team member

shift leader

assistant restaurant manager

shift manager

crew member

Taco Johns

On the days I work, it would always be 5- 11 pm (closing) shift. I would take the bus or sometimes call taxi to get a ride there because I did not have a permit or licence. I would take the bus everyday at 3:15 and arrive at work around 4:20. During my spare time, I would have a quick snack before it was time to clock-in for work. Being always afraid I`d be late for work, I would arrive early. I like to keep my reputation as good can be and clean. At least, I try very hard to. I admit I have been late several times, depending on a cab driver and the bus; isn't that great. But, life was complicated for me. Going into work, my employees would scream my name and welcome me because we all get along just great. They are like my second family, very warm and welcoming. When it's time to clock-in, I would had already be in my uniform and always be ready to work. I am usually a very happy person so that's how they remember me; I'm smiley. I would assign everyone on a station (including myself), and get to work. When it gets super busy, I would take charge and go help the other stations because I can multitask. My crew is very good at helping each other so, hopping off from what I was doing and going to help another employee who is doing their station alone, isn't a problem. It flies like that through the rest of the day, break time comes, and we take turn on breaks. At the end of the night, we do our closing chores, and sometimes I would do inventory when I'm not busy. We get everything done great. Even if we have to spare a little more time than usual at night to get things done; neither of us complain. When we're done with everything, change garbage, secure our alarms, leave out the door to take out trash, and finally get in our car and go home. Since I ride the bus to work, my shift leaders always offers to take me home at night because the city bus doesn't run anymore. They are too kind! They are great and I can say we've been together through the ups and downs. Not to mention this was my very first job and I've had this job ever since I was fifteen. The hardest part about this job was probably teaching myself to be confident. It was really hard at first because I started off as a shy person. Over the years, this job had taught me how to be confident and learn how to be myself. Talk more, greet people, learning new things and I had realized that practice makes perfect. I was just afraid of how others judged me and what they thought about me. But now it doesn't bother me a bit (yes, I do want to be what someone consider "good" but you dont have to look good to be good). This job had been a great experience and I am sadden that I had to give this job up. The most enjoyable part from this job is having that connection with my employees, shift leaders, and managers.

A typical day at work is coming in to a store with many problems and things needing to be done. There is a constant feeling of aggression towards the 2 shifts and its not healthy for the employees and makes work a hostile environment. Both shifts constantly have complaints about the other shift, however its not constructive and never fixes problems it only causes tension and resentment between shifts. Typically we complete orders and keep the store in running condition during down time. I learned that there is no respect for any employee at this location, new people with no experience come in and make the same amount as people who have been cooking and closing for over 6 months. The managers are good, but the problem is they get fed up with the company too so we constantly have managers coming in and out, new month new managers and this makes the work environment poor for employees there's no consistency and some points where we have no management for night shift. The hardest part of the job is finding a reason to even show up. There isn't an enjoyable part of the job. On top of all the issues, Taco John's in Faribault MN does not follow the handbook given to employees and frequently lies about the handbook quoting things that aren't in it and claiming they read it. A few things this happened with is meal breaks being given to people who only worked 8 hours when it is supposed to be after 5 hours, and 15 minute paid breaks not being given to people who work 4 hours when it is clearly stated in the handbook that it is 4 hours OR more to get a 15 unpaid.

I was hired as a cashier at the Carey Ave location, expecting part-time hours (15 per week at $12/hour) with potential for more, as I needed steady work after relocating. Unfortunately, the job fell short of expectations. Hours remained inconsistent, ranging from 15 to 22 per week, with paychecks ($360–$460) insufficient for basic needs. Despite staying past shifts (e.g., 2 hours for a manager meeting), covering shifts twice, and offering to cover a third, I was not offered additional hours.  
Scheduling felt unfair. After a month and a half, a new hire received 23.5 hours while I was cut to 15.5, with the manager citing a one-time early departure (2 PM instead of 2:30 PM) due to another manager’s instruction to leave. Raising concerns about this discrepancy, I was told my hours were fixed per the initial agreement and invited to contact corporate or leave if dissatisfied. This response overlooked my reliability—no missed days, consistent shift coverage—and left me feeling undervalued.  


Management was unresponsive to employee concerns, and the lack of clear communication (e.g., schedule misunderstandings) created tension. The job became unsustainable due to low hours and inadequate support. I left after a few months, seeking better opportunities.  



Being jobless for 3 months, I decided to try again at the first job I ever worked for. The first day was great, it felt just like it used to, but the second day onward I just couldn't handle their flippant misuse of "flexible" scheduling. I did say my schedule was flexible but that does NOT mean change it on me every single day. I am a parent, and an artist in my free time. I can't simply live around work like that. This job was never an on-call sort of thing when I worked. I was given a schedule for the week, filled in when I could, and that was that. Now? They take advantage of any "flexible" person's schedule, expecting them to work an extra hour if they so choose, or cut 5+ hours all of a sudden.

As for staff - I felt a horrible aura when two people in particular were on the clock with me. One of them seems absolutely dead and drained, which I don't blame them, but to a new person I can see how it would be incredibly off-putting. Their training method is a mess now, no sense of urgency and people just go through the motions. It was easier since I'd been there before but wow, for the new menu items it just wasn't sticking.

I'll admit, I didn't even last a week. I got so fed up. Honestly I wouldn't even recommend this place as someone's first job anymore. Not until they change.

Most workdays are fine if you work shorter hours or are not in charge of the shift. Management has to be so focused on labor costs that for night shifts (as an example) you have to drop down to two people most of the time shortly after the shift begins. The turnover rate is so high that if you've been working there a long time, you're left to do most everything which can get tiring and stressful. The only good parts are that for the most part the coworkers are nice as long as you work hard, and that there is plenty to keep busy with. Nothing is taken seriously until you're at the point of quitting. 

A typical day of work consisted of a lot of fast paced work, be it talking to customers and taking orders, preparing food, cleaning, or dealing with the various equipment issues. 

I learned a lot about myself and how easy I find it to try to achieve customer satisfaction even when said customer is distressed and/or being inappropriate. I always thought of myself as someone who might be too honest in the face of unwarranted critique but I am always able to take it in stride. 

The management is very nice and understanding of any personal dilemmas, however, they are also very disorganized. They don't have a lot of focus on training employees. 

The workplace culture was very laid back whilst still getting the job done efficiently. A calm attitude helps to keep tensions low in a potentially high-stress work place. 

The hardest part of the job was the pay. It is fast food and pays just above minimum wage. As a master's student, it takes a lot of time and vigor away from research for low pay.

The most enjoyable part of the job would definitely be the friends that I made. I came into the job with an attitude that I was"there to make money, not friends", and am leaving knowing a couple of the best people I have met.

You get a free meal after working up to 4 hours every day you work that's about all the good. Places most of the time dirty the hot tables drain was clogged for over a year and probably still is with the black nasty stuff when told about it they just didn't care. Whenever New Management took over they just look at the people they didn't like and try and find the littlest thing that they could call them out on and use that to just fire them bringing their people in doesn't matter how long you were with the company or what all you did. Just disposable that's what they do they don't care they just want copyrights to Taco Tuesday whatever shape or form you can think of and if you use it in any one of those shapes or forms they will send you a cease and desist no matter who you are. I bet even to this day the "wet hot table" which is ignorantly passed off as a "dry hot table" is still being used incorrectly, because the drains in the table wells are so clogged with years.  Emphasis years of this gross black stuff that even when inquired upon is passed aside. If the store is one that has not had a recent rebuild  yet.  Thus is probably an issue. 

A typical day at Taco Johns usually consisted of taking orders, preparing them, cleaning, and duties such as opening and closing out the tills. 

Taco Johns was my first job so I defiantly learned a lot here.  I learned basic skills such as working with tills and have expanded my knowledge of counting money.  

I loved working with my co-workers there but the management could have been better.  There was only one full time store manager that actually worked in the store and did all the scheduling so of course that would lead to a lot of stress on one person.  But other than that it was all great.

The hardest part of the job was just the fact that I was working during school and they didn't have enough employees to cover both stores at all times so I was often called in on days when I had a lot of school work to do.  Or I was going to high school full time and working 35+ hours a week due to lack of employees.  But the management did a great job at fixing that problem so the kids in high school didn't have to choose between getting school work done and working long hours.

The most enjoyable part of the job was defiantly working with the people I did.  We really did work as a team and got stuff done quick with great quality.  I also got a chance to be a shift leader which taught me a lot and i enjoyed the challenge.

What is the best part of working at the company?
The best part is meeting new people and great coworkers. The company allows the employee a $7.00 credit towards their meal at break. They always have really fun Christmas parties. The manager was usually pretty good about working around your schedule. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to keep up with drive thru if there is a register issue. Making sure all of your work is done before you leave after a busy day. Told to do things when you're already working on something else. Not being recognized for how hard you're working,  rather be noticed for your mistakes. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The work environment is like a big family.  You get the right employees that work great together makes a big difference. The company is not discriminatory towards people. They hire who feel will make a good fit and work hard. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Depending on shift, I would go into work, grab my drink, and follow management's instructions on which position I was for the day. We followed a cleaning list that needed to be done each day, we stocked items when they ran low. Always tried to help where it was needed.

This was my first actual job, and I believe I learned a lot about the employment system as well as what I do and don't like in a job.  I believe it increased my social skills exponentially. A typical day at work for me involved lots of food preparation, with speed and accuracy being of the utmost importance (our finished menu items were often weighed to measure accuracy), when I wasn't cooking, there was always something to clean or wash.  I also managed a cash drawer fairly often, and found it quite simple and always finished with a dead-on drawer total.  I easily became friends with many of my co-workers, and even hung out with them outside of work occasionally.  The shift management team was good, but the actual managers/ owners of the store sometimes didn't order the right amount of ingredients, tools, etc.  Which made things more difficult sometimes, but we always found a way to make it work.  The job didn't really have a hardest part, you just have to make sure you stay on task as much as possible.  The most enjoyable part for me was the co-worker interaction.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Team member 276 salaries reported	$14.90 per hour
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Crew member 30 salaries reported	$15.03 per hour

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