general manager

assistant general manager

restaurant manager

shift manager

assistant manager

Del Taco

I have worked at 5 different stores and depending on where you work, the job can be too much to not enough. Very inconsistent teaching styles, the “Del Taco” way is almost never reinforced, and managers are usually undertrained and not qualified to lead a team. The pay is hardly decent for a hardworking employee for the amount of tasks and situations you have to deal with and there’s rarely an evaluation for a chance to receive a raise.

Hardly any rude customers unless you don’t have good customer services skills or don’t know what you’re doing. 

An average employee usually works part time or less, so you need to excel in all areas otherwise you will be looked over. Can hardly call off one day (the right way) without upper management feeling like it’s a personal attack and cutting your hours entirely. But if you are a very good and vital employee you have promised hours.

Night shifts/overnight/3rd shifts are either very under appreciated, unsupported, lackluster, or unheard. Del Taco provides extra pay for working overnight shifts, but the transition to such from the prior shift is very awkward and pressuring- it always is. Night shifts are usually loaded and seemingly understaffed. 

Morning shifts are usually easy, calm, and straightforward. It’s very competitive to receive that shift and they usually have set people and a set schedule almost all the time.

A typical day at work is steady with customers, some problems to deal with as a manager normally, laid-back and productive. 

I learned most of my material from their book and computer, and hardly relied on teachings from a manager, as it was usually outdated or unorthodox. Being that of fully cross-trained team member to an assistant manager, I learned vital company policies and teaching styles that helped reinforce employees ways of learning and retention.

Management is like a mystery box, you really don’t know who you will get. They can be very strict and threaten you with write-ups, or very lenient and caring/understanding, to downright unreasonable, unruly, or lost. 

The culture itself is supposed to be family oriented, but it’s usually watch what you say and be quiet rather than politely converse.Its  extremely rare for any gatherings or incentives, for fun in or out of work. 

The hardest part of the job is juggling your tasks with your team to figure out who does what, and dealing with rude customers while emphasizing a low time for drive-thru.

The most enjoyable part of the job is that it’s usually fast-paced, so time goes by quickly. With the right team, it’s very lively, supporting, and engaging. 

Pros: 
- Full-time provides Medical/Dental/Eye, 401k and retirement plan benefits
- Decent pay
- No background check required

Cons: 
- No promise for hours
- stressful/anxiety-inducing
- favoritism
-  No real way for raises except promotions

​-A Typical Day at Work-
​Managing a high volume of orders with a smaller crew, which requires mastering every station—from the grill to the window. Breaking down the fryers, scrubbing the grills, and sanitizing the prep tables to meet strict food safety standards. Staying alert and providing friendly service to a diverse late-night crowd, often being the only person at the window representing the brand.

​-What You Learned-
​I developed a high level of operational multitasking. I learned that efficiency isn't just about moving fast; it’s about 'aces in their places'—knowing how to communicate with your team so the kitchen flows smoothly. I also gained significant experience in food safety protocols and how to de-escalate stressful situations with customers to ensure they leave satisfied.

​-Management-
​Management at Del Taco is very hands-on. Because it’s a fast-food environment, the best managers are the ones 'in the trenches' with the crew during a lunch rush. Success here depends on clear communication from shift leads regarding goal times (Total Experience Time) and their ability to keep the team motivated when the drive-thru line is wrapped around the building.

​-Workplace Culture-
​The culture is fast-paced and collaborative. You quickly form a bond with your coworkers because you’re all working toward the same goal: keeping the 'timer' green. It’s a diverse environment where everyone relies on each other. If one person falls behind on the grill, the whole line slows down, so there’s a strong sense of 'team-first' accountability.

​-The Hardest Part of the Job-
​The most challenging aspect is maintaining quality and friendliness during extreme peak hours. When you have a high volume of complex orders and a line of cars waiting, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Staying calm, focused, and meticulous about food portions while the clock is ticking is definitely the hardest skill to master.

​-The Most Enjoyable Part of the Job-
​The most rewarding part is the 'flow' of a perfectly executed rush. There’s a great sense of accomplishment when the team handles a massive wave of customers efficiently without any errors. Plus, interacting with 'regulars' who come in specifically for the fresh-made ingredients makes the customer service aspect feel much more personal.


At times I did like working here. Customers were nice and the employees were nice as well at times. Managers we're not as strict with all employees to make sure they got their job done properly. Stressful environment for myself as it was my first job and I did not really like social interaction. But being as it is a communication job, for me it helped me open up more with people and become more personable. There needs to be more people on cash registers. Better communication between the cooks and cashier's. Keeping up with cleaning duties while also having customers come in is a nightmare. Especially because most of the time the managers prioretized helping the drive thru rather than the one person on the front. Mostly managers working than actual employees. Many employees got little work the least being 2 hours and then being told to just go home. If your going to give someone only 2 hours and then tell them to go home when they're already there, just call them before they come in so they don't waste time getting there. Training of newly hired employees was basically being put on the front with no experience and not alot of help from another employee who's also running something else and can't help you out alot. Managers basically did not help until asked. Why would you put someone that has no experience on their first day in front of customers when they don't even know the menu or what is in the food. And so you basically feel like you are annoying the people around you and that you're an idiot constantly asking for help because they don't train you until the new store that you're going to be working at opens. One manager kept telling me within my first week of having no experience or sense of all the tasks that I need to have done by my clock out time, that I needed to manage my time better. Well if someone made sure that they put trained employees on the clock I would know what to do in a more efficient time so please don't hound.

a typical day at del taco involves you carrying out your job. i was almost always positioned on taco bar with long hours ranging from 11am to 9pm, no breaks unless it was really slow or if you were a minor. 

To say the least, taco bar, drive threw, prep, just the whole place in general is stressful. A majority of the time i was there, we were understaffed most days. 

When rushes hit and we got busy real fast it was difficult to keep up with making orders for both drive and inside, not to mention we had a timer goal set by corporate or who ever that we had to be constantly on our toes of, most of the time not reaching the goal and exhausting yourself mentally and physically in the process. Some days we'd be busy all day. 

I felt so bad somedays because there would be customers in the lobby who'd end up waiting ten to fifteen minutes for they're order while we were trying to tackle these huge monster orders in drive threw.

I rarely got days off unless i talked to management about scheduling me for less hours, and even then it'd be about 2 days off for the next week or two and then the schedule would go right back to painfully long days and weeks with only a day to rest.

On days that i requested off, sometimes for medical or personal reasons, or even just for a bit of a break, i remember being called and asked to come in, feeling guilty if i didn't cuz i knew how stressful that place gets.

Oh, and a lot of people liked to call off at the location i worked at. I could understand why, but it just made it stressful for others scheduled that day, and it wasn't fair to them. 

I learned fast food isnt for me, it sucks as a career.

management was okay for the most part. The managers were easy going relateable and understanding people, and a majority of them were nice to work with.

The hardest part of the job is pushing yourself to keep working there and putting up with the small yet huge expectations they have.

the only enjoyable part of working there was the coworkers. we had a good team bond.

i don't recommend this place to anyone unless you need the money.

I worked here for a while, I liked working here at first because it was so close to my home and the hours were good. However, management will tempt you with the shift manager position, which states that the position has flexible hours. As a student I accepted because I go to school full time. They will then go back on their word and say that shift managers have to have open availability and also change your schedule/reduce hours etc. without talking to you first or at least letting you know. They completely disregard school schedules/ any sort of life outside of work such as family or another job and expect you to work shifts that you can’t work. Also had some coworkers tell me that they informed them that they could not work certain days because they had another job, BUT they still scheduled her those same days that she said she couldn’t work. So they completely disregard anything you say about your schedule. Management will also make you feel bad for requesting off or calling in sick. Some coworkers are very kind and helpful, while others can come off as unfriendly and even cliquey. Management also openly displays favoritism. They hardly ever let new hires work or give them a chance to work, simply because they don’t have the patience to train new people. They also make you feel stupid when you ask questions.  There aren’t enough people, especially managers, so we are constantly short staffed. Despite this, corporate still expects us to make time in the drive thru. Overall, I think that they need to hire more people, promote more people to shift managers, keep their word and treat everyone fairly. I would not have quit if they did not start interfering with my school schedule/ going back on their word about flexible hours. 

- Working with a Great Boss (GM) is all worth while

-Del Taco is not a bad place to work, but it is a place for a beginner who's really interested in building a good resume, in any skills necessary , and provided. 

-Starting from the bottom and working my way up to the top has discipline me, in how to interact with others, how to show that your in control and yet not be rude, possibly on getting some respect, but at the end, it kinda just changes you ,and humbles you , to make you realize that you've come to serve and not to be served. The most important reason would be to figure out who your serving. If your trying to serve yourself by being a Shift Manager, your only going to hurt yourself, because you can never really accomplish that goal, whether with employees, or even with guests, all you can do is your best. 
- To be in a fast food business you have to humble yourself , to where it actually hurts, because that where the discipline is. 
- your coworkers will always give you problems no matter what, its what you make our of the situation that becomes a problem, if you don't humble yourself. Remember you've come to serve, and not to be served. 

- the most enjoyable part of this job is knowing that your doing your job, when the guests go up to your General Manager and they give awesome feed back. 
- whats even better is when you get recognized by corporate . 

Really at this point there's no such thing as "bad stuff" about working at a restaurant. Its actually been an opportunity of a life time, and to get the chance to grow your skills, and become a better successful person in life. 


Don't expect the worst, but Don't expect the best. 
When your working, work for a purpose. 
As for me I work for God, so the work that I do goes for his Glory, so for me there is no pros and cons, I just think of it as a life journey.

I worked at the del taco on avenue S and management here is terrible! There are way better jobs out there, jobs that pay more and are way less stressful! Do not settle for this chain because it is a first job or the only job you've gotten an offer from! The reason there constantly trying to hire is because people can't take it there! They stress their employees out for self benefit! They offer on the job training, which means you get no context of how to use the register or the equipment you are using and have to take orders straight away with only asking questions and God forbid you ask them when they're busy theyll eventually get fed up with you. Like come on! Youre new! They have to be at least shadowing you right? WRONG! THEY THROW YOU OUT TO FIGURE IT OUT For yourself! IF YOU MAKE MISTAKES ITS ALL OUR FAULT EXCEPT FOR THEIRS! People there try to break the rules as much as possible for their own benefit meaning that they bump up orders on the screen seconds after it was rung up. And we have to press the recall button to see what on gods earth we're assembling for the order. But you're only suppose to do that after the order has been given, it makes the expediters/cashier (same thing) life SO MUCH HARDER! They tell you to do things you haven't even heard of before and when you ask them what you are talking about they'll tell you to get yourself together! LIKE YOU HARDLY TEACH ME ANYTHING WHAT THE HECK DO YOU EXPECT. Breaks were terrible. I got five minutes for an eight hour shift. That was a graveyard shift. And they didn't let me take my break until I had finished everything which was half an hour before my shift ended. Do not work here!

As a regular team member, the hours aren't guaranteed only if the GM is in desperate need of people or most importantly, based on performance. Building up from a team member, to team leader, to manager is not difficult, it's all about performance and basic common sense, and in all my years of working, many lack common sense, and surprisingly, at fast food. As a manager, the more I worked for this company, the more I realized how unfair the one above the GM is, their boss. I became very unhappy and miserable working as a manager, the pay was decent for a fast food place, but it’s based on performance and the hours are fair based on work ethic. No complaints about the pay, the hours, the flexibility, the location (pros), but overall, the gossip and the HR calls against everyone became too much, the customers during graveyard hours were sometimes difficult, mix every con in that place, and it becomes too much, and sometimes to save labor, hours would be cut, even the hours that were worked (cons). Many Del Taco's are open 24/7, during the holidays it gets busy, and every work day, car times, cleaning, taking orders, making food, etc. depending on the position one is placed at, and depends what positions you know and learn quicker, that will be mostly were you will stay. The job is stressful because of the rush with customers, trying to finish the tasks on time. Like every job, don't gossip, focus on the job, aim to do more than expected, and you will be fine, stressed, but fine. Personally, didn’t like the environment, gossiping, customers. But the hours, the pay, the flexibility, the distance from the job, I was fortunate, can’t complain much, a job is a job.

● Overall
My experience working at Del Taco is that I started off as a cashier and was getting plenty of hours, but I couldn't work the drive-thru area because wearing the headset would prevent me from being able to hear anyone around me due to the fact that I only hear with one ear. It would get me a bit flustered and I just hated wearing the thing. Especially because I would also have to be ready to take orders from the dining room, not only the drive-thru. Couple that with having to present the ready food after ringing up a bunch of orders and giving exact change and it turns into a lot to juggle when the place gets really busy. So the manager started giving me less and less hours until I was only working 2 days a week as a stocker, putting away the inventory order when it comes in. This meant replenishing the freezer, walk-in fridge, and dry storage areas which were often STACKED with heavy boxes...so many that it was even hard to walk around them. Overall, it was a stressful job that required effort but the payoff was minimal. Minimum wage and low hours. I eventually began hating my situation and now I'm serious about getting a better job with more hours via Indeed so that I can pay my bills and start doing something better with my life. Working at Del Taco has been great regardless of the fact that it's not working out for me because the people are great and they have treated me well, but the bottom line is that my rent needs to be paid and 2 days a week of stocking inventory is a far cry from what I need to be doing to make ends meet.

The company overall has made a positive impact in my life. Without a job I would have been struggling without employment but management in general was so unprofessional. Down to every decision made favoritism played a majority role. Everyone played their own position and did there part but at the end of the day, management gave the favored a upper hand. There have been a few situations during the few months that i was employed with the company that information was kept from me. Important information from unemployment that i needed to resolve a prior situation. After the situation got to its worst I had mentioned it to my manager who had no idea about the phone calls made and my previous team lead informed me after the fact, that they contacted the company weeks after the fact. I am completely unhappy with the way situations are handled & i will never return but on a better note, my fellow team members were more professional than management and team lead. Very respectful, courtious employees who truly care about the best interest of the customers. The most difficult part of being employed at del taco is how unorganized and unprofessional management is compared to our team members. Its over the top upsetting. The most enjoyable part of being employed at del taco is being able to put smiles on customers faces even though youre having a bad day. It gives you a good feeling and especially when the customers come back because they enjoyed your customer service. Best feeling ever.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
General manager 109 salaries reported	$50,288 per year
Assistant general manager 15 salaries reported	$18.30 per hour
Restaurant manager 706 salaries reported	$78,341 per year
Shift manager 862 salaries reported	$20.74 per hour
Assistant manager 662 salaries reported	$24.98 per hour

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