It can't be easy to keep a smiling face while diners complain that their Bloomin' Onion
isn't "bloomin' enough," or while serving a family reunion for three hours only to be
stiffed when it comes time to get a tip.
But sometimes, it's the management who makes working for a restaurant difficult.
Those smiling faces on your servers may be painted on, especially if you're in one of
these chains that are notoriously hard to work for.
Applebee's
You might hit up Applebee's when you're desperate to pig out on half-priced, frozen appetizers
and cheap domestic beers, but the chain restaurant who claims to be your friendly neighborhood
bar and grill allegedly isn't so friendly when it comes to how they treat their employees.
According to company review site Glassdoor, the number one complaint about Applebee's
is the management, as well as long hours, little chance for advancement, and low pay.
Applebee's is a franchise, so an employee's experience may vary depending on location.
Despite recent attempts at trying to curb employee turnover, don't be surprised if you
never have the same server twice, especially since the chain was hit with a class action
overtime and race discrimination lawsuit in 2016.
Carl's Jr. and Hardee's
Fast food chain Carl's Jr. and its sister restaurant, Hardee's, are trying to shed their
sexist past when it comes to their advertising, but it's going to take more than a new brand
image to take care of the allegedly appalling ways they treat their employees — especially
women.
According to The Guardian, the advocacy group Restaurant Opportunities Center United found
that a staggering 66 percent of female workers at these restaurants have suffered from workplace
sexual harassment.
The chain's CEO, Andy Puzder, has also been one of the most outspoken CEOs in the food
industry about making restaurants more automated.
In addition to being firmly against raising the minimum wage and standing behind their
racy ads, Puzder told Business Insider,
"[Robot workers are better because] they're always polite, they always upsell, they never
take a vacation, they never show up late, there's never a slip-and-fall, or an age,
sex, or race discrimination case."
Sounds like a great guy to work for, right?
Denny's
It may be the home of the Grand Slam breakfast, but Denny's isn't a team player when it comes
to making its employees happy.
The major complaints from employees on Glassdoor are long hours and little pay.
Not only has Denny's suffered from high profile discrimination lawsuits brought on by customers,
they have also been hit with employee class action lawsuits as well.
In 2016, Denny's settled an overtime pay lawsuit for $950,000.
According to the Chicago Overtime Law Center, that lawsuit alleged that the restaurant didn't
give employees their allotted breaks or pay for those breaks that were missed, and that
they failed to pay employees overtime rates for overtime hours worked each week.
Doesn't exactly sound like a place you should hurry to apply to.
Jack in the Box
This California-based chain has been slinging burgers since 1951, and you'd think that the
company with some of the most cutting edge commercials would learn a little something
about treating employees well.
According to Glassdoor, employees hate Jack in the Box because of poor management, setting
expectations too high, and dealing with drunk, dangerous, and unruly customers.
Jack in the Box has been hit with multiple class action lawsuits, including one in Oregon
that they lost in 2016 regarding not compensating workers for overtime pay, according to Lexis
Legal News.
Back in 2015, Law360 reported that Jack in the Box was slammed with a class action lawsuit
for the same reason, but in California.
Dunkin' Donuts
America might run on Dunkin', but if you're thinking about getting a job at the Massachusetts-based
coffee chain, maybe you should run the other way.
Employees on Glassdoor said working there can be unbearable and frustrating during the
morning rush because locations are frequently understaffed.
Many locations are open 24 hours, and others open at 5 a.m., so those who are slated to
open need to start prep work at least an hour before the store opens.
People get fussy about their coffee, too, which creates another pitfall for employees.
No one wants to mess with an angry person before the sun rises — especially when they
haven't had their caffeine.
Chuck E. Cheese's
If you've ever attended a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese's, you can probably estimate
the amount of Advil you'd need to get through a work day there.
According to an interview with a former employee published by Cracked, workers at Chuck E.
Cheese's have to be vigilant at all times when it comes to child predators who frequently
lurk outside of the restaurant trying to lure kids.
Chuck E. Cheese's serves alcohol, and it sounds like sometimes the parents have a little bit
too much.
The interviewed former employee described a birthday party where an entire family got
into a drunken fight that ended with cops making arrests.
The employee added, in part,
"They knocked over all the tables in the surrounding birthday rows with food and drinks flying
everywhere.
[...] There was hair pulled out on the floor, it was a real mess.
We were there until 1 a.m. scrubbing food out of the carpet."
Also, if you're the lucky employee to wear the costume, you better stock up on Lysol,
because apparently it rarely gets washed — even when kids drool and spit up on it.