team member

manager

manager in training

assistant general manager

general manager

Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee

My experience at Sidecar was not what I expected it to be. The company made it seem as if there were a lot of opportunities for advancement as well as tips/bonuses. In reality, this was not the case. I worked there for approx 3 months and I was working extremely hard everyday, but my skill level was never bumped up although I was doing well in many categories. My coworker who has been working there for 5 months now also said the same thing. Also, there is a lot of favoritism within the company. The managers seem to prioritize their long term employees, but they never care to actually train new hires. Instead, we’re thrown in the back on dishes for the majority of the shift. Doing dishes everyday can get exhausting and extremely back breaking. It seemed like I was taken advantage over and I was truly never given the chance to excel and show my true potential. On top of this, I felt as if the management was terrible. Every week there was a different manager and they just couldn’t stay on top of things. The scheduling was bad, lack of communication, no proper training etc… 

The management is terrible, both store manager and upper management. The store manager seems like she was never trained properly and I think they mistook her confidence and liking telling people what to do for actual leadership skills. She does poorly under stress which just makes it harder for everyone else working with her, she constantly plays favorites, and is almost never helpful. I honestly enjoyed the actual work working there in BOH but dreaded going anytime I saw the manager would be there. There was no real accountability as well as no real incentives so it never mattered how much effort you put in. It's not all on the store manager because upper management is bad too. They ignore any and all issues brought up about the store and choose to just "boost morale" rather than actually trying to fix/change anything. They've all just accepted the revolving door of employees with the only ones staying long term being the ones who like that they can just slide under the radar doing the minimum. 

Although I was there for a little more than a year it was terrible from the beginning. I wasn't given any proper training. I came in they told me my station and I had to ask my coworker for help. No tour, no introductions, nothing but work. Tried to learn other stations and asked to move but never got any feedback or notice. Not to mention the store was consistently breaking apart and nothing would get fixed for 4+ months or even longer and it's a terribly small location for the amount of ingredients they getting delivered so things were everything and overfilling or just going bad because we had so much. Then we had an absurd amount of thing we didn't need and absolutely nothing of the items we did need. Pay was definitely not worth the work load they put you through. The task itself isn't hard however it's the sheer amount of work that breaks you down and leaves you with a sense of dread. 

The workplace culture was immature, full of unnecessary gossip, and overall toxic.  Reports of inappropriate behavior (unwanted touching) was completely ignored. I don't recommend this workplace if you are truly looking to grow in a safe kitchen environment.

The management was extremely unorganized and negligent. They provided no guidance or growth, did not resolve conflict, and never communicated with back of house staff (for example, preparing for new flavors, changes on the menu, etc). The high-end doughnuts sold here are a facade - the ingredients and execution is nothing more special than any other local, independently owned doughnut shop. 

Takes forever to move up a level (they claim you get a bonus but I have worked there for over a year and never received a bonus). Always changing management. Tips are great, coworkers are amazing people. You will get taken advantage of physically and mentally. Always short-staffed because management is trying to cut down on labor costs, which only makes our service even worse since we do not have enough people needed to efficiently fulfill orders. Constantly being treated terribly by customers without any support or reassurance from managers. Most importantly, my hourly wage is only 25 cents more than my starting wage and I have been on level 3 for months now. 

The manager is inconsistent when it comes to being a manager. She judges you from a personal view and not a professional one. She is not dependable and she doesn't defen her employees. She also can't keep her store clean and they have no employee parking. The job itself is wonderful and most of the customers are eally sweet, but during this pandemic they only provided resources once which were no reusable masks. A coworker from a different location voluntarily made reusable masks for the employees for free because Sidecar did nothing much and she wanted to protect her work family. Even made some for the hire ups.

Poor management at every single level. Lack of transparency in 'Leveling Up'. Inability to hire key positions in a timely manner. Clique-like behavior in different sections of store. Product trending down but prices go up. Complete lack of standard company wide. Many HR problems emanating from management. Coffee has gone way downhill. Every new decision creates a new problem with this company. Good tips if you can actually get promoted to receive them. Keep an eye on timecards, managers will amend times to not receive OT and meal penalties.

Sidecar is looking for bodies, not a specific type of people. They have this “millennial new start up” vibe but it is a cluster of mismanagement. Random people would be coming in between shifts to make changes with no explanation of who they were. Management was dismissive and unrealizable. There’s no incentives or advice, just “be faster, be better” with no specifics. The colleagues will be the only thing getting you through the monotonous and unrewarding shifts

I work at the Sidecar in Manhattan Beach and it's just great. The customers aren't bad and the coworkers are a delight to be around. Everyone is so helpful and is always doing their part. There's excellent communication throughout the workplace and the pay is great.  The job can get a little overwhelming to newcomers with busy days and closing shifts, but that is something you'll get used to and better at the more you learn.

The people who work at Sidecar are so friendly and kind and it feels like a family but unfortunately at the Santa Monica Location the Store Manager is unable to effectively do her job and singles employees out that she just doesn't like. For no good reason. And if you are good at your job she will take advantage of you. I really wouldn't recommend working here if you are planning to move up at this store or be there for a while. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Team member 38 salaries reported	$18.82 per hour
Manager 5 salaries reported	$21.85 per hour
Manager in training 16 salaries reported	$28.87 per hour
Assistant general manager 1 salary reported	$66,000 per year
General manager 1 salary reported	$77,340 per year

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