prep cook

server

dishwasher

line cook

expeditor

Columbia Restaurant Group

This is the worst restaurant many of us have experienced. There is one man in charge and there is no managerial structure. From day one, you are expected to dedicate your life to the restaurant. There is absolutely no work-life balance. They need you to have a completely open schedule every single week. This way, the man in charge can schedule you whenever he wants. Each week your schedule will be different from the last. You are unable to submit a preferred schedule or request consistent days off or work similar shifts each week. It is all at random. AND it's not easy at all to switch shifts. Never experienced that in a restaurant before. No simple Hotschedules switch. Having to call in or speak to a manager, and for it to not always be approved anyway, really makes no sense.
Next up, doubles are required. And you can expect to get a true 40 hr work week... as a server. It's crazy. Anyway, the doubles are bad. You waste a whole day there and they money isn't even worth it. Less than $100 is what's expected from the first half of your shift. It is quite common to make the same amount of money all day on a double that you could make in one evening shift. I never understood why there were so many doubles. I tried to talk to management about it a few times but was met with rage. I came with my money stats and my honest fatigue and inquired why we were scheduled so often when we didn't have the volume for it at the time. When I was hired and agreed to work doubles, I figured it would be necessary. Like, I'd be walking off doubles with 4,5,600 dollars because it would be so busy. But usually making less than $300 all day and having single nights where you make close to the same as all day is so draining. It never made sense to me why they weren't interested in scheduling us LESS and giving us the opportunity to make MORE money. I was met with pathetic answers like "that's just the way it is" or "this is how it has to be sometimes." WRONG. absolutely incorrect. That is bad management doing that to us and it can be easily avoided in the slow season and on slow days.
Another issue it that is consistently challenging to find a manager. Not only is this annoying when asking for a checkout, but it directly affects how you're able to take care of you guests. When food comes out of the kitchen wrong or something else upsets the guest, it feels impossible to find a manager. There's enough to do when you're a busy server, no one has the time to spend 5-10 minutes running around an enormous restaurant searching for a manager to mitigate a situation. You're better off trying to schmooze your guests over yourself. There's even been times I wasn't able to get a table a "special flan" (served on the house for birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) because I didn't have the time to find a manager. It's unfortunate when it's not your fault that you can't give your table the best experience you want to give them. It sucks when you have to make a sacrifice for one table in order to make sure the rest of your section continues to get the good service they deserve.
This restaurant is so money hungry that they don't care about their staff or their guests. They are so worried about getting as many people as possible in the restaurant that they lack quality and attention to detail. The server turnover rate is so high, and they never take that as a hint to change some things. Save yourself. Save your time and dignity and neve consider working at this restaurant.

One of the most stressful jobs ever. The host will triple seat you, but youre still expected to greet tables quickly as well as making salads, sangria pitchers, and mojito pitchers tableside, and pre bussing. Management claims they will be there to “help”, but the one time i asked i literally got laughed at. 2 particular managers are also extremely petty and disrespectful for no reason. They’ll complain about every little thing you do but when its busy they’re either on their phones or making things worse and losing food tickets, but yelling at you when you try to get your own tables order since miss girl is so disorganized there. Theres also no work life balance. They’ll have you work multiples doubles a week and you wont have a break. No wonder they’re constantly hiring. The money is good, but not worth the stress, disrespect, or the long hours. 

Working here will net you a middle of the pack teen per hour wage, and enough hours to make a decent paycheck during the pandemic. They don't Train you properly and the upper management for BOH and FOH are lazy. The schedules are rarely made properly to staff restaurant needs or run a business this size efficiently.  The kitchen will hire anybody, as long as it's a warm body...even if just barely. The amount of work you will have to do in order to earn your check throughout the weak with little training and minimal help isn't worth the pay.

I thought I had got on a great company. I mean it’s THE COLUMBIA right? As a manager I would reccomend that potential managers run away fast. I was not allowed to manage or discipline any of the older employess there due to “seniority” It was not uncomman for staff to cut themselves and give up tables when they felt like putting a stress on the staff  that was there to work. When issues were brought to the GM or the other FOH manager, it all fell on deaf ears. GM has been there forever and runs off quality emplyees (hourly & salaried). The higher ups see this but they turn a blind eye as well. It’s a horrible feeling to know one is doing a good job but no matter what you do, when you arrive for your shift you are belittled n front of not only other managers but hourly staff as well.

I won’t deny that the food was really good. But the managers only care for themselves and the guests and are trying too hard to be seen as the best restaurant. They don’t care about their employees, like they won’t tell them when they get off and when you start, the manager will likely write your schedule on a piece of paper then set you up for the online schedule which would end up being different. Then you miss a shift and they become quick to anger which is abusive and is a sin. You could have something planned for the next day then they’ll suddenly schedule you without asking if you’re free. I felt like a puppet when I was working there

The restaurant treats their employees like cash cows. With the Columbia Restaurant in Ybor being open 365 days a year, along with being one of the overall busiest restaurants in Tampa, employees there rarely have moments where they are not busy. However, management continues to add more workload to the staff's agenda, and they fail to properly compensate their employees for their hard work. Management is not on top of yearly pay reviews and are not often considerate about the well-being of their staff. It is likely that you will get extremely burnt out--both physically and mentally--from working there. 

While the owners of CRG are great people there are sadly some very bad managers that ruin the work experience there. While some of the managers are great and amazing there are a couple bad apples that ruin it all. Definitely a lot of favoritism that goes on there. For example, if you don't act flirty with one manager he will mess your schedule all around as almost a punishment.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Feels like family, love the environment.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
High volume work always busy, long hours and catering

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Family, friends and co workers

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Prep station, prep items, cook and clean

My typical day at work could not be better get to see the sunset every day, work with amazing and genuine people  own my a family that really cares about the community and their employees.

Im extremely lucky to had the experience to work for them i consider them my family.

This use to be a great place to work, but over the years that has changed. The company has clearly drifted away from the family-oriented culture it once had. Corporate complacency and profit-driven decisions now seem to outweigh integrity, accountability, and respect for employees. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Prep cook 23 salaries reported	$18.24 per hour
Server 5 salaries reported	$29.30 per hour
Dishwasher 11 salaries reported	$15.00 per hour
Line cook 8 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Expeditor 10 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour

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