ambassador

team leader

crew member

service assistant

shift leader

Jenis Splendid Ice Creams

I work at the 3rd busiest location in the US. There is usually a line out the door but it isn’t stressful because usually there is a lot of workers helping out. 

Working there had many perks. You get a free ice cream per shift you work, 50% off everything which extends to your family if you are there. Tips also are phenomenal at this location. You make $7.25 + tip share per hour. Tips per hour are usually $6-9 so you’re making around $15 an hour. Plus you get tips in cash and you can get them frequently. The people that work there are also very cool friendly people. 

Some not good things is that the job can be very draining. If you are an introverted person, you are constantly talking to customers and after doing that with no break for a few hours it can be very exhausting. And they expect A LOT from you. You can’t stand and have a moment to yourself for more than LITERALLY 2 seconds without getting yelled at, even though you can really use a breather. They are very serious about expecting hustle, which is fine but just be aware of that. They expect you to make beautiful perfect scoops but also get mad if you take too long so sometimes it can be unclear about expectations as far as how quick you need to be, how good your scoops need to look, etc. You are expected to ALWAYS be doing something and never ever be doing nothing - which is fine but just be aware of those expectations to determine if that is right for you cause, like I said, it’s very draining. 

The shopkeeper and assistant shop keeper are kind and organized and are good at giving constructive criticism. They do want you to succeed but can get on you a lot about small things. And as I said, expectations can sometimes be unclear. 

If talking to people doesn’t wear you out, you are open to criticism, and can really commit to husltling 24/7 while you’re there - I recommend this job. If not I DO NOT recommend.

Jeni's is a great place to learn, but not necessarily a place to put down roots. Ambassadors are paid decently according to industry standards, but raises are mostly due to minimum wage increases. Policies and processes are ambiguous or constantly changing. In-shop employee security is minimal at best. The culture has shifted from artisan flavors to competing with the mainstream industry and less inspiring storytelling than ever before. The product collaborations and special collections have shifted from whimsical and intriguing to standard and nonsensical.

The non-stop menu changes are frustrating for the employees and customers. Popular flavors are constantly being removed in lieu of less exciting alternatives. Inventory can prove to be challenging, especially with product collaborations. Not sure if this is intentional to drive demand, but with the special releases there is often an extremely small supply; customers sometimes come a week after a special drop and learn that supplies are no longer available.

Training is a HUGE painpoint. What used to be a two-week training is now 3 days. 

The new rewards app is TERRIBLE. The product adoption seems to be extremely low, and very little information about the app was shared with in-shop employees. The roll-out was underwhelming, and many customers show frustration which leaves in-shop employees constantly in uncomfortable interactions.

I worked with Jeni's for 4 years and dedicated my life as a die-hard Jeni's fan, ambassador, team lead, assistant shopkeeper, and service assistant. 

Right before the Covid-19 pandemic, Jeni's dissolved the Assistant Shopkeeper position and replaced it with the Service Assistant position. 

I went from AS to SA, and saw a 20% decrease in my income. The incentive is that you can make tips, however, during covid operations and shutdowns, there was a 90% loss in tips as well. So it hit my finances pretty hard.

The new shops ecosystem made it seem that Jeni's does not value the work of a front house leader, someone who is customer-service oriented, has interpersonal skills, soft skills if you will. 
Based on all of the responsibilities required of an SA, the SA salary should be higher, much higher, and should not be dependent on customer tips.

I left Jeni's when they would not enforce a policy for customers to wear masks inside the shops.

Aside from the oblivion of our specific needs for safety on the frontline, the ultimate reason I left was the lack of support from management and upper management. I communicated many times my desire to be developed professionally and grow in my Jeni's career. So when I was given a demotion, I knew this was a workplace where I could not succeed. 










I worked at Jenis for about 8 months. This job should not be recommended because of how unreliable it is. If you want a job and say yes to everything- even if it’s last minute and have no life, then this job is for you. The only good thing about this job is that it only offers a decent pay with tips included. 

Out of nowhere, they took me off the schedule for not being busy during September to November. After my last shift in August, they never put me back on the schedule; however, they never fired me nor did i ever quit. They ghosted me. I think it is because I did not say yes to every last minute shift they asked me to work due to the plans I have already made. Please be AWARE if you work for Jenis: they will think you are available 24/7 and WILL change the shifts at last minute, BUT you will have to put in more than a month of notice to take a day(s) off!! 
Working for them was so inconsistent- hours were never the same. They put you on days you specified from the beginning that you did not want to work. They would take you off the shift just an hour before going. They have terrible communication however they expect so much perfection by just handling ice cream. 

I am VERY disappointed in this company when I was so excited to work for. 

My experience at Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream was far from positive. While the company talks extensively about its values and commitment to strong company morale, I found that these ideals were not reflected in reality. Instead, I felt overworked and unappreciated, and the lack of genuine support for employees was disheartening.

One of the most demoralizing experiences was being given an ultimatum between my job and my Islamic faith. Despite requesting reasonable accommodations for my religious practices, I was forced into an impossible choice, which made it clear that the company did not respect or value diversity as much as it claims. This was not just disappointing but also deeply disrespectful.

I also felt that my growth was stunted during my time there. After taking over a store that was in upheaval and successfully turning it around, I still faced unfair treatment and a lack of recognition for my efforts. Rather than fostering a supportive environment where employees could thrive, I found that the culture at Jeni's prioritized the company’s image over the well-being of its workers. Overall, I cannot recommend Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream as a place to work, especially for those who value inclusion, fair treatment, and personal growth.

Some of the biggest perks are free/discounted ice cream and a happy environment. I mean its ice cream whats not to love! Ambassadors and shift leads have potential to make good money (hourly + tips). It seemed as though those who worked harder were given more flexibility than others so work hard. There is a lot of diversity at the lower levels (ambassador and shift lead) so it would give one hope that there would be more diversity at the top but no. In fact that was one of the biggest downfalls. A lack of diversity in the upper levels of management such as shopkeeper, district manager, regional manager, HR, etc made it difficult for me to be heard and understood when I had some concerns. While I worked there some people were fired due to not being able to show up when they had REAL health emergencies and a handful of colleagues were not promoted (a new hire with less experience was promoted) due to a trivial reasons. I also saw this happen multiple times. Sometimes, it was a good call on behalf of management other times it wasnt.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Interacting with people from various walks of life and forming relationships with coworkers.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The intimacy of the shop due to its size, and having to constantly deal with picky, challenging customers on the daily. During a rush, many customers would get confused on line flow, and cut in front of someone else, then demanding they be served first, which was problematic. Additionally, customers often complained that we were "understaffed", when in reality it was just a busy time, and we were working as efficiently as possible.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Inviting, engaging, and very informative, yet with lots of information to keep up with. The work environment could be quite chaotic and challenging, but colleagues made it more enjoyable.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Restocking napkins, cleaning supplies/restroom, washing dishes, serving customers, fulfilling OLO orders, etc.

I was thrown into opening AND closing for the store within the first two weeks of being there, whilst the manager took her time training the 3 other people who were becoming Shift Leads. So most days it was just me having to open and then also having to close - ridiculous. Management also doesn’t care about their workers. It doesn’t matter if you do your job correctly and work hard, if you can’t find coverage for a shift even if you are sick or hurt - you will still get reprimanded about it because they won’t pick it up. OH AND you HAVE to find coverage for your own shifts and if nobody picks it up - you’re out of luck! Pay is okay only with tips but everyone who worked that day gets them split between them. Otherwise the base pay is like $8.25……..You’ll be essentially doing everything in the store by yourself if you’re a TL. The only thing that makes work fun is the coworkers you’ll meet. 

Very poor upper management and a lot of favoritism goes into promotions. The job training is also poor and they show you very little of the shop responsibilities before throwing you into a shop. 

The part time job descriptions are incredibly misleading by giving a higher hourly rate that includes average tips. They pay minimum wage but they use the tip amounts to get people to apply.

If you’re in charge of a shop, you have to do everything for it with little to no help including: coming in on off days to cover shifts, writing the schedule every week, calling in people to cover shifts, handling all hiring and job posting for your shop, training new staff, ordering supplies and handling HR responsibilities to onboard hires. 

Corporate doesn’t listen to employee input and it’s impossible to report problems because upper management favors the other managers that they trained and promoted. 

Overall it’s just another corporation trying to disguise itself like a local business. 

Coworkers can be great. 

I worked at Jeni's for around six months as as service assistant for a new location, and genuinely had a great time. The company culture and management is fantastic, and the vast majority of customers I encountered were incredibly sweet!
Depending on the location, the shifts can be very busy, but it's fun work so it tends to fly by quick. Plus, you get free ice cream and breaks tend to be scheduled in advance.
My only complaint (and reason for leaving) is that since my location was newer, we weren't as busy as a typical Jeni's shop. Tips make up a lot of the pay, and when there aren't as many customers to scoop ice cream for, it really hurts your paycheck. I was averaging around $11-$13/hr in a shift lead/management role, vs the $20-$26/hr part-time ambassadors were making at busier scoop shops down the street, which was definitely a bummer.
Would love to see Jeni's pay their employees higher hourly wages, but overall I had a wonderful time working there.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Ambassador 231 salaries reported	$17.90 per hour
Team leader 280 salaries reported	$18.90 per hour
Crew member 20 salaries reported	$16.89 per hour
Service assistant 59 salaries reported	$19.76 per hour
Shift leader 27 salaries reported	$17.39 per hour

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