Does National Restaurant Association pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, National Restaurant Association employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.3 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at National Restaurant Association. This rating has decreased by 8% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at National Restaurant Association?

21% of National Restaurant Association employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated National Restaurant Association 2.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 2.3 for culture and values and 2.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at National Restaurant Association?

Manager (13) , Director (7) , Anonymous (3) , Certification Specialist (3) , Intern (3) , Contractor (2) , Coordinator (2) , Customer Service (2) , Editor (2) , Marketing (2) , Product Manager (2)

What are the pros of working at National Restaurant Association according to real employee reviews?

"The benefits are great." ((in 35 reviews)); "Nice office space." ((in 8 reviews)); "Great people, overall." ((in 6 reviews)); "The office is beautiful and inviting." ((in 5 reviews)); "Great coworkers at the lower levels" ((in 4 reviews))

What are the cons of working at National Restaurant Association according to real employee reviews?

"leadership is weak" ((in 14 reviews)); "The culture is toxic" ((in 9 reviews)); "CEO is absolutley clueless." ((in 7 reviews)); "poor culture and senior management" ((in 4 reviews)); "Making Paralysis at Management Levels: Many managers and directors are either unwilling or unable to make timely, informed decisions." ((in 3 reviews))

What are employees saying about National Restaurant Association layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about National Restaurant Association layoffs and their outlook for job security at National Restaurant Association in 2026.

What are the top reviewed National Restaurant Association locations?

Chicago , Washington , Orlando , Madison , Minneapolis

National Restaurant Association reviews

2.3

21% would recommend to a friend

(141 total reviews)

Michelle Korsmo

11% approve of CEO

14% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

National Restaurant Association has an employee rating of 2.3 out of 5 stars, based on 141 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The National Restaurant Association employee rating is 38% below average for employers within the Management & Consulting industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

141 reviews

2.0

Jun 7, 2016

Downward spiral

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, good PTO, healthy budgets. Get to stay in nice hotels and eat at nice restaurants when traveling.

Cons

Senior management is a revolving door, and uncertainty trickles down. CEO / CAO are more interested in their image / paying lip service about fixing flaws than taking action on them. There is huge pay and title disparity by gender and between DC and Chicago. Promotions are often given based on personal closeness to an executive. Decisions are made based on whims or gut feelings, versus reflecting actual business needs, and staff have to deal with the ramifications of those whims. Departments are deeply siloed and as a result, there's a lot of inefficiency, particularly with technology. Different departments operate with completely different rules -- something that's okay for one team is strictly forbidden in another, like work from home privileges. Because there's a lack of communication, particularly from the top, rumors fly and resentment breeds.

5.0

Jun 6, 2016

Great place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing benefits, beautiful office space, free snacks and beverages. Executive leadership team leads by example and tirelessly works to promote our values and meet goals. Hard work is recognized and rewarded.

Cons

A few internally are immature and not used to functioning in a professional environment. The executive leadership is going through a routine transformation and it is stunning how personally some are taking it. CEO has a clear vision that she has put forward to the entire organization on several occasions (yet some think that they know better). CAO, who I have witnessed on many occasions defend and advocate for staff, gets wrongfully blamed for every employee grievance.

National Restaurant Association Response

9y

Thank you for taking the time to share your perspective. I am pleased that you are having a positive experience as a team member. We value a diversity of perspectives and so I welcome feedback from all team members. I learn from every interaction and do my best to apply those learnings to the benefit of our organization, and I encourage our executives to do the same.

2.0

Jun 1, 2016

Horrible environment to work in

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, they provide a ton of snacks and drinks free of charge to employees as well. They also have a program that hires persons with disabilities.

Cons

The working environment is simply toxic. Everyone walks around on eggshells because of the CAO and her immediate staff (EA and Manager of Operations). They are the most negative and downright condescending people I have ever come across. They have nasty attitudes and are very passive aggressive about the simplest of things. The HR department is either complicit or completely useless because there is no way that they can't see that the staff morale is non-existent. The CAO rules by fear and everyone knows that if she doesn't like you that you are out the door. The sad thing is that she and her immediate staff don't know it all, very far from it and they could stand to learn a thing or two about treating people with respect in the work place. I was passing by and heard the CAO tell a member of staff that she was the person who decided if the member of staff was going to stay or be fired. I don't know of any organization that would still employ a member of staff that treats employees like that. There has been tremendous turnover on all levels since the CAO came on board and there is no sign that things are going to get better any time soon. If the CEO claims to not know what is going on in the organization, then they need someone who has a clue instead of the checked out person that currently runs the organization. Just because an organization is doing well financially, it doesn't mean that all is well. If the CEO doesn't care that the employees are happy, then very soon she will be left with a profitable organization run by substandard employees like the CAO.

National Restaurant Association Response

9y

I'm sorry to read that your brief experience on our team was so unpleasant. You've chosen an anonymous forum to level very detailed critiques about specific team members. Unfortunately, not knowing you makes it difficult for me to appreciate the context of your comments. I want to ensure that our organization lives up to our shared values of trust, the spirit of hospitality, respect, integrity, optimism, and excellence. Please consider contacting me directly at DSweeney@restaurant.org. Even though you are not currently with our organization, I would still value the opportunity to discuss your observations.

Viewing 109 - 111 of 141 Reviews

Jobs at National Restaurant Association

Instructional Editor and Testing Specialist

Strategic Product Manager

Policy Director, Technology and Innovation