barista

assistant store manager

regional manager

store manager

district manager

White Buffalo Coffee Bar

I've met many people working at this job and as both their friend and an ex-employee of this establishment, I can say that this job isn't what it's made out to be. When applying and interviewing, it's made to be a well balanced and enjoyable job if you can handle the stressful rushes. But, after leaving this place, there are more cons than pros.

First off, there's a lack of communication. When something changes, nothing is said to the employees. They changed and added policies and nothing was said till it affected the worker. Policies that changed affected the hours and disciplinary actions.

Second, they do not give promised hours. They would give part time, high school/college students more hours than the full time employees. Trading and covering shifts was not easy or reliable. People would request time off sometimes a month in advance and it wouldn't be accepted or if it was, you would only know a few days before. We're expected to give three hours in advance if you'll be calling out for a shift and you have to find your own coverage no matter the situation or you will be penalized.  The schedule would come out a week at a time and it would be updated on the weekend, just a couple days before the new schedule started even though we are expected to give a 3 week minimum to request a day off. They changed the policies about hours and told no one. They now base it on performance but will blame things on people when it was not their fault and without warning.

Third, they don't have a set training course or standards. When learning the drinks, they don't give any guide or study list for their drinks. Prep is a very important task and there is no training for it. In addition to that, you will be given no handbook. I was told that they didn't want many guides or lists and everything was communicated orally and expected to be memorized. The policies would often change or would not be known until four months into the job when you got in trouble for it.

Fourth, prep team has no support. Prep team are two people a day expected to make all of prep. The employees had to establish what is considered morning prep, store prep and food prep and when was an appropriate time to start/finish or what was needed. People would often times leave what they didn't want to do, to other workers and often times closing team.

Fifth, management was horrible. If the past paragraphs didn't spell out how mismanaged this establishment is, this paragraph will. Management cannot regulate their own emotions and takes it out on the people around them or objects they are working with. Sometimes, they completely shut down and will not communicate anything to anyone and will start to rudely talk to people or start to throwing things or get a "heavy hand" with things all of a sudden. They will make a mistake and correct other people on it. Do not follow their own rules and find a way to cut our hours when called out on. If you complain to them then they A) find a way to push you out B) will schedule you in a way that you are constantly faced with it and not correct anyone. Will correct in front of everyone as a way of public humiliation. They will constantly talk about inappropriate topics in front of workers, minors and customers. Management has harrassed minors and workers because of biased opinions. They once banned a girl from talking for the last couple hours of her shift when her lip split and spent 10 minutes to take care of it. They don't have sympathy or empathy for many situations, including for disabled people. There's quite a few disabled people and one was even told that they are an unreliable person because they took a few shifts off every few months because of their physical disability that caused them pain. 

This place is good to work if you can handle all these and 3 hour rushes where it's nothing but a hair width away from crying adrenaline. 

When I first started working at White Buffalo Coffee Bar, the experience seemed promising, with great coworkers and a positive environment. However, over the past eight months, the workplace has significantly declined. A typical day at work involves a lot of multitasking and hard labor, often under pressure due to mismanagement and lack of clear communication from leadership. While I’ve learned to adapt to high stress situations and improve my teamwork skills, the poor management, lack of support, and avoidance of workplace conflicts have made it a frustrating environment to be in. The workplace culture, once collaborative and friendly, has become toxic, with low morale and high turnover due to underappreciated staff and unaddressed issues. The hardest part of the job is staying motivated when the pay is so low starting at $8 /hourly, with shared tips “averaging” $11-$13/hourly. That is a lie and you’ll only be told your ACTUAL wage when you come in for orientation. You’ll at least make either $9 or $10/hourly. The most you will ever see in the tip jar is $15 and lower. Despite these challenges, the most enjoyable part of the job is connecting with coworkers who share the struggle and working with loyal, kind customers. Overall, the job has become far less rewarding, and I would not recommend it to anyone seeking fair pay, supportive management, or a healthy work culture.

Fun place to work, but management is childish. I loved working with my fellow baristas and having real friendships with them. It is a very easy atmosphere to feel comfortable in (when management was not causing drama). There was constant bickering and drama between management and baristas. There was disarray with how the procedures were supposed to be conducted between managers, which caused constant confusion. Management would gossip about baristas to other baristas just to create issues and would not listen to, or act on, serious matters or concerns brought to their attention. Managers would comment on other managers abilities and would often claim they were not doing things correctly. Managers would often pull the very petty, seniority card and  say that their knowledge trumped another manager's because they've been there longer. All and all, not a bad job to work if you're in school and are working the evening shift because there is not much management interaction. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
My coworkers are the only reason I stayed at this job for so long. We were literally trauma bonded from this experience.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Literally every single part of this job was stressful. I broke down so much because of it and my mental health was so awful. The management needs serious work and they literally do not care about your wellbeing. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The culture was very toxic there. It seemed very shady and management was okay with their employees having to work alone or doubling constantly. The higher ups are very condescending towards the Baristas. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Honestly I loved my job at first but the longer I stayed the more it took from me. I never enjoyed it anymore and it made me become more depressed. I never felt supported besides by my coworkers and I was always excited to leave. It felt like a breath of fresh air when I quit.

If you are scheduled “full time “ you only get maybe 40 hrs every 2 weeks. It’s nearly impossible to call out sick and you will get in trouble for it. I called out sick and they still had me come in and they sent another girl home cause I didn’t “look sick”. Co workers who are “in” with management apparently have a say in how you do your job. There is no proper training, the expect you to memorize everything they tell you. I once got in trouble for a mistake one of the “in” crowd caused yet I was still the one who got talked to in front of everyone. Management says to stay off your phones but they will sit at the front counter and play on theirs. They want you to keep your phone in a phone caddy then can’t promise it’s safety. They don’t tell you about any new updates with the job or store and will get upset when you question the noticeable changes + lack of training with new systems. So if you can handle a lot of uncertainty in a job, with a lot of 20+ year old people acting like children and not great management then this might be a good fit for you. 

First of all, THE PAY IS A LIE. You start off at $8/hr with tips. You NEVER make the amount that is projected ($14.50-$17.00). You are much better off working at Viridian or Starbucks if this is the amount you want. Absolute disgrace of a company. Doesn’t care about you as a person AT ALL. Training is nonexistent and you could probably teach yourself better by YouTube. There is no work life balance. They will call you EVERY CHANCE they get to get you to stay or cover on your off days with the high turnover rate. People go in and out more often than we change our undergarments. Save yourself the trouble. Trust me.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Excellent place to work! Supportive atmosphere and the best products! This company is always looking for ways to grow in-store and to help staff be the best they can be! 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Making sure staff are doing their job appropriately. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Fun and supportive! Each store has a positive vibe, making staff and customers enjoy their daily experience.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Everyone is nice. Fun if you enjoy coffee

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
the fact that my back was injured so i couldn’t perform my job duties like i wanted too.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It was good! just getting it’s legs so it was a little slow but a good environment.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Attend to customers make coffee and food, prep, register and cleaning tasks

Id have stayed for a long time if not for management being horrible and ownership making so many mistakes that made it near impossible for their employees to do their job. 
I learned a lot of skills and a lot about people there, I also met my husband while working there so I thank them for that. But as a workplace, I don’t recommend it. 

I loved the job itself, but the owners could improve the way they treat the store managers. I have seen them take advantage of multiple managers and they are extremely rude to all of their employees. The air conditioning has been broken for years and they refuse to fix it, making employees work in 100+ degree weather and costumers be uncomfortably hot while sitting in the restaurant. They like to appear a good company, but an inside view shows completely otherwise. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Barista 66 salaries reported	$15.25 per hour
Assistant store manager 6 salaries reported	$19.67 per hour
Regional manager 1 salary reported	$66,000 per year
Store manager 3 salaries reported	$19.67 per hour
District manager 2 salaries reported	$58,750 per year

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