- Staff are completely dishonest and untrustworthy. There were numerous occasions in which I was told one thing, only to be told something entirely different shortly after. One example of this was the fact that, when hired, I was promised several work days per week, only to end up working ONCE per week. Another example was when I had received several 10-15 minute breaks and was told by my manager that, as a 16-year-old, I was "required by law" to receive such breaks every four hours (and my shift was exactly four hours long). But then, literally one week later, I am told that, since I only work four hours per day, I am not obligated to any breaks whatsoever. According to this state's official Department of Labor & Industries website, "[teens] must have a rest period after 2 hours for every 4 hours of work."
- Staff seem okay with blaring their personal issues out for everyone to hear. My manager seemed to think it was appropriate to talk about her love life in front of everybody, and I highly doubt anyone cared to hear about it—especially not the customers. Informing everyone of intimate details in your personal life makes you appear completely unprofessional.
- The environment is generally gross. It was far from the worst I've seen, but was still pretty bad—especially the backroom, which had the absolute worst smell and never seemed to be cleaned. The touchscreen cash registers would almost always have disgusting residue (think what your computer screen might look like if you never cleaned it, and ate regularly around it). I think that if customers saw what it looked like in the place itself, they'd reconsider ever eating here. The food isn't even good, anyway, so it's not like they'd be missing out.
- Very few benefits. What is the point of working here when even McDonald's and Wal-Mart offer quality benefits?
Overall, working at Villa was an extreme disappointment. It's crazy to think that, at one point, I was so excited to work here—I felt completely accepted by the seemingly friendly employees, and it seemed like such a good environment to work in. But it didn't take long for me to realize that my initial excitement was fueled by lies and deceit.
