Smashburger reviews

3.0

39% would recommend to a friend

(826 total reviews)

Jim Sullivan

13% approve of CEO

26% positive business outlook

Smashburger has an employee rating of 3.0 out of 5 stars, based on 826 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The Smashburger employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Restaurants & Food Service industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

826 reviews
3.0
Aug 13, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

In its eight year existence, it's seen phenomenal growth and received kudos from big business metrics like Forbes Top Workplaces, etc. It's gone global, which is a remarkable feat, and the menu has impacted the fast food brand along the way. They pride themselves on having room for advancement, and their new TRiP training is designed just for developing ting mgrs into the next level.

Cons

The biggest issue is the caliber of employee it attracts: namely, fast-food workers, but for this fast-casual brand. Turnover and lack of buy-in have plagued the Dallas region, and the company as a whole. And this problem starts the downward spiral of desperation hiring and bad training, which leads to employees who bail out at the first bump in the road. Also, the pay is closer to fast-food wages, but the expectations for thre quality of food and service are MUCH higher, so there's a big disconnect. Manager recruitment has the same issues: the pay offered is way too low for the workload, so the candidates willing to earn that low wage ARE ALMOST ALWAYS NOT WORTH THE TIME TO TRAIN THEM. Good mgrs at the low wages are very hard to find! Which leads to a negative work/life balance for the GM, if they care enough to stay through those short-handed shifts and take on the work that the Asst Mgrs can't or won't do. Lots of high-stress demands on the GM, including from the company to "hit labor and ticket times" even when the staff is in shambles.

1.0
May 12, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The money, bonus were good until I didn't get my last one...Medical was good until I was forced to go with lower cost policy as current medical policy went up $120 per month. Had HSA account but now that is gone since current clinic is out-of-state, had to pay full price of dr. Visits. huh? Wasn't that way before. On Mnsure/Obama care now. $357 per month includes 3 Dr visits per year at new company kids on Medical Assistance program. 6% match on 401k.

Cons

Only paying cooks (9 maybe 10)and cashiers minimum pay. You can go anywhere and get that, get with times. Un-ergonomic kitchen in small spaces make it even more grueling on cooks thus $11-12 is the correct range. Cooks usually take bus and have to deal with schedule and bring them to/from work or go without a cook or two...kinda tough when u only schedule 5-7 employees in first place.

2.0
Dec 20, 2014

Short term focus on profits

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The people who work at Smashburger are unbelievable. They are smart, talented, hard working, and care about the brand. The concept is equally impressive - the food quality is great and it appeals to consumers of all types.

Cons

The company's owners are short term focused on profits and frequently try to cut corners and reduce costs, and that has a very negative impact on the culture. Running labor as tight as possible is the #1 goal, as opposed to delighting customers and ensuring they have a great experience and want to come back.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 826 Reviews

Glassdoor has 851 Smashburger reviews submitted anonymously by Smashburger employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Smashburger is right for you.