line cook

dishwasher

host/hostess

prep cook

sous chef

TUPELO HONEY

I worked at Tupelo for almost two years and I feel like I can give a real take on the work environment here. Being a server is not anyone’s dream job, but for the most part I actually enjoyed working here while I did. I did not think I would quit when I did because I originally planned on staying all through college, but things changed.

The management was tough. I liked them as people, but the job they were given was a mess. We could never get good back of house staff which meant long wait times, food coming out cold, and customers getting upset. That stress always rolled over onto the servers, and it made the floor tense.

After the "shooting" that happened, things just went downhill. The energy in the restaurant was different, people were burned out, and everyone seemed like they were just pushing through shifts instead of enjoying the job.

Even with all of that, I will say I learned how to work under pressure and deal with tough situations. The money is not terrible, and I really did love my coworkers. The clientele definitely is not the best, but that is pretty typical for restaurant work. Overall, the constant staffing issues, the way management had to handle things, and the atmosphere in general made it a place I could not see myself staying long term.

This is just a regular restaurant with mediocre food and a terrible management environment. They think you should be so grateful because they gave you a job but they should be thankful that people still show up with how uncaring they are. They will say whatever they need to appease the situation/problem and then immediately go behind your back and do something different. The money is not worth the mental stress and when you get hired they lie to you about how much you will make. Apparently this restaurant is ‘too good’ to make cuts or staff appropriately when it’s only busy for 1-2 hours out of your 8 hour shift. Also they want 100% availability and punish you if you want to have a life outside of work.  Nothing is managements fault and the HR is only for the company and gives ZERO cares about the employees at Tupelo if they’re not a manager. If you want to make average money and be treated like disposable garbage then get a job here. Otherwise I’d keep looking for a job where people actually respect and care about it’s employees that are making the company money. 

I worked for Tupelo for almost a year and a half. In that time, I was a server, and made excellent money. management changed hands a few times, and some of the newer managers were under-experienced, but they stepped up to the plate and made it work. The people I worked with were fantastic, and helped me to learn a lot and refine my serving style. One of the only complaints is how corporate everything was becoming; from not taking in guests concerns about the food, and employee comments on how things might run a little smoother, to scheduling conflicts, very basic bar recipes, and changing the "culture" of the restaurant. Once the head chef left, and the new one took over, I had countless people tell me that they missed "the Old Tupelo". If you are looking for a place to work and make good money, serving good food, definitely something to look in to. Just expect a few unhappy customers (people are always un-receptive to change), and things are changing in a big way there.

It's a stressful job but what food service job isn't. Customers come in consistently on weekends and you're constantly cooking during lunch and dinner. The management is kind and allows people to step out and take a breath if they need it and have someone take over their station momentarily. You are trained well on what to do and how to cook every menu item.

The culture is fun. Coworkers are very tight knit and care about each other. Arguments happen sometimes but that's to be expected in a kitchen. 

The pay is very good compared to other kitchens. You are crosstrained, usually on dish. Benefits are good but you have to educate yourself on them most of the time.

Worklife balance depends on what schedule you are given. I was on weekends so whenever I had time off, my friends and family were working. Nightshift is long and you will be sometimes closing until 10:30-11:00pm.

Overall 3/10. It's a good kitchen job and a good place to start.

The restaurant in raleigh overall is in poor condition and the organizational systems and cleaning protocols in place seem a little dated. The manager was swearing in my interview and I should have taken that as a professional red flag upon being hired.  After a couple of shifts here it became apparent that business isn’t consistent enough to employ servers and you can expect to be cut early and miss the mark as far as pay goes. The weekend is a bit of a story and too many servers will be working the floor, it’ll be busy but the pay won’t reflect that unfortunately. This is a great starter job for FOH assistants trying to get serving experience, but I would try somewhere else or risk having your time wasted. The food is decent but the atmosphere and overall vibe really misses the mark. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
For most of the time I was here, management was very flexible.  There some wonderful people as well.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Turn over.  I trained hundreds of servers over the six years I was there.  New faces in the kitchen constantly.  I went through 10 general managers.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was pretty laid back.  I can only speak to the Atlanta store.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Typical restaurant stuff.  Open.  Work.  Close.  Saturday and Sunday brunch were different animals.  Get to work early, get crushed for several hours.  Stagger home.

Pros: 
I enjoy my coworkers. 
Management generally understanding and helpful
Customers generally happy
Usually get staff meal at PM shift
Can drink coffee and eat biscuits
Bussers

Cons: 
Large amount of sidework
Run out of things a lot. And sometimes it’s important things like biscuits or the only vegetarian entree
No food runners 
Restaurant will take reservations for 9PM, which is when restaurant closes 
Get a fair number of people going to the wrong location or being upset that we aren’t the downtown location
Door dash 😠
Seats incomplete parties 
Computerized reservation system sometimes mean one person has an empty section while other servers are in the weeds


New restaurant in town, had great hopes due to all orientation information and people they brought in from all over the country. Unfortunately, there’s poor Management here in Gainesville. Already having a Management turnover after three months many days not enough tables too many servers hours cut nobody let you know, same people get same favoritism in sections and parties.General manager way too young inexperienced she needs more coaching. Tons of favoritism, don’t really know what they’re doing fly by the seat of their pants no marketing. Pick somewhere else if you’re gonna invest your time, not worth your investment.

All the upper management cares about is that you are making THEM money. They literally spoke the words, “you are just a dollar sign to us.” Be prepared to do jobs beyond the scope of your job description and for nothing in return, because as long as you’re on the clock for $2.13 per hour, you’re essentially free labor. They frequently over schedule *in case* it gets busy, Which it usually doesn’t. Constantly running out of necessities, such as, toilet paper, napkins, and sugar. Upper management plays a lot of favoritism, as they will repeatedly assign the best tables and large parties to the same 2-3 servers.

1st day my ‘training’ was being handed a packet of papers and immediately being told to get on the line and try to fit in, it was 5pm a busy time and not one of the other line cooks was willing to train I tried to fit in where I could but would make many mistakes and when I did they would be very upset and make comments one particular cook was even aggressive with me I brought it to the managers attention along with the complete lack of training but they brushed it off and said they will on Monday, the same thing that happened all week happened in front of management this time they did nothing so I walked.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Line cook 188 salaries reported	$18.52 per hour
Dishwasher 90 salaries reported	$16.33 per hour
Host/hostess 102 salaries reported	$15.14 per hour
Prep cook 6 salaries reported	$17.50 per hour
Sous chef 44 salaries reported	$20.19 per hour

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