opals - Line Cook Opal Divine's Employee Review

Opal Divine's is a fun environment where people are passionate about the food and drinks they serve and they are focused on delivering quality. Pretty much everyone is passionate about craft beer and it's a great place to learn about good beverages. If you're willing to work hard you'll make good money.

Sometimes crazy busy. But also an opportunity to make money.

Non-corporate atmosphere most of the time. Company t-shirt and non-slip shoes are the only required uniform components. Good Xmas party. Closed on Xmas, Thanksgiving, 1/2-day open for Xmas party. Kitchen abilities are fair.

$2.13-$2.50/hr+tips (very typical for Texas but there is no room for advancement/raises no matter how long you are there unless you become management); +$1/hr as trainer or bartender. If one makes it to management, the system continually breaks down because the owner consistently does not cooperate with his team and is very temperamental/unfair to work with. Large parties are planned very poorly. Only managers know about large parties ahead of time-kitchen and FOH staff find out the moment they clock in if their not called in early that day- even if they're off. Event planners are not given enough resources/managerial license to make them run smoothly and efficiently. Separate checks on a 80+ person party is common- creating havoc for the servers and causes all rest of the party attendees to wait even longer... The kitchen (who are all under-appreciated/compensated as well) does a good job with what they are given to work with for these parties. If there is a party scheduled for 8pm on a Friday night (which is typically already a busy night- and yes, the even planners are made to accept every party even on a busy Friday) that will go smooth-ish until the rest of the restaurant gets busy. Then the kitchen gets sand bagged and cannot operate correctly which directly effects the remaining patrons directly. This makes the servers, bartenders and managers work 3-4x harder trying to repair the moods of the affected tables- thus thinning out the service force. There are a ton of little inconsistencies that create a monster of dysfunction and it all trickles down from the top of the mountain- constantly making employees question themselves to the point of such frustration that is taken out on the employees beneath them and so on down the line. What is perfectly correct policy one day is the opposite the following day on the whim/mood/sociopathy of the owner.