Pros
You are employed and have a paycheck. You can build a good relationship with some of the staff. There are co-workers that genuinely care about others.
Cons
Having been a GM for Full Service concepts (B/W/L), I was looking to get away from the Bar experience and into something that was more 'Family' oriented. Having never been to an SnS location to dine, I had no idea of what would be to come of my experience! The first interview is by phone from the HR person for the market he/she covers for the Division. The theme from my discussions with other newly hired Managers was very similar. "We are re-building ourselves to be more of the 'Casual Dining' experience and as such, we are looking for those managers that have a background in this area. We do not associate ourselves as 'Fast Food' (QSR). . Part of the training is revolved around them repeatedly telling you that SnS is not a 'Fast Food Concept'. They print this in their training material and talk about it in their training videos constantly. Yet everything about this company is centered around the very thing they desperately don't want you to think about them as being. Top of SnS concerns is the Drive Thru. The entire world revovles around this window and the window times. Dining Room takes a back seat. As a Manager, you are required to spend the entirety of your day wearing a headset and running several positions at once from working on the Grill, working the Fountain for shakes, running the Drive Thru window, Dressing and bagging the food, working the Fryer station. You are also supposed to complete 4 seperate check lists twice during your shift along with watching over your labor hours. Did you notice anything about the Dining Room here? So what does Steak n Shake promote? Everyone works for the Drive Thru. The people in the dining room 'Are already here'. 'If we can't take care of our drive thru customers, then they will stop coming back and go elsewhere.' Now I ask you, does this sound like a 'Dine In' focused business? Servers are constanly coming up to the kitchen yelling, crying, pleading for their food. The servers go back onto the cooks line and help make the shakes for the dining room. They also come onto the line to help make their food for their tables so that they can hopefully make a tip. Happens all the time, everyday, every shift. Servers are also required to pre-buss and buss their tables which is normal in most restaurant concepts. They are however responsible for running dishes through the dish machine. Servers are also required to be the cashiers for the restaurant. Servers are also required to sign a form at time of hire stating that they agree to having 2.5% of their credit card tips taken out of their pocket to cover a portion of the cost for the credit card processing fee. Kitchen staff have similar experiences. Almost always understaffed or worse; having new people on the line that can't keep up with the high demands and causing turnover. The average line person is less than 6 months before they quit or fired. The ones that arelooking to be fired are typically forced out by fewer hours to the point where they can't afford to work. SnS does not like firing people, they prefer to cut your hours and have you figure it out on your own. The grill person also will end up being the person that has to dress the food, drop fries, run back to get their own plates and perform many other stations during their shift. Where's the Manager? Running Thr Drive Thru to ensure every guest is happy.The kitchen people also have to clean the entire back of the house during each shift. Anyone that has worked a Full Service/Casual Dining concept shoould know that with an average of 3-4 people on the line, it is extremely difficult to clean, manage your station(s), clean your own area and perform the duties of at times 3 people. Now take all of this and add to it that they are being yelled and cursed at by the servers and management and you end up with high turnover. The Management culture should be clear from this review. It is an awful example of how people are meant to be treated and respected. Most of the Management spends their time running, cooking, dealing with the customer complaints from the Dining Room. They are being yelled at by the servers and the line cooks that are in need of help and answers. The rational answer would be to be 'pro-active'. Believe me when I say good luck. Most of the managers have developed blinders and selective hearing. They are just trying to get through their day and be done. There are a few of us that attempt to really stop at times and see the entire picture and extend care and support to the best that we are allowed. Sadly, it is not something that is looked favorably upon and can actually cause you to be reprimanded. District Managers talking down about people in front of others, GMs talking down to co-workers in front of other workers. It is a total mess!