Poor management and treatment of employees
Pros
As a front-of-house staff person, you get to cater at some amazing Boston venues, be in the presence of notable persons (politicians, authors, performers, entrepreneurs, etc.), and pick and choose events to work (making for a flexible work schedule). Most of the event managers are wonderful – kind, motivated, and easy to work with.
Cons
In the 8 years I have worked for MAX, I have watched the company take a sharp downward turn in how employees are treated. When I began in 2010, I felt so lucky to work for a company like MAX. The staff energy was positive, eager to provide exceptional service, and the events were so fun! I received accurate pay for the hours I worked as well as tips from clients who provided them nearly every month (adding hundreds of dollars to my monthly pay). Over the years, the morale of MAX staff has declined due to poor management. I continued to work as tips checks came less and less frequently until the payment of tips ceased entirely for a span of a year and a half. During this time, I personally witnessed on-site managers receive envelopes of cash from happy clients at the end of events as a token of appreciation and good service, and I never saw that money reach my own paycheck. That is when a CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT was launched against the owners of MAX for illegal withholding of client tips. The owners of MAX reached a settlement in 2017 in order to keep the lawsuit from going public. Since then, a lot has changed in terms of how staff is treated. We are no longer allowed to converse with our coworkers while on the floor, we are prohibited from eating or drinking during our shift without a manager’s approval, and there are excessively strict rules we must follow regarding our appearance that go beyond good hygiene and basic grooming. If I was looking to hire a catering company for my event, I would not choose MAX. I would not support a company whose owners have demonstrated a disregard for the fair pay and treatment of their employees.