s not worth it. They start off telling you that “everything is a learning experience” and “we want you to grow with us”. That would be great if they meant a word of it. 

But the fact is they don’t. You basically have three strikes, unless it involves corporate. If a manager or chef or guests complain to corporate about you, you are out of the door as quick as possible. 

The GM at their newest location greeted his staff for the first time with, and this is a direct quote, “I get the pandemic has brought about a lot more work for us. But if you think it’s too much, I have a stack of applications for people who are willing to take your place. 

Management is less than nonexistent. When I parted with the company, one of their front of house managers found out about a job interview I had the following week, and texted me saying “I’ll get you fired there before you even start. 

All in all it’s a waste of time with no real room for growth or error. 

Business professional. 
Each day was a new task; developing menus, BEO's, and customizing banquet rooms to the guests specifications. 

The educational opportunities mainly applied to the kitchen side of the restaurant. Communicating with the Chef's and General Manager about having enough inventory on hand for each individual event.

The workplace culture is a traditional restaurant environment with availability to accommodate private dining requests, both inside and outside.

Opportunities to advance were created for those who were willing to relocate. Corporate level management cared for each employee but, they were hardly ever in venue. (Based out of Miami)

Cannot say enough about this establishment. The food is exceptional and atmosphere is laid back and fun. As long as you can uphold a lively and professional demeanor and adhere to the rules and high expectations you will love it. Pay is not just competitive but they set the bar. Advancement is always available for those who try and are hard working. Your efforts will never go unnoticed. Management is the best around and the owner is one of the nicest people you will ever have the pleasure of meeting. Both management and owners make very good business decisions. Very highly recommend working here, you will not regret it. You will look forward to going to work everyday and leave each shift happy as can be and with a pocket full of money.

Work-life balance
It's a great place to work it's a family and actually care about you as a person and care that your okay outside of work.

Pay & benefits
They notice when you put in extra work and reward you for your hard work

Job security and advancement
If you want to learn they will teach you so you can advance

Management
They're caring and notice your work

Culture
Its very comfortable and people are helpful

Overall
Love working with the people always taken care of and treated like family not a slave a family expesh when you don't have any family members outside of work very fast pace everyone works together and teamwork makes the dream work and that shows everyday at work.

Pretentious Kitchen, may as well be a robot. The lifestyle is horrible and unless you want to be abused, always running with high adrenaline and walking on egg shells the entire time you're there; well this is the place for you.

Now, that being said: The menus, food preparation, aesthetics of plating and flavor profile is smart. Yes, the food is well thought out and intelligent. It looks amazing and tastes as such. When I opened Winter Park location the first 7 months were bliss! Unfortunately, it was the lazy and arrogant management that made me excuse myself from the Centurion Restaurant group.

Definitely has a lot of character and in a great location but overall since COVID, the management team has had high turnover resulting in an inconsistent and incohesive work environment. On the positive side, they are generally very accommodating and understanding (maybe too much so). However, there is a lot of disorganization and in my belief, upper/ corp management has a good hand as well in the decline of the culture they try to promote. They seem to care more about profits than the overall stability of the work place. Still a good place to make steady money without much work to actually put in compared to many restaurants

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sous chef 30 salaries reported	$63,917 per year
Line cook 25 salaries reported	$18.26 per hour
Host/hostess 8 salaries reported	$16.06 per hour
Front of house manager 7 salaries reported	$60,429 per year
Server 6 salaries reported	$28.33 per hour

Working at Bulla Gastrobar: Company Overview and Reviews

Bulla Gastrobar

Bulla Gastrobar Ratings

Popular jobs at Bulla Gastrobar

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected