Pros
Honestly, it was one of the best serving environments I have experienced as someone who’s been in the industry for 10+ years. Maybe I’ve had bad luck in the past, but the management is very hand-on so you’ll never be left to fend for yourself, and the restaurant is Darden owned so the standards for organization and cleanliness are high—which keeps the work environment nice and easy to manage during rushes. Tips can be very good if you work enough of the right shifts and get to work reserved party rooms. If you always show up and do your job well you won’t have any issues. Plus they serve family shift meals.
Cons
Because it’s Darden owned, the standards are high. If you’re looking for a flexible job that you’ll be able to call out of when you need to, or you need to get your shifts swapped easily, it may not be the place for you. Another con, that they share with most restaurants in this area, is they only pay the sub-minimum wage, as in “tipped” minimum wage. Yes, you usually make enough in tips to make at least $15-20/hr when you average it out, but that’s not pay for the work you do for the restaurant, that’s the tips you make from serving customers. It’s just kind of crazy for a company like Darden, that makes SO much money, to pay the majority of their workers $2.13/hr. Pretty sure they can afford more than that.