"The Pit" Cafe Cook/Expo Cook/Prep Cook (McConnel Hall)
Pros
You get to know executive management for the school on a first-name basis. Very respectful to all staff; regardless of education level and financial status. I loved being rewarded for being "green"; they added $1.50/day for each day that I rode a bike, carpooled, took a bus or got dropped off at work. Very cool! I felt I received good mentoring from Executive Chef, Dennis Lofland and GM Michael Becuet; I would work for them anytime, anywhere. Good benefits...but when you make $10/hour and change, I lose almost half of my pay to benefits. :^/ Great Food. Free meals. I was given the responsibility of overseeing the Work-Study participants. It was great seeing these students get a culinary education...man can they eat! I liked how our kitchen competed against the other 5 campuses to win over students from other schools which means more revenue for the winning campus. We out performed the other schools often, but only upper management realized a bonus for that.
Cons
Low Pay: Starting Pay ranges between $10.06 and $10.50...even if you have 8 years of experience. NOT COOL. That's what they were paying Culinary School Grads back in 2001!!! If they paid 100% of the benefits...I'd be more willing to take less $, but as it stood, I was paying out $175 per paycheck for benefits for a family of 4. Slow Promotion Path: It takes about 6-10 years to get a serious promotion. Some BS Politics. Long-term employees and women are prioritized. That's just what I've observed...I once saw an arguement between a male co-worker and a female co-worker; the chef told the man, "...do you want to be right, or do you want to keep your job?" That made me wanna go...."hmmmm."
