Pros
There is a lot of room for growth. There is a good focus on culture in the company and a constant focus on positive feedback and solutions. Most of the people I have crossed paths with are solid restaurant managers and good people. The food is great and sells itself and is a brand I am proud to say I work for. My boss cares about me and tries to minimize any outliers that affect my ability to run my restaurant. I personally have adjusted to the way that Smashburger runs the business but for someone new aboard, even with restaurant experience, it really takes getting used to. The salary level and bonus potential are much better than average, especially for a fast casual bordering on fast food concept.
Cons
It is run by a privately held company and the bottom line is the primary focus and hinders the focus on the developing of culture. It is a relatively young company and really switches directions very quickly and some of the decisions do not seem to be very well though out or organized. It is not a very operations focused company as the corporate side seems to be more important and really pulls operations in many different directions which ultimately take away from the employee and guest satisfaction. The two biggest areas of opportunity are minimizing the focus on labor and some of the IT issues. The labor is the tightest I have seen in the restaurant business and really affects hourly turnover as everyone seems to work too hard. Also, the IT issues are really overwhelming and happen way too often and with a lack of support and immediacy on resolution.