Brinker Reviews

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – Brinker is a very "safe" place to work in the recent economic downfall of our nation. Brinker has great benefits for it's employees, and is constantly looking for the "edge" in the food industry.

Cons – Brinker is in a time of change, and as we all know, "change" is hard for any company - especally one as large as brinker. Very unstable in it's consistency, and continual changes that make operations difficult.

Advice to Senior Management – I would say to get back to the basics. Re-visit what made "Brinker" a powerhouse to begin with...stop making so many changes, and concentrate on make very SOLID, MEANINGFUL changes.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – Great People and Culture. In a down economy, the company is staying positive and trying new things. Great opportunity to come out a winner.

Cons – As with any company, when the money is not flowing to the bottom lne, things need to be cut. You can only cut so much before it has to come from the team.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep trying new things, don't be afraid to fail. The people who work for you will not let that happen. Variable compensation is good to drive sales. If you take it away, it demotivates

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – flexible hours, most money you'll probably make while going to school. great training system. if you need a day off, there are people there that can take em.

Cons – training takes about a month, can get very stressful. management are sticklers because it is a corporate company. not bad though

Advice to Senior Management – there seemed to be a lot of favoritism, but if I were a manager, I would do the same thing.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Brinker

Pros – great fellow employees to work with, we partied all the time and so did the entire team off and on the clock

Cons – had to be at work on time and did not have any smoke breaks for the cooks or servers and the managers did not smoke either

Advice to Senior Management – don't worry so much, be happy life is too short to get all stressed out over things that do not matter when it is all said and done

I worked at Brinker

Pros – You get to write your name upside down with crayons on their paper table cloths, where goofy ties, and break out into spontaneous italian songs.

Cons – Its a corporate restaurant so they give you three table sections to which you make mediocre pay compared to some private restaurants which give you as many tables as you can handle.

Advice to Senior Management – Performed competently but seemed to switch management a lot. Careful of the line between boss and friends, and don't play favorites.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Brinker

Pros – The people are wonderful. I know a lot of people would say that, but for this company it was so far beyond what I expected that at first I was a little suspicious. Never have I had bosses and coworkers who cared as much about me as a person as they did about me as a professional. That sort of culture is contagious, and I think Brinker has continued to bring in great people. I can also say that I never once saw a decision that was made that was without the best of intentions. While no leadership team ever makes all the right decisions, they always acted in the best interest of the company and were quick to change their path as soon as the result weren't headed in the right direction.

Cons – The restaurant industry is a tough one to be a part of right now and has been for a few years. It's hard to have to say goodbye to friends and coworkers when the results force restaurants to close and people to be laid off. This is not unique to Brinker or even the restaurant industry, and I must say, I felt the employees were treated fairly in each case. Other challenges just include the nature of the industry itself - weekends are the busiest times, few holidays, long hours, etc. But, for those of us who love the industry, I think we thrive on that kind of schedule!

Advice to Senior Management – I would advice Sr. Mgmt that although there have been a ton of changes, they should stay true to who they are and remember their values as they go into new roles, perhaps supporting different concepts and working for new leaders. Brinker is special because of it's history. No company I have worked for had a stronger sense of that history and how it makes them unique. My fear is that in all of the upheaval, this could be lost or forgotten. While I think the leaders who were in place when I left would never forget that family like culture, where it's okay to have fun, because we should have fun taking care of the guests, it can be easy to lose that when too many leadership roles are replaced.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – Flexibility and quick money. Not bad for a part-time worker, full-time college student.

Cons – Customers are demanding since its a chain restaurant. There is a significantly high amount of turnover. Its a rather dirty industry as well.

Advice to Senior Management – Offer more hourly since the economy has crushed tips.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – It is very easy once you learn the menu, policies, and procedures. The money is not the most you could make working in a restaurant but for the amount of work you have to do it is adequate. Managers are very receptive to time off needs.

Cons – Some of the managers are not very good with people skills. Upper management has completely lost touch with the day to day operations of the stores. The quality of your co-workers can vary from excellent to terrible or creepy. Hourly pay for now back of the house work is always below minimum wage and you will not get a raise no matter what.

Advice to Senior Management – Work in every position for the rate of pay each position receives for a month.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Brinker

Pros – Large company with many locations. There is a significant feeling of "family" with the area you work in. With the large number of locations, it is easy to move or transfer to a different area if your personal situation requires it. You can get experience in a variety of different environments and with a number of different managements styles. Each location has it's own feel.

Cons – Too much competition for too few jobs. If you are not in a large area and near the leadership team, it is very difficult to be recognized and noticed. Often times they will loose good management to "burnout", simply from being left in the same role without any recognition for such a long time. There is definitely a bit of an "inside" group that you have to fit into to get ahead.

Advice to Senior Management – Spend some time in the restaurants. Spend less time "knee-jerking". Spend more time planning and less time reacting.

I have been working at Brinker

Pros – 1. Balanced Scheduling, which is hard to find in the industry.
2. Committment to Quality of Life throughout the company.
3. Fair salaries.
4. Well-known concept, popular within the community.
5. They give back to the communities that they are in through donations, fundraisers, etc.

Cons – 1. A slow down in growth has caused there to be very few opportunities in all departments.
2. Lack of continuity from store to store, region to region.
3. Lots of shifts in what is important, they have a tendency not to stick to their guns.
4. Very bottom line focused currently.
5. Poorly trained learning managers - no ongoing development.

Advice to Senior Management – 1. More focus on creating top line sales.
2. Raises based on actual performance of the individual - everyone got the same raises last year!
3. Create better training programs and ongoing training for managers!! Soon!!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend