I've been at red robin for 8 months,at first I thought it would be a good job,but after a few months I started to realize what a mistake I had made by accepting their offer of employment.We are constantly understaffed.I only work weekends as a hostess & regularly see my server friends miserable & struggling every single shift,it breaks my heart because there such good people working under terrible conditions & incompetent management.A typical weekend dinner rush means insane wait times of up to 25-40 minutes,because our brilliant CEO decided to eliminate bus boys,the people who keep tables clean,& expiditers,the people who run food from kitchen to the dining room.So we the hosts,& any other staff member who has a free moment,has to pick up the slack,& not get paid extra for it.The demands of management are lunacy,dont go on a wait,seems simple enough right?Ha!Theres no way any restaurant on a weekend isnt going to have a wait list,& oh did I mention they want you to stand at the podium,take names,bus & wipe tables,sweep floors,set up high chairs,boosters,take care of to go orders,run food,run drinks for servers because they constantly get triple & quad sat since I mentioned earlier were understaffed,the servers come pleading to you with a desperate look in their eyes to take pity on them to just give them a moment to catch up,or at least have a smoke to deal with the insanity,& yet management is barking at us to seat no matter who's about to have a stroke on the floor.Ive see
I know sometimes when people read reviews like this, they think that the person is somehow "in bed" with the company or were paid for their opinion. I can promise you this is NOT the case here.
Let me start by saying that I began working at Red Robin because of how good they were to my family during hurricane Florence. My husband works there as a cook and we had to evacuate the area for safety. Not only did everyone keep in touch with each other and make sure everyone was safe, we were told we could eat at any Red Robin for free while evacuated and they were able to put $200 in my husband's bank account to help us with evacuation expenses. Before the store reopened (there was damage) they were even given opportunities to go work at another location about 45 minutes away if they wanted to. Later on he would also be compensated all of his lost wages.
When I began working at Red Robin I was already pretty sold on being there, but orientation got me hooked. The videos we watched were actually entertaining, made some jokes that legit made me laugh (especially about the old mascot haha), and learning about the culture of the company made me happy. I inquired about how they felt about things like tattoos, piercings, colored hair, etc. I was told that not only is it okay, they encourage people to be themselves. Did I worry they were blowing smoke up my rear? Sure...but I chose to believe them instead. I learned about the Total Team model and I was pretty excited.
ProsFlexible hours, total team model, a company that truly cares, a place that being the real YOU is encouraged.
ConsServers only get 50% off meals during their shift, I do think it'd be kind to offer a free meal like HOH gets.
When i first started working there it was a wonderful place. Everyone was happy and worked well together and communication was somewhat decent. Over a course of 6 months roughly the work environment has decreased drastically. No communication, you are lucky if you are told what menu items you run out of (Mondays that list gets to be several items long and you don't find out until the meals should be going to the guests), management lacked inconsistent requirements. There are all these changes that are occurring of which Corporate is inflicting an absolutely rediculous policy where basically your server shifts are based on what the guests order and if you can get the guests to fill out voice slips and if you happen to have a week where your guests only want waters and no appetizers then you can bet the following week you will only get 3 shifts. Not only that but they are starting another policy based on once again the guests and supposidly your "performance" on how many tables you will get which ranges from 2-4 table sections. Mind you a normal section right now is 4-6 tables sections so no matter what your "performance" is you are basically getting punished.
Management is a whole other story. One manager will tell you to do one thing, another something else. One manager will let the bartenders take a table or two another won't so no one knows if the bartenders are suppose to be taking tables or not since managers can't agree on that. We have no 86 board so you are better
Proscoworkers are awesome! flexible schedule
Consnew corp. punishment policy, management inconsistent, no follow through, favoritism
Expect to be overworked and have poor over all management
I read other people complaining about their retail job, that job is a cake walk in comparison. Nothing much is worse than being a server at the Idaho Falls store. Consistently give very large sections up to 14 tables per sever depending on the day and shift and yes they will be filled. If you fall behind and get a complaint because of the large sections be prepared to be formally written up and reprimanded for not abiding by company policy and triple R service. Even if you let management know about it and asked for help.
Managers are nice for the most part but they do not communicate very well. It was a constant battle to inform the management that you needed something because the message more often than not didn't make it to the others. With at least 5 managers it was hard to get much done which was a very bad time for employees.
Also expect to have no survey completions, app order rate, beverage order rate, and royalty sales affect where you get put on the floor and affect the amount of hours you get. Also do not expect to get more than 20 hours a week even if you are a top performer. Too much time filling out a red RSG's will get you terminated. Expect have managers tell you to figure something out if there are conflicts from their mistakes and expect to be formally reprimanded if you cannot figure something out. Example being availability sheet was filled out 2 weeks prior to my wife's new employment. Management failed to implement it. Scheduling conflict
ProsGood atmosphere, Good guest (usually), great co workers
ConsPoor management communcation, poor policies, constant threats of punishment
A typical day at Red Robin, I clock in and meet up with my managers. The brief meeting we have at the beginning of every shift is called a "Ready Set Go". They inform us of any changes, or goals that are made for the day, whether it be a certain percentage of sales we need to meet, or a new focus idea. I learned how to efficiently multitask with keeping minimal errors. Serving multiple tables, sorting dishes in the kitchen, making drinks, handling money for payments are tasks I juggle swiftly during each serving shift. At the end, I put together a certain amount of silverware sets, wipe down my tables and chairs, sweep, and complete the specific daily cleanings. Management is alright at this Red Robin location. Favorites are made obvious, and consequences for bad decisions made by coworkers rarely take place. A couple of managers are definitely trumped by some other managers, so there is an unspoken rivalry. No drug tests are ever issued, and I wish they were. It is uncomfortable to be around several coworkers who are under the influence, or who have drugs with them. Knowing that there are numbers and qualifications that have to be met in order to have a certain amount of shifts scheduled to you is the hardest part to deal with. I do appreciate this system, but I do not appreciate that the management does not follow the system to make the schedule in the first place. It is frustrating to be told that this system is how scheduling is determined, but yet it is not done that way
ProsProvide you with work shirt, give you a break after five hours usually.
ConsNo free meal unless you are a manager, work schedule does not have a consistent production date, managers are lenient with some coworkers more than others on uniform code, managers are also more lenient with consequences with some coworkers more than others too.
I use to absolutely love working at Red
Robin,for a year and a half i really built my own family with all the employees there besides the GM. My co workers were my only hesitation in leaving red robin to work somewhere else because we had become so close and leaned on each other.They launched a new system basically not allowing servers in the back and hired runners and expos,basically paid them 4.35band hr and servers all tip out 6 pecent of sales.It looks crazy to the tables that someone else is getting everything and were just trying to find things to do and give our tables some family time too instead of over bugging them.Was told it was required 1 shift a week as a sp in the back and ended up 5 shifts as sp 1 as server,not only do my sales suffer but as a sp 4.35 and hour plus maybe 100 from tip out as sp is not even a quarter of what i made as just server.I did have a terrible attitude about it and was told word for word by my GM that red Robin was moving forward with the tgx thing with or without me so im more that welcome to go find a new job and she said i dont care go ahead you more that welcome too.So thats exactly what i did that day was interviewed and hired right then and there on the spot.Also she lost atleast 6-8 employees possibly more over the last week before and durning the week that i quit,i will note i tried to give my 2 weeks and work there but was scheduled as a drink runner every shift grew tiring after about 5 days.Pointless to go to corporate becau
Working for this company for five years now has been a hit-and-miss experience to say the least. I have had my fair share of managers run through my store (about 7 GM's in four years just in ONE location).
For the most part, salaried managers in this company are a mixed bag. Some are actually really good people that are trying to advance their careers and become RM's and NRO's. Others leave me wondering who thought it would be a good idea to move them up to management in the first place due to poor decision making and bad attitudes/drama.
Workplace culture has also been a bit rocky to gauge. I started working with the company during a brand change so I've never really felt like one consistent culture has ever existed as it is constantly changing (I think this is how it was designed to be but am unsure).
The workplace usually feels like a safe place to work, however, management is obsessed with maintaining performance metrics that are ineffective and easy to manipulate (i.e. if you don't outperform your peers, your hours are cut and you're put on shifts where you won't make money). While I wouldn't say that my work is not valued, I certainly wouldn't say that I feel like anyone cares whether or not I am there (aside from a few coworkers). Overall, this leads to stressed employees and a constant feeling of "you need to do better".
I think the hardest part of this job is pleasing our corporate overlords. Throughout the time I've worked with this company, I've gotte
ProsQuick shifts, Tips, Decent coworkers
ConsLousy corporate, Overburdened staff, Stressful work environment
I got hired on at my state minimum as a To-go host. After a month they trained me as a Service Partner which basically means that you do all the servers work for them for less pay. You make sub minimum as an SP and are expected to make all the drinks, run all the drinks, tray up all the food, run all the food and do everything the guest asks of you. For 0.065% of the servers sales. After a few months of that I got ‘promoted’ to server and now I get to give half of my money to the service partners. No matter how slow it is they are always there, no matter how much of my own stuff I make and run I still have to pay them. If I got bad tips that day I pay them out of my own pocket. I had a table tip me $7 on a $198 ticket and I had to tip the SP’s $12 on it.
They asked me to be a CLC (certified learning coach) with absolutely no benefits. You don’t make any extra when you’re training. At most you get a pat on the back.
I got hired on at my state minimum. I have never gotten a raise in 8 months.
I found out that our new employees are being hired on at $1 over state minimum. The people I am training are making more money than I am and they are being promised 3 raises in their first year.
You’ll never get hired on as a server or even a service partner. You’ll be cajoled into being hired on as a host and working your way up for several grueling months just to find out that everyone that came after you is being paid better than you.
You will be yelled at for eating a fry refill that
ProsTips
ConsNo breaks, no schedule flexibility, no raises, no real chance to move up
Productive workplace that gave me a lot of experience.
A typical day at Red Robin would be coming into the restaurant ready to work, a variety of slow and busy shifts. I was a server, hostess, and expediter (trays food from kitchen in a timely order and by seat to be delivered to tables), so I have experience around all areas of the restaurant except for the kitchen. I learned how to deal with sticky situations when they arose and I can communicate with happy and unhappy customers well. There were many managers throughout the time I worked at Red Robin, so there was never really any stability there, but I was able to communicate effectively with each manager at the time they were employed. I get along with my co-workers and like to keep personal business outside of the workplace. I am a friendly and outgoing person, so it is not hard to get along with people and make new friends. The hardest part about working at Red Robin was the corporate atmosphere. I understand that a chain restaurant (or any business, for that matter) must have rules and regulations to work by. Red Robin is constantly more worried about selling a certain number of appetizers or desserts and meeting quotas or percentages, rather than executing amazing service to a table to make them want to come back. If a server did not meet the quota or percentage, they would be punished by receiving less shifts or tables the next week (therefore resulting in less income to that individual). Red Robin is already an extremely successful restaurant, so I believe that giving g
ProsDiscounted food for employees, decent income, overall enjoyable workplace
ConsNever knowing how busy it will be, frustrations with scheduling, corporate atmosphere of meeting quotas and percentages and being punished if not
I've worked at several Red Robin locations (one franchise and two corporate) and though I love the concept, I'd have to say they have fallen into the trap of maximizing short term profit without regard for long term consequences that is often the case with corporate ran establishments. Management is rated on a "score card" method that incentivises sacrificing necessary staffing, inventory, and maintenance needs to meet stringent numbers expectations. This leaves the corporate ran stores in a situation where they are frequently understaffed, running out of product or having staff using broken damaged or run down equipment so that the strict budget requirements can be achieved. This is encouraged through what I believe is a tiered bonus structure (not positive as I have only worked as an hourly employee) that leads management to turn a blind eye to such issues in pursuit of higher tier $. This is a real shame as the franchise I worked at was ran fantastic, with the owner being a constant fixture and personally involved and invested in the moral and quality of his restaurant. Management was equally improved in this environment as the person "writing the check " was frequently there to make sure he was getting his $s worth from his well paid leadership. Corporate stores tend to have more bosses and less leadership, with demands coming down from the top brass and being dictated down to the low level employees who shoulder the burden. I was amazed to find that kitchen managers
Good place to work but not much room to advance...
I mostly work in the kitchen and the typical day can vary. Sometimes I open which involves putting together and starting up the equipment, stocking the line with all the required tools, food, etc and some cleaning duties to ensure the line is ready to go for 11am followed by preparing orders. A few mornings a week we also put away the food/paper deliveries that were delivered the night before after closing.
Mid shifts are all about preparing food as well as cleaning duties.
Pre-close and closers start taking tools and food offline followed by cleaning/prep for cleaning by cleaners of tools and equipment then generally cleaning up. Everyone is required to help out in dish to keep it manageable, I actually like being in dish. When I'm doing a prep shift I come in shortly after the opener and prep food for the day/next few days - cutting fruits and veggies, preparing soups and sauces, freezer pull, etc as well as cleaning duties.
I love the culture at Red Robin, the first part of our BURGER acronym is "Better for Being Here" and it truly is a fun place to work. That said, it can be challenging when there does not always seem to be sufficient time given to training new staff, maintaining inventory, or clearly communicating new/existing procedures along with why things are done the way they are. Overall, the people I work with are capable and willing to learn.
While there are opportunities for advancement you're required to change stores if you want to move beyond being
Prosfree team fries, half priced food, free fountain drinks, great people, benefits after 1 year FT work, wage increase based on performance and experience
Consno advancement without relocating, lack of standards communication
Questions And Answers about Red Robin
How did you get your first interview at Red Robin?
Asked Jun 15, 2016
I applied one night at 2am and the same day i got an interview. The interview was pretty straight forward not to many questions and i got hired on spot.
Answered May 6, 2021
I applied on indeed and had a phone interview the same day and that was over 2 weeks ago and never heard from them again.
Answered Apr 26, 2021
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Red Robin a better place to work?
Asked Jan 25, 2018
Get rid of the service partners. Bring back bussers. This was the worst decision ever and the system is driving employees away.
Answered Oct 12, 2021
Definitely focus on training new employees and making sure you have enough staff instead of overworking the few who continue to show up. Make all the managers follow the company guidelines and rules and for that to be taught to team members.
Answered Feb 24, 2021
What is the most stressful part about working at Red Robin?
Asked Apr 27, 2017
When your in the middle.of a rush and you ask someone to help you and they nlantley ignore you or yell at you to just handle it on your own because they are too busy or just dont want to help you this happend almost every single day when i worked at the saratoga location in san jose ca also being harrassed at work was also fun and trying to report it and being told your over reacting and dramatic and just need to keep it yourself and get over it
Answered Jan 9, 2020
When they do all the things I see in these comments and also promise you wage increases and fail to fulfill that promise even 8+ months later, yet hire new people in at a higher wage than you(2+ YEARS for some of my co-workers). Rarely ever getting out at your scheduled out time. I hear more employees complain about work conditions and management than I hear are happy about it.
Answered Jul 13, 2019
What tips or advice would you give to someone interviewing at Red Robin?
Asked Mar 1, 2018
Always smile and never give up
Answered Mar 4, 2020
Keep quiet and just work if you get hired because people talk and they might seem like it but they are not your friends or even good coworkers they will dump their work on you whenever they can and leave it for you to stalk and clean and cook everything while they all take smoke breaks come back and not even let you use the bathroom
Answered Jan 31, 2020
What is the best part of working at Red Robin?
Asked Oct 4, 2019
Flexible shifts, cash daily.
Answered Dec 8, 2020
There is no best part about red Robin it's a horrible Company all around I would never recommend anyone working there.
