restaurant manager

assistant restaurant manager

cook

crew member

manager in training

Cook Out Restaurants

My first day seemed okay. I trained on the grill and the manager worked alongside me for about two hours and then left me to work alone because I seemed pretty good. But after the rest of the 10 hour shift and only two quick breaks 5-10 minutes, I had been in grill all day with no mention of food or a lunch break. After my shift was over, I was kept for another hour just standing meeting the DM. Which came late because it was not communicated to him that Manager trainees were there. 

My second day I went back to grill and after 5 hours there with an employee training me, I was ready to come off grill and learn something else. I was told I had to go back to grill even though I'd passed the grill test and was good enough to be left alone. So I went back to grill and worked until I had to tell them I needed food. I ate quickly and went back to the grill. I was a Co Manager Trainee and in my interview was told I could move to another station if I was ready. I mentioned this but was told I had to stay there for a week. So I followed orders. Employees were running in the kitchen and one person almost fell on the grill face first. Another ASM ate while running around to different stations working.. which is a health code violation. That same Manager went in the freezer with a female employee which I felt was unprofessional bc it was a social meeting and seemed very flirtatious. This ASM which I felt should've been training me majority of the time, since he actually told me he'd be training me which he didn't, but he came and questioned me about things on the grill which was nice. Nice to feel like I was learning something or getting some feedback but that was short lived. At the end of my 10 hour shift, I was lost at what to do. I asked the Manager if I was to go home as it seemed busy and the response was to leave whenever. So I stayed for another half hour and was thanked because, as the manager said, "some would just leave after their shift is over". Pardon me but after 10 hours and no lunch break and my shift is over and you don't communicate, HECK YES I'm ready to leave but I stayed. 

My 3rd day I was completely drained. My eyes were blood shot, fingers were numb from flames on the grill and yet again worked 6 hours under extreme heat on the grill and again no break and no mention of a break soon. Employee calling orders used so much profanity it became hard to even understand what I was being asked for food order wise. I shared the grill with an employee showing me what to do but realized he did everything different and even things he wasn't supposed to do, like touch onions to the grill. Burgers were sloppy and everything was messy. But he was supportive and friendly and didn't get mad when I told him things he was doing wrong. Then excused myself on my own since breaks were not clear to me and I went outside to catch my breath and eat. The manager coming on didn't say hi and didn't welcome me back but said, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AT 11. To which I explained I was here at 10:45 and had been on grill all day. The DM there was very demanding and I'm sure people do as he's told. However, too big of an ego and does not work well at encouraging employees and uses scare tactics. Not a fan, sorry. Hearing more coaching and encouragement would be nicer as the team worked very hard and actually worked better the days prior without his presence. 

I firmly believe in going by the book and I believe in rules, clarity, and communication. All of which are critical in running a smooth business. There are state laws against not scheduling breaks. Standing in front of a grill with flames and temps over a hundred degrees for 10 hours is not necessary. I was fine with 6-8 hours. I'm not a machine though keep in mind. If it's necessary on a day that someone calls out and I NEED to be there for 10 hours straight as an ASM to run my shift then YES, I get it done. There are several employees working and training MITS should not mean you wear your MITS out in two days. This is fast paced, EXTREMLY HOT and the length in hours with no breaks is a health hazard. 

Being trained on healthcode violations,  I'll say that though I wasn't afraid to eat the food, I was shocked to see so much food safety dangers and employee safety at risk. Drink station needs to be set up for employees because it is very hot in the back near the fryer and the grill. Employees are subjected to putting personal drinks near cleaners and tucked in places that get very dirty. Or anywhere the can and after several hours no one can tell who's drink is who's. Sanitizing is not happening as it should be and raw meat and chicken are handled all day. This became frightening to me after I realized I didint see this happening in my few days there. 

I felt setup for failure based on the way my shifts went and the lack of communication and training by the managers. 
This is just my experience and opinion. Cookout employees for the most part work very hard and the location I worked seemed very friendly the first day. The second day was more relaxed behavior and as a Manager in training, I shouldn't have been trained by any employee other than another manager (Which there were enough managers that it shouldn't have been a problem). My 3rd and final day with the DM there running the shift was probably the worst organization and communication, not to mention employee moral and positivity. People on the line work the hardest and are working under extreme heat. 

With that being said, maybe the rest of the experience would've been just fine. But with the lack of communication and organization, I highly doubt it. I had maybe 2 hours of actual side by side training with an actual manager in the 26 hours I was on the clock. MIT Training train wreck.

-Very clearly portrays what it is like to be employed by a company that is growing very quickly with a small (very unorganized) over-head, and extremely shady/outdated management tactics. This helps in a sense of knowing what to look at/ask for up front when future career opportunities arise.

-Thanks to the food and low price point, Cook Out's reputation within the South East precedes their not so well-known tyrannical corporate structure. So to others who have not experienced the treachery that is being one of their employees, having worked for the company does look good on a resume.

-Senior management has the company’s success and best interest in mind, just at the expense of every single employee beneath them.

**Having worked for the company, and having been one of the individuals who received the message being asked to do so (still saved on my phone), I can honestly tell you that almost every single positive review that has been posted before today's date is falsified by a current employee, in management's attempt to help the company's image by raising the overall review average.

- Just the classic scenario of a company initially established by a hardworking father with good moral standards and intentions, that was handed off to the son on a silver platter. Now you get to watch as he, and a handful of like-minded individuals try to expand the company as quickly as possible, making terrible (uneducated) business decisions along the way. Their arrogance, lack of respect, and stubborn attitudes are exactly what will eventually force Cook Out into going public.

-They will sell you the dream up front (i.e. competitive pay (mostly constructed as bonus or profit sharing,* this is important),  advancement opportunity, schedule flexibility, overtime, etc.), and then right after the position is accepted, they will gradually (or immediately) add on several other job "responsibilities" that were not initially agreed to (without any additional compensation).

- Absolutely nothing they promise or tell you is written out on paper as a formal agreement- not the pay structure, job description, criteria needed to obtain bonuses, etc. The only things you will see on paper up front are the employment application, and the background check that *YOU* are required to pay for ($20). In being vague, (amounts are always given in ranges, or by saying “up to”) and by having no paper trail, there is zero evidence that can be used against senior management when they decide to modify your conditions (i.e. pay changes, not giving a bonus, adding on job responsibilities, etc.), or not come through with what was initially stated upon being hired.

- Emotionally abusive work environment- meaning that for a "Christian based company," most senior management individuals are fantastic at making the employees feel completely worthless, no matter what their position title is, or stature. Bringing up any topic or situation you may feel to be unfair is never an option, unless you want to get chewed up and spit out, or passed off to someone else. Positive reinforcement is not a practice at Cook Out, as the belief seems to be that people will slack off if told they are doing a great job. It is by far one of the most contradicting scenarios to ever be a part of, especially when almost every individual working there practices the Christian faith (knowing how others should be treated), or started out as a loyal customer with respect for the brand, and the statements printed on the cups. It is not uncommon to be told multiple times how "dumb, stupid, or disappointing" an infrequent, common mistake is, and they also like to make it very clear that at any given moment in time, any employee can very easily be replaced. So, if you enjoy working for a company where management is reasonable, caring, or understanding, and you also like job security … Cook Out is not going to be the right fit.

- The constant negative reinforcement, and mandatory work load eventually takes its toll on most employees, and their families. From store level management, all the way up the corporate ladder, the work week will range between 50-90 hours. Combine living at a store or in the car, getting very little sleep, never getting to see family/spouses/or your children, traveling, with making less money than what was promised, and having to drop whatever is going on outside of work (once there finally is free time) to immediately fulfill upper management's request (out of fear of being fired)…You see where I am going, but this puts an extremely unhealthy amount of stress on any individual.

- Not really open to hearing any type of constructive criticism, ideas, or input on the company’s current processes. If any proposed ideas are taken into consideration, they will initially be brushed off, and then resurface weeks later with credit being taken by senior management.

- Management will very quickly try to accuse, or place blame on individuals they feel indifferent about. Their favorite game to play is asking a lot of questions they already know the answers to, in hopes of catching someone in a lie. They are really great at micro-managing your every move, and trying to hold everyone else, besides themselves, to the highest possible level of accountability.

- Unrealistic time frames given to complete a project or task.

The only reason I would suggest applying here is if you're the type to try to work as many hours as you can, because the management will let you work 80+ hours if you want, though new hires generally don't get to pick which shifts they work. In addition, the crew itself is nice to work with generally.

The problems come from the management, at essentially every level, from the lowest level of manager, to the store manager, all the way up to the owner of the company. At the highest levels, they constantly make arbitrary changes to policies and practices which accomplishes nothing but confusing crew members. The district manager occasionally overrides these rules as he sees fit, unless one of his bosses visits, which further exacerbates the issue. For example, the amount of vanilla wafers we're supposed to put in milkshakes has changed from 10 to 12 and back so many times I'm not even sure what it's supposed to be currently. Also, the crew is actually taught to overcharge customers on certain items. The best example is the chili dog, which is $1.59 on the menu but we're told to ring it up in a way that charges $1.75, just to make a little extra money, in the hopes customers wont notice. 

Meanwhile, all the general manager and lower managers care about are sales numbers and service times. They will often refuse to break out the staff, regardless of how long their shift is, if doing so will jeopardize their numbers. They will also try to put the blame of bad sales on the crew rather than themselves or even the crew leaders.

Additionally, they do not give out raises or promotions fairly, some people will rise to crew leader within a year and make $1 or more per hour than everyone else, and then others can work there for years and count themselves lucky if they get a quarter raise more than once per year and generally get little credit when sales numbers are good. Not that crew leaders are bad at their job when they do show up on time, but there are several regular crew members who do the same if not better work, in addition to working there longer than some crew leaders, which underlines how much favoritism is at play.

Some crew leaders are often late or a no-call no-show, but don't have raises or promotion taken from them, and are generally let off the hook entirely due to how the managers view them as essential and irreplaceable. Regular crew members will have hours, raises, or their job taken from them much more easily. 

As for the work itself, if you live in a college town or busy city, expect a constant stream of cars that never really ends. It's great if you don't like being bored at work, but it's generally stressful and unrewarding. Breaks are 30 minutes long, once per day, regardless if you're working 12+ hours, and if you're short staffed you can expect to not even get that. Expect to be called on your days off and asked to work extra time regularly, but face stiff resistance if trying to call in sick, even if giving notice a day prior. I've had managers try to coerce me into working with a fever, a cold, or the flu, not caring that I could get half the town sick.

Also, mold and general filth was rampant at my store, and it's a wonder that the health score is as high as it is. Managers are generally complacent about it unless there is a health inspection expected.

If you do work for Cook-Out, I would suggest looking for another job if the manager doesn't seem interested in giving you raises in a fair and timely manner. They will tell you whatever you want to hear to get a few more months out of you without giving you the pay you deserve.
I can only speak for the store I worked at, in the Wilmington area, but I have my doubts that store just happened to be much worse than other Cook-Outs.

In short, avoid working here. There are other similar jobs that have much better management and practices. The ability to work all the overtime you want is nice, but it isn't very difficult to find a better job.

Everything you hear about how bad it is to work for this company is true. I was very excited to start at this company because it was a fresh new beginning for me. The hiring manager who interviewed me lied to me about multiple things including pay, hours, as well as how the company operates. This is the most unorganized company I have ever worked for nobody knows what’s going on not even the dm. My first day of training was at the worst performing store in the whole region and on top of that the dm and gm didn’t even know they had a new manager starting at their own store. The current managers are all just as young as I am (18-22) but they all have the mind of children. Every single one of them was buddy buddy with the employees horsing around with them throwing food at each other and just screwing around all shift. Uniforms and food safety do not exist here either. Nobody was wearing a hat so potential hair could have gotten in every meal and nothing ever got labeled as well as hold times not being followed. That doesn’t sound too bad though compared to how bad it gets. There is one book in the store that has very vague info on how to do everything. It was obviously written by the owners who seemingly have very little kitchen experience based on the info in the book. Basically you just “wing it”. Nothing is ever done exactly the same twice because nobody knows how to do anything. I was supposed to be hired on as AGM but was mislead and had to start as an hourly manager which was fine until they treated me like a run in the mill crew member. They had a 16 year old train me and his answer to my questions were “I don’t know” or “eh probably”. You can do everything in the kitchen with your bare hands and nobody would blink an eye but don’t be a few minutes late or forget to print out a voided ticket. You’ll get fired for that. This is worse than any mom and pop place you have ever worked at. Nothing is how it goes and every thing in the store is on paper. Usually that wouldn’t matter to anyone who is a decent manager except these managers didn’t have any organization whatsoever so you weren’t able to locate anything you needed to. I was overly qualified for this position and it actually was a demotion for me but I took it because of the lies the hiring manager had told me. They have weekly pay, for crew member. I wasn’t hired on to be a crew member but was told I’d get weekly pay. Not such a big deal but it’s so many little things that just add up. If you think it’s bad where you are at now and you are looking to jump ship, continue looking skip past this get rich quick scheme. They say they’ll pay you a bunch of money and maybe they will. But is it worth sacrificing every moment of your free time as well as running every station yourself due to the lack of ability from employees? Not at all. Stay away from this terrible company. I wouldn’t even eat here again after seeing the things they do in the back. And I’ve been in multiple kitchens and full service restaurants with less than okay health ratings and they still do better than this sorry company.

I started as an employee at cookout when I was still in high school, it was my first job, ended up getting promoted to management about 7 months later. The working environment is incredibly fast paced and can be a lot of fun if you’re with the right people. The only issue is, as a manager, you can expect to work 10-13 hour shifts without a break, on your feet for the majority of it. You will be scheduled for roughly 53 hours a week, and probably end up working 55-60 (coming in early on an open to make sure you have time to put up your truck, staying late to do prep, closing taking longer than expected, etc.). Coming in as a manager, you will be in a MIT period for 90 days, where you will be trained on the ins and outs of both running stations and managing by the General Manager of your store. Starting pay is $12/hr for management, and if you’re running your own stable, good shifts after your 90 days is up, you can likely expect to be put on salary ($1800/2 weeks to start) within a few months. I won’t lie, it’s an easy job in premise, but it’s very hard work. If you’re in a busy store, expect to be working 12 hours straight without sitting down or getting a break whatsoever, constantly running around, moving food, coaching, and managing. However, if you can handle that 5 days a week (also, expect 2 off days a week), then you will be compensated very well for your work. Especially in the QSR industry, the pay is highly competitive. You can and will have a lot of fun and make a lot of friends in this job. My former GM is one of my best friends, and I’ve made tons more along the way. I can’t even count all of the good memories I have with this place. Long hours, hard work, but it all pays off in the end, in more ways the one. I’m writing this now just after getting home from my last day at Cook Out and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. But there are a few more things you should know. 

1) As a MIT, listen to your employees. You might wear the collar, but you still need to learn Cook Out. They know what they’re doing, and they will help you if you let them. 

2) If you have a family, especially young children, very carefully consider rather or not this is for you. The hours are consistent, but the schedule is not. You will not work the same shifts on the same days every week, and this along with fatigue can hurt home life. 

3) Remember that your employees are people too. They have lives, thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, etc. Don’t be too quick to judge them or punish them. Not everything is about the bottom line. Team building is incredibly important at Cook Out. Don’t run numbers, run a business. 

In the end, this job is what you make of it. If you dwell on the negatives you'll hate it, and if you don’t, and you just run your shift, and enjoy what you can of it, you’ll have a great time. 

To Cook Out, thank you for all of the opportunities, memories, and friendships you’ve given me. 
To potential future managers, good luck and have fun.

If you want to work somewhere consistently busy and fast paced it is very much that. The hours though can be grueling and many stores are open as late as 4am, so as a closer its very possible to be leaving at 6am. The heiarchy and Management often do very little to assist their stores other than come and grade them but when help is needed it is very rarely the highest up who come and assist, ex: GM and DM. They do offer appreciation pay for Managers who exceed their required hours but you will often find with the amount of work and effort you are putting in it still feels inadequate. This is a difficult job to find a Work/Life balance with as your schedules are very inconsistent and you may get off at 6am on a tuesday, be off Wednesday and then open Thursday at 7am which realisically really only gives you maybe 10-12 hours of an actual day off. If you essentially want to be 100% committed to work and have no obligations outside of it then you can probably find moderate successs with this company, but even something as simple as owning a dog can be difficult when you are gone for 10-14 hours a day. They had a bonus structure with quarterly bonuses based on store performance but recently changed that to Month to Month bonuses but reality is that it is definitely a shady change as you will not see a monthly bonus in the excess of $100. Basically there bonus structure went from about $4-6k a year in bonuses to maybe $1k. They do offer 401k and do have Health Benefits which are decent. Not of the highest quality but there premium health benefit package is decent. Overall expect to work long hours, be tired consistently, have little help from Management outside of your in store Managers with the exception of the General Managers often. They tend to view their responsibility as just walking around and making sure everyone is busy. As stated you will have a difficult work/life balance and often times will feel burnt out and dissatisfied with the money you are making for such a difficult schedule to work around. Realistically if you are looking for a simple cook job i would reccomend other QSR locations or even being a Line Cook at an actual sit down or fine dining restaurant as you will be better compensated. If you are looking for Management definitely look into other restaurants or retail positions as you will most likely work more favorable hours and probably have a better bonus structure in place. Cookout definitely envisions itself as a more upscale Fast Food and that is how the District and Regional Managers will grade your store but the reality is that Cookout is definitely a more low end cheap fast food option and those are the type of customers you will be dealing with. Often rude and entittled but obviously this can vary from location to location. 

My first day the manager told me to go to a cash register with a coworker. the coworker was not prepared to work with me. She helped me the best she could while doing her job but it’s not her job to train me. There were 3 managers in on my first day and not a single one trained me on what to do nor helped me. The second day I came in I asked the manager where do i go & he didn’t give me an answer so I asked my coworkers. I went to a register & I realized I needed a number to login I asked EVERY MANAGER that was in that day for A number so I can start work they sent me on a wild goose chase and didn’t give me a number. So I was confused, annoyed and just stood in a corner watched & waited on directions. The managers saw me standing waiting and didn’t say anything to me. I didn’t know what to do. I went up to the he/she manager and asked it to train me on the milkshakes she said “nahh I can’t really train you but there’s a list right there to show you what to do” I checked the list it didn’t give any clear instructions on how much to put in each cup it just said what goes in it. There were no instructions on how to use their machines. I didn’t want to mess up the shakes & mess up the flow so I went back to the register. The managers were being distant and unprofessional with me.
 It was a huge waste of time. I made 1 mistake on my second day at the cash register due to lack of training. that was the FIRST time a manager actually MANAGED me and told me what I’m doing wrong and how to fix it. I took their advice and they got all defensive & started claiming I was having an attitude. A co worker she told me they expect you to know how to do the job & that if you mess up they yell at you, she was 100% correct. If you’ve worked at fast food restaurant & understand what’s needed then go ahead. If you’ve never worked fast food don’t waste your time here they won’t train you and will yell at you if you mess up. The male manager  inappropriately touched my back pocket and told me to put my phone away I NEVER touched my phone when I worked & it was in my back pocket I didn’t see why he was looking so hard nor why he had to touch me but I shrugged it off because that was the most any of the managers said to me all day. I’ve never dealt with managers this unprofessional before they need new managers at this location before I recommend anyone working here. I wanted to quit on my first day but I wanted to see this job through at least for a week. I was ready to learn and progress at this restaurant. It’s a shame all my potential was wasted.

It's an 'ok' job so far. I'm being trained fairly well. It's just they get overwhelmed & end up making it harder on the new person by being on your back 24/7. You need to work at a normal pace and increase your speed over time after learning. They can't expect someone to learn things when they're barking things out at you every 5 seconds and not giving you a chance to speak. I've worked fast food, but it was different. I'm not used to "call outs" I know my call outs but it's hard to remember to do that and try to be super fast especially only a few days in. 

Give someone time to actually learn. I promise you won't go out of business. Geeze. Other than that though, most people have been pretty nice and the training is not so bad, I'd just say after yesterday, kinda back off a little and let me have time to say and do things! I think it'll get better over time, but it's hard to do things when someone is telling you things you already know and not giving you time to say them all the while expecting you to go super fast and you're only a few days in and have only worked a few hours for the few days each day especially at lunch time! Let me learn. I learned my call outs within not even a day of gettting my call out sheet. I think that's pretty dang good. I'm TRYING so if I make a tiny mistake,forgive me I'm not used to having to call out things in the middle of someone's order. I'm used to punching in what they want and don't want, it shows up on the screen, and people just make it. It's not like regular fast food, it's a bit different and takes some getting used to. 

Let me work a slower shift to get used to it more throwing me in the middle of "lunch rush" on my first few days and expecting me to be perfect is silly! UGH! I'm trying not to get discouraged, but geeze! I try to be understanding that sometimes everyone gets overwhelmed, because trust me it can get overwhelming, I know! But, cut me a little slack here. I'm new, I'm learning, and I TRY. Which is gonna be hard to do if people aren't giving me a chance. Super frustrating. But like I said, all in all, it's an okay place to work, I just think when you train people it's best to let them learn and not be on their back like you're gonna go out of business if your time is up a little bit or there's no tomato on a burger by accident. Life will go on and it'll be okay. Being on my back and not allowing me to learn peacefully is going to probably going to slow my efficiency down. That makes it MORE stressful. Just saying.

Thank you for reading.

Fun work, but too much of it. Upper management is very unprofessional, and will let you know if you're not doing well enough. However, they will rarely praise a job well done. Expectations are not clear up front. They'll expect to be your life. You will have no life. If that works for you, then you'll do well. Training is usually neglected. Sometimes they'll start to stress it for a month or so. Very inconsistent. Oh and they also make you take written exams, like school. Also, they will correct and criticize you in front of everyone (as well as behind your back), and if they ever to express praise or appreciation, they will do it in private, completely backwards.

You'll come in at 7am to open and get off at 6pm if you're lucky. If everything is not done, no one will help you. You'll have to stay until 7 or 8pm. For closing, you'll come in at 4-4:30pm and get off once everything is finished, around 4:30am or later, no earlier than 5:30am on weekends.

They hate cell phones, and will threaten to fire you immediately if you bring one on their property. All phone must stay in your hot car if you work during the day. They require men to be clean shaven every day. No stubble is permitted. Ladies aren't allowed nose rings and hair must be up off the shoulders.

Don't work here unless you like being ruled over, tortured, and taken advantage of. If you want to use this company to get ahead or advance in your career, they make a good stepping stone for inexperienced managers, as you don't run the store, the district manager (DM) does. You'll be required to call your DM several times per shift and give an updated. When you do, be prepared to give an explanation of anything that's not perfect, even if you're all working on it.

I've worked at cookout for a couple years and it's almost always a fast pace kind of job on a good day. As a cashier, you work with the lobby cash registers and  drive-thru's.  Your responsibilities/ expectations are to make sure you give back correct change, take out all trash from building when need be, clean out all trash from the parking lot, scrub the area where you bring trash outside on sundays, scrub curbs of drive-thru's every morning, and cleaning the lobby when asked. In my time of working here, I've worked for 2 general managers and the first one had giving me 2 raises within 6 months (started at $7.50 for training and 6 months later had 2 raises that brought me to $8.00 an hour). Once the first general manager had been advanced to district manager the new general manager took over. When the new manager took over, I've been stuck at $8.00 an hour for 2 years. For paid vacation, that is every 1 year. (You can request 1 week off a year later on the day you have been hired). At first I thought the paid vacation would be ore than what I received  (every week I would typically get around $180-$200+ with 25+ hours but from that 1 week vacation that you have to wait a year for, I only got $95 and waiting a year just to have a short vacation for $95 ain't worth jack). Also you get 30 minute breaks and you get half off on food only during breaks. If you want to take food home it will cost full price. Food is only half off if your on break, no other times. Also at this place, rules change all the time whether it being charged full price for a cup which used to be free or no longer being able to eat in the lobby during break because it supposedly disturbs the customers and makes them feel "uncomfortable " instead you eat at a different location during break or eat in the back where all the food, boxes, and trash lay P.S. there are no chairs to use unless you want to sit on a broken stool or a small step ladder.

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