line cook

server

cuisinier

restaurant manager

bartender

Kelseys Original Roadhouse

What is the best part of working at the company?
Structure, not a good vibe but it did run like a well oiled machine unless management was going through changes of their own person endeavors it was pretty okay. Not good, not bad, it's okay. You can learn a lot of cooking/line cooking basics here and take those foundation skills and improve your career much more.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The most stressful part, was probably similar to most kitchens. The constant friction between front and back of house was super irritating because neither party could truly understand unless they did both jobs, well. Two different kinds of stress but people wanna act like one or theirs is more stressful than the other. Usual restrauant nonsense. Also as far as cooking the whole menu is super easy to learn and execute. My stressful thing was also repetition of making the same thing with no creative say. That's why when I left I took on something more in my own hands for success or failure. They'll definitely hate you for going outside the specs but specs are for people who can't cook and or don't know the synergy between flavour profiles.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Stable, but not in the good way, in the forced toxic positivity kind of way. Kinda like a mom on a trip putting tremendous pressure on her kids to tell her that they are in fact having a good time. They certainly try, the kitchen hasn't really been the same since the last two KMs left. Two truely quality fellas, any place would be lucky to have them now. It use to be a place where the boys would come and cook and listen to music. It, however, like most restaurants in this country, because of CViD19 has fallen into a shadow of its former glory. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Busy usually despite decreased traffic of the scamdemic, it was a big kitchen and even if it was slow they were good for delegating tasks to get extra cleaning done whilst they had scheduled employees on. The nice thing was running the line solo, lots of space and equipment to vibe and feed a whole rush yourself. Might be to much if you run out of prep and gotta prep and cook to order. Good place to work in the summe after the that like most restaurants in this city they don't have the money to pay employees through fall/winter so expect either lay offs or severely reduced hours to the point you'd be better off with a new job or social assistance.

A typical day involved starting a shift, stocking the line to prepare for the lunch/dinner rush, making the meals, cleaning our station and a couple other areas of the restaurant, then leaving. Afternoon shifts required more prep work, preparing wings, meats, veggies, and appetizers for the line-cooks at night.
The days we were fully stocked were great! Days, we weren't... not so great.
I learned a lot about food prep, maintaining a clean environment, and cooking in general.
The managers provided a wonderful and welcoming environment! Unfortunately we had a lot of turnover and the managers were forced to rely on dedicated, proven employees more than they would have liked, occasionally resulting in unbalanced and at times overwhelming schedules/shifts (i.e. 12 hour days with one 30 minute break due to people calling in sick or not showing up).
The hardest part of the job is the mental fortitude required to be alert and effective while making dishes for hours. You have to be aware of allergies, modifications, and specific table requests. You have to constantly be aware of 6 things at once, and your timing has to be perfect - 10 seconds too long or too little can result in food either being burned or served raw. The focus was both draining and stimulating, simultaneously being one of my favourite and most dreaded parts of the job.
The most enjoyable part of the job, however, was the work culture. I LOVED the people I worked with. Throughout my shift I'd constantly be making jokes, sharing stories, or engaging with the other staff. We would discuss anything and everything - complain about guests, talk about how great a night went, new music or movies we had watched/listened to. The people at kelseys made my work experience there great and I doubt I'd have stayed for as long as I did if it wasn't for everyone else!
Overall when the nights go well, the environment is amazing! When they don't go well, however, the environment is tough. So it goes.

A typical day at Kelsey's involves balancing the following. Cleanliness of workplace, satisfying customers and setting ones self up for success not for now, but later. Cooking food is only a portion of the job. Responsibilities like preparing food, and recording its date of expiration and temperature. Following Canadian food safe standards, and striding to exceed them. Maintaining procedures to benefit the restaurant long term. It is a heavy work load, and sometimes admittedly can be stressful. The management is kind and understanding to staff, and exhibit experience and knowledge in their fields. However, management can sometimes be over expectant in their expectations of what a single employee can handle no matter the skill level of the worker. The workplace culture is friendly and supportive, and in my own opinion, the best part of the job. In my experience as a cook over the years, kitchen staff can be some of the most unique personalities, and can create rewarding relations. This is true of Kelsey's for both front and back of house.  As any work environment, gripes and grievances can spark between individuals, but over all, these issues never last longer then a shift at worst. The hardest part of the job, as any kitchen is the cooking, particularly under high stress or tension of a busy work night. In both workplaces I have worked this remains true but a group effort always pulls through. It is then left to the individual to handle the work load placed on themselves, but co-workers are most usually willing to give a helping hand or pointer.

I worked at this Kelsey's for years always hoping the work environment would get better, but it never did.
To most, on first impression, it may seem that this Kelsey's is a fun, hip place to work but that couldn't be more off. The work environment is less than ideal. It's demeaning, rude, and abusive. There are individuals who have worked at this location for many years who act entitled and alienate new people on the job. 
Management is snakey and has "favorites" (usually the veterans who have worked there forever), giving them more shifts than others, or just generally treating them better. I never did feel supported by my managers, and I never 100% felt comfortable approaching any of them about anything. Many times people would be missing hours from their paycheck but would not feel comfortable enough to address it (for example). What's worse is that I've witnessed literal physical abuse to a coworker by a member of management, as well as verbal abuse to many which always made me really uncomfortable.
Line cooks and servers do not have a good relationship, much of the time servers are disrespected by the line cooks. Which in my experience, is typical in the restaurant industry, but just made this experience even more negative. Again, management could care less about how the servers are treated. 
There are only a few good things I have to say about this Kelsey's: some of the regular customers are great, some of my coworkers over the years were great and the potential to make good money as a server is there. But the pros did not weigh out the cons for me.

A typical day at work generally starts with a produce order for the day (we always do same day orders to guarantee freshness). After that I would proceed to cook off certain items for the day (soups, potatos, ribs ect) and make sure the line is set up for when the cooks come. Now I would count and weigh the streaks in the building to ensure left is not an option. Opening the line gives me the chance to look over the cleanliness of the kitchen and make sure everything is getting done properly. Now it would be time for my larger order, basically everything other then produce, which gets done 3 times a week. This usually takes an hour to and hour and a half. Now I would receive the items we received today into the computer, manage the invoices and make sure the amount due is correct. Now it's around 1 - 2 pm, this is where I do any random things which need to be done daily or weekly (temperature logs, continuous prep, scheduling, cleaning schedule etc). Some days I work over the dinner rush until 7-8 o'clock, when my skilled cooks works or sales are low I leave at 4-5. I complete full inventory of all stock every sunday.

A typical shift at Kelsey's would be prepping all food that needs to be ready for the evening shift, as well as doing all the portioning that was written down on the board by our "head chef" or supervisor on line. It was also the cooks duty to keep all condiments, sauces, and topping stocked, and fresh. These duties would be done in between orders that were coming in. There was a lot to be learnt working in a culinary work environment including cleanliness, hygiene, health code requirements, presentation of food, proper food preparation, proper work wear i.e: non slip shoes, fire retardant pants, and shirt. And the most important thing learnt, and used on a day to day basis would be teamwork. Nothing would run smoothly in the kitchen if everyone wasn't working together as a part of a functional team. I had the privilege of working with a lot of great people during my time at Kelsey's, including the management team. The hardest part of the job for me was holding back the urge to eat all the great food we made in that kitchen! And the most rewarding part of the job for me was getting compliments to chef's from customers in the restaurant.

Loved my time working at Kelsey's and I was personally treated fairly well. At the time of hiring the only thing I was promised that I never got and was very upsetting as I would not have taken the job otherwise is I was promised health insurance as I was coming in as Assistant Kitchen Manager, but was later told I was not going to get it as I was not on salary. I asked for salary and was denied.

The work itself was fun, I learned a lot, and made a bunch of friends in the industry. Management higher then myself at the time I left was very nice and chill, but sometimes could have been a little more serious in my opinion, but that is not for me to decide.

I was allowed to further my experience in management and was able to grow my transferable skills that I will use the rest of my life.

I do want to say even with some of the negatives, I did enjoy this restaurant and the food was actually delicious and I still eat there when I have the chance. As long as your not lazy and ready to work hard this should fit for you.

I worked at this location and unfortunately had a very negative experience with management and workplace practices.

During my time there, I experienced inconsistencies with scheduling, time tracking, and break policies that made me feel uncomfortable and concerned about fairness. There were occasions where I felt my hours worked and break deductions did not accurately reflect the time I spent working.

I also felt communication around holiday pay and compensation expectations was unclear and inconsistent, which created additional stress.

In my experience, the workplace environment felt high-pressure and lacked transparency regarding employee rights and standards. I would encourage future employees to carefully review workplace policies and employment standards.

Overall, this was not a supportive or positive work environment for me, and I would not personally recommend this location.

Kelsey's is a great restaurant to work for! The people who work here are amazing they are intelligent, motivated, very helpful and lots of fun to work with. I have learned to have fun and really connect with your guests which is a plus, because they will always come back! The management team pushes there staff to the best they can be and really encourages them to do there best. Feedback is one way the management team really hears about the staff and its a great way to encourage them to do so. The management team puts together a little game to see who gets as many feedback's as possible and will get free dinner for yourself and a kitchen partner you are paired with. Additionally, Kelsey's invests a lot in training there staff, which helps with personal and professional growth not only individually but as a team as well. It is very exciting to be part of such an amazing warm welcoming team!

I have had many developmental opportunities working in this establishment and was able to learn a lot about the customer service industry as well as build on my interpersonal skills. 

Hardest part of the job: having to pick up the slack of certain coworkers, especially on busier nights.

Most enjoyable part of the job: developing strong relationships with all levels of staff as well as guests. 

Management was always friendly and willing to accommodate employees where necessary. Managers were always available and approachable if needed. Fellow employees were also just as friendly and easy to socialize with.

Kelsey's offers a laid-back and comfortable environment for both customers and employers while still presenting a strong level of professionalism. Overall a pleasurable and fun learning experience.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Line cook 22 salaries reported	$19.28 per hour
Server 11 salaries reported	$18.86 per hour
Cuisinier 19 salaries reported	$18.86 per hour
Restaurant manager 2 salaries reported	$59,500 per year
Bartender 7 salaries reported	$18.57 per hour

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