sous chef

cleaner

territory manager

premises manager

packaging operator

Bench Brewing

I’ve been working at Bench Brewing Company for a couple years now and it’s been an extremely rewarding experience overall. The company fosters a supportive and inclusive environment, which has made coming to work each day extremely enjoyable. The owner/founder of Bench Brewery deeply encourages employee's to own their spaces and to be their own boss with the utmost respect and support. He is always looking out for his employees and is consistently on their team. It’s truly inspiring to know he always supports staff in whatever decision they make, or action they proceed with. 

The Management team genuinely values employee input and encourages company development across campus. Hard workers go far within this company, and I don’t believe the company should be faulted for a high turnover rate when it comes to the hospitality sector. To anyone who is seeking a supportive, dynamic and growth-oriented work environment- Bench is for you! 

The pay/benefits package is competitive, and there are opportunities for advancement and promotion within the organization often! While every workplace has its challenges, I appreciate the efforts made by Bench Brewery to address concerns when needed at quarterly town hall meetings and continue to maintain a positive work culture. I’ve always admired how Bench Brewing Company addresses issues head on and prioritizes open communication and constructive problem-solving. 

Additionally, Bench Brewery understands the importance of work-life balance. Whether it’s flexible scheduling, hybrid work,  comprehensive healthcare coverage or wellness initiatives, the owner goes above and beyond to support its employee’s holistic well-being. 


Bench presents itself as a workplace with promise, but beneath the surface lies a troubling reality. The company exhibits a glaring lack of direction , where employees often find themselves questioning the purpose behind their work. This absence of direction fosters a sense of disconnection and disillusionment among the workforce.

The leadership proves to be untrustworthy, exacerbating the already strained relationship between leadership and employees. Their actions and decisions lack transparency, leaving employees feeling undervalued and disenfranchised.

High staff turnover is a persistent issue within the organization, reflecting the underlying discontent and dissatisfaction among employees. This revolving door of talent not only disrupts workflow but also signals deeper systemic problems within the company culture.

Furthermore, there is a noticeable lack of understanding of the mental health needs of its employees at Bench. The toxic work environment, coupled with the disregard for employee well-being, takes a significant toll on the mental health of the workforce, leading to burnout and decreased productivity.


Expect a low "40 hr/week" salary, and then to work 50-60 hours per week plus some weekends for no compensation.  Never received my benefits as per the employment contract, an "oversight" was claimed.

Management is two-faced, petty, and poorly organized.  You can expect a big deal to be made over trivial matters, and rest assured all of these alleged "transgressions" are being written in a little black book to be used against you.  One day you'll be told you're doing great and on track for a raise, the next you're being wrongfully dismissed without cause for doing nothing other than keeping up the good work.

This is a place suitable only for brown nosers and blindly obedient sheep.  If you have a mind of your own and speak it, you will be deemed as having an "attitude".  Management is never "wrong", and won't hesitate to throw you under the bus for their own poor decisions, for which they seldom take responsibility for.  Blame shifting abounds here.  Look up narcissistic abuse, it describes this place to a T.

Most of the production level employees were great people to work with.  Bad management unfortunately turned what should have been a great job into misery.

Servers - this is not a normal serving job, Atleast not in the summer. The amount of running around and hustling you have to do is insane for how little you are paid. The tips are great in TOTAL but the tip pool is not. Tips are spread so thinly it makes serving very unrewarding and honestly exhausting. It’s sad because their business has so much potential but in the past year or two they have had a revolving door of servers and can’t seem to figure out why… Not to mention servers got their wages cut at the beginning of covid but were forced to tip out kitchen staff more. Kitchen staff that already get paid above minimum wage! Servers should not have to sacrifice their tips that they worked for because “kitchen staff were making a low end for industry standard” - they deserve better pay too then! So disappointing. I wish bench all the best! But something has to change. I hope they one day realize that servers are the face of the company. There is much more potential for servers in Niagara if you want to make good money. 

Working at Bench was challenging, as there was a constant lack of job security and a limited sense of belonging. The company frequently laid off employees, often attributing it to “not enough work,” despite continued company growth. Management, including directors and managers, was generally understanding and appreciative of hard work, and they were often flexible with hours, vacations, and time off when needed.
The CEO might experienced disappointment after my resignation as during my final three weeks at job I received no communication and there was no proper farewell which was quite upsetting. Compensation and benefits were competitive, and my peers were excellent—I made many great friendships at Bench. 

Overall, if you are looking for good pay, solid benefits, and flexibility, this company can be a good fit. My advice would be to focus on learning, keep your head down, and go with the flow.

Working at Bench Brewing Company is both rewarding and energizing. Every day is fast-paced, filled with tasks that keep you engaged, whether it's setting up for service or ensuring guests have a great experience. The work is demanding, especially during peak hours, but the challenges make it all the more satisfying.

One of the highlights of working here is the strong sense of camaraderie among the team. We support each other through busy shifts, and winding down with a staff pint afterward helps strengthen those bonds. This sense of teamwork creates a positive and supportive culture where everyone feels valued.

Despite the challenges, the high-energy environment and the connections I’ve made with my coworkers make working here incredibly enjoyable. It’s not just a job; it’s being part of a team that takes pride in delivering great experiences every day.

The year I started at bench (2021) was great, the management was kind and supportive, they treated us with respect and understanding. People were happy to be there. Then the new hospitality  management started in summer of 2022 and completely destroyed the culture of respect that bench once had. 
It became an extremely toxic workplace, with managers hiring all of their high school friends and habits of belittlement and disrespect becoming a daily occurrence.
The ONLY good thing about bench now is the tips are pretty good, but honestly it was not worth dreading going into work everyday and feeling unsafe and unwelcome by the restaurant managers.

DO NOT recommend, toxic and competitive environment. Company as a whole totally went down the drain, everyone left and there is new turnovers every single week.

Where to begin with this company. The owner is delusional and a complete menace to the employees.  He brought in a new director to "fix" the culture and essentially made it worse. She is clearly over her head here and is grossly unprepared and incompetent to lead a team.  All the good staff has left or been fired leaving behind a band of misfits.

 They constantly move the bar for raises or performance and go out of their way to not give any pay increases to their staff.  When HR staff quit routinely that speaks to just how bad it is.

The only way to "fix" Bench would be when the owner sells it to someone who actually can run a business and knows how to treat people. Run fast from this company its not worth the mental stress or garbage pay. 

Going into this job a lot of us new hires assumed we would be getting close to full time hours; however they hired so many individuals that we would only be scheduled 4-8 hr shifts twice a week if that! The management was very hard to reach when questions needed to be answered or situations needed to be addressed. However, all of the staff in front of house and kitchen were very friendly and helpful; there were just times from supervisors where they would be very belittling even after asking for help or guidance in certain areas. If you are a student looking to make money for the school year, this job is not for you unless you have another job that you can rely on!

Bench started out as such a great place to work when it was small. A lot of the friends I have now I met through the job. They got too big too fast and asked too much of their staff without compensating them. There has been a complete staff/management turnover and if you want any sort of positive reinforcement you have to beg. Consequences don’t exist for staff that create a toxic environment. The wage is not worth what is expected and management is either impossible to find or gaslighting you when they do show up. The physical building is beautiful and the community is great but serving jobs are a dime a dozen and that’s really all Bench offers now. The uniqueness of the business and focus on beer knowledge seems to be fading. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sous chef 4 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Cleaner 1 salary reported	$18.00 per hour
Territory manager 3 salaries reported	$60,000 per year
Premises manager 1 salary reported	$60,000 per year
Packaging operator 1 salary reported	$21.00 per hour

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