line cook

server

dishwasher

host/hostess

to-go specialist

Romanos Macaroni Grill

From what I gather, myself and most of my coworkers were thrown into their job by starting on a holiday (however, management has changed since then so I'm not sure if this still applies). I personally feel like that's a poor managerial decision, as new employees should be eased into their new work environment. I've noticed due to this decision, a lot of my coworkers didn't get the hang of their job until months later, especially for the job position I am in. Hosting isn't just 'sitting people' down (which is a poorly misconstrued perception of the job), you had to be mindful of waiters and the kitchen as well as the guests. When you don't give your host amicable time to digest that concept, you end up with a host that doesn't know how to manage the traffic (and eventually, earning a backed-up kitchen and waiters that can't get caught up). For me, personally, I wasn't able to digest that fully until approx. 6 months later. Servers either constantly went up to the host stand announcing they were ready to be sat (which is good notice, but most servers aren't mindful of the rotation nor the kitchen) or completely disregarded our position by overstepping and grabbing customers to sit in their section... which is especially overwhelming to hosts that are new to the job. When you have a well-trained host, they're able to manage not being manipulated by hungry servers or impatient guests. For this particular location, I feel like that's deeply needed. The management is poor, but that might be due to the training of the managers too. We're constantly underprepared in all aspects: food, the floor, the bar station or togo station, (not to mention low on supplies because... ?? corporate are penny pinchers??) and it's extremely stressful when you're thrown into an evening shift in particular when nothing is prepared. How am I supposed to explain to our guests that the wait is 20 minutes long because we have nothing prepared for them to fully enjoy a relaxing experience?

Due to the extremely low traffic these days (except for the rare weekend when it's busy, or on holidays), we don't get any customers coming in which affects the hours of the staff. I've had so many two hour shifts, I've lost count. Not to mention, our servers have this new 'ranking system' that depends on the selling of appetizers, alcohol, and desserts and if you're doing well, you get more shifts. But how do you expect morning staff and staff that you only schedule two days a week to sell anything? It's ridiculously unfair. As a host, I'm constantly overworked when we're understaffed but then get less than 5 hours per shift to save labor (also, we don't get any extra compensation for the hard work we do, except for the rare occasion that a server will tip us, only if we do something for them). These days, I'm beginning to think it's just not worth it anymore.

However, I do want to mention that the community at my location, regardless of the management is poor, is really great. There truly is a family-like atmosphere here and everyone helps each other out (at least, most). We always say the reason we're still here is because of the people. How often do you get to work in a place where nearly everyone gets along? Then again, that is just me and it might be different for other people. Our current managers are really kind. I often feel bad that they get thrown into terrible situations where they're doing their best, and don't have enough time at all to actually make improvements. They're too busy dealing with what's going on in the present to look forward to the future. In my opinion, I feel like it all stems from corporate. I know it's just a part-time job, but I think it's important for all companies to take care of their employees. 

Also, I should mention, this location, in particular, is like a magnet to the most impatient people on earth. Guests are always rude and incredibly impatient.

When I worked there I only got 2-3 hours a day due to their lack of customers, not only was it 2-3 hours a shift but it was only 2 shifts a week. The management was terrible. Out of the three managers there was only one that had some human decency. One of the managers was always super rude to me every shift! I would always make an effort to say hi and ask about this managers day and they would always rudely ignore me. They don't tell you when you first start but they are a 365 day restaurant, meaning you have to work EVERY single holiday. They pretty much only give you more than 2-3 hours on holidays. So basically working there on normal days of the weeks you make dirt but when holiday season comes around that's the only time they need you, they should make it a seasonal job. The only up to this job is the tips, but even then I was only making an additional $20 for two weeks of work .Overall this restaurant really only hurt me in the long run, the management treated me terribly which discouraged me and made me not want to work even though it was only 2 days a week. If you want your first job to be only 2 days a week and but still make at least a little bit of money than this is the job for you. On top of the LACK OF NEED for the hostess position they would over hire like it was crazy. Not only were you a host but they also wanted you to buss and sometimes help with To-Go's. I was there for quite awhile and they never trained me on To-Go's but of course blamed it on me for not knowing the way around the To-Go stand. I am very upset that I wasted so much time at this restaurant when I could have been working somewhere else that would actually benefit me in the long run. The only reason I give it five star for the job and life balance section is because they never gave you shifts anyways.

A typical day at work consists of scrambling around trying to prep all we need an hour before opening. On an average day most of us on the line struggle due to the lack of time were allowed to prepare our stations. When dinner hits, its even more of a rush to get everything prepared in time just to make enough for what we think we might sell. There was never a night that we didn't have to take something off the menu because it wasn't pulled from the fridge or we ran out.
The time I've spent here i learned as much as one would imagine u could learn working at a large chain establishment; cooking and plating quickly and in a timely manner, sharpening knife skills, building speed and sanitary practices.
Management isn't exactly the greatest I've had, our store manager cant write a schedule to save his life and refuses to let us get overtime. When it comes close we get clocked out and are still required to work off the clock if our duties are not completed. The Sou Chef is capable but doesn't work the line until were all struggling to put out orders. The food service manager does everything in his power NOT to cook, be it finding something to prep or heading to the front of the house to help with tables.
The hardest part of my job I'd probably have to say would be preparing the line. We are given so little time that we often run out of product or run around like headless chickens making entrees to order.
In all i do love being a chef, i take pride in what i server to the customer and joy in watching their satisfied faces when they are done with their meal. I hope to continue on in this career waiting for a change to be part of a culinary team whom i can respect.

I have been here for well over 5 years.  This alone should prove how happy I was there.  I had met some fantastic people through out the years and had learned to discover who I was as a person.  I first came into this restaurant as an awkward teenager and I am now leaving as a well adjusted adult with some direction in mind.

This place helped me break out of my shell and become more out going.  The management as of right now seems to have a nice balance of knowing when to be your friend and when to be the boss.  So you feel comfortable when working and know your boss will help you when it matters most.

The hardest part about this job is the hours.  Your hours are very unpredictable and seem to take control of your life.  However, you can usually predict when you will be off work within an 1-1.5 hours.  Another hard part of the job is not learning the food but learning how to treat the guests appropriately and professionally at the same time.  This is key to ensure your success at this restaurant.

Your typical day will be taking care of tables (typically 3-4 at once), cleaning up the restaurant and doing side work.  However, all of this is done in a very fast-paced and stressful environment.  This job will help you develop time management skills if you don't already have them along with helping you manage your stress levels.

This is not at all a bad job, I enjoyed my time here and honestly believe I have gained so much from my years here.  So if you are a people person and like taking cash home every day you should consider working here.

Management shortage & changes all the time. So short staffed with cooks so food takes over an hour to come out on busy nights so customers get upset. Food comes out cold sometimes. Managers want under 20% labor by the end of the day so they cut people and make you buss and host your own tables, never gets busy but if it does your holding the restaurant on your own because they schedule one person for FOH in the mornings. Togo gets super busy and they won’t shut it off to serve the people on the floor bc that’s there way of making money but togo people get mad bc their food takes forever too. Servers there are tired and over worked. I want to say the tips are worth it tho, i’ll walk out w a 100$ or more a day. 200$ on a good night. You don’t tip out the cooks, only the bar and hostess/busser. but it’s only 2.5 of your sales. and it automatically calculates their tip through the system. if there is no host or busser you get that money back through tip share. Side work is so easy, the restaurant is small so you get 4 tables in your section. A good thing is that the cooks don’t care they will give you food if you ask for it. Sometimes you do have to pay/ring it in only bc inventory is bad. they don’t have any benefits here. They schedule about one togo person on the weekends only, there’s no togo person during the week. Bartenders make really good money there. 1/3 managers don’t care that your on your phone. everyone gets along there and there is rarely any drama. The menu there is really small, no lunch menu, no specials. You’ll work 3-5 hours a day so it’s great for a part time job. Customers tip very well there, probably bc it’s supposed to be a fancy dinner, not sure. 

I applied for full time hours but over time they just completely cut back on my hours to make space for a bunch of new hires in a semi-dead restaurant. I would bus tables, set them up, and assist with servers or the hosts with whatever work they needed help with. I started on the busiest night of the week, Friday, and thought the rest of the job would be like this but was surprised to see it was more underwhelming than anticipated. We barely got any customers aside from late in the week at night for maybe 1 and a half hours which was about the average length of a shift. Management went from being incredibly respectful and easygoing to disrespecting people publicly and humiliating servers in the middle of the restaurant for focusing on their own responsibilities instead of the responsibilities of scatterbrained servers that they blatantly favored more. The management at this location are by far the most unprofessional people I've ever seen in a leadership position and it was hard to leave since I had made friends with the other staff but most of them were already starting to leave anyways because of the amount of unnecessary pressure the management was putting on them so I knew I was making the right choice. The benefits are garbage, you'd get 50% off a meal that would take forever to even receive because cooks never prioritized employee meals, and management favored the disgusting servers who would touch other's people's food after dealing with money all day over the staff members who genuinely cared about their work and being hygienic.

I have been a chef at Macaroni Grill for the past 5+ years and have seen many unfortunate changes. Upper management seems to be clearly disconnected from front line operations, continually changing company procedures and direction, and far too often failing to communicate those goals to front line employees. As hourly employees, we have an ongoing saying that "the only thing that is constant is that everything is changing". In my store alone, I have seen over 20 "in store" managers come through, several getting fired and most leaving for better opportunities with other companies. The bottom dollar is put above all else; training new employees, cross training current employees, keeping the store in proper working condition and SANITARY. Management in store continues to take a lessen role in our kitchen, relying far to heavily on the experienced chefs to "make it work", and offering nothing in a show of appreciation. While I've worked there for as mentioned 5+ years, it is only the result of the other hourly's that I work with, and while having management experience in other corporate restaurants as well as a Bachelor's Degree, I have never been approached about taking on more responsibility within my store. I originally the other corporate restaurant I was working at to pursue a management position with Macaroni Grill, and over time have realized that they have very little to offer me. So much more to say, yet more then likely no one is there to listen and my personal time is valuable to me.

All in all defiantly a good job. Being a restaurant sometimes hours can vary, even working in the kitchen hourly. In the kitchen a routine is easily fallowed. Come in, stock up, clean up some and prep what is needed for the shift, if anything is needed. I have learned many aspects of kitchen equipment, cleaning procedures, and how to maximize my productivity. The management at my location is hard working and trained. Being corporate, they have a standard for almost everything making moving between restaurants easy. My location was different from other restaurants I have worked in regarding the staff. In the kitchen most chefs have been with the company 10+ years, and the servers have been a long time as well. There is some turnover, but very little. There is a "core" group of servers, as well as some seasonal hires that more often than not come back. The harder parts with working in the kitchen are keeping pace, while making perfect plates. Everyday is different, in that there are always different dishes, amounts of customers, inventory, and sometimes the unavoidable equipment failure. But no matter what happens/goes wrong, we always make it through our shifts. Getting everything accomplished the way it needs to be done. I enjoy the fact that even though I am in a restaurant, I have formed some long lasting friendships that I will carry with me a long time.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Working with some truly wonderful people that help you get through your miserable shifts. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Persistent LOUSY mangement and the typical, "bottom line" BS which corporations only care about.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Burnt out and stressed out employees just trying to survive. Plenty of young workers with no decent work ethic and who don't give a **** about their job and how their "no show" or incredibly late arrivals costs others their time and money--particularly when opening servers/mixologists show up and are told to go home because the opening cooks didn't come in and therefore the restaurant cannot open until evening shift. 

Lousy management that likes to flood the restaurant with guests when we don't have enough cooks to keep up with the demand thus resulting in angry guests who either leave (after waiting an hour or more one food), or who completely stiff their servers. AND the GM takes off when they are needed the most because they really just don't give a **** about the business and their employees and the customers.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Arrive to work hoping the opening cooks actually showed up and did their job. Which manager is on duty? Oh ****, I'm in for a bad shift or Oh this will be stressful but at least I will make money...insert stressed facial expresion.

To begin the day, I would make the needed amount of side items for the togo aspect of the business. I would check for any online orders, and inout them into the system if needed. I would then take phone calls for oders from customers or even catering orders. when they would arrive, I would then bring their food to their car  as we had a curbside togo feature at our store. Once I had an order , I would make sure that the order was correct and had the correct side items and accomadate any special needs by the guest. When the shift were to be over, I would stock the needed items for the next shift. If I was done with my work, I would continue to help others if they needed, including the kitchen. I made recipes as I was trying to impress the management about my desire to be in the kitchen. The management was very helpful and nice. But, they also demanded a great deal of help from everyone to assure that the restaurant was in top shape. Co-workers were a very fun group. We all got along very well and visited each other outside of work. The hardest part of my job was Friday mornings. Every Friday I had many large orders from online and were to be ready at 11am.... when we opened. This would not have been a problem if I didnt have to wait for catering orders to be done and out of the door before the cooks would start my orders. The most enjoyable part of my day was probably the great italian food.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Line cook 8 salaries reported	$18.59 per hour
Server 6 salaries reported	$21.59 per hour
Dishwasher 4 salaries reported	$15.13 per hour
Host/hostess 6 salaries reported	$10.19 per hour
To-go specialist 4 salaries reported	$13.88 per hour

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