sous chef

restaurant manager

line cook

host/hostess

pastry cook

North Italia

Do not apply here if you are passionate about the industry and want to grow.
Great place to work part-time and focus on important things like school/career. 

Worked with the company for around 2 years, I thought after the 1st year that a lot of the growing pains/issues I had with the company would lessen but ended up getting worse due to poor management.

 The miscommunications were weekly if not daily with important topics regarding pay, scheduling, and everything needed to make your employment seem stable. The managers enjoyed bringing up the turnover within the kitchen as if they weren't the leading cause of employees quitting on short notice.

Tried working full time here and ended up throwing away a work life balance only for false guarantees and failure due to incompetence. If I was lucky, some months I would get 30-33 hours during a week or two but it was mainly part time hours. Even when I was full time/availability. They try to cut labor as much as possible/plug and play so relying on a stable schedule here is impossible unless you have another job. 

I noticed whenever I was working another job they were more consistent with schedule and gave me solid hours. I was actually worried about overworking myself to the point where I decided to move over to North full-time and put all my eggs in their basket.. I recommend to not do that if you want good hours/opportunity to grow in the industry. I regret giving them my 110%. 

The location I was at had a lot of issues, I saw Sous chefs and Trainers getting in little arguments constantly. Some even transferring due to the pure frustrations of not enjoying the work there. Dirty kitchens, poor communication, and inexperienced managers. There was only so much a line cook is able to do at the end of the day, especially when they are getting paid barely a third of what the sous chefs/managers are making. 

At the end of the day, once you're on your way out they'll either quiet fire (a sudden 0 hour schedule) or give you last minute shift and pressure you during work to quit to avoid unemployment regardless of your status. 

I was a hard worker and did an amazing job at my stations, I actually found myself making better product than some of the sous chefs there due to my training/experience at another location. Unfortunately, my talent and work ethic lead to two sous chefs attempting to take the credit for my work whenever a new trainee was hired. Thankfully I caught it but knowing I was working under people like that led me to believe that they'll (management) tend to lie in an attempt to advance themselves rather than the ones who deserve it. 

The most I gained from this job was conflict resolution, discipline, and high-volume service. 

The management will be the downfall of this restaurant. They overwork and undervalue (and underpay) their best employees. They show favoritism with certain employees. Managers make inappropriate comments about customers, employees, etc. at any given moment. Very unprofessional. No room for advancement, they have even tricked servers with years of experience to work as hosts and not let them move upon because they can’t keep a host. They have driven off all their best staff due to their inability to manage stress and letting the weight of the entire restaurant fall on their employees, in FOH and BOH. None of the managers are ever on the same page, they go on power trips and belittle their employees rather than build them up. The only reason people like working here is because of the fun employees and the friendships you can form. Some of the evening servers can make good money but you can do that elsewhere you don’t need this place and all the former employees know this environment isn’t the place to stay long term for your own sanity. They would rather waste time and resources training and rotating new staff instead of valuing and investing in the staff they do have. If you don’t come in demanding respect off the bat, your experience will be very unpleasant. And those who won’t tolerate their mistreatment won’t be kept around long. Unless your one of their “favorites”. Or some are smart enough to leave before they get sucked in too deep. For a period of time they were hiring people purely based on looks and doing “vibe checks” instead of formal interviews based on qualifications and capability to the job well. Everything about this place is an illusion and there’s no reason to be here when you could be in a way better environment and make even more money. This is only the way the downtown location is, i’ve heard the other ones are much better. 

Intentionally had my sights set on being a Bartender here but I’m glad they start you out as a Server first because the amount of work input to money output it takes to become a Bartender here doesn’t seem balanced and rewarding enough. 

Still, as a Server it’s good money enough of the time, slight tinge of favoritism from managers with certain servers, takes a while to get hours thrown your way but if you bring it up to management they cave in and give you more hours, no management enforces side work duties and it’s the restaurant industry job with THE MOST side work I’ve ever experienced so trying to check servers out on their side work duties is doable but very stressful if you’re very busy/weeded, on top of that you have to still run food, take care of your own side work, pick up incoming tables the servers checking out aren’t taking since they’re checked out already and to finish it off you have to deal with those same servers probably lying to you about the side work they were assigned by A DIFFERENT SERVER (ridiculous imho, it should be management assign it AND enforcing it), so it just makes an environment of unfair circumstances at times, too often to put up with if you DON’T need the money, but tolerable enough to go in, make quick money as often as you can with the shifts you can get, then get out or secure a position as a Supervisor (“Key”) or a line/prep cook. 

Procedures and systems are organized very well, enough to have most of the resources at your disposal to get your job done. 

This is my own experience, others may feel completely different... Nearly every day being employed here I would drink a generous cup of coffee in the morning, get to work and immediately take shots of espresso; but no matter how much my blood felt like pure fire, it was never enough. I don't think anyone wanted to be around me because I was pushing myself so hard to be the fastest I could possibly be. I would be yelled at for leaving my workstation as my nose started pouring while trying to prepare food. Sick leave was denied to me... I had to be there. 

Friends saw me months into working here and said my hair was noticeably thinner and I was losing a lot of weight. My daily meals typically consisted of a small breakfast and the free employee meal as dinner before crashing as there are no breaks allowed here. I remember being here for several 12 hour days as there was just so much work to do, like I said with no break. My pay was based off of the last job I'd held... I knew that pay was NOT worth the toll and pressure the job was taking on me, but it was made clear to me when an employee of several years asked me what I was making and his jaw dropped when he heard... "Yep, they're ripping you off."

There is a lot more to be said but involves personal identifying info. Good luck to those that can stand the immense pressure.

North Italia is a great place to start if you’re looking to build a foundation in the culinary industry. In the last 3 years I've been able to develop from a dishwasher to a line cook mastering every station. You’ll learn how a kitchen really functions—from prep to service—and get hands-on experience in a fast-paced, high-volume environment. The team culture is generally positive, with good coworkers and a fun, unique atmosphere compared to more traditional kitchens.

However, there are some challenges. The extremely high volume often leads to long hours and can impact the quality of food at times, simply due to the quantity being pushed out. Work-life balance is difficult to maintain, and opportunities for upward mobility are limited. Management sometimes lacks clear communication and consistency, which can make shifts feel disorganized.

Overall, North Italia offers a strong learning experience for newer cooks, but the demanding pace and limited growth potential may make it less ideal for those seeking long-term stability or advancement.

I had a lot of expectations for this position and I am so disappointed and sad that it turned out to be a very bad place. The coworkers are 90% great to work with, both front and back of house, however the big issue is with management. They are not supportive and only benefit the same people putting the new employees in the patio or seating them at a much slower pace even months into the job. I would find myself taking 2 tables then getting cut on a Saturday night and being forced to do 2 hours of side work so the 3 same people can make the money. I feel like a glorified Busser. You can’t make a mistake in which you need help from management otherwise you would be talked down or they would stop sitting you just for asking them to do their jobs. Call outs are also selective as I was threatened with a write up after my first ever call out when facing an emergency yet I and other new staff would be made to cover the favorites call outs on a weekly basis who are not being punished in the same fashion. 

Depending on your location, North Italia provides a thorough two week training program. The training is thorough with tests every shift. First job that I've learned the menu front to back knowing almost every ingredient in the entree's, cocktail's (how it's prepared etc)  and wine the restaurant provides. If you can pass the certification with flying colors then you're set with confidence in your menu leading you to have better sales. Other than that, lots of side work and running hands. If you want to work for a place with a good training program, in which I felt I had at the time I worked at the Fashion Valley location in San Diego then you're set. This location is big so expect to run miles daily running food and drinks. It is a good company to grow with if you're looking for an opportunity to grow. I personally left because just like any other restaurant sometimes it has its own politics, I just didn't make or have too many work friends I guess to feel like I could enjoy being there. But hey that's just me. 

I've been working at North now for about 4-6 months now and let me tell you. Everyone you work with are nice and friendly. Its the managers who lack the skills to be competent enough to do their jobs correctly. You may say you can't work certain days of the week and they still schedule you and don't regard the other things in life you have going on. They have favorites so only 1-3 servers get really nice sections EVERY SINGLE NIGHT, while everyone else gets half of the tables they are getting. Id stay as far as possible from this place. The General manager isn't even a man enough to give a simple call that someone has been terminated. Funny thing this has happened to so many people in this 6 months i've been here. It wasn't a mess up on the employer more the management for not listening to the workers request ahead of time and not writing it down.

Over all 2/10 job. You'll make more money serving somewhere else

I really enjoyed my job at North. The guests were awesome there, I connected with so many people. I learned so much about wine and Italy which we would actually sit down and learn something new or a new wine almost every single day! However workplace culture, felt like being treated unfairly on a regular basis. There seemed to be favorites. The management team seemed to take advantage of their positions and ran things by making employees feel fear of being fired or getting in trouble. It seemed impossible to be heard unless everyone spoke up at the same time, and even then, there would still be an argument and denial. It was really sad to see and it was so hard to endure. With that being said, you do make good money there, you do learn things everyday, and you meet the most friendly amazing people there. I would say the guests were the most enjoyable part. I would say the hardest part is dealing with the unprofessional management team. 

The days are really slow or really fast. The work is either easy or grueling. 
The hardest part of the job is getting along with your other co-workers to get the job done. 

It's the worst when you're dealing with a coworker that doesn't feel that the position they need to work is their job, so you have to struggle alone. I was hired when the location opened. And the work was absolutely grueling. 

The workload is always uneven. I was hoping to have full time hours, but I was reduced to one day a week. Be prepared for your work schedule to be all over the place. However, management was awesome and understanding when I needed time off.  

I believe they really did try to make the days easier.  Be prepared to go home at 2am some nights.  And dishwashers are always understaffed. There are no breaks, be prepared to be on your feet 247. Get some leuokotape to wrap your feet. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Sous chef 15 salaries reported	$68,800 per year
Restaurant manager 4 salaries reported	$70,125 per year
Line cook 3 salaries reported	$20.75 per hour
Host/hostess 4 salaries reported	$18.39 per hour
Pastry cook 3 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour

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