Pros
If you want to work at one of the world’s best run dining businesses, this is where it’s at. I work at the Union Square, San Francisco location, and although it is intense, it’s rewarding, financially, physically and spiritually IMO.
It’s clear that decades of effort have gone into crafting the business. They run it lean, so it’s an effort to deliver an excellent experience. But that is part of its greatness - if you are at all interested in understanding how to run a business well. The managers and general manager are all well chosen, character-wise, which is refreshing in the hospitality trade where difficult personalities can often be a drag. It’s probably due to the extensive formal training, that creates a high degree of professionalism. Far above average for the industry.
Cons
It’s a struggle to get all the hours as a server you want. This is due to practical/economical considerations, since the restaurant needs a deep bench of staff, to guarantee staffing, and accommodate changes to schedules by employees- and as far as I can tell, it’s no different across the current restaurant industry in SF. Obviously the more tenure you have, the more trust and hours they give you.
So expect to be assigned server and runner shifts, and ‘breaker’ shifts where you relieve other servers. But in all cases you still make tips. Though working as a server is best.