Old Chicago reviews

3.0

42% would recommend to a friend

(561 total reviews)
avatar

Srini Kumar

31% approve of CEO

24% positive business outlook

Old Chicago has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 561 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Old Chicago employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

561 reviews
4.0
Jun 23, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing staff and some mangers - I have made lifelong friends from the staff and guests. For years it was a truly inspiring place to work with excellent leadership and a common goal. The training program was unequalled in its thoroughness. Never before or since was I trained so well to do my job. I genuinely felt like it was my restaurant.

Cons

No more is empowerment practicied, no more is balance something that is touted and no more is guest satisfaction the #1 goal. Traet your people the way you used to, train your staff, and really empower them to provide what OC used to provide. This has failed so much in the last 5 years.

3.0
Sep 30, 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Generally a "people first" culture (although it seems that this is devolving somewhat as of late). Fun atmosphere. Staff is empowered to make decisions. Upper management is easy to access. Balance is generally practiced. Managers get along well and staff is dedicated.

Cons

Not much opportunity for growth - generally GM's start off as internal hires and most don't really have any idea how to develop other managers in their charge. Definite glass ceiling - As a manager with 6 years in, still considered the "new guy". In order to be considered for promotion, must complete monolithic and outdated training module(as if there is ever time to focus on this piece) and receive zero credit for practical on the job experience and achievements. Wage freeze poorly communicated and when lifted many people were left out of the fold. Bonus program revamped numerous times and is continuously far from achievable. Even when bonus is made, it is FAR below the industry standard. Review process is flawed and salary increases are few and far between and rarely impactful - read: TOKEN Closing at 2am is ridiculous especially when majority of volume has passed by 11:30 pm. A pure waste of time, energy and efficiency. GM's take advantage of scheduling to tailor their own needs. Communication from corporate side is inconsistent - poor communication withing corporate departments, trickles down to ops as inconsistent message. 401k is horrible - no matching. QAP program is merely a discount and is minimal as a valued benefit. Company too concerned with sale and have lost focus on what got them there in the 1st place...PEOPLE In dire need of systems overhaul - too much is left up to operator interpretation and lack of consistencies are apparent across the board.

4.0
Aug 15, 2018

Server

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great coworkers, great money, loved the atmosphere

Cons

Too much corporate structure on how we served our tables/what we had to say/sell

Viewing 1 - 3 of 561 Reviews

Glassdoor has 565 Old Chicago reviews submitted anonymously by Old Chicago employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Old Chicago is right for you.