cook

host/hostess

prep cook

expeditor

line cook

Houlihans Restaurants Inc

the leawood location is run entirely via favoritism and nepotism. no matter what your experience is or the time you put into the store, you'll be regularly sidelined by those close to the managers, usually via family connections. if the managers don't like you for whatever reason, they'll make your life much more difficult than it needs to be. 

management has been struggling to keep up with a disorganized back of house for months. morale between management and servers is mostly tense and dissatisfied except for in a few cases, and sometimes toxic. this is probably due to the fact that the managers and corporate will always put the individual needs of their servers last. almost everyone working there is unhappy to some degree because of this lack of personalization. one saturday night that i worked, the restaurant had to close for an hour and a half in the middle of a (very typical and not overwhelming) dinner rush because the kitchen couldn't keep up with orders. stuff like this happens constantly; it aggravates the managers, and they'll sometimes take it out on their attitude with the servers.

there's regularly homophobic language and hygienic breaches in the back of the house that go unregulated. management claims to have an open door policy about feedback, but it's ineffective, unfortunately. all in all, some of the managers exhibited behavior that was embarrassingly unprofessional in my time there.

tips are generally low because tabs are so low thanks to cheap food, lack of gratuity and constant discounts/coupons/comps. when i first started, the food would reach 30-40 minute wait times, making customers unhappy and resulting in lower tips. the sidework is unduly much, especially for how low the tips are. employee retainment rates are low because of the lack of effective management--only a handful of servers have been there longer than 6 months. the turnover rate was absolutely insane when i started because of the bad management.

the only positive is that the servers and hosts here are some of the best people you'll ever meet. most of the servers themselves provide fantastic service and work their tails off. the fact that they have to put up with this treatment when they deserve so much better is beyond me.

When working at Houlihans you feel stressed and pushed to the edge, whether that arising from customers being upset that the kitchen does not know the ingredients in the food, how to prepare the food properly, or how drinks should be regulated. The customers aren't the only ones upset with this new atmosphere, servers and staff members get upset when management is constantly changing guidelines and regulations for what is proper work etiquette and what is not. Management does not communicate effectively causing cracks in the business flow. 

When working a normal morning shift you will be lucky to get 3 tables and even a little giddy when making more than $20 after working 4 hours. For your average dinner rush, servers can make an average of $50 which doesn't pay the bills when going to school full time. 

After the shift is over, employees have to tend to the Back of house sidework which is anything from taking the trash out, changing the sauces, scraping the ice bins, or cleaning the syrups container. After the sidework is finished, servers are expected to roll anywhere between 40-100 silverware and sweep their sections. All the silverware has to be polished since the dishwasher is broken and still leaves behind food particles and germs, so we rub the silverware with soda water before rolling. The restaurant only owns 1 broom as well as 1 broken dustpan that is available to clean your section, so many argue and fight over the broom, that is difficult to clean with.  After you are cut it takes approximately an hour to an hour and a half to escape the restaurant with little income. 

Houlihans also does not follow food safety guidelines. So in order to work in the restaurant you need to feel comfortable with killing roaches, trying to capture the roaches body, as well as attempting to clean the mold from the syrups and tea urns. Since the servers are not efficient in cleaning these things, we, ourselves tell each other not to drink these items, yet we serve these to guests daily. Also, while working the dinner rush note that the dishwasher is not working properly, causing us to use our hands to clean the glasses with drinking water. The same hands that deal with money and carry food plates in and out of the kitchen.

Work heavily favors night shift as the night shift has to clean up after day shift, prepare their prep for the evening, and then clean up after themselves as well. Management also leaves very early whereas they are assisting morning shift the entire time.
I learned to handle some different machines I had not worked before and some of general work politics outside my hometown.
Management solely focuses on quality and production but not how either is achieved. They would rather have someone take fault for something they were not responsible for that have the real offender or problem resolved. This is especially true if the offending party is management.
Co-workers were actually very nice and helpful. They may not look like the most welcoming crew at first, but they are very personable. The co-workers made the job manageable most days.
Hardest part of the job is coming in right before dinner rush, having to clean your station, reorganize it, then start stocking what you need for dinner service. Meanwhile management will try to distract you with various banter not always related to what you are doing.
The most enjoyable part of the job was the fellow employees and occasionally getting to try the food.

The culture cultivated by the servers, hosts, bartenders, cooks, and other staff is incredibly strong and creates a really compelling reason to work. The only issues are the fact that upper management is a little oblivious to what's going on, and when they try to work Front-of-House they end up making the job more miserable for everyone. They typically pit communication and teamwork on to one manager in particular because they're the only one who's competent enough to communicate with the rest of the staff without angering them and coming off as overbearing. And also the fact that they don't pay the difference between tip pooling and minimum wage, if the tips don't make up for it. You'd practically have to beg them to add it to your next paycheck, and it leaves you feeling like you can't trust payroll. Aside from that and some minor nitpicks about the way things are ran (such as servers typically staying past their scheduled out time due to overbearing demands and management that tries to abolish wait times), the culture that the staff bring to the table makes the job incredibly enjoyable.

My days at work would consist of cleaning-up the front of the restaurant and making it look presentable to our guest that would walk-in. I would stock and organize the host desk needs and bathrooms for our guest. I have been able to train a few of our new host/hostesses and maintain an excellent customer service experience for our guest. My managers are extremely personable people that would work will with their staff and make sure our guest are comfortable and find the environment/food to their liking. The co-workers, such as servers, bartenders, cooks, could have a more sociable ability with their guest and be more open to using team-work. It made it difficult to work with the servers mainly because a few would have little desire to take care of their guest needs and they would complain their issues with the type of guest they would get to the host/hostesses. Overall, my nine months of working at Houlihan's has been a good experience though. The managers treat their staff with great respect but they also make sure that they are working their hardest to maintain a good reputation of the restaurant.

I loved working at Houlihan's for the last 12 years and I have learned so much during my time here filling in at pretty much every job in the restaurant.  A typical work day for me varies pending on which role I am filling for the day. If I am in the role of Key Hourly Manager, a  typical work day starts with organizing the restaurant , counting deposits and the safe, and logging in the previous days paperwork. Throughout the day you will be required to answer the phones, talk with customers and handle many difference scenarios. If I am in the role of a server then I would set up the restaurant and provide exceptional customer service all while keeping everything stocked and clean. Our management is wonderful and truly cares about the staff and will always go over an above to make sure everything runs smoothly and sets a great example of what they expect the Key Hourly Managers to do. The hardest part of the job is during the  peek hours and can be highly stressful and challenging. The most enjoyable part of the job is our staff.  They are amazing people and help keep everyone in high spirits and make the day go by pleasurably.

I usually opened the bar tues. thru fri.: first prepping any juices and fruit needed per par sheet. greet and wait on customers during lunch, offering cocktails, any specials, appetizers and food. cash handling for servers as well as guests.
 I learned many new drinks and pairing wine with foods, as well as the importance of all postions in a restaurant. Everyone front of the house or back of the house are equally necessary to run smoothly. Teamwork is escentual. 
It is key for a strong management team. My managers were supportive, hands on, able to delegate, and easily approachable.
 I love my co-workers. Many are my friends, but no matter what, everyone will pitch in. The staff has fun, and works well together. There are clicks, but even so, still team players. 
It is rare, but dealing with mean or belligerent guests, can be trying. I always maintain a smile, and never raise my voice. I feel people may need to vent, and I should do my best to listen, empathize, and resolve any situation with a positive attitude.
The best, is people in general. I love interacting with anyone, enjoying stories or how their day has been. I am a people person. It is great to be able to have fun while working.

I worked at the Leawood location for a few weeks. The job advertised earnings of around $1000/wk which I understand is a complete estimate and they can’t promise anything. However…I averaged $300/wk. If you’re looking for a side gig you might be fine. But if you’re looking to support yourself full-time, don’t bother. The good shifts and sections are given to those who are family members of higher ups in the company or people who are “lifers” at the restaurant, aka those who have been there 15 years and will never pursue anything else. The restaurant is a mess and the kitchen falls apart completely when they have more than 4 orders at a time. I’ve had multiple angry guests yell at me for food taking too long when the issue was solely with the kitchen and it shouldn’t have taken that long given they were almost never busy. Food sits in the window for insane amounts of time and expo doesn’t notice when tickets are up and ready to be run. But, if servers try to step in to take their food, management gets irritated and acts like you’re in the way. Plates sit so long that they are almost impossible to carry because they are so hot. I have burns on my arms from carrying plates there. Just, look somewhere else. There are so many other better restaurants :) 

The management and coworkers are supportive and understanding, which creates a positive work environment. The training process is comprehensive, ensuring that everyone feels confident before starting on the floor. The kitchen staff consistently delivers well-executed dishes, resulting in fewer guest complaints, which is definitely a plus. 

One area for improvement would be the amount of sidework required for closers, as it can feel a bit overwhelming at times. Additionally, scheduling seems to be influenced by alcohol sales, guest reviews, and personal relationships with management, which can sometimes feel inconsistent. It's possible to have high sales and positive reviews but still receive limited scheduling if rapport with management isn't strong. 

Overall, it’s a great place to work, with significantly less drama than many other restaurants. However, it would be beneficial to consider expanding the wine selection to include higher-priced options, as that could enhance the guest experience and increase sales opportunities.

Learned on working as a team to give customers a memorable experience. Worked with management to highlight what needs to be done so it can get done. A typical day ,includes, everything in a restaurant is setting-up, for example, filling ice, cups, rolling silverware, pouring water, picking up plates, cleaning tables, setting tables, bringing up plates from the dish room. It's fast- paced, but preparing beforehand, during, and after the shift smooth things out. Co-workers for the most part, if we help each other, we get the same help back. The hardest part of my job is when multiple large party guests arrive or leave it takes patience to get everything back in a timely manner for the next guests. The most enjoyable part of my jobs is seeing different faces and knowing that customers are enjoying an outing meeting with friends or family members. I've learned that working as a service worker everybody has names, their own families and somebody might be going through something, but maintain a smile to please the customer and keep a positive attitude.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cook 27 salaries reported	$20.68 per hour
Host/hostess 24 salaries reported	$15.71 per hour
Prep cook 13 salaries reported	$20.81 per hour
Expeditor 18 salaries reported	$14.83 per hour
Line cook 11 salaries reported	$19.32 per hour

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