Pros
Starting salary is pretty high compared to the industry average
Cons
Where to begin...so I came to Darden as an MIT with YardHouse and was to complete their 8 week training program...I had never worked for any corporate restaurants so maybe that was the beginning of my end, but I digress...they have 9 training locations around the country and I chose the closest one to me which was still a 4 hour flight to West Palm Beach, FL...so you're put up in a hotel near your store and more than likely you'll be there without anyone else you know, and they pretty much intend on keeping it that way while you're there. Socializing with the other management trainees outside of work, if there are any is highly discouraged to put it lightly...so no drinks after work or making friends away from home or exploring a new city with someone just as clueless as you better not happen... Also there is a strong policy against pretty much any interaction between management and the staff that is not work related. It doesn't matter if you become a manager at a location where someone you have known for years is serving or bartending or anything, you are to disassociate yourself from them at that point. No Facebook friends, no numbers in your phone, anything, you're risking your job if you get caught . And while I understand the need for safety guidelines and policies, however sometimes accidents happen. Some people suck but 95 percent of people are not looking for a lawsuit if they hurt themselves at work. Anytime you are using a knife, they require you to wear a cutting glove to help protect your guide hand..I was pretty good about remembering that for the most part, however it was still a new enough practice it wasn't engrained in my habits...one morning when I left the hotel I forgot it and didn't think anything of it until I needed it...while chopping scallions, they had just been washed and slipped on the cutting board just as I was bringing my knife down putting my thumb right in its path. It was a deep cut almost to the bone and blood was gushing out immediately. I squeezed it as tight as I could and held it over my head and called for a little help. The situation already sucked and was made much worse when the first thing I was asked when another manager got to me was not, are you ok, but instead, where is your cutting glove. Clearly not here. Eventually they decided we could go ahead and put my thumb back together but it wasn't without a lot of needless conversation. Place sucks
