barista

general manager

assistant manager

line cook

cook

French Truck Coffee

I loved working here for the first few months. The environment brought on by management and my coworkers was lovely and inviting, which made working here all the more motivating. Alongside free weekly coffee (i.e., cold brew, specialty coffee grounds), free employee meals, free employee drinks, decent discounts, and engaging tasks, working here was great.

Unfortunately as time went on, the cons of working under French started cropping up. Since the base pay is low, tips were the main way for baristas to get a livable wage. And due to a slow summer at the new location, hours began to get cut and tips were scarce.

After summer came the removal of free employee shift meals, free weekly coffee, limited shift drinks, and decreased off shift employee discounts, leaving little to no incentive to compensate for the low hourly pay.

All of this in an effort to shirk 'costs' felt extremely frustrating to those who remained after the hour cuts due to a slow summer at the new location. 

I learned to enjoy making customers happy alongside a good cup of coffee, but not it feels like the CEO/corporate doesn't care about the baristas unfortunately, which made working here unsatisfactory and borderline frustrating towards the end.




Days were unpredictable as most of the time a lot of staff would call out and task assignments then became unclear. When I started we had free shift meals and a free bag of coffee beans each week. Corporate stripped that away about 2 weeks later. They also took away the free cup incentive that each customer got when purchasing a bag of beans. I had customers arguing with me for weeks about this. I felt bad because I would pour most of the coffee carafe out every two hours per corporate standards. Seems like a huge waste and  we could’ve just been giving the cup for free without losing anything. My coworkers were nice for the most part but there were definitely some of us that pulled our weight more making the tip pool situation frustrating. Corporate would often criticize and never compliment. This caused some low morale. Oh and the pay was so low. I was told $10 an hour but with tips it would equate to about $20 an hour. I’d say at most it was $14 an hour. They also changed all the pastries to being made in house. They are small, low quality, and overpriced. Very embarrassing to serve. Overall one of the worst work environments due to the corporate shenanigans and the low pay. I would recommend working at a coffee shop that is truly local. 

Typically, I expect to come in and do my 5-6 hour shift, clean to industry standard, and engage with customers. I have learned a good bit about coffee, where it comes from, how it can taste through processes, and how to run the store.

UPPER MANAGEMENT ARE VERY LACKING IN EMPATHY. Everyone I personally have worked with were great people, up until the management above general store manager; besides one or MAYBE two, upper management are very entitled and will cut your hours, let you go if they do not like you, and are vengeful towards unionizers. If you aren't a shill or a master liar, you will not get far at all in this company. 

The hardest part of the job is sometimes, you will be asked to do things far above your pay grade (you earn baseline 10/hr, unless that has lowered recently). You get .20 cent raises as your "incentive" during performance reviews,  IF you even get the raise (they will deny some people their raise for whatever unspoken reason, although they have claimed to be tight on money).

The enjoyable part of the job is bonding with the nice and normal people who are being  mother trucked over as much as you are, and I have made some wonderful friends who have been around for years.

Pay is $9 + tips which is pooled and split between roughly 10 employees based on hours worked. The more people there are on shift, the smoother the work flow, but the lower the pay is. They are consistently understaffed which makes the busy morning rushes very stressful to get through, and good luck if you need to call out sick. You get a 10 minute paid break for a 7 hour shift, and food options are limited so bring your own lunch. The employees are nice but all very young for the most part, and all women, and mostly white. There are some lgbtq+ so it’s somewhat “inclusive” but they could definitely work on diversity. They offer benefits after a year to full time employees but everyone works part time and no one has been there longer than 6 months besides upper management who are on a salary. Everything is automated so if you’re looking to hone your skills as a barista, look somewhere else. Basically Starbucks. Do not recommend.

I've had a great experience at FT. I've moved up in the company in the 1.5 years I've been here, been heard by both my location and corporate, and have experienced the company desire and commit to their employees and the betterment of the locations they currently have. 

The culture is friendly and inviting but there still is work to do. You can really thrive at a place like this if you have a great attitude, a great work ethic, and a willingness to learn.

I've not really had many bad experiences with French Truck. However if there was a problem I had, it was heard from upper management and resolved. Because of the conflict resolution style I've noticed here, it really prevents bad apples (toxic people) from staying around long term. 

When I came on to French Truck's team, it was a year and a half after Covid, and right after they reopened the shops. It was clear the air was emotionally charged when I started - tensions between upper management and the staff. Being a service industry worker in early covid was one of the hardest jobs and I totally understand the built up stress.

But it's almost a completely different company from what I was brought into. There has been lots of management turnover. The corporate team has gotten bigger with more involved people. Overall, the company really cares and wants to improve everyone's experience, regardless of level.

If you're looking for mom n' pop, super specialty coffee, this isn't it. But if you're looking for a solid staff, passionate and energized leaders and the morning rush, this place is amazing!!

I felt like I was on the fence of being fired constantly even though I worked there for a while. Over two years and only a dollar raise, while the owner is buying super-automatic espresso machines and opening new locations. Feels like it’s becoming Starbucks rather than a community driven cafe. Colleagues were great but the corporate team was always pressuring their baristas and managers, and abusing their “three write ups and you’re fired on the spot” rule, to get rid of any baristas they just didn’t like(not to me, but seen many, many times). Really wish I could say more but some shady business going on with corporate there, and I really wouldn’t recommend this job to anyone who loves coffee or an experienced barista.

I had significant experience in coffee when I started and was disappointed in the quality and education offered at FTC. Upper management was not supportive and was very shady. All baristas were laid off when pandemic hit. I was offered my position back for less pay (still in the pandemic, of course) still wanting the same performance I gave. My store manager did not return after the lay-offs. She reached out to apologize to me for denying a promotion to me after corporate told her I "looked like trouble". They promote a lot of fear based work and gaslighting. I did not return. IF you want to learn some very very basic coffee things, it's an OK option to start at.

Since I started at French Truck, I have had a great experience. I feel like my voice has been heard by management/corporate and I’ve learned so much in such a short time. 

Great benefits are available for full-time employees, and the pay is super fair.

I never have an issue requesting time off, and I truly look forward to going into work every day. If you’re looking for a company that will help advance your career, this is it! Tips are also great so that helps. 

This job really gave me the chance to expand my knowledge about coffee while getting paid to do so! :)

What is the best part of working at the company?
The baristas/co-workers are kind

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
There is no help from upper management. The owner does not care to help out in stressful times. It doesn't feel like there's any support. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
high-energy, stressful, fast-paced

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Open up the shop and help customers with their needs, making coffees/food, ordering supplies, making the schedule, covering shifts

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 2 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour
General manager 1 salary reported	$49,000 per year
Assistant manager 1 salary reported	$21.50 per hour
Line cook 1 salary reported	$15.00 per hour
Cook 2 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour

Working at French Truck Coffee: Company Overview and Reviews

French Truck Coffee

French Truck Coffee Ratings

Popular jobs at French Truck Coffee

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected