barista

shift leader

paid intern

maintenance technician

it support

Dutch Bros Coffee

Work-life balance
The schedule is extremely inconsistent, sometimes they try to get it consistent but new employees with different availability makes new schedule. However, very often after a shift many coworkers will go hang out together. They work around everyone's school schedules or sometimes others have 2 jobs and that is normal. Great for young adults and college students, but good luck with getting weekends off.

Pay & benefits
You always start out at $7.25 an hour and they give you a $0.25 cent raise every 6 months. Tips are good, many customers tip good amounts. I mean, if a customer gets a medium mocha for $4 and tip $1, that's a 25% tip already, but often customers will get a $4 mocha then tip $5, put that into percentage, its good. Also, every now and then, they'll even tip up to $20. All tips, however, is split evenly between everyone working the shift, so 8 to 10 people on on a busy shift won't get you too much. Its good but not really enough to support yourself alone. Everyone working there has a second job or are living with others.

Job security and advancement
Kind of depends on the manager you get. Dutch Bros greatly encourages that if you wish to shift lead, assistant manager, or manager, voice it out and everyone will support you in learning and advancing. Advancing to assistant manager is manageable but any manager positions are often held by the managers for several years before they step down, then another assistant manager from another shop is likely to fill that position instead. 

As for job security, again depends on the manager. First manager I had was extremely supportive and helped you grow. The second manager I had, a new manager, set a rule that if you are late 3 times she'll let you go. I had a year of never being late and never missing a shift, but one time when I was moving houses, I was late to 2 shift and was given my final warning. I was never late before and they knew I was in the middle of a big change in life, but gave me no leeway and would have let me go if I was late a 3rd time.

Management
Depends on the manager. If your lucky, they can be extremely supportive and work with you on any issues you may have. This was the first manager I had and she helped me grow not only in work but encouraged me out of my shell and grew me into a new person. The second manager I had was a new manager, just promoted after my first manager left. She set rules and let anyone go with a 3 strike rule. I could tell she was always stressed herself, but it also stressed out the shift leaders, who in turn pressured the employees. The environment of the shop can flip a whole 180 all depending on the manager.

Culture
Extremely fast paced, I worked in the busiest shop in Boise Idaho. There is what is known as the "Dutch Culture" where you leave your problems in life at the door when you come into work and your goal is to have a fun time at work and spread the happiness to the customers. You can make any customers day with just a bright smile. Just don't force it, the customers can tell when your forcing yourself to have a happy attitude. The management doesn't want you to be a downer on shift, but there's other ways to make a happy customer than forcing yourself to be the energetic, happy employee.

Overall
The experience for me changed greatly the moment I the manager changed. 

My first manager was very supportive and for the 7 or 8 months I worked with her as my manager, she helped me grow out of my shell into a new person and I will never forget that amazing time. I loved the job even if it was a lot of work, I was dedicated to it. The pay is pretty low even if you advance positions, but customers are very generous with their tips too. If anyone talks to me about coffee I go on and on about my experience in this time. I loved my time there and will never forget the changed it made in my life. 

My second manager, after my first manager stepped down, was a newly appointed manager and she stressed herself out, made many changed in the shop and set strict rules. She even set a 3 strike rule, if you were late 3 times she will let you go, even if you had a perfect record of never being late during the time you worked there, then some things in life cause you to be late a few times, there was no leeway and you would be let go. The shop quickly went downhill with the manager being constantly stressed, she was pressuring the shift leads, who in turn, pressured the rest of the employees. It became a toxic workplace very quickly and I reached my limits of working there just a few months before I was moving cross country with my fiancee anyways. So after I was given a final warning for being late 2 times while I was in the middle of preparing for a cross country move, then the shift leaders scolding me for things that I was trained to do a year ago but now it wasn't okay to do, I just left and let the regional manager know about everything. 

Dutch Bros is not a permanent job. Its extremely fast paced, only certain types of people can really handle it for several years. Most everyone around you is very supportive and caring. Its very fun and exciting work with new experiences everyday, but it will eventually burn you out and you need to move on. I'd say, working up to management is only worth it if you are extremely determined to eventually own a franchise. Otherwise don't even bother advancing positions, the pay raise is weak yet adds on loads more stress to work. 

I worked there for just over a year and left before my wonderful experience turned into a bad one. I say, have fun at Dutch but don't stick around too long.

DISCLAIMER: This is my own personal experience at MY LOCATION. Location can be the make or break between a great workplace, and a truly dreadful one. 

The first month or so of this job was the absolute time of my life. Truly the best job I ever had, or at least so I thought. If this gives you any insight as to how my experience working for this company panned out, when I left, I missed my customers more than most of my own co-workers. Keep in mind, I was a barista. The customers truly made the job worth working, other than the compensation and work/life balance. 

The main issue that I encountered at this position were the management and the work environment. Let's start with work environment. If you are anxious, shy, or have a hard time fitting in, this is NOT the place for you. If you don't fit into the "in crowd" you may have an experience that feels very exclusive and lonely. Now, this depends from location to location, as most jobs do. However, at the location that I worked at this was absolutely the case. Co-workers fell into friend groups. These groups were very close inside of work and outside of work. Very frequently gossip and...events that occurred outside of work found their way into the workplace. This made it an even more exclusive experience, having to be there and listen to co-workers chat and gossip about things that you had absolutely no context of. Now for me, this wasn't really a problem. I have always been very good at sticking to my own business, and getting what needs to be done, done. But the environment itself was incredibly cliquey, and when there's smoke, there's fire. To sum it up, imagine being paid to go back to highschool. 

Now, for the management. It's very difficult for me to write this review, because when I was hired and even a while into working this position I absolutely LOVED my manager and higher ups. Everybody was so kind, friendly, and welcoming. Until I had actually a problem. To keep it short, simple, I will just say that if you are being harassed or are the subject of stand gossip don't bother saying anything about it. Because nothing will be done, or at least it wasn't for me. The workplace culture is relaxed to a fault. The company prides themselves on having a very relaxed and laid back culture, and they do. About everything.  

Now I ended up leaving, for what you can probably tell are obvious reasons, but I loved my job. I loved the duties of my job and my customers every single day I worked there until the day I quit. I just couldn't handle such an unstable, immature, and unprofessional workplace. If you decide to apply here, be prepared for what you may be met with. Most of the employees at my specific location are teens. It may feel like you are in highschool again, and for me that feeling caused a lot of dread. 

So, this being said, let's talk summarize the pros and cons. 

Pros: 
* Awesome compensation. You receive digital and cash tips and that adds up quite a lot. 
* Good work/life balance. Management is very relaxed about scheduling and they are very good at working with you, especially if you're in school.
* The customers are AMAZING. Of course every customer service job will throw some real doozies at you, but the regular customers far outweigh the bad ones and they make everything worth it. 
* The job is FUN! The actual duties of the job are something that I found very enjoyable and mentally stimulating. 

Cons: 
* In some locations, management is worse than others. I got the short end of the stick, so to speak. 
* Workplace culture allows a lot of petty gossip and genuinely unprofessional behavior. 
* You may be expected to pick up the slack if co-workers call out, get sick, or quit suddenly. But they won't necessarily write you up or get you in trouble if you tell them no. 
* Be prepared to be outside. Every day. Rain or shine. If it's super hot or super cold they will keep you inside, but for the most part it's rain or shine. 

I worked at Dutch Bros. Coffee for approximately a year and a half, and let me give you the full rundown of my experience. At my interviews, I could tell that the people interviewing me wanted to gain insight into how well I would be able to work with a team, how I would handle stressful situations, and MOST IMPORTANTLY how I would be able to form connections with customers. Questions ranged from more silly questions such as "describe yellow to a blind person" to reflecting on times where I experienced personal growth through challenges in my life. They really want to see your character as an individual and most of what they base their decisions on is your personality. No joke, the interview process at Dutch reminded me of sorority recruitment.

When you get the job offer, it's a "conditional job offer" meaning that you are expected to memorize recipes given to you, and you will be quizzed on it. If you are lucky enough to get to this point, expect to spend hours a day on Quizlet and DBU going over drink recipes and company trivia (no pass = no job). Once you pass your flow, you begin a twelve-day training period where you practice making drinks and taking orders both outside and on the window. Your experience during this period relies solely on the shift leads who are assigned to train you. I didn't have the best experience during my training but expect most people in the stand to be willing to help you if you need it. Most importantly, however, know that everyone around you will hold you accountable for memorizing your recipes and nailing your flow.

After you're done with training and you've gotten the hang of things, you'll quickly realize just how much emphasis the company and management put on customer service. I had so many great regulars with who I formed great connections, and that was such a rewarding experience to have. Just like any other job, there will be rude customers and "Karens", but I would say that most of the customers at my locations were pretty laid back and were usually really fun to talk to. There will definitely be moments where customers share things going on in their life that you really have to buckle down for. People will confide in their baristas when they're going through stressful times in their lives, such as divorces, illnesses, and deaths. I don't believe that you have to be a super hyped-up extrovert to be able to work at Dutch, but I do believe that deep down you have to be an individual who is willing to break out of their shell and form these connections with the customers.

I would say that overall, management at my location was above adequate. I started at Dutch Bros. when I was still in high school, and management was very flexible if I had to take a day or two off because of finals, ASB conferences, etc. The managers at my stand were also fairly laid back and were very personable. One thing that I noticed was that scheduling was very inconsistent, but getting a shift covered or swapped usually wasn't an issue.

Overall, I would say that if you are interested in working at Dutch, I couldn't encourage you more to apply. Dutch Bros. broke me out of my shell and I have formed many great friendships from my time in the company. It's not always as perfect or as upbeat as it may seem, but just like anything else in life, our experience will mostly be a reflection of what you have made of it. Just remember- you DON'T have to be a cracked-out extrovert to land the job, and STUDY FOR THAT FLOW.

I would start this off by saying I believe Dutch Bros in any other state and city other than Fresno is what it appears to be I worked here for years and met people from other Franchises and operations and those people were always great. HOWEVER the fresno branch once you move out of being a barista and into higher positions the higher ups especially the Franchisees show their true colors. They are greed mongers, socialites, and nepotistic. At their meetings for stands they preach the “Dutch Creed” and throw up a front of being caring upstanding citizens when really customers and employees are just dollar signs to them. Now i expect this from any business, but the front they throw up is what makes it awful and toxic. Higher ups promote the people they are better friends with not the people that work hard or are good with customers though they would have you believe otherwise based on how they “Coach” you. Even that is a joke because most of the time you can be doing all of it and they’ll still tell you to get better at it with no real constructive criticism. I legit had a meeting with the Franchisees early on in my time there where they told me i was passed up on a promotion because i needed to be friends with the right people however it was stated more indirectly as they want to be able to talk their way out of it incase it catches up to them. The Franchisees are the worst of the bunch as they promote and make positions for their family and Best friends instead of giving it to those that work hard for it. Also if anyone questions anything those people do including ethicality lack there of or organization skills they will throw you in HR meetings and tell you maybe this job isn’t for you and we should find something else for you. And this is of course after voicing concerns to the “correct” people. One of the most off putting things About them is that they give money to charity and its in newspapers and on the news praising them, but behind closed doors they trash talk less fortunate people. If you ask for help because you are struggling they will say “everyone has struggles” says the people with the giant house and more money than they know what to do with. THE ONLY REASON they donate is because one is required by the franchise and the others are because it gives them a tax break. I feel so sorry for the people that still work here they are so brainwashed and don’t see it because they’re in the stands and don’t spend more than an hour long meeting ever with any of them. When anyone who leaves the company tries to speak out against them the brainwashed ignorant 18 year olds rally to their side. In most recent events they tried to make a post about supporting BLM in a course to make them selves look good and a black woman who had worked there tried to speak out against them on it and call them out about how they have treated black people there. And as i said the ignorant rallied to it and defended them. However dutch bros silenced her by deleting her comment thread. Yes thats right the “BLM support post” silenced the actual black person in the comments. All IM saying is if you decided to still work here watch yourself its not at all what it seems.  Watch out because the head regional IS A SNAKE and if she doesn’t like you she will find a way to get you fired and halt any way for you to advance in the company no matter how good you are at the job.

The culture this company promotes is not what you get at all. Between entitled and rude customers, catty, immature coworkers, and no opportunity for advancement or pay raises, it's simply not worth it to work here if you're older than 25 and have real responsibilities. While most management will do their best with what they have, franchise owners do not care about their employees' safety, comfort, or happiness. There is no logical reason to demand your employees to work outside in the snow. The yellow "bubbles" customers love to photograph us in so much aren't even to protect the employee from rain or snow. It's to protect the iPads. iPads are more valuable to the company than employees are. Not to mention, they hardly ever provide adequate gear to deal with the elements, but they will get you in trouble for trying to protect yourself from rain or cold if your outer layer isn't Dutch wear. And forget about medical accommodations. They will completely ignore any doctor's notes you have, especially if it says you can't be out in the heat, no matter what the reason is.

They are regularly raising prices but in the year that I've worked for the company, I've never seen a single raise and learned only recently that employees don't get raises. At all. Unless you become a shift lead, which I hear is only a small raise for 5x the work. As a result, customers don't want to tip anymore and they blame it on the people taking their order and making their drinks, as if we have any say in what the company does. There's also a problem with favoritism and the amount of drama that happens within the stand and without is insane. Shift leads will berate you for not being happy enough or for not talking to customers long enough, and they will get away with treating you horribly, too. Feedback from the shift lead surveys isn't listened to at all and your privacy regarding workplace conflicts is completely disregarded. If you file a complaint about a coworker, they will find out who it was.

And finally, no breaks. Yep. You read that right. Breaks are discouraged (since they can't legally tell you no) and they will absolutely work you to the bone for 5 1/2 hours without a lunch or any ten minute breaks, and make you do shift change until 5 minutes before the 6 hour mark, and make you clock off so you don't hit overtime. Both locations I worked at do this. 

Honestly, it's probably a fine job for younger people. But for those of us who are a bit older and just want to work and go home to pay bills, it's a nightmare. I haven't dealt with this much drama since I graduated high school. I will say new management improved conditions greatly, but it wasn't enough to make me want to stay with the company.

The job listings advertise a higher pay than you will receive. If you see a posting for $20 per hour, it is not realistic. This is a minimum-wage job and the tips averaged at a total of $6 for the entire shift on a good day. At no point did tips average even close to $6 per hour. Tips were pooled and always paid significantly lower than what I consistently brought in for the team.

I would start a shift by checking the schedule/rotation before going to my assigned station. Without fail, I was always immediately redirected by a shift lead to another station where more help was needed. Often, this was taking orders outside in the heat.

Team members would take thirty-minute to one-hour alternating shifts outside taking orders, depending on the temperature. Ice packs were provided to wear on your back and neck, however,  if it was 99 degrees instead of 100, shift leads would tell you to go outside without one because it was not needed.

The time it takes you to grab an ice pack to avoid heating while in the Arizona summer with zero shade is not seen as valid until the temperature rises by one degree. I was told by team members that they used to have an umbrella for shade, but management removed it because it blew over once.

You are encouraged to regularly study the menus and quiz yourself in your free time, as there is too much to pack into paid training.

Team members are scheduled 15-20 hours per week and are expected to be in constant communication in order to pick up other people's shifts.

When a friend who does not work for Dutch was told that I got this job, they warned me that they heard it was a ship show. When I was talking to a team lead while working, they told me that I was one of the most positive employees there and that people do not seem very happy here.

The company uses three different apps for you to install on your personal phone to receive scheduling, be in the work app group chat (as expected by management), and complete training tasks. If you install the dutch bros app like I did to familiarize yourself and better help customers, that's four apps!

Giving notice that you are running late by one minute is treated the same as calling out or not showing up. According to the company values, you as an employee will be treated as a number and not worth any basic humanity that has not been deemed mandatory.

The customers were the best part of the job. The regulars were unbelievably kind and would often bring friendly pets for a pup-cup.

Dutch Bros has been a really great place to work! What initially attracted me to working here is the upbeat positive nature of all the staff, and the fact that everyone I knew who had experience with the company seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. 

In the beginning of working for dutch I was impressed and encouraged by the company culture and my coworkers. When I realized I had to pass an exam to become a Broista, I thought I might be in over my head, and soon became overwhelmed. Dutch Bro's emphasis on Speed, Quality, and Service can seem a bit intimidating... The process of becoming a barista seemed to be about a month long involving a few tests and quizzes along the way. However, with lots of encouragement from my coworkers and leads, and so much positive reinforcement and access to tools such as Dutch Bros University, I became a Broista in no time flat. Its great to work at a place that is willing to do whatever it takes to help you to succeed!

A typical day at DB looks like working whatever position you are assigned during that shift (you have to learn ALL positions which includes making drinks, taking orders, working drive thru or walk up windows, and running drinks), and shifts range from 4-8 hours for Broistas. 

Management at my stand is pretty great, very encouraging, and always checking in to see how I am doing in life- not just at work. Leads are all pretty positive, although some can be a little more stressed out and uptight than others. my impression is that Leads have a lot of pressure on them to get things right, especially when closing or opening.

My only criticism of working here is hours / pay related. My impression is that most stands can only hire broistas on at 29hrs a week or less. Pay varies depending on what state you are working in, but in my state, tips alone just about double my paycheck. I know some broista's in other states get paid a few dollars more than me per hour for base pay. It would be nice if the company would just up their minimum standard to whatever the highest state minimum was so there was less confusion and everyone felt similarly valued- especially since most of us don't qualify for healthcare. Other than that, I have no criticisms!

Worked for this company for almost 5 years and a lot has changed since the company has taken a more corporate approach. When I started, Dutch was the perfect place to work because it was a very fast paced and rewarding job. You were challenged to leave your comfort zone every day and you were supported and challenged to grow in areas that you struggled with. Your main focus was to provide an amazing drink and an even better experience with every customer that came by. Building customer relationships was the absolute best part of the job.

When promoted to shift lead it was even better because you would get to pass on the same values and expectations to the new incoming employees and train the new generation of Dutchies. Yes, it added new challenges and stress but it was worth it because you were able to impact more people and help more employees grow.

Specific individuals in upper management for Boise ruined my desire to grow further because it was all about popularity and fraternization when being considered for promotions. Untrained employees were put into management spots which led to very high turnover in shops and a lot of problems within different shops forcing shift leads and senior employees to train multiple assistant managers and managers on how to do things properly and help coach them through hard situations with employee training and disciplinary actions. Those same managers would throw employees under the bus or sabotage chances when it came time for possible promotion opportunities and growth. They stated that these employees were too confident, too motivated, or too outgoing to be considered for promotion. 

The owner of the Boise franchise is rarely present and isn't involved in the goings on of the Boise shops. When asked to visit shops or attend shop meetings it is made known that they are too busy and it would take too much time out of their day. 

Certain regional managers are inattentive and rarely listen to problems unless it is a manager’s which only furthers the problems inside of the stands and more problems when managers abuse their power.

Dutch Bros is more than a company, it's a culture that is very unique and different than most customer service jobs. 
Dutch Bros a coffee company that started as a small, mobile coffee stand in Grants Pass, Oregon has the purpose of creating and spreading change through positivity. It's not just a coffee company. There are different Dutch Bros franchises and this review is  specifically only about Dutch Bros Arizona. 
The most enjoyable part of this job is all the amazing interactions you get to experience, and being apart of the positive change Dutch Bros brings. 
You learn a lot of very useful skills like handling customer interactions, working as a team, how to be a leader, as well as, mentors who are passionate about your passions. It is a very positive workplace with people who have your back, as well as, challenging you to keep growing. The company is very clear on setting up standards and policies. 

Dutch Bros always accepts feedback to improve everyday, they also give advice to help maintain relationships with managers, co-workers, leads, customers ect. Dutch Bros challenges their employees in a healthy way by looking at different perspectives.

 The managers think of the big picture for everyone, the customer, the stand, and all of the people employed at the stand. The managers are excellent at understanding issues when it comes to the rough life moments. Many of the managers are mentors and are extremely knowledgeable about  problem solving for the best solution for everyone.
Most of the customers are amazing and I have seen kindness in a whole different perspective. 
However, occasionally there are customers who treat the staff very poorly. These customers can make it hard to love and understand because they aren't able to treat the broista's as people. The leadership team does extraordinarily well with negative customer interactions, and are trained to handle those situations. However, having many of those interactions can take away from the enjoyment and culture of the stand.

If you're not a punctual person, do not even bother applying. You are considered late and get an ROC (record of coaching) if you are a singular minute late. There is no grace period. You could be walking in the door but if you're not clocked in on the iPad, you're late, and they make no exceptions. I had proof (receipt) for two new tires I had to buy after getting a flat and STILL got an ROC. Real life isn't allowed to happen and they're pretty cold about it. After you're late, that ROC stays on your record for six months, and you're only allowed to be late five times in a six month span. The sixth time being late, you're fired. You're allowed to reapply after six months. 
Pay is $10/hr in Texas, plus tips, which vary day to day and shift to shift, but averaged out mostly to $14 an hour. You get a $.50 raise as a shift lead, but as far as I know, no yearly raises or bonuses or anything like that. Morning shift with always makes the best money, closing shift usually doesn't make it past $30 in tips. Make sure if you have fully open availability you aren't honest about it, otherwise you'll get stuck closing 95% of the time. A couple days a week say you're only available for opens/mids to guarantee your fair share.
Training will feel like trial by fire if you have no prior barista experience. Give it time. By month two everything clicks but expect to still learn new things months into the job. There's a lot to learn and memorize.
Management varies by location, sometimes you're lucky, sometimes you're screwed. You meet great people, both through working with or serving them, and they make the hard days worth it. You'll really learn to love the regulars, and they'll love on you back. I never felt like I needed to squash my individuality, which was nice. But I felt very disposable at the same time. It was an alright place to work, though there were definitely things I didn't love. There's a lot of demands which I think we deserved a raise for (i.e. the launch of order aheads) and should offer more roles for full-time employees but those are pipe dreams. If you don't have many bills I suggest it. If you do, get a second job for sure.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 79 salaries reported	$18.72 per hour
Shift leader 9 salaries reported	$15.82 per hour
Paid intern 15 salaries reported	$16.91 per hour
Maintenance technician 1 salary reported	$22.50 per hour
It support 3 salaries reported	$23.84 per hour

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