Pros
Working with kids is rewarding, and of course there's the aspect for techies who like to fix games. You work with lots of people on a daily basis and there is very little downtime.
Cons
Management tends to communicate very little with Cast. It's obvious that their hands are tied in most situations--there is quite literally never enough staff permitted to work effectively. Most restaurants try to keep labor at around 20% of sales, keeping in mind the fact that at CEC we're not tipped so each person costs roughly twice that of other restaurants--this company rarely lets it hit 12%. Training is rarely permitted to be executed to standard--in an effort to cut labor costs--and as a result the staff suffers. Only on one occasion has the total amount of time spent training a new cast member been greater than half what the company's own rules say it should be. Management--especially upper management--is deaf to the actual needs of the store and is concerned only with hourly productivity. Items--even non-perishable items--are not ordered until the current supply has been exhausted leaving the Cast to figure out how to operate without them. Cast members are ordered to rush through their jobs and are then punished when they've done less than perfectly. Advancement opportunities are nonexistent beyond that of a trainer. Managers are always new hires and there is no possibility for advancement. Management is quick to offer written notices of policy violations--called "coaching opportunities"--but the only method of praise is Cast Member of the Month which is updated two or three times a year.
