food service worker

beverage server

bartender

busser

host/hostess

El Torito Restaurants

I worked for this company for 9 years and had never been more unhappy . Wich is why I left 
No breaks , no lunches , expected to do things outside our job description, no raises , corporate does not care about its employees or management. They knew we Were understaffed and don’t give a fair budget for the restaurant. We struggle with little to no silverware, cups , dishes , always running around like crazy looking for spoons .  I will say they are very good working around your availability but the stress during Holidays and rude customers is not worth it . No holiday pay . Not even free meals . If workers can’t get holiday pay why are they Obligated to work holidays. Just stay closed . Especially it being a corporate job . Hours constantly get cut . If there’s a slow day they will send you home within 2 hours of your shift instead of calling you off for the day they’d rather make you waste gas . Every brunch holiday is a nightmare because corporate allows guests to make huge reservations online and walkins . When guest would arrive they would be upset and curse and yell at the hosts . But corporate is only concerned about making money and not the best interest of its employees . If you keep your employees happy and make them feel appreciated for their hard work people would actually stay and give good service . Nobody end up staying because even hosting  is rough , managers are never on the same page about things wich makes everyone fustrated with eachother . Expo won’t run your food but you are expected to tip 5 percent, there is only one to none bussers so between cleaning tables, bringing chips salsa and drinks  and getting triple sat you are suppose to make sure your guest is happy . Imagine having to do all that and can’t find silverware or even spoons , between having to make table side guacamole and side salads and soup you have to run back and get your food because the expo won’t run the food . Only one bartender so he would sometimes forget to make your drinks , and tables get mad . Servers had left their shift crying and stressed out it was the worst experience of my life . Imagine have to meet all those expectations then leave with a 5 dollar tip . They give so many discounts and free meals to customers who complain about little things and it’s frustrating that people can get away with that . At least take one meal off and then free a free desert . Corporate needs to do better if they want to stay in business. 

New company and mangement came in and destroyed the restaurant. The management is entitled and will micromanage/ abuse you, the food is rushed or missing items, there is no busser, no food runner, and bad host seating with no organization whatsoever. It's not the hosts of the restaurants fault either, the management doesn't train them properly. Overall, a nightmare of a company to work for. I would be sat up to 10 tables that were sat all at once with no wait time. The servers were on their own and made mistakes because of the impossible tasks set up for them to do. Then management will then get after the servers to be faster when they can't possibly handle making food, getting chips and salsa, refilling drinks, running food, and bussing tables, all the while management would follow each of them down micromanaging them. It was like this for just about all of the servers and cocktale waiters. The management does play favortism and discards anyone outside of their preference, even willing to cut hours of those people, regardless of prefoemance. I've worked in many restaurants and this is by far the worst years of experience I've had at this job. Do NOT work here.

A typical day involves sending countless emails for support from the absentee Training Director, the incompetent Event Coordinator, the dishonest, manipulative and calculating Regional Directors, and the overworked and undermanned Facilities Dept.  Incompetent managers are allowed to continue while other managers are forced to do the work for them.  Management training is inadequate an highly unorganized.  MIT's will spend hours each day performing mundane tasks such as peeling shrimp, cutting vegetables, stocking plates and spoons at brunch, and essentially shaving hourly labor from the Training Store's costs.  Managers 'graduate' training after, at most, ONE interaction with the so-called Training Director, as she is most often assigned to Marketing initiatives rather than actual Training.  Manager Training is abysmal, and without extensive previous experience, new managers will take months to learn the most basic computer functions after 'graduation.'

This company is a good starting platform to eventually move up in the ranks or even move on to other classes of employment, The atmosphere is typical of a any casual dinning restaurant suits or no suits. Great place to have parties and to bring your family and friends, the food ok not bad but can get expensive for some dishes. The employees in this place are a great bunch and somewhat fun to be around likewise i wasn't there to just make friends in the beginning but eventually grew to know everyone and there personalities. Tips are great here and the pays is ok just i started out in the summertime and was given 3 days-5 day of work a week then it just started to fall flat in October, November, December with only one day of work a week, so i just everualtly had to leave they never really even givin me a better explanation as to why my hours/days were cut short other then the standard " were to slow" kinda deal.

I enjoyed working at El Torito until I finally felt what everyone who worked there before me was saying about how horrible the management was. Hiring manager is a complete CREEP, will say very inappropriate comments to the women employees and incredibly unprofessional as he goes around and talks bad about his employees but never confronted them about any issues he had. General manager would only be nice to you when she needed something from you or else she would ignore you and give attitude. I was a hostess there and I actually witnessed her pretend a table requested another server and so she didn’t have to give it to the actual server who’s station it was. I loved my coworkers but the fact that the general manager and the hiring manager were so unprofessional and petty I could no longer stand to work there any longer.

Great co-workers that aren't afraid to help you out when you need it. It's a fast paced environment but once the rush is gone you get a sense of accomplishment. The management is good and they do their best to be fair to the company and the employees. The energy in the restaurant is great with music constantly playing through the building and the lighting, art, and plants are so perfectly set and create a more home style and relaxing feeling. The hardest part of the job is the multi-tasking when it comes to remembering orders and all of the small things that are asked for by the costumers when you are already busy but other than that the best part of the job would be the feeling you get of having close relationships with co-workers and regular costumers that definitely makes working for this company worth it.

A typical night included between 4 to 7 servers in the dining room and between 2 to 5 servers in the bar. Rushes are typical around certain times, however, not always guaranteed. Some shifts I was sent home early, others I stayed almost to 6 hours. Most servers are friendly while few are not. Each manager had their own style with one caring more about customer service and another caring about tiny details from how many baskets of chips are on the tables. I enjoyed working with customers and being able to tell little jokes or puns to make them laugh. The hardest part was when we had a rush with each server having 5 tables constantly. Most managers did not believe in a wait list which became difficult for servers who were not able to take more than a few tables at once. Overall, it's a typical restaurant.

Every day would be busy at this location, especially the night shifts which I'd normally worked. I'd serve 4-5 tables at a time, making sure my station and tables were set and ready for seating guests. We were taught not to just be an order taker but to engage with the guests to make them feel like they're at home. I extremely liked the tactics and the pre game meetings we would have in the back to mentally prepare us for the dinner rush. Patience and time management were the important skills that I've taken from that establishment. This being one of my main part time jobs while i went to college, it showed me that having excellent customer service and making that connection with them is the number one rule for them. I enjoyed the discounts that I'd receive for eating there with my family at any of the Real Mex chains.

Every day learning and performing team member- related tasks, as well as completing projects and during busy periods everyone should be assisting the guest one way or another i.e., working on the hot line or on the floor. Before/after the rush is the time to complete assignments and projects. To obtain a great working knowledge of menu items, recipes, and plate assemblies.
The hardest part of the job, to maintain composure under stressful work situations.
The most enjoyable part of the job, to act with integrity, adhere to Company policies and procedures, and to demonstrate high standards of moral and ethical conduct.

At first it was very hard cause i had to learn a whole new menu and it was very tough i don't know how i did it but i did it. It took me about 4 month's to learn how to plate all dishes. Managing  men and woman was a first to me in the past my kitchen crew was all men and in el torito  i had to learn how to manage both it was a challenge at first but then it was a cheesecake. The hardest part of my job was going home because i always wanted everything to be on point it was very hard for me. I loved my having a clean place it took me allot of delegating on how people were going to clean my new home and thats what i made it i really miss my cleaning.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Food service worker 76 salaries reported	$16.92 per hour
Beverage server 74 salaries reported	$16.89 per hour
Bartender 75 salaries reported	$16.83 per hour
Busser 56 salaries reported	$16.74 per hour
Host/hostess 55 salaries reported	$16.99 per hour

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