Applebee's as a corporation needs improvement. Waitresses earn $2.15 an hour and tips have to equal enough to bring you up to minimum wage. The computer tells you how much you should've made in tips at the end of your shift and you have to enter at least that amount no matter how much you actually made.
The servers pay the hosts' salary. The hosts make $4 an hour and the rest comes from the tip pool the servers are forced into.
You are not allowed to record/photograph anything without permission (which you won't get). So if you are written up for wearing the wrong shoes but another employee wears the same shoes without consequence, you are not allowed to take a picture of that person in those shoes to prove your case. If you see any kind of infraction, you are not allowed to take pictures.
Management can be biased and show some employees favoritism and let them get away with things against protocol without consequence.
You only get 25% discount on your meals that you have to eat before or after your shift. You don't really get breaks during your shift. When you are not working, you get a 10% discount. But they want you to eat everything on the menu.
Managers will assign split shifts for you to work day and night with a two hour break in between so you don't accrue overtime.
The manager's enter your tips for you on your time card, without you knowing exactly what they're putting in. If you want to see a daily breakdown, you have to request it writing from the corporate office.
You get paid on a card, which the company charges a fee for each usage. There is no alternative to getting paid. Additional fees for replacement and certain inquiries can be expensive (up to $10).
