restaurant manager

directeur de restaurant

manager

line cook

cook/dishwasher

Red Lobster

What is the best part of working at the company?
The shift system is quite nice, very modern and up to date. You can choose your availability and book your days off in advance. I find that to be easily the best part about this job. My availability and my days off can be easily assessed through the HOTSCHEDULES website. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Long days standing, with barely 30 min break. They can't refuse you taking break but they'll lowkey get mad at you. The standing is unbearable. The shifts for the line and prep have no END times and so you're never sure when you're gonna finish your shift. Don't even think about making plans after work, you might be there till 12H00 if you're not fast enough, If you work at your own pace, this place is not for you. If you like people, don't work there you are not allowed to socialize because there is no time for it, everyone has a certain mental illness they're not even aware of. Weekdays are slow and weekends are CRAZY and if you don't have anyone helping you, well then FF. It really is what it is, and everyone just says it is the kitchen life, you just feel exhausted after every shift and you feel like your life revolves around the job. If you have no hobbies or personality, it's just right for you, this job is perfect if you want to avoid having a life. Wait, we work in a kitchen, can you eat anything from there?? no, you can't, it's not allowed. Anyways, not my fav job, the manager is a little always on edge so it's difficult to ever bring up your problems with them, especially since they answer so rudely. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
I find that there are genuinely nice people, if you are a social butterfly you'll find people who want to spend time with you and get to know you, even go as far as getting REALLY close to you after work, Some will compliment you on your body or looks, some will go out of their way to ask you about your personal life. If you like that then this might just be the job for you. 💀

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I will be honest, I worked on weekends mostly, Its get to work, clock in, do your casual job, it gets busy, and you're in the kitchen for a while, and the rush comes in waves. 2 hours before we close, we try to filter, clean and soap down everything even as orders are coming, so you're cleaning everything essentially, which is not a problem, but some days it can really make you lose your mental when you're rushing to make food for 4-5 hours and then cleaning and scrubbing at the end of the day.

A typical day at work would consist of checking in the servers and making sure they are ready to start and I know what section they are in. Counting the till down and getting it ready for either the night shift or the next day. My job is to keep the lobby clean and our hostess area neat, tidy and the seating chart easy to follow. As guest come in my job is to greet them, and then promptly seat then at a table. Answering the phone, taking take out orders and preparing them, ECT

Over the almost five years I have been at Red lobster I have learned to be a team player, work under stress and in a fast pace environment. Great people skills, how to keep organize, how to strike up a conversation, memorization skills and so much more.

It was always a pleasure to work with the management staff they were helpful, understanding, upbeat and kind. They made it easy to go to work and I looked forward to working all of my shifts. They were always willing to help and if you made a mistake they kindly corrected you, so that you would know for next time. 

My co-works were more life a family then just a staff, from the first day I started at Red Lobster they gave me a warm welcome. I always got along with everyone and help when I could as they did the same. They were hard works and we all always focused on the task at hand (giving A+ service) as a team. We worked as one, not individuals. Things always ran more smoothly this way. In the end they always made me look forward to go to work. 

In my opinion the hardest part of the job was trying to stay clam and not get stressed out on the nights we went into a waiting line. As some people could be impatient and antsy making it harder not to get stressed out.

I personally enjoyed every aspect of the job, I always liked seeing our guest happy as they left. Red Lobster is a really great place to work overall.

I recently had the experience of working in a kitchen where the general atmosphere seemed promising, and my colleagues were both talented and passionate about their craft. Unfortunately, the experience fell flat primarily due to the lackluster management, which was unable to create a balanced and harmonious workflow.

From the get-go, the division of labor was skewed. Some staff members were overloaded with tasks, leading to heightened stress levels and inevitable errors. Meanwhile, other team members had too little to do and felt underutilized. This imbalance seemed to stem from poor management decisions rather than a lack of available work.

The scheduling was equally problematic. Last-minute changes were frequent and often led to understaffing during peak hours, leaving those on duty overwhelmed and affecting the quality of food and service. Moreover, despite these challenges, there was little effort to elicit staff feedback or make corrections to improve the situation.

In summary, while the establishment seemed to have all the ingredients for success—talented chefs, a dedicated crew, and a promising menu—the execution was marred by poor management. Attention to organizational details, fair distribution of tasks, and fostering a strong team environment are key areas needing urgent improvement. 

Some of the managers complained about how "nobody wants to work anymore" and about people not taking as many shifts as they would like.

The thing is, it's not that nobody wants to work anymore, it's that nobody wants to work at this job specifically. 

As far as employment goes, I see Red Lobster as the worst of both worlds. 

What I mean by this, is that there are more pleasant jobs for the same pay, and there are higher paying jobs for the same working conditions. I don't think the managers ever understood this.

As a dishwasher at Red Lobster, you will be paid basically minimum wage for very dirty and face paced work. You will be told to take your unpaid break 1 hour into an 8 hour shift because "it's going to be busy later", causing you to be unnecessarily tired and fatigued by the end of those 8 hours.

You will be working with people that speak very limited English, making communication often difficult.

On closing shifts people will sometimes (not always) dump their dishes on you at the last minute and take off, causing you to stay very late and be the last one to leave. 

It's just a lot of annoying things that add up and make it a miserable working experience. 

I don't want to come off as too negative here but it's not a great place to work in my opinion. If you keep looking you will find something that either pays more or has better working conditions (or both). 



The Windsor Red Lobster ran with precision for 30 years and then there was a change in management. The management is very weak and contributing to the decline of a wonderful restaurant. The company refused to pay their cooks a fair wage so all the best cooks went to other restaurants. The result is customers waiting ridiculous times to get their food. When it arrives some things will be missing, and others will not be not cooked properly. Also many items will arrive cold.  This is not the fault of the server but of weak cooks and incompetent management who cannot even run a shift without problems. They do not order items that are needed such as bread baskets and crab crackers - so you might get something dirty just used by another table. Also the handheld credit card machines often do not work. All the SNAFUs that customers face are NOT the fault of the server. But the management refuses to take responsibility or address any of the underlying issues. Instead of taking care of problems, servers are put under a microscope, demoralized in reviews, and blamed for the poor performance of line cooks and managers. All these nightmares began with the promotion of the new General Manager. She SUCKS!!! But she is a nice lady.

I’ve been working here for a few months now and it’s okay but not where I want to be forever. At first I enjoyed going there because the managers were all so inspirational and motivating but now somedays I dread going in depending on who’s working. The managers all have different ways of doing things and sometimes I’m praised by one for doing something and discouraged by another for doing the exact same thing. The people are nice but don’t let that fool you because it’s fake.. most of the servers will be sweet to your face then walk away and talk bad about how they had to help you with something if you ask them for help. The huge thing I keep hearing the servers complain about are how they have to tip out the back and the host stand. I get it sucks and you see it as your tips but when you’re wearing red lobsters uniform it’s not “your tips” it’s the company’s tips. Unless you want to open an only fans and run that out of your own house then I don’t want to hear them complain about “their tips”. Somedays it’s like I’m back in high school with a bunch of stupid mean girls who think they’re hot stuff cause they know how to serve and it’s annoying because if they used that energy towards actually doing their job then we would all be making more money.

I mean start very simply without be impractical when people read this review,

I have 1-2 years experience from Medium-High end restaurants so I can give a concept of why I ended up here as well as why I Quit,

 First and foremost this is my Review and is a collaboration of all the thoughts and feelings i could gather about  this place.Staff: I can say wholeheartedly I had no issues with staff and could say that everyone provided a great experience in the learning curve for the first 3 days I was learning the ropes. Management: Great managements I had a few issues running in with managers that seemed very in it for themselves but other then that I had no issue there.

This is where I provide some incite on Cons and disadvantages of working at this place.

I will  by no means write this place as a terrible place to work however I will just write it as a "eh" or a " You could probably find something better" kinda place. This place faces hour cuts and found my entire time there I was fighting for hours, When I asked other employees they were more then willing to give them to me cause half the people there just simply don't have any other means of work.

If you have an education in Culinary Skip this Place.

I've worked at Red Lobster for a long time. The management changes often and the experiences have been mixed, but the current managers are kind and easy to work with. They present day managers do care about their staff. 
The upper management/corporate has changed as well recently. They don't care about the employees. They pressure management to cut servers hours as much as possible, resulting in a lot of servers being sent home before the rush and then the remaining servers get slammed.
The tips that servers make while working are usually good. Meals range between $20-$60 for adults and the food is decent. The tip-out is very fair. 
There are occasionally issues, for example sometimes we don't have enough crab crackers for tables or the dish washer isn't working well. There was a lot of issues with the kitchen crashing but it's improved a lot under the newer general management.
The staff are nice here, it's not a toxic workplace and everyone is friendly.  
The level of guests we get varies a lot depending on the time of year. Summers are slower because we don't have a patio.

A typical day at work for me would start at 12 noon. I would help continue setting up the kitchen for the rush, and clean up stations. I prepare the meals, cook, and plate. Help with prep cooks to prepare for meals for the evening shift. Break time. Then back to cooking at night until closing. I've learned a lot of multitasking skills and a lot of problem solving that involves a lot of special instructions on how guests want their food to be cook, such as allergies. The management is very humorous during shifts. Keeps people busy and also keep them from being stressed out by cracking jokes here and there, given the fact that the restaurant can get extremely busy. The hardest part of the job is the job itself. Line cooks do not stop cooking. I do not stop assembling from the time i start to the time i finish. Food just keeps coming in and there is no end. However my coworkers are the most enjoyable part of the job. We share the same sense of humor. We all try to have fun while working, especially when it gets really busy. I love working for this restaurant, its the people i work with that keeps me going.

A typical day in dish starts by having to clean bathrooms, the lobby floor, and the dining room floor, and then finally by tossing out the previous night's garbage. It's then to the dish pit till the evening shift people come in to relieve you, during this time you wash everything that comes into the pit, as well as putting the dishes and other washes items away. Evening shift comes in around 5pm and takes over washing/scrubbing and putting away the dishes. The evening dish crew is also responsible for at least one garbage run, and closing the dish pit at the end of the night, by disassembling the wash machine and cleaning the floors, leaving the area clean for the mornings.

To myself the hardest part of the job was having to either handle 200 degree plates as they exit the machine, or having to scrub all the shrimp bowls. What i found most enjoyable was my co-workers within the pit, and their individual antics that made the shift go by so much quicker, i also enjoyed the ability to work somewhat at my own pace, and not having to worry about the what was going on in the rest of the kitchen

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Restaurant manager 6 salaries reported	$55,000 per year
Directeur de restaurant 4 salaries reported	$54,250 per year
Manager 3 salaries reported	$51,333 per year
Line cook 2 salaries reported	$19.60 per hour
Cook/dishwasher 2 salaries reported	$17.00 per hour

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