crew member

assistant manager

team leader

team member

general manager

Pancheros Mexican Grill

In my time working here, I have worked every possible shift, in every possible station. During opening shifts, I would arrive at 9a, and that would leave an hour and a half to take care of the opening manager paperwork, and prepare front line setup and product. During closing shifts, I would arrive at 5p, handle the dinner rush, and close at 11p. 
   
   This was my only official management position, and I learned a lot about leadership, and also other duties, like administration and delegation. 

   Management changed about halfway through my time spent here. My original GM had been terminated for several reasons, and in August of 2013 a new GM transferred over, and changed a lot. It was a rocky road, and it ended up causing a "roster change" in the next 6 months, and finally we had a working "ecosystem".

   There were some other employees who were also getting full-time hours, and I worked with them steadily. This was helpful, as it made running shifts a lot easier. I was able to follow a routine for my closing shifts and opening shifts because I knew my co-workers could be kept on task easily.

   The hardest part of the job had to do with the standards we were held to. The new GM was from Portage, MI... completely different environment in terms of demographic and financial status. There were plenty of benefits to what our new GM brought to our store (we broke the highest sales figure that location ever had... twice in one year), but these same standards did not allow much margin for error. We had many problems keeping employees, and it seemed much of that could be attributed to certain aspects of the GM's personality and management style as well as the lack of work ethic demonstrated by some employees. This resulted in a lot of us working many hours (a plus), but also our GM had to pull many open-to-close shifts. 

   For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of this job was being the longest-lasting employee in that store. I knew many of the regular customers, developed great customer relations, and genuinely enjoyed them seeing us. I was respected as a manager not only by the crew, but also my fellow Team Leaders. I also had what some regulars called a "flair" when it came to the production process, which was a morale boost for me.

DO NOT WORK HERE. Trust me.
Here are a couple examples of what I experienced while working at Pancheros. Your mileage may vary.
• Improper or complete lack of safety equipment (you're heavily encouraged to use your fingers to take tortillas off the grill, and you get weird looks when you use the spatulas.)
•Horrendous sick leave policy (Call in at least 3 hours before your shift, find someone to cover, and get a doctor's note for any absence, no exceptions. If you can't do all of these things you get written up.)
•Spotty direct deposit (my paycheck has been pending since Saturday and I was supposed to get it finalized on Monday, and it's Tuesday and guess what didn't finalize?)
•Complete lack of basic equipment. (When they hired me they had two shirt sizes to choose from, 2XL and L. And no hats, they had to borrow them from somewhere else. That right there should have been a warning sign. And when I was told to clean the bathrooms they made me clean the urinal and the toilet by hand with a rag, spray, and gloves. No toilet brush for some reason.)
•Consistently short-staffed (so if you're sick and you can't find someone, which is very likely, you still have to come in and work. Frequently there will be 3 or less people up front doing everything because we're either understaffed or the management decided to go into the back and prep or go off and chat instead of helping us.)
•Management doesn't do anything. (One shift we literally had an assistant manager who has never managed before go out to his girlfriend's car and stand there and chat with her for like 20 minutes instead of helping. Really don't know why they hired him, no one likes him.)
•If you want to find someone to cover your shift, good luck, because the sheet with everyone's info hasn't been updated since February of this year.
•Zero benefits except for a 401K that no one bothered to explain to me or set up.
Pros:
The coworkers are decent people for the most part. 
Free lunches is nice.
Being paid almost 12$ an hour is nice.
Scheduling flexibility is nice.
Getting breaks is nice, kind of.
But it's not worth it.

I was an employee for the company serving two stints as an Assistant Manager and one as a general manager. My experience as a general manager was pretty terrible. Corporate support was pretty thin and when i routed things up properly my district manager would often screen my calls. When you are shouldering most of the major responsibilities for a restaurant because your assistant is a glorified team lead you kind of need some support that's faster than a call returned the next day. 

 I stepped down from the GM role for my mental health and to go back to school, which was well received by management. They told me I would get a bonus for my six month stint, and they would allow me to go back to my previous store and position. I never received the bonus, and when I asked about it I was told it wasn't happening. I took a vacation in anticipation of that bonus before college classes started.

 I was able to successfully attend school for roughly three months until poor scheduling from my superior would often lead to me having to choose between staying at work or locking the restaurant doors to make it to class even close to on time.  The first option would leave me jobless (One of my previous subordinates was fired for this). I could not afford to live without a job so I eventually had to drop out of college leaving me in a bit of debt.  I was very clear on my scheduling and availability months in advance of classes starting. I was adamant that that was my max availability and I could not stay late. This was completely ignored. I dropped out of college.

 Eventually after voicing my frustrations, the DOO and I negotiated a raise when he came to my store to meet with me. I said I would stick around for the raise and we agreed on it. I didn't receive it even after reminding them once so I pursued a different opportunity. 

All of that being said, the pay for GM's isn't terrible, and the bonus plan (if you receive it) is pretty respectable. If you have bills to pay you may want to have backup plans though because you never know what may happen.

            I would usually work night shifts on weekdays and day shifts on weekends. I would strongly recommend only working day shifts though. I would usually come in early and eat the food I got from the fast and fresh (5 stars in my book) a few hundred feet away, and management was a-ok with that as long as I didn't leave a mess. I would then get to work usually just doing prep work regardless of the shift because the weekday day shift never really did any. I would usually do that until the first rush came and then took my spot on the line. rinse and repeat a few times till toward the end of my shift when I would usually be cleaning the lobby and I would strongly advise not being the person to do that. 

            All in all, I did learn quite a few things seeing as it was my first job such as working under high pressure and dealing with jerks (of which we got a lot). Management was mixed the previous GM got fired and I can't go into any specifics, but I was mainly taught by him and I eventually learned that I was taught wrong half the time. then along came the new GM who had previously quit because of the old one, he was a great guy and an amazing manager, but I didn't like the fact that things in the back were constantly changing (I struggle with change). 

            I know this distinction has been used to death but the work culture was like a family, some of them you like others you don't but you still usually get along with them and even if you didn't you still had to deal with them.

            The hardest part of the job is a tricky thing to say because it would change so much some days it would be the customers, others it would be getting yourself to come into work for your shift, I'm not saying that the work experience was bad it just caused me a lot of stress because a lot of the time we were SEVERELY understaffed and had to prep stuff in the middle of a huge rush.

            The most enjoyable part of the job was the amount of amazing people I had the pleasure to work with.

A typical day started with my arrival and preparation of food. I had to make sure there was enough food on the line to last through the lunch/dinner rushes depending on which shift I was assigned. Before the rushes I cleaned the lobby area for customers, and again after the rushes. While dealing with customers it was my duty to operate the P.O.S. system, or work one of three positions on the line for making the customers' orders. In this position I learned how to move quickly and think on my feet when others were unable to keep up with the speedy demand of the rushes. There were several different levels of management at the restaurant, most of which were above satisfactory. My coworkers were very respectful and enjoyable to be around most of the time, although, several times there were personal issues between employees that conflicted with work. The hardest part of the job was having to deal with the inexperienced management when they were having personal issues outside of work and brought them into the workplace. The most enjoyable part of the job were my coworkers and a friendly work environment.

This was my first job, and it was pretty good at first. I went through 4 different general managers, and they were all very hit or miss. Only one of them actually seemed to care about the employees and shift leaders, and there was another one I got along with, but that's just because we had been friends for a while. If you don't take a shift lead position, this job is fine, but it doesn't pay well. If you do, it is one of the worst jobs you could apply for, and still doesn't pay well. Corporate doesn't care about their workers. They understaff you so labor doesn't get too high (their labor numbers are extremely anti-worker), there were times when I would be working a shift on a weekend night with 2 or 3 people, which is simply not enough hands to make the store function properly. I was frequently there 12+ hours on weekend closing shifts doing dishes and cleaning until almost 5 am because I was not given staff to help me, just to get yelled at by day shift if one small thing was not in pristine condition. Do not take a management/shift lead position, it was the most depressing time of my life. 

I love working at Pancheros! Its a steady pace environment with a very organized system. The employers are amazing and very reasonable. The work isnt hard at all and easy to learn. There is a chance for advancement as long as you pursue it. And the employees make it a great place to be. We have alot of regulars that come to the restaurant and love the food, so you will see familar faces. Plus, we get free meals after 30 days and an employee discount of 50% off once you're hired. Also after 3 months you are elgible for PTO. Breaks are ok as long as you clock out as a break while the restaurant's not busy. And to top it off, our Manager will work with you as far as scheduling goes. And as long as you can find another employee to work your hours, it wouldnt be a problem, but you must communicate with our manager and let her know the situation and have it cleared by her. They are very flexible and understanding. I am here to stay.

A typical day at Panchero's is very fast paced. We always had to make sure all of the food was prepped and ready to go for any given moment. Not very many breaks as people will always be coming in and out. I've learned that attention to detail is a very important thing. For example, you MUST pay attention to what the customer would like in their dish, as they may be allergic to something. Another thing I learned was how to cope with unhappy customers and to be able to communicate with my team. The management was kind and fun to work with, but also had a little room for improvement. The hardest part of the job was having to always be on your toes. We had to be cautious of customers, hot surfaces, sharp objects, etc. The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to work with great people and creating new relationships.

A typical day involves preparing products for the line. Making sure the store is up to the 'Bob' Standard. Providing customers with excellent service no matter the situaiton.
From working there I have been able to learn more spanish, which helps when serving customers that speak only spanish or limited english.
Management is very helpful and willing to help out, they provide positive feedback and rely on the whole team to help make things great.
Pancheros is a great place to work and we always have fun well getting the job done!
The hardest part of the job comes when you are unfortunetly short staffed for various reasons so everyone works harder and it makes for a longer day
The best part is being around people that honestly enjoy their job, and see the same customers come back day after day.

I would arrive at work do paperwork and daily tasks that needed to be done! Make sure all employees are in building and on time. Would count down drawers and safe to make sure all money is accounted for. I've continue to learn management skills from people who were above me. You have never learned everything. My co-workers are great usually when i got transferred locations a quarter of my staff would follow me. There were not hard parts to the job the biggest thing is to me customer service, food cost and payroll which all effect the bottom line and that whats most important. The most enjoyable part was hiring people that I could develop and turn there life's around! Very rewarding!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Crew member 3 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour
Assistant manager 1 salary reported	$17.00 per hour
Team leader 6 salaries reported	$14.21 per hour
Team member 9 salaries reported	$13.11 per hour
General manager 6 salaries reported	$56,667 per year

Working at Pancheros Mexican Grill: Company Overview and Reviews

Pancheros Mexican Grill

Pancheros Mexican Grill Ratings

Popular jobs at Pancheros Mexican Grill

Salary Satisfaction

Job Seeker Tools

Employer Tools

Browse

Stay Connected