line cook

server

dishwasher

bartender

assistant manager

McMenamins

After many years with the company and eventually making my way up the ladder I was able to see all sides of the business, good and bad. And first off, not a disgruntled ex-employee. Ex-employee for sure but I still frequent the establishments often. Love what the company does with old buildings and the things they provide to the community. Just an honest review of how this company treats staff.
At first I was totally in love with the company, great benefits (discounts on rooms, food & beer!), historic buildings and a pretty cool culture. What more could you ask for?

Breaks? Not so much. Management was keen on saying "when we can" "it's too busy" but when wasn't it busy? It's McMenamins, it's always busy. In fact it felt like you would be punished for asking for a break, often being given a break last if at all.

Training? 6 days - learn the basics of their beer, wine, spirits and coffee, menu and 28 points of service. Take 7 or so tests, one of which you have to pass day 1 or will be sent home and may never return (or so I was told). Need more time, hats fine but everyone will talk about how you needed 7 days to do what some did on 4 or 5. Trainer pass you through quickly because the manager needs servers? Get a negative comment or shopper report, it's 100% on you, you should have known better you passed training!

Employee concerns? Don't even bother saying anything. Management would often just say "the brothers wouldn't go for that" "we don't do that here" "did you tell so-and-so? It's their department". Even calling HR wouldn't work. I always thought HR was there to protect and support the employees, with McMenamins the whole HR department is there to protect the business and the managers in charge, that's it. Even in the event of serious matters like discrimination or harrasment as an employee you were made to feel powerless and often that you were at fault (personal and peer representations of events). An employee even got sick from work conditions and the initial course of action was to write them up for being unfit for duty. What? Take care of the employees health and then worry about performance issues. Heck maybe just see if the employee did get sick because of something at work. OSHA? Oh wait, they haven't been inspected in a while...

Cleanliness? Are the GM's coming? Better clean then. Besides that only a surface cleaning was even bothered with, just enough to make it look good on the outside. Hand washing? Most of the servers never washed theirs hands, even after touring dirty dishes. Gross!

Performance? Better be careful of those secret shoppers! If you get less than a 95% you will be written up. Oh you got written up? Did those things actually happen? Probably not. Management almost never properly investigated claims of policy violation, unless you were very clearly an hour late and hungover. But as long as your were friends with the manager you are good, no write up for you :) in fact many of the people I worked with were disciplined for events that never happened or didn't happen the way the manager portrayed.

The bottom line. That's what is #1. Not the guest, not the employee, not even the manager. It's all about the $$$. And believe me the my make plenty. That pint of beer you just spent $5.75 on, it cost them about $0.84 to produce it. That $14 burger that was probably over/under done, yeah that cost about $3.10 to produce. That $8.85 basket of fries, $0.80. Yeah sure, there's labor, building maintenance etc... built into to that price and they want to actually make money. But considering the quality of product, is it with it?

I could go on. But by now you must be wondering if it was so bad why did I, and many others continue to work there and accept promotions. It's simple, the environment attracts really wonderful people that make it feel like a family. That despite the negatives you get to work next to really awesome people. Educated, travelled, humorous people. 
They make the promotions sound so good. It's like that infomercial for that juicer you just watched. You bought it didn't you? The same thing happens over and over, turn over after turn over. Most of the upper management is there because they lost their moral compass years ago, the Kool-Aid is pretty good (I had a few sips myself).
What's that? Free food and drink at meetings? Overnight trips to other properties. A trip to the brothers personal cabin? Sounds great, I'll sign on the dotted line! I get how much PTO? Raises? Wow this just keeps getting better and better!

Id it's too good to be true, it probably is!

Requesting PTO unless you happen to be a property manager, GM or your last name was McMenamin, good luck. Raises, your manager likely "didn't see that email", or oh you just happen to have a performance issue around that time (remember that, you probably didn't even do it to begin with).

I left this company because of the lack of fair treatment of employees across the board, biased decisions, clique like managers and unethical treatment of employees.

If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, have fun! Make sure to use that 50% off to-go wine discount before the Kool-Aid runs out (or someone else decides they want yours)

There are a variety of jobs that I might be assigned on any given work day. The first option would be a server, which means first getting the floor assignment. Any customer that sits down in my section must be given a menu within a minute of seating, after their food is delivered three minutes until I check that their food is to their liking and they have all the condiments they require. After that it is simply making sure all my tables are satisfied- there is water in their glasses, when their drink is empty I offer another one, their tables get bussed once they finish their plate. Typically I have as many as five or six tables, and then sidework which includes making silverware rollups and cleaning the ketchup bottles.

The second option would be bartender and if I'm a bartender then I first need to make sure that my bar is well stocked- there is enough of every liquor in the well, there is ice, garnishes (mint, olives), fruit (limes, lemons, grapefruit, oranges), special ingredients for the cocktail specials, and enough glassware. There is a lot of multi-tasking and attention to detail in bartending. The bar I worked at also made cocktails and drinks for the restaurant, so there was a receipt that would pop out of the till when a waiter/ess got a drink order. As a bartender I had to keep track of the restaurant orders, the orders I got at the bar, updating tabs, making sure people at the bar got their food in a timely manner, and then making the drinks themselves. A lot of detail goes into making a cocktail, the order of ingredients and how you present a cocktail are also important factors. And when a large order for drinks comes, knowing what order to make those drinks in (wine, cocktails, beer- generally).

The third and final option was a catering captain, meaning that I am in charge of the event and making sure the client is happy (or the contact). That means coming in and starting the paperwork, getting the contracts to the other staff working the event. Checking with the kitchen about the time the food needs to be picked up and number of chafers needed. And then checking out the space to make sure its been set up properly. Once the guests arrive I am in charge of making sure the staff are all doing their jobs efficiently and that whatever I need to get for the bartender has been taken care of. I love working in all these environments because it's often fast paced, on my feet, and there is a lot of improvisation that happens when one thing breaks or goes missing. I need to be thinking on my feet how to fix it and make sure the event still goes on as planned. Working as a team with my coworkers is often an important part of the job. Our teamwork is really essential to an event or service running smoothly. The hardest part is the long hours, and keeping everything straight when you've been working in the sun for a number of hours. The best part is getting everything right and having a satisfied customer.

SKELETON-CREW
Constantly short staffed during the busiest times of the year, and if even one cook was unavailable for extended amounts of time the rest of the kitchen staff would easily jump right into way over 40 hours, WITH frequent call-ins. McMenamins can't keep their employees long enough, and they hire the bottom of the barrel with a lot of their employees being inexperienced.

NEPOTISM AND HIRING MISTAKES
Nepotism was frequent, and this caused issues because people who don't know how to keep their cool in a kitchen environment are hired. Poor judge of character on the part of the management at my location.

ABUSE BY MANAGEMENT 
A new manager added shortly before I left would frequently walk back into the kitchen during busy rushes and curse and shout at her cooking staff. How they could hire someone to this position who did that can only be attributed to nepotism (or just hiring based on friendliness, not competence and demeanor).

BENEFITS
Benefits were easily the best part of the job: cheap hotel stays, adventurous spirit of the company, discounts on beer, wine, spas, massages, etc. THE BIG ISSUE is that none of that mattered (expect the alcohol) because as noted above you'd never get the time to enjoy nearly ANY of those cushy benefits due to the sheer volume of work they expected of you and the already bone-dry kitchen staff. 

The benefits in the long run were just not worth it, expect the health coverage and stock options. But for a young person those don't really matter as much, since many of us are just passing through job-to-job while bettering themselves from college or trade schools.

In short, the job started out good and was very promising and fun, but the moment things start to slip up it becomes a land-slide of toxicity, stress, and over-demanding, abusive, negligent management. I simply would not recommend this job if you have plans for your future other than flipping burgers.

Overall it is a very nice place to work with wonderful co-workers and good managers. I was able to learn the Sales side of Catering and Hotel Management while working there, as well and refresh my front of house skills. There is a large and diverse group of customers and it was fun getting to know them. I would have to say working with stressed brides/mothers of the bride on the wedding days is usually my hardest and most enjoyable job I do.

A typical day at work this time of year is arriving at 5:45am to unlock the doors and turn off the alarm. I roll the day for the Pub and Hotel then start on the reports doing the paperwork for the whole property and overseeing the floor opener acting as MOD from when we open at 7am until the first assistant manager come on at 10am; while covering the front desk. Around 9am the front desk person comes on and I finish up email reports to the company and the various GMs that I have. When the Front of House manger comes on at 10am I go to my office and go through my email responding to any possible sales inquiries, meeting with brides or business groups, help on the floor if they get busier than expected, do interviews, orientations, oversee housekeeping and any catering that may be going on and generally deal with the hundreds of other details that can and do crop up. In addition I am the go to trouble shooter for everything from orally extruded bodily fluids to broken locks to computer problems to keg problems. I double check with the afternoon management team when they arrive at 3pm and usually leave about 4pm.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The regulars and staff are the heart of this place, genuinely good people who make the day-to-day worthwhile. The McMenamins atmosphere is charming and the community feel is real.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It can feel like you’re just a number. Labor cost seems to be the only priority, support is minimal and you’re expected to run yourself ragged to cover the gaps. Availability expectations are rigid, and if you can’t offer open availability, management isn’t shy about reminding you they can find someone else. A little more investment in the people who actually keep the place running would make a big difference.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The day-to-day culture among staff is warm and collaborative, the people on the floor genuinely look out for each other. However, that goodwill only goes so far when the structure above doesn’t support it.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Sink or swim. You’ll show up understaffed, cover roles that should belong to two or three people, and be expected to smile through it. There’s no cavalry coming, management’s solution to being short-handed is just expecting more from whoever showed up. By the end of your shift you’re exhausted, and tomorrow looks exactly the same.

Worked here a year. They had trouble finding and keeping reliable employees, so more often than not, we were understaffed.
This put a strain on the few reliable staff who *were* there. And being short staffed really hurt our bottom line (tips) when you're spread thin across so many tables, or the kitchen has mostly new line cooks who cause food to take extended period of time to finish. 

Also, if you stick your neck out for the company, don't expect the favor to be repaid. I was led to believe a transfer was going to be a simple and easy process when I relocated to a new city later in the year, so I stayed loyal.. I could've taken a job offer I had and ditched them right before the busy season, but I stuck around to help until I moved. In the end, I got left hanging and unemployed - didn't find out I wasn't getting a transfer position until my last scheduled day. 

Also, they REALLY need to add gratuity to larger parties, because the servers get screwed by half of the big groups that come in and feel 8% is fair on a $400 tab.

Just keep in mind, you're disposable. Look out for yourself, because no one else will.

A typical day at work is very busy, mostly during the summer months. Sometimes you will be running around like crazy trying to get orders from people and food and drinks to your tables. On the busiest days sometimes there is no winning with your customers and they will be somewhat disappointed mostly because Mcmenamins restaurants are not fast food restaurants and sometimes people expect that. Also it can be understaffed at times which makes it difficult to keep up with the flow of business.

Coworkers were enjoyable and the atmosphere with the property and the people made the work fun and interesting. Hot summer days were very difficult if you work outside, and that combined with the fast pace flow of business and overabundant amount of customers was probably the hardest part about the job. The most enjoyable parts of the job were the other employees and managers who were nice, understanding, and open to making the work as fun as possible, and the benefits that came with the job such as discounts on alcohol and other merchandise at the front desk and restaurants.

Depending on which location you work at, it is possible to enjoy your job-just like any other restaurant. The corporate aspect is thinly veiled, and comes off as dishonest. Benefits are okay but nearly impossible to actually obtain or keep if you are not a manager. Also they have a “meal credit” program which pays for only a fraction of your food. You are required to order straight from the menu at full prices (not the kids menu or sides menu). If you’d like to eat a full meal after or during an 8+ hr shift-expect to either spend at least $10-$15 of your own money, or risk your job to bend the rules. If you are unable to make it to your shift during a snow or ice storm, they will force you to work anyways by sending you a taxi and paying for a hotel room near the restaurant as opposed to being concerned for your personal safety or needs. They also chose a Ghandi quote to put on the front of every restaurant during the BLM movement in 2020-which was a harmful and illuminatingly ignorant choice. Do with that what you will. If you’re not interested in management and you’d like to just go to work and go home, maybe they will work for you. Fingers crossed they no longer have an excruciatingly exhaustive training process with daily written tests. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
Some of my coworkers were fun to work with, however the upper management in that place is very dysfunctional .

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
It is very unorganized . The job is not always clear and you are made to do things a hostess should not have to. Mop bar floors and clean bathrooms far before the restaurant even closes.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Some of my coworkers were great and others were slightly abusive. The company is cheap, despite the owners being very wealthy. They kept making it harder to get a decent employee meal. We could not even order sides in the end. You could not use a plastic to go cup had to use a plastic lid cup with a lid and a straw, because the cups cost money. It was a fun atmosphere at first, but it is truly ran terribly.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I would run circles around a lot of the waitstaff. Bussing tables, running food, setting silverware getting water, which often turned into them ordering drinks, because it takes some of the waitstaff so long to get to a table.

I have worked for this company on two separate occasions. It's always the same. The first bit of time might be fun and exciting, but reality quickly rears its head. The management is terrible from top to bottom. If you read somewhere that they are looking for strong individuals for a management position, that's a lie. All they want in their "managers" are people who will mindlessly do what they are told and mindlessly pass on the orders. Everyone is fake. There is no real comradery or relationship building. It's just empty pleasantries and painted smiles. Some people might be able to handle all of that, if the compensation was enough. But let me tell you, this is the CHEAPEST company I have ever worked for. They charge an arm and a leg to their patrons, but behind the scenes they ALWAYS take the cheapest route. Regardless of the cost/benefit ratio. If you're considering working here, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere first. Use them as a last resort. They don't give a toss about their employees and only care about their bottom line. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Line cook 60 salaries reported	$20.30 per hour
Server 31 salaries reported	$17.41 per hour
Dishwasher 17 salaries reported	$18.77 per hour
Bartender 11 salaries reported	$16.59 per hour
Assistant manager 5 salaries reported	$18.78 per hour

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