Is Restaurant Associates a good company to work for?

Restaurant Associates has an overall rating of 3.7 out of 5, based on over 712 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has decreased by 14% over the last 12 months. 66% of employees would recommend working at Restaurant Associates to a friend and 69% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Restaurant Associates have been left by employees working as General Manager , Executive Chef and Assistant General Manager .

Does Restaurant Associates pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Restaurant Associates employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Restaurant Associates. This rating has decreased by 13% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Restaurant Associates?

66% of Restaurant Associates employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Restaurant Associates 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Restaurant Associates?

Executive Chef (35) , General Manager (34) , Butler (25) , Cook (21) , Director (20) , Cafe Manager (19) , Manager (19) , Sous Chef (18) , Catering Manager (17) , Line Cook (13) , Chef (12) , Assistant General Manager (11) , Food Service Director (8) , Regional Director of Operations (8) , Catering Attendant (7)

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

"Great benefits and the company encourages growth from within." ((in 60 reviews)); "Great people to work with" ((in 43 reviews)); "The pay is good and reliable." ((in 38 reviews)); "Great leadership and systems in place to succeed." ((in 22 reviews)); "Great work life balance" ((in 14 reviews))

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

"Poor management; corner" ((in 36 reviews)); "Managers are horrible, they look for a reason to fire you before you get into the union" ((in 18 reviews)); "Long hours and you pay for parking" ((in 14 reviews)); "Long hours are expected, sometimes no support." ((in 10 reviews)); "Incompetent staff, both upper management and low level employees are super apathetic and are just there for money." ((in 8 reviews))

What are employees saying about Restaurant Associates layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Restaurant Associates locations?

New York , Washington , Boston , Kennett Square , Cambridge , Philadelphia , Atlanta , Wilmington , McLean , Chicago , Jersey City , Weehawken , Hyde Park , Ann Arbor , Knoxville , Kennet Sq , Richmond , Leesburg , Clifton Park , Los Angeles , Baltimore , Tysons Corner , Bound Brook , Newark , Princeton , Trenton , Blacksburg , Arlington , Lorton , Albany

Restaurant Associates reviews

3.7

66% would recommend to a friend

(683 total reviews)

Ed Brown

68% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Restaurant Associates has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 683 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Restaurant Associates 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

683 reviews

5.0

Sep 5, 2018

My Rating of RA

Regional director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Upper Management is fantastic, Benefits are great, Flexible work schedule, talented culinary team, great programming and marketing

Cons

constant action plans, unrealistic budgets, too many "forced drop shipments", takes too long for bonus to be paid out (received this years bonus in May when our Client year ended in December!!!)

Restaurant Associates Response

7y

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. From the top down, the key to our business is our commitment to our associates. We strive to provide an environment where all associates feel they're valued, treated fairly and respected. We care very deeply for our associates and always looking for ways to improve. Our associates are encouraged to provide further feedback, please email us info@restaurantassociates.com

2.0

Aug 30, 2018

ehh

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

it had good benefits and a flexible schedule

Cons

the management very very poorly chosen and they liked to play the blame game

Restaurant Associates Response

7y

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and experience about RA. We also appreciate you taking the time to provide thoughtful advice that can continue to make us a better organization. From the top down our commitment is to our associates. If you have any further feedback please email us info@restaurantassociates.com

4.0

Aug 27, 2018

Great for Part Time

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Super high pay/effort ratio. Guests are almost always friendly and in good spirits

Cons

physically exhausting, walking at least 3 miles per event

Viewing 520 - 522 of 683 Reviews

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Jobs at Restaurant Associates

FOOD SERVICE UTILITY (FULL TIME)

CATERING ATTENDANT (ON CALL)

FOOD SERVICE WORKER/CASHIER (SEASONAL)

DISHWASHER (SEASONAL)