barista

assistant manager

customer service representative

shift manager

store manager

PJs Coffee

Where do I even start? I’m finally free from this job that’s been plaguing me since May, and I’m sad about it. This store opened in December 2022, and I had been looking to work there since before they opened. I didn’t get a call back originally l, but chased this job for months until finally they had an opening in May. Little did I know what I was getting into! On the online application it said pay was $10.50-12 an hour. When I got to the interview and was told $8.25/hr, that should have been my first red flag. I just wanted the job so bad I decided to take it, because I really liked PJ’s. The first day was fine, everyone was really nice but I was quiet (it was 4:30am and I was obviously very nervous). And then it just went downhill from there. At my previous job, if there weren’t customers I was training on drinks. At this one? Nothing. My next few shifts were basically my coworkers asking me if I “wanted to know how to make something I can tell them”. Well, I mean obviously I wanted to learn everything! I wanted to be good at the job! I wasn’t taught brewing coffee, grinding beans, or like LITERALLY ANYTHING. I was showed once and expected to remember how to do everything. I was quiet every shift due to extreme social anxiety surrounding my coworkers, because they all had a little clique of people who started when the store first opened. Most of my coworkers were so unkind to new people on the team. (That’s not to mention that the store was severely understaffed, with the manager refusing to hire more people or look at job applications when there were 300+ options.) There were so many mornings I would walk in and nobody greeted me, nobody said hello or good morning. And it truly did make me feel terrible! How am I supposed to give my best work in an environment where people don’t like me? The reason that I don’t understand is because I’ve done NOTHING WRONG. From the first day I started all I wanted was to work in a friendly environment. Fast forward to after working about 35 shifts, I went on vacation for about 2 weeks. When I came back from vacation I unfortunately got sick with COVID due to being at a large convention with lots of sickness. I told him (the manager) I would let him know when I’m available to work again, and he agreed. He put out the schedule as usual- 2 weeks out, and I was not scheduled at all for that entire time. I was okay with that. I know what my body is capable of and I know when I’ll be comfortable working around FOOD AND DRINKS after having COVID. Then, on a random Thursday at 2am, I get a notification “New Schedule Published!” and see a new shift is assigned to me. What?? No! If he wanted to schedule me he should have asked first! I ALREADY TOLD HIM I cannot work that week! Then I remembered I’m scheduled to paint my senior year parking spot that day which entirely conflicts with my shift. I messaged him saying that I’m not able to come in on Monday. He tells me it’s MY responsibility to find someone to cover a shift that I cannot work. THIS SHIFT WAS NOT ORIGINALLY ASSIGNED TO ME. I had finally had enough. I had made up my mind that I’m absolutely NOT going in on Monday. It isn’t in my job description to find someone to cover my shift when I have already informed management that I CAN’T WORK. I just went ahead and asked in the groupchat with my coworkers if anyone could take it (I knew it wouldn’t end well, they get mad whenever I ask for a shift covered.) Suddenly it blows up into this huge argument- I’m getting cussed out and told “WE LITERALLY DO NOT LIKE TOU AT ALL” and told that I have an “attitude at work”. I know this isn’t true because I cared about that store 10x more than most of the workers there! I truly did care about the quality of drinks and food and of course the customers! The only reason that I can think of that they may have thought I “have an attitude”, is that extreme social anxiety. Anyways, the fight was terrible and some really mean things were said to me that I never would’ve believed could happen. The only thing I can compare working at PJ’s to is middle school bullying. So many times I came home sobbing, shaking, and so depressed- because I was treated like I was stupid and unable to do anything right. And my coworkers hated me. 
Before you think about working at the PJ’s coffee Katy, TX location- DON’T. This was truly the worst job of my life which is so sad to say since I chased this job for months, but all I can do is warn others now. 

If I could rate this job with zero stars, I would.

The PJ's I worked at is a mess. The drinks are not all that good. The food was actually pretty decent. The job was slow; like extremely slow. Not gonna lie, I could play on my phone my entire shift and I was cool with that, because everything is extremely easy to maintain. Granted it's not my first time working at a coffee shop, so I know what I'm doing when it comes down to cleaning, maintenance, and drink making. 

The real nastiness is my first night working at PJ's; I learned from my trainer that I was the only person he saw cleaning as much as I did. I literally cannot make this up; there was a weird crust build up on the sides of the fridge when I opened it up. It was disgusting; from my previous work at a coffee shop, I get it, sometimes there's old milk build up on the sides of the fridge because people come in to order coffee all the time, and sometimes milk splashes and drips on the side of the fridge. However, that night; it's bad when I had to go in with a brush and whatever all-purpose cleaner is available in the store (and I fear, it was not a lot and it made me wonder how often they order it). 

I also cleaned the syrup bottles and they did not feel like they were cleaned, like ever. It was literally caked in hardened sugar that I literally scrubbed down. 

Which is probably where the roaches were there for.

On my last shift as I was cleaning, my trainer said to me (because I had put in my two weeks in, I found another job) "Wow, look at you deep cleaning! I'm gonna try and get two weeks of work out of you!" Which is fine.

Except, all I was doing was just wiping down the counters and the shelf tops.

Keep in mind I only worked two days a week (like everyone else because the location wasn't making much money, which is fine because I only really scheduled myself to work two days a week anyway), so imagine how disgusting it is for me to come in EVERY night to do the cleaning all over again that is supposed to be done EVERY NIGHT.

The manager at the SW Railroad location plays favorites and refuses to promote people to higher paying positions/shifts. She herself works nearly every morning making $60-80 in tips a morning while others have to live off of close shifts making $20 a shift in tips. But she complains she never has any money and needs to work those shifts. She fired and/or lost several people within a month blaming them for creating a toxic workplace, but never giving a solid, definite reason as to why they were fired. Another issue is the temperature in the store. It is consistently 80°+ making working with hot coffee and hot appliances super uncomfortable. The owner is also not good either. She demands more and more from her employees yet does not compensate fairly for the extra stress and workload. She will get in your face and yell at you when something isn’t up to her standards even if it’s not your fault or has nothing to do with you. Overall I would not recommend anyone work here unless they don’t care about their mental health or wellbeing.

A good temporary or second job for sure, but that’s about all it is. The pay is absolutely awful to the point that if you were working 40+ hrs every week you still couldn’t pay your bills! The “raise” that you are supposed to get every 3 months is 25-50 cents and God forbid you get sick and have to call in!! The owner/management couldn’t care less what’s going on in your life, if you can’t make it you can guaranteed you will be written up. I know people who were broke down on the side of the road and were STILL written up bc they couldn’t make it to work. There is just no empathy what so ever and the lies that go around that place is insane. I left that place with gray hair I swear. It’s mostly girls so there’s always drama and people being fake. With the stress of that place you’d think you’d be getting paid millions! Loved my coworkers there though, which them the best

Working at PJ's makes your appreciate the existence of local, community based coffee shops. Most of the customers have been going there for years and their children follow suit. Customers feel comfortable and often end up spending a few hours or more daily at the cafe. On a typical day the majority of customers that come in are regulars which means the employees have all their names and orders memorized and often engage in friendly conversation with them. Since it is an actual coffee house I have come to learn the subtle art form of coffee; the ways in which it's roasted, the difference between drinks as well as the different levels at which beans are ground. Coworkers are trustworthy and hardworking and are all fully capable of handling a large volume of customers on their own. The manager goes out of his way to make sure his employees are well educated about their job so as to better appreciate it.

The company itself I loved,however I worked at a franchise owned location and the owners were incompetent. We were constantly running out of things because they didn't know how to order product correctly, the owners were the "managers" and would schedule themselves full shifts and usually not show up. They did not even know how to make a single beverage. The store was super unclean when I started because two of the employees spent half their shift sitting on their phones instead of cleaning and doing assigned tasks. The expectations were unclear because management did not know what they were doing. The schedule was inconsistent and usually wouldn't be released until 2 days before. The pay is incredibly low for the work expected. One of the managers was super disrespectful to employees. A teenager could manage this store better than the 3 adults now.  Honestly I will be surprised if this store makes it at all. Terrible management, I would not recommend.

At first, I liked working here. The owner is nice even though he doesn't have experience running a store before. The manager, however, isn't very good at working with employees. Communication is lacking and procedures change constantly. Questions about the job are regularly avoided. COVID is not taken seriously and it feels dangerous inside during a pandemic. There was also no real training for any new employees after it initially opened. Employees without training themselves would have to teach new hires the ropes. In the end, nobody knew what they were doing. Also, the tips are not nearly as good as promised. The employee benefits in terms of food are not good (one free drink, with limits). No breaks. There's no room for growth either. It's not worth it.


Loved my job at PJs until I ran into medical issues.
I had recently been given keys for the store as shift manager. I left my keys on the counter after completing my shift one day after being told I had to attend a store meeting instead of going to the hospital for said medical condition. The franchisee had never reached out and still ignores me to this day. Never asks what happened and if I was okay. I've since had more operations for said medical condition, and it's no longer an issue. Loved my coworkers, but the franchisee I worked for put a bad taste in my mouth. I was always a passionate barista, loved to create beautiful drinks, made sure my customers were always happy. I miss PJs..... 

A typical day at work was hectic but worth it. You meet interesting people and are able to converse with customers while serving them. I learned communication skills and the in/outs of opening to closing of a coffee shop. The management was poor in my opinion. Schedules were given out sunday nights for the week ahead so it made it difficult to schedule life and school around a part-time job. The culture of PJ's was my absolute favorite. The hardest part of the job was being scheduled alone and being responsible for all duties and the late hours; however, I got used to it after 3 years. The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to experiment with coffee and come up with new recipes.

After my original supervisor left, the support and training I had been promised completely disappeared. Instead of continuing my training, the GM criticized me for asking too questions and would publicly push me aside in front of customers and take over, which was embarrassing and discouraging. I would expect a GM to treat all employees respectfully and professionally. I was told to change my schedule to allow for training but then was not given those shifts and was ultimately terminated. The GM wouldn't even speak to me directly but sent the termination by a text message. I would not recommend this workplace for someone new to the workforce or expecting proper training and support.


Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 8 salaries reported	$9.76 per hour
Assistant manager 10 salaries reported	$13.05 per hour
Customer service representative 6 salaries reported	$15.93 per hour
Shift manager 5 salaries reported	$13.00 per hour
Store manager 1 salary reported	$16.00 per hour

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