cook

server

kitchen manager

dishwasher

hospitality manager

Golden Corral Corporation

This job was my first actual job in the workplace. And despite some of the challenges I faced while working there, I would recommend it, to anyone looking for their first job. I learned exactly how to do so many jobs inside of a restaurant. From cashiering, to janitoring/disney working, to even waiting on tables a couple of times; this job had me doing it all. (Not all at once, mind you, but when it was needed). My boss (or bosses, depending on the time of day) were nothing but friendly to me as we worked. They were constantly on top of us to keep up the high standards of the restaurant, but were almost never rude or harsh about it. They were more like friendly reminders to keep the place always up to code. This may be different from restaurant to restaurant because they are franchises not corporations, meaning no one single entity owns the businesses. There is almost always something that needs to be done, which definitely helped expand my multitasking skills. The people overall were almost always friendly, with very occasional rude customers. The managers at our establishment were always very quick to help with customer conflicts and siding with the employee if things got out of hand. Which to me was greatly appreciated. The only problems I had with establishment were the behaviors of some of the other employees (who were either extremely nice or very indifferent towards newer employees). Booking for hours was also a tad upsetting, just because you didn't really know if you were going to be sent out early or asked to stay late due to how the day's business was going. The job was challenging, but very rewarding in terms of a first real job. Overall, I'd say this is a positive place to work for a first timer with a strong work ethic and good multitasking skills.

Founded 46 years ago, Golden Corral has survived to become the most successful buffet brand in existence today, because of it's ability to replicate its combination of great food, shrewd management, and quality service in every store under corporate control. My Golden Corral is owned by a franchisee, and operated under the loose and infrequent supervision of corporate. My Golden Corral regularly compromised Golden Corral's mission by failing to institute proper training protocols for the staff, which affected food quality and service. Golden Corral requires all managers be trained following a time tested and comprehensive program, designed to ensure  each certified manager is able to perceive and promote the company's brand and mission. My Golden Corral, regularly put manager's training of for months, while using the candidate to close holes in its management team, the issue with this, aside from having someone, unfamiliar with Golden Corral's many operational details, in charge; there's the fact that my Golden Corral scheduled all "managers" for 12 hour shifts. Only managers, certified via the established program, qualified for monthly (periodic) bonuses, which could potentially double the managers annual salary. The result of this arrangement, is managers in training (M.I.T.'s) would keep the store functional, working 12 hours a shifts acting in the capacity of a certified manager, without ever receiving a bonus, or any assurance that their training would ever be completed. Again, Golden Corral, as a company, has survived and thrived, because of its ability to replicate its successful combination of great food, shrewd management and quality service...it's a formula that works; I wish my Golden Corral would have simply followed it.

A typical day of work at Golden Corral is very routine and structured. The tasks are easily maintained and everyone pitches in for the most part. The customers are a mixed  crowd but Sunday is usually the after church service family crowd which bring larger tables to serve. If you have trouble keeping up with the service, I don't suggest working Sundays. My coworkers are an even mixture of high school students and veteran servers who have extensive waitressing and customer service skills and   decades of server experience. Management turnover is minimal and they are a stable fixture in the restaurant. They work around your requested days off and are very flexible when it comes to making a schedule that fits your personal scheduling needs. The opportunity to work over your scheduled days and hours are most definitely an option, however, overtime is not widely practiced among our restaurant staff. You are provided adequate training before you begin working and onboarding is user friendly and easy to understand and follow. The atmosphere is fast paced at times, but there is also a lot of downtime where "if you lean, you can clean" is practiced to keep the restaurant in order and keep the servers busy during thier shift. Overall, I had a wonderful experience working with Golden Corral and I would definitely recommend this company to anyone seeking employment in food service. 

ALWAYS horribly understaffed. I was a baker and a cashier. We were short-staffed all the time in every single area of the store. I worked on the register often and was forced to do the work of a manger by issuing refunds and dealing with disgruntled customers by writing up free meal cards. As I could never access the work safe to get change for myself when I was low on small bills, I always had to get change from servers. On the front line, I often was drowning in my work with a line of customers out the door, tea needed to be brewed, I couldn't get ice, soft drinks needed changed out in the back, and all while working by myself. 

In the bakery, I was also often left to work by myself. I would be juggling prep work (making rolls, cakes, texas toast, cornbread, pudding, and jello) while also trying to keep the bar stocked with fresh food during our busiest hours on a Friday evening. The management worked in the kitchen with 4 or 5 hourly cooks. There were many times where every manager was hiding away in the kitchen (GM, Kitchen manager, hourly managers, and the front house manager) doing the cooks' work for them.

Employees came to work only half lucid on drugs and smoked pot in the parking lot. Management usually just sent them home for the day or gave them a "warning". Cooks flirt shamelessly with customers and get away with it time and time again. Harassment was a huge issue on a daily basis. A dishwasher once locked himself in the trash room with a server and wouldn't let her out. A cook smacked a cashier on the behind in front of customers and was only warned not to do it again by a manager who witnessed it happen. 

I regret the 2 years of my life that I wasted in this place. It was great when I first started working here, but the quality has taken a huge nosedive since then.

I would imagine that this varies from location to location but the one I had experience with was of poor quality. I had the position as kitchen prep and salad bar chef. I would start my day off maintaining food safety specs and upholding stock on the bar which would then lead into preparation of materials for the kitchen chefs throughout the day. It is a rigorous job that most people can't handle as it is very physically demanding of you with respect to speed and time management. My personal experience with co-workers was pretty decent as they were dealing with the same stresses I was of a fast paced work environment. The management however is very two faced. They will smile to your face like nothing is wrong and terminate you or threaten your job for the slightest error. The hardest part of the job is making sure everything is done on time and the most enjoyable is the sense of accomplishment knowing you can perform your job well for people who love to eat your work. I learned a lot about preparing cold cut foods quickly and I also learned that Golden Corral uses a lot of pre packaged items in their menuy as well as GMO heavy foods. Overall there is a positive vibe in the restaurant by employees and customers alike so that part is very positive but I can't say that it's a place i'd enjoy working for a second time, at least at that particular location anyway.

Golden Corral as a company is ok to work for but the franchise company RFRI, Inc. that operates the units in Missouri and Illinois is a horrible company to work for. The work/life balance is the worst I have experienced in my many years of restaurant management. The culture is mostly negative with more of a got you mentality when your results are not favorable. Little to no appreciation for results or personal sacrifice to achieve results. Management turnover is incredibly high and the only time a weekend day is granted off is during a vacation that takes a year to earn. The Senior Operation Team is smug and arrogant and not open to new ideas. I averaged 67 hours a week and went many weeks without a solid day off because when a manager was lost or went on vacation no help was offered from other units. Micromanagement from the top down causes a feeling of being distrusted and two conference calls a week make it difficult to take a solid day off without interruption. Upon leaving I was offered the first two jobs I interviewed for because my interviewer either worked for or had a relative that worked for RFRI, Inc. and knew what a terrible place it was to work. Also, be prepared to work all day on Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Valentine's Day as these are mandatory 12 hour days for all managers. I am 48 years old and it was hands down the worst job I have ever had.

There was one time I was feeling very sick and instead of thinking of the health of other employees and their customers, they made me stay and work through the day. You would slip in the back REGARDLESS of footwear because the dishwashers just let the water get everywhere. Managers refused to replace or let employees replace lost oven-mits in the bakery which lead to an unsafe situation and I got a decent burn that blistered and scarred. Teaching someone where everything they may need during a shift should only take a day, NOT A MONTH OF THEM ALWAYS HAVING TO ASK WHERE TO GET THINGS! They should NOT leave new hires to close on their own but they did to me on a couple occasions while I had no clue where to get most of the things I needed to clean up at night or how disassemble and clean certain items in the kitchen. And the managers failed at communicating with each other. I was there OVER AN HOUR waiting for them to get things together my first day of training because the manager that hired me did not let the managers on duty that day that I was coming in. I also had no true idea how to date-dot items in the fridge until my last night because the managers that were closing would tell me different things every night, saying I did it wrong the night before.

A typical day here was getting scolded by elder people and then yelled at by them. Customers were rarely nice unless you personally knew them or built a connection with them. 

I learned that no matter how hard you work, no one will notice or care. 

Management was split between multiple people across various days. 

The workplace was very crowded, especially during the holidays. 

The hardest part of the job was working your butt off just to be underpaid and overworked. 

The most enjoyable part of the job was building connections with coworkers (as well as managers) who weren't full of themselves and some of the customers.

One last thing involving raises. I was promised a raise within 3 months of starting...I didn't get that raise until about 2 months before I had quit (Starting pay is $7.25, it got bumped up to $8). With an inconsistent schedule getting put out every Tuesday or whenever they could get one out, it was incredibly hard to get a stable check.
It could vary from $120 to high $300 if you were lucky, note that this is a biweekly pay schedule. Once you get that raise, say goodbye to the hours you were used to working. Your hours will be cut and you'll end up getting paid even less than you were before. 

Also, one last thing to note is that I never took a break the whole year I worked there. I covered for people, helped out more than was asked, and was mistreated by customers as well as coworkers and management.

Management runs the place like it's their house. Supervisors suck up to management and put in good word for regular workers if they suck up to them. Favorites are picked within a few days of hire. If you're not a favorite you get put to the bottom of the pile. Pay was 6.75/hr. That's it. Regardless of whether you worked 10 or 100 hours. Granted you got time and a half for overtime but it was a rarity. There were at least three days a week where you were sent home WAY before your shift was over because business was slow and it was usually newbies that were sent home first. If they had someone call in, majority of the time newbies were called in first to cover. There was little to no training except the usual computer training sessions that all companies require you to do. Then you were given a tour of your work area and it was up to the supervisor to show how everything works and where it was at. Front people are required to clean the entry ways, stock cups and trays, fill ice machines and a few other things. If you were a favorite of the supervisor or manager and made a mistake it was ignored if you weren't, it was noticed by the entire restaurant. One worker (who was not a favorite and had only been there a month or so) was written up because they had vacuumed the entry way as instructed but yet the next morning when management came in to open up, a pile of chiclets (gum) was on the floor.

A typical day involved working the front line, handling the register, completing to-go orders, and keeping the area clean. One issue I experienced was an uneven distribution of work. There were times when I was expected to handle most of the cleaning and to-go orders while another line attendant remained at the register. I still completed my responsibilities, but it often felt unfair.

The most difficult part of the job was management. I found some interactions to be dismissive and unprofessional, and I didn’t always feel supported or treated with the same fairness as other employees. I believe managers should communicate respectfully with every employee and hold everyone to the same standards.

The part I enjoyed most was interacting with customers. Even when dealing with difficult situations, I always tried to remain respectful, patient, and provide good customer service.

One positive thing I learned was how to stay professional and kind, even when I didn’t always feel I was receiving the same treatment. Many of my coworkers were pleasant to work with, and my concerns were primarily with management rather than the staff as a whole.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cook 208 salaries reported	$14.60 per hour
Server 91 salaries reported	$18.62 per hour
Kitchen manager 136 salaries reported	$58,719 per year
Dishwasher 171 salaries reported	$13.60 per hour
Hospitality manager 99 salaries reported	$51,432 per year

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