host/hostess

line cook

sous chef

cook

dishwasher

STK Steakhouse

I love working here and make more money than any other resturant I have worked at. But it’s because of sheer volume and price point. 
Downfalls no automatic gratuity. Which I understand being a tipped employee is just that it’s a tip but when 60 to 80 percent of the cloentelll coming tips 5 percent to 12 percent or even less consistently it can be discouraging. Like I said before I am aching more the. Any past job. But I should be making twice the amount I am making. Receiving $30 on $350 regularly and most the time several times a night is not fun nor does tipping out 45 percent of my tips with no support to insure we do get tipped on large party’s that are not in contract to do so. So I will say I love the money I make I hate that corporate does not support its staff when it comes to ensuring servers are taking care of by guests and patrons that visit. Encouraged to sell sell sell scored and scheduled on topping sales and table turn times rushing and trying to kick guests out by the 90 min mark and not even having an ability to add gratuity to checks. Getting stiffed regularly which literally affects the pay of 95 percent of the resturant since the only positions that don’t receive a portion of that tip share are salaried managers. It is counter productive and disrespectful for them not to care about the front line in which insures that the entire team makes money. Having to beg guests for reviews to get the 15 dollar bonus to offset how many times I am stiffed is quite a bit of extra work but also the only thing insuraning I continue to make more then any place I have worked. So I will thank them for the ability to make $15 per a review but the bonus should be just that a bonus not a replacement to the guests inability to tip. Which they usually do write 5 star reviews but still fail to tip the national avg of 18% on the bill. Receiving $40 on a $500 dollar tab is insulting and then of the $40 I am keeping $22 so essentially making 4.5 % of the check before taxes when typically at this price point and caliber of restaurant u should be walking with 15 percent after tip out and taxes.
 

Some of the managers follow the “basic 101 for good management”. The rest are inconsistent, passive aggressive, erratic and have a short fuse. But collectively, they’re often not on the same page and their priorities are not in order when running this restaurant properly.

They consciously overbook us then keep changing things in the middle of the rush without an explanation nor a logical reason. On the surface, it looks like we’re even more popular than we actually are. But between the lines, the kitchen is backed up, the food quality is hindered, the workers are overwhelmed and the customers are impatient with the wait.

Employees are also frequently asked to come in on days we told managers we’re not available and asked to stay longer than the hours we are scheduled. Depending on who we speak to, what mood they’re in or both, sometimes managers will adjust the schedule accordingly and honor what we agreed to when we come forward. Others will get upset, insist we still work on those days and not allow someone to cover us even though they’re available.

This place has been in desperate need of a culture change since it opened. Aside from the overpriced food, the absence of common sense, accountability and initiative plagues this establishment. STK could be operated more efficiently and smoothly if the management were more receptive but they decide not to just because.

I helped open one of the STK locations in Oak Brook, and within less than six months it became clear this was not a sustainable or well-managed environment.

Management seemed heavily focused on metrics like reviews and upselling toppings, often at the expense of genuine hospitality. Pre-shift meetings were repetitive and primarily centered around meeting those targets rather than improving service or supporting the team.

Operationally, there were also consistent issues. Floor plans were not always respected, which created confusion among servers and impacted the guest experience. The host stand often felt disorganized, and overall coordination between front-of-house roles was lacking.

From my experience, leadership presence on the floor was inconsistent, and there was limited hands-on support during service. This made it difficult to maintain standards and created unnecessary stress for the team.

When I decided to leave, I was escorted out by security after simply saying goodbye to coworkers, which felt unnecessary and disrespectful.

While some may have a different experience, I would encourage anyone considering working here to ask detailed questions about management structure, daily operations, and how service standards are actually maintained.

If you’re looking to build a long-term career in hospitality, this may not be the right environment.

Worked as a bartender at STK Charlotte and it was the worst money for the most amount of work I have ever done.

Too many bartenders are scheduled on the weekend and management will not cut for fear of getting swamped later, even if the shift is stocked with the best bartenders on the team.

There was also an issue where an event was being held upstairs that was being taken by the bar. A party of 60 was initially only doing cocktails, but decided halfway through the event. STK's policy is that when that happens a server MUST be assigned to the event. Completely understandable.

What isn't understandable is that when the event was concluded and the bar asked about what the bar's portion of the tip from the event, it was learned that the server was getting half the money and the seven bartenders working had to split the other half.

Utterly mind blowing and when asked about how this was fair, we were told that it's just company policy and their hands are tied. Completely unacceptable and ridiculous. The food added to the event was buffet style and the bar rang in 90% of all the drinks in addition to having to make them.

The money is there at STK, but due to mismanagement it is unlikely that anyone will make much more than $800 a week working the best shifts. 

A great company to work for until it was bought out by SUN MICROSYSTEMS, then eventually bought by ORACLE.
The local management was great. Basically they left you alone to manage your service calls. The pay was also great in the beginning.
There was time and a half for overtime and double time on Sundays.
Education on new products was outstanding. I enjoyed interacting with STK customers in the Chicago area. STK had a big presence in the Denver area when I originally started with the company. It was on the cutting edge in Data Storage supplying equipment to to Top Fortune 500 companies.
My typical day at work would start at a customer account. I was an account FE at the following customers: Lucent, State Farm, Ameritek, Fermi Labs, AT@T, Northern Trust.
I learned to work on my own and also to be a team player.
I learned how to interact with both STK management and my customer's management.
The hardest part of the job was the service call at two am in the morning, although the company compensated us with overtime pay and standby pay.
The most enjoyable part of the job was making the customer happy.

Typically I would work a 10-12 hour shift. This is an extremely busy concept grossing eight figures annually. Working here has brought me to my highest level of performance in my career. The overall management style of this company is "hands-off", which is surprising when you consider that this is the flagship operation for the restaurant group. I have excellent co-workers, most of my sous chefs are seasoned restaurant veterans who are very passionate about the craft. The hardest part of this job is that you may have to work seven days a week for weeks on end as there is no available assistance from the corporate office. Additionally, there are no incentive or bonus plans in place, which is very disappointing. Benefits are average, and the 401k plan is sub-standard. The most enjoyable part of this job is everything else. Outstanding cuisine and an outstanding team.

I really wish this place could have worked out but not only is the main host rude, unwelcoming, unhelpful and bossy... Management has the highest standards and they expect everything to be perfect the first time. If you're new to this type of environment don't even consider employment there, they'll treat you as if you're less than them.. I honestly felt uncomfortable, not only because they require heels to be worn while you have to run like a chicken without a head and no break, but a majority of the staff is shady and act very fake as if you're not even worth their time. The pay is so cheap, they don't even negotiate. I was overall disappointed with the lack of respect or effort put into giving a person the benefit of doubt when making a mistake, obviously everyone who works there are all perfect and don't make any errors .. Such an upscale, high end restaurant with low quality individuals that waste your time. If only I would have known this before even applying.

There’s good money here if you’re a bartender or server, but for everyone else it’s sort of up in the air depending on your hours. The chefs are some of rudest people you’ll ever meet and the managers constantly switch between being kind and rude. Be prepared to have the chefs throw food at you and yell at you like you’re in the military. There aren’t enough hours here for everyone so if you’re someone who likes to work as many shifts as possible this definitely isn’t the job for you. Some people only get 1 shift every 2 weeks and some people are lucky enough to be scheduled 2 shifts a week. Besides the chefs and the managers, the employees here are some of the greatest people you’ll ever meet. Also each day they make something called “family meal” for breakfast and dinner so nobody that’s working has to work the shift hungry. All locations do it. Don’t expect anything fancy though but free food is free food. Overall I’d rate working here 3/5 stars. 

You’d think working at an upscale place like STK the standards would be a lot higher than a regular restaurant, but that isn’t the case. Since the beginning of the year over 20 servers have quit. People that have trained to be servers haven’t come back because they see what a mess this place is. They recently took away auto gratuity at all locations, so there is no guaranteed tip for larger parties. Be prepared to get stiffed a lot. This location doesn’t attract the best clientele, so you’ll usually get tipped below industry standard. Also the tip out is 45% so you some even see a good chunk of the tips you do make of their card tips. The managers here are terrible and definitely play favorites. The favorites are the ones they will give the VIP tables to, the best sections, etc. But even the favorites have quit recently, so I think that’s pretty telling. The work is easy and the managers are insufferable. Overall, if you’re looking for a good upscale restaurant to work out this DEFINITELY isn’t it. 

My coworkers made it more bearable. It could get EXTREMELY busy when its busy. Work your butt off and busting chops to meet with customer needs. But the people I've worked with became such great friends and stood around even after. Management started to decline severely as time went by. Started getting slower and slower like no one knew about the place anymore. Management turnover rate was HIGH. Lots of "investors" and "CEOs" coming in for comp meals that was extremely annoying. One plus side was the celebrities that would come in ONLY because of the hotel next door since the lobby was connected. Other than that, they probably wouldn't have noticed the restaurant. The place was also located in a convenient location around good bars, food and MTA. You feel like you worked your cheeks off when its busy to come see a check that isn't what you're expecting most of the time. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Host/hostess 64 salaries reported	$18.69 per hour
Line cook 64 salaries reported	$20.23 per hour
Sous chef 43 salaries reported	$75,791 per year
Cook 42 salaries reported	$22.19 per hour
Dishwasher 41 salaries reported	$17.85 per hour

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