cashier

cook

line cook

assistant restaurant manager

restaurant general manager

Pei Wei Asian Kitchen

Oh boy, where do I begin..  I was a server/busser/cashier, which meant that I "floated" around the restaurant doing whichever needed to be done, serving food and bussing tables at break-neck speed. My typical day at work was to wait around and "look busy" or "find something to do" (which was honestly, EXTREMELY vague) until rush hour came, which was typically around 11-12:00, during which all he** broke loose. At this time, customers come flooding in and you are expected to do the above quickly, and efficiently. It was extremely stressful, as I had to pick up the slack for some other workers. Not even a good job or any type of praise from my managers, only from a few coworkers.  Pei Wei... the idea behind it was that you could have different types of dishes prepared "however you want it", so that customers would be EXTREMELY picky and particular with their food, creating a ****ton of problems and mess-ups, as you were expected both quickly and "without mistakes", as a cashier. Even after I repeated their order and did everything as expected of me... It was a tireless job, as managers were not there to guide or see if I was doing the right thing during the "training" process, which lasted honestly throughout my entire time there. One particular manager, which I will not name names, said that if I was not going to work there long, then they did not want to "waste their time". You can't not teach someone the works and expect them to do well. How the heck  was I supposed to know how long I was going to be working there? Once again.. management was very poor when I started working, which left a bad taste throughout my Pei Wei career. Not to say that there were not any good managers. Major props to those that actually were good... but nevertheless, managers switched off every day and I wish I could have the awesome managers.

 The upper level management was very micromanaging, I could not catch my breath without being *****ed at. Their training was definitely p***-poor, as after a year i was still being taught new things to memorize, which added on to my never-ending list of things to keep in mind, all of which i wished they taught me EARLY ON so that I didnt have to ask people what to do all the d*mn time. My managers were cool for the most part, but they switched out often, so if you had told one manager what you wanted your hours to be like, they would switch out and the next manager would forget and you had to negotiate your hours again.. which was a real pain in the neck. Heck, I felt neglected because even new workers coming in were getting the hours they wanted and I was being put in for whatever was left, after a whole d*mn year.  I honestly never got the hours that I wanted, except only once, and that lasted a week. Upper level management, as I said before is always changing things up and micromanaging everything. I expected a stable place to work at, but new things are ALWAYS being added, and some new thing always comes up that I don't know how to deal with. 

Okay, so let's get started with the customers. Every single day, there was always at least one person who b****ed about SOMETHING, most likely it was out of my control and I had to get one of my managers to help, or at least a coworker, who was probably too busy or would get angry if I asked. There was always that one customer that came in and ruined your day. Some even knew that you were expected to give them the A+ treatment or else they would talk to your manager and you would get sh** on. Since this establishment cannot make up its mind about it being fine dining or fast food, neither can its customers. Your job title is SERVER, but people who eat there expect you to wait on them and are very annoying.


Coworkers... Well.. for the most part, my coworkers were  awesome, most of which I definitely befriended, because there are those few who really relate to you because they, too are going through the same struggle. I wished to hang out with these people outside of work, but I was too busy not having a life because of the inconsistent hours they gave me, not to mention how often I was called to come in to work because someone didn't show up (i always came in to make a good impression, but.. they called me all too often and I'm pretty sure I wasn't the only one they could call..)  know where you stand, or else you will be at the bottom of the food chain, where everyone takes advantage of you, and will try to talk their way into you doing their work, and step all over you.  everyone there was afraid of their uppers, those who weren't were either brown-nosers or not on management's good side, or quit. one particular manager (while i am grateful for having hooked me up with this job) had -1 in treating people with respect and like DECENT human beings, and set up the stage for the work-place environment be a total s***fest and a hostile place to work at.

As a first job, this definitely was not the best experience, and I am reluctant to find work elsewhere in the restaurant business if all restaurants are like this. Perhaps I was not able to handle things or put my foot down or even because it was it was my first job, but d*mn, it was not a good experience for me, all for 8.25 an hour.
My advice is.. Make sure managers properly TEACH.. and I emphasize PROPERLY in order to get things to run smoothly so that your workers are adequately TRAINED before they start working, d*** it. 

So... after time, i got tired of being a server, and our dishwasher got fired because of too many no-shows. I thought it would be easier not having to handle so many customers at once. Dear G, I wish I had not done so. Dishwashing was even worse and more inconsistent than being a server. It was a 2-man job at the very LEAST that the company crunched everything into one job.  Not only were there a constant load of dishes being piled up, but you had to do side prep of certain ingredients as well. At the end of the day, all the cooks would give you their cooking equipment to wash. This was 4-5 trash-can sized loads of pots and pans that you needed to scrub down and wash on top of the loads of dishes that were already coming in at the end of the day, all which needed to be washed within an hour before everyone left. Again, this was at least a 2 man job, and I was only getting paid the bare minimum of 9 dollars an hour, which I deem should be at least a 12-15 dollar job for the amount of work they put on you.

I would put down my foot if I could do it all over, 

. Eat here before considering working here to know what the environment is like (I wish I did). 

Also, the food there is gross, or... unsatisfying to say the least. Most was bland, except the fried rice. Every time I ate there I never came out satisfied or full.

It is most certainly not what it used to be. The company used to be a great place to work grow but not anymore. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
You will meet many great people and develop life long friendships and connections. Although with the mass exodus of managers and high turnover, this is becoming less common.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Labor Constraints: While labor is always a hot button issue in this industry, the labor goals at this company are borderline ridiculous. Unfortunately this translates into improper training of new team members. It is pretty much expected for management to be working multiple positions open to close by themselves 5-6 days a week. You are rarely afforded extra hours to have someone cover these positions so you can properly train new employees.

Lack of Training: You will be given a run down on the basics of your store in the first week. After that, you will be thrown the keys and essentially told good luck. In the 5 years I was employed here, I was never once shown how to properly conduct inventory, how to hire new employees, etc. You will most likely have to figure it out yourself.

Broken Equipment: You are considered very lucky to have a store with 100% working equipment.  You may go months with a broken freezer or plumbing issues until you get a visit from a higher up who then decides it's time to repair the said equipment

Not A People Centric Environment: While it was not always like this, in recent times numbers are more important than yourself and your team. It was pretty shocking to hear/see the way many of my fellow managers at other stores were treated. There were many occasions where I received calls from managers at other locations crying and having absolute mental breakdowns from the stress.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Overworked with running a station and dealing with guests and no break in between. If have ever experienced repeated burn out.....You have seen nothing until you have worked for this company. You will be worked until you body cannot properly function. I am in my early 20's in good health and have had to be hospitalized for bleeding ulcers caused by stress twice. It is common to work open to close 6 days a week, then use your off day to hand out coupons and conduct "Local Store Marketing" per the company's expectations.

In summary, while I truly wish I could write something more positive about this company, it is just not possible. This company may be a good stepping stone for career advancement somewhere else but nothing more. If the owner or corporate executives read this, I truly do hope you are ashamed of what you have done to this company and the great leaders that have worked for it.

The typical day begins when you get there at 8:00, and generally you have 5 hours prep to do in about 3 hours. Most items like produce are prepped fresh so you might be slicing and dicing crates of onions or green and red peppers, Thai basil, Long beans, everything that goes into the dishes. The proteins are prepped by a seperate team on site, and they cut meats nearly all day.
I worked three of the locations, and all three were predominantly spanish speaking employees except the front of house. This means that when you are working you can't understand what others are saying, and should one of them be a superior of yours, you won't understand what they are saying either, even if they are re-directing you. They think they speak English but they don't. They don't like it if you try to enjoy your work. I don't mean horseplay, I mean humming while you prep or kidding with fellow employees about something fun. They will re-direct you to get back to work.
There are no breaks. You can run to the restroom, and drink some water on the way really fast, but if you require any sort of break time to stretch or gain composure, look elsewhere for work. Once the restaurant opens at 11:30, it is a hustle from then on. One of the things that drove me nuts was that they would let you bust your hump for the shift, but then the moment it slows down, like at 2:30, they start sending people home. So your 8 hour shift might turn into 6. So instead of making 80 dollars that day, you make sixty, and after taxes it comes to about 53 bucks. If you like checks under 300 dollars a week and no breaks and a staff that doesn't speak english and a walk-in with items labeled in Spanish and 7 day work weeks to make 400 dollars, this is the job for you.
The only positive is that the food is well-prepared and delicious, which is great if you are going there to eat. They are also the cleanest restaurant I've ever worked for. I would recommend them highly as a place to go enjoy a meal. As far as work is concerned? The hardest work I've ever done, and pretty nasty management, though that might differ store to store.

In short, while the Pei Wei / P.F.Changs Company is quite successful and respectful, the location I worked at was plagued by poor management and communication skills. I was hired to fill a Dishwasher/Food Prep. position 3 months ago, in the midst of a BOGO sale. From the start my hours alternated from 25 hours a week, to 42 hours, to 6, and back again. My 3 days of training were each done by a different person. These employees ranged from a star employee from upper management to an employee who later started a yelling match with the GM in front of numerous customers, all of whom taught me different ways to (more or less) effectively complete my list of tasks and despite this, I was often "re-taught" by the GM. The General Manager was not friendly at all from the moment I met him. He was not able to clearly communicate his needs to the staff and would sometimes resort to yelling or even insulting. All of my "feedback" was in the form of write ups after my 3 shifts of training were over. The Kitchen Manager was likewise incredible ineffective in communicating his needs/expectations and completing his own tasks in an efficient fashion. Items were often out of stock, leaving one or more of my food prep tasks incomplete at the end of the shift. Organization in BOH changed every few weeks, which was counterproductive to learning the position. Also I did not appreciate having a manager who would often complain aloud about the tasks he had to preform, such as inventory or prepping certain foods. There were a number of star employees, however, certain dhrama cooks, shift managers, and even FOH staff preformed their jobs wonderfully and who I will miss dearly. In the end I quit the position after my hours were reduced to one or two shifts a week. I would suggest the BOH position only if you enjoy working hard and being under appreciated.

A day in the life of a Pei Wei employer under my specific title included serving food, clearing tables, stocking supplies, condiments, ice, etc., occasionally tidying up bathrooms, and cleaning spills. If you opened, you prepared the noodles, sauces, and made sure everything was stocked and ready to open. Closing time included a full front to back, top to bottom cleaning of the dining room area, bathrooms and cashier area along with taking all of the sauce containers to the back to be washed. 

For the amount of work I was to preform, I was not paid adequately. 

All I learned working at Pei Wei was job importance, on time responsibility and how to prep food in the mornings. 

The management was terrible, very unfriendly. My manager picked favorites, and the kitchen manager would always interfere in my job duties and would try to run how I performed my job. He was very unkind and demanding. 

The atmosphere as a whole was not the worst. I had some very fantastic coworkers but a majority of the time, I worked alongside people I couldn't stand. I was always accused of stealing tips, slacking on my duties and was often spoke about behind my back. 

The hardest part of my job was the anxiety I was met with before I entered those front doors. I was always worried I would make someone else mad or do something wrong. 

My favorite part about the job was all the awesome customers I had the opportunity to meet and serve while I worked there. As an added bonus, I worked alongside my brother which wasn't that bad, either.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Doing back of house and cleanup at the end of the day was very relaxing. You get food for half off or free depending on the shift length you are working. Packing the food in the front of the house is quite enjoyable.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Definitely any rush is quite stressful, at the end of the day and at lunchtime (noon-3) are the biggest rushes.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment itself will vary store-to-store depending on the manager of your store. Mine was relaxed if we weren't in a rush as long as everything was getting done on time.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Clock-in, check the schedule to see who I was working with whilst greeting everyone. Get an apron on and see where the shift lead/manager wanted me for that day. Usually I was on appetizers and rice so I would also start work on cleaning and stocking for those roles, as well as assisting the chefs with their stocking and prep. Continue until it slows and prep for cleaning the back floor and dishes. Dishes were throughout the shift as they accumulated. End of shift one of the chefs would largely take over my station and allow me to move to doing the bulk of my cleaning duties, and in the last hour or so the largest portion of dishes would begin as the final change/disposal of ingredients would occur to make sure everything was food-safe. Finish day with final check over of cleaning with shift lead/manager, fixing anything they wanted done and then clocking out.

Work there from 2010 to approximately 2014 I cashiered exposed served bused dishwasher prep and some pantry the people who I worked with were awesome would do it all over again management was okay as soon as we would get a manager we clicked with and got along good with the Corporate would send in a new management in and most of the time they either didn't know what they're doing or extremely rude to us. The likelihood of you ever moving up in Pei wei is not likely the highest you'll move up is to key they only higher management from the outside for example they hired a manager from a completely different style of food and environment to our Pei Wei and we were slammed 4 Super Bowl which we did not expect because we don't have that particular style of food that would be something you would want for Super Bowl and instead of dealing with the situation that I was in or one cashier was in and two Cooks we literally had 4 ppl staffed and he decided he wanted to taste the food and make sure the quality was okay instead of dealing with our guest. Situations like this happen quite often at this particular establishment.  But my co-workers made it all worth it. The only reason I left was because I was expecting my first child and when I went back to reclaim my job my job was barely there you would say I didn't make very many hours and was forced to quit and there was a new manager when I came back.

A typical day includes stocking sauces, fortune cookies, fortune cookie bags, soy sauces, the beer fridge, the beer bath, folding bags, dusting, sweeping, refilling ice machines, taking dine-in and to-go orders, taking phone in orders, running food, busing tables, bagging to-go orders, bagging lettuce, making cookies, refilling syrup flavors in the drink machines, cleaning the restrooms, and satisfying all customer needs. I learned about prioritizing immediate concerns like catering orders that have a set promise time and stocking things, when we need it by, how many we have, how far that will go, etc. The management is disorganized. There are three managers and they fail to communicate with one another on matters of policy, scheduling, etc. It can create some confusion and autonomy is a must. The hardest part of the job is how easy it is to make a mistake. You could easily leave the lettuce or sauce out of a to-go bag and have an irate customer on the line. You could also forget to ask if the reason someone requests no peanuts is because they have a peanut allergy and send someone to the hospital. Food is no joke. The most enjoyable part by far are the coworkers. They're very easy going and willing to help each with their strengths and weaknesses and they are quick to make friends with any new hires.

I worked the opening shift. The restaurant was busy from the same time every day I worked and slowed down at the same time every day. I would arrive at 9am and immediately began my duties before the restaurant opened at 11am. I took the vents from the degreasers and placed them over the grills, I organized the food pantry, organized the food shipments, made the salad, cleaned/washed/cooked the brown and white rice for the day, and prepared the pad thai noodles. After 11am customers would begin walking through the doors, and would not stop until about 3:00pm. During this time my job was to clean dishes in an orderly and time efficient manner. Cook and clean the white and brown rice for the day. Portion cookies and noodles throughout the day. All the while organizing the cleaned dishes for the servers and the cleaned dishes for the cook staff. I was also responsible for taking out the trash. At the end of my shift, after customers thinned out until dinner, I cleaned my work station and reorganized the pantry. The managers were efficient and expected duties to be completed in a time-bound and proper manner. This position taught me just how vital service staff are to providing an industry such as the food industry to the public.

I have worked at Pei Wei Asian Diner for about two years now, and I have had more store managers than I can count on two hands.  With each new Store manager comes a new way of organizing work stations, of handling store policy, etc. to the point where those of us who have been in the store long enough have no idea where things are or what we are expected to do.

This general confusion only leads to more irritation from our customer base, as the constant turnover of employees means that at any given moment there will be a person who can sheepishly explain that it's their first day and that's why they don't their dishes.  Also adding to customer irritation is the fact that the menu for the store is in a constant state of flux, and it changes at random times as dictated by the corporate overlords in Arizona, far from the region where I work.

As I said, I've been with this company for two years.  I'm paid 11.50/hr, pretty good for a restaurant job.  Unfortunately this is the only perk for working with the company, as you can't expect free meals for working there all day (it costs too much, and the store needs to save money) and any health insurance is fairly negligible.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Cashier 5 salaries reported	$14.91 per hour
Cook 14 salaries reported	$13.16 per hour
Line cook 1 salary reported	$13.00 per hour
Assistant restaurant manager 1 salary reported	$55,000 per year
Restaurant general manager 1 salary reported	$55,000 per year

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