surveillant du service alimentaire

cuisinier

directeur de restaurant

serveur au comptoir

commis de cuisine

Mary Browns

I worked for the kitchener  location for more than two years..within this time they've changed management and most definitely not for the better, the work environment is toxic its all biased based of of who kisses up the best..the store upkeep is usually put on one employee unless the head office visits then they try and rush an follow the rules they don't believe in benefits or giving employees full time.. They don't pay you on time and if they do your short hours and not only that you barely get your breaks .You have to fight for hours there is no such thing as seniority there they give hours to who ever is the store fav at the time which causes a lot of tension and cause the staff to either slack off or stop showing up to work and if they do they don't put in there all ,doesn't matter if you follow the rules or work your butt off they seem to look past that and give supervisor positions to unqualified staff...the staff is untrained and are extremely rude they have many foreign employees that don't speak English while on the job and they are not encouraged too either... I feel they set all these rules and then they go and break them to suit themselves and when they are ready expect you to follow the same rules they break this is an on going thing there are no good examples being set and no real management to make sure the store  standards are met .They want you to do and give too much for lil pay and they have no respect for their employees .

I would start off the day by preparing my station and the food items which I would need to cook with.During the day I would work in the kitchen and help out with packing the food if needed. After it died down towards the end of the day, I would do all my dishes and general cleaning responsibilities.I learned about the dynamics of a work environment and how to operate effectively within time constraints. Management had its ups a downs. The supervisors were extremely nice and my bosses were pleasant at times. I found they reflected the stress of privately owning a business onto the staff, but  that is understandable.The co workers wouldn't always complete their tasks and that frustrated my bosses, and me but the staff was very enjoyable to cooperate and socialize with. The hardest part of the job was during the customer rush of the weekends. It was always really busy and kind of stressful, but we managed to work together to get through it. By far the most enjoyable part of the job was keeping busy and being social at the same time. I thoroughly enjoyed having conversations with my supervisors and coworkers. Forming relationships made work exceedingly better than it would have been if the staff was not friendly.

My time at Mary Brown’s was a valuable first job experience where I developed important customer service and problem-solving skills in a consistently busy environment. There was always plenty to do, especially during busy times throughout the week, which helped me stay engaged and improve my multitasking abilities. One of the highlights was building strong bonds with coworkers, which made the work more enjoyable and supportive.

However, I found management to be a significant challenge. Despite management being aware of my health issues, I was often expected to work through symptoms caused by stress, which affected my performance and well-being. The restaurant was frequently understaffed, leading to situations where I had to manage multiple stations alone. At times, I felt my concerns were not fully acknowledged, which added to my stress. These challenges ultimately influenced my decision to leave.

Despite these difficulties, I gained resilience and the ability to handle fast-paced, high-pressure environments. I would recommend this job to those looking to develop foundational skills in customer service and teamwork, but I would advise being prepared for a demanding work atmosphere.


A typical day at work would be greeting customers, ensure the food going out the door was pleasant, presentable, fresh and tasty. Everyday at work was an opportunity for me to excel in my skills. I had a chance to meet new people everyday, and deal with new situations with customers everyday. I took that opportunity to learn to polish my customer service skills, as well as my ability to communicate effectively, and polish my problem solving skills. Management was very co operative, and generous, as well as all my co workers. The hardest part of the job would be on a really busy day when co workers fail to co operate with you. I personally love to stay on top of things, but others were not at the same pace as me so it was difficult to keep up with things. And the most enjoyable part of the job was the challenges I went through on extremely busy days. I loved moving really quickly, trying my best to stay on top of everything, keeping the customers pleased with positive remarks and getting everyone's order out within a certain time. Overall the challenge itself was the most enjoyable part for me. The challenging it got, the more enjoyable.

There would never be a typical day at work; every day was different than the previous. I was trained in the three sections of the job as a Cashier, as a Line Worker (who put the orders together) and as a kitchen worker. I could be working at any of the three stations which made the work more interesting.

I learnt so much at Mary Browns. We had very different people come in and being able to connect and talk to them was an asset I'm grateful for. I was very close to my manager and co-workers; those who worked together were close friends outside of work as well. Being so close to my co-workers made us all look forward to go to work; we could get our work accomplished but yet still enjoy what we were going.

The hardest part of the job was just the lack of staff and how demanding the job was. It was like a free work out, constantly bending, lifting and being on your feet for a good six to seven hours. It was very rewarding and enjoyable though. The best part of the job was just making customers happy, making them smile and being able to work with a good group.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Customer service was the best part of working at Mary Brown's. Building a repore with the customer was my number one requirement.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When the establishment was busy, your tasks were changed midstream.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
The environment was stressful as unrealistic expectations were laid on staff.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
After signing in, during opening shift, the cashier has to prepare the front end for service while having to prepare the dining room to seat customers. All the while serve customers as they arrive right at opening time. Cashier must also stock the refrigerators with pop, salads as needed. If salads were low, they also had to portioned. Also had to man drive through at the same time. Stressful to achieve all that was expected of the cashier. No positive reinforcement is given to staff by management.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I met some good coworkers. The wage was okay but it was quite literally the minimal amount that I could legally be paid.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
When we would run out of a product and my boss wouldn’t respond to my messages on how to replace it with customers and it was a busy Friday night. I did end up figuring out a replacement system that I could utilize that would benefit me as well as the customers

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It had its ups and downs. Hours were good but trying to get a day off could sometimes be met with passive aggressive behaviour. Friendliness among coworkers was semi-frowned upon.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I’d go in at about 4pm on weekdays and work the counter. On the weekend I mostly worked at 4pm but there was the odd day I started at 10am and ended at 4pm. Even more rarely I’d start at 10am and finish at 9pm. We’d begin closing tasks around 8:30 and ideally leave at 9.

The hours I received were all over the place because sometimes I would be working from 10am to 4 pm, somedays 11am to 5pm and they would rotate. The odd time they would schedule me a night shift and than I would come to work in the morning, when I came in I did the salads and the temperatures, that was it, I really didn't learn much except for appropriate temperatures. Beverage cooler, 40F and salad, hotter things were like 140F and 150F. The managers were always in and around, we really didn't need them much they did most of the paperwork. As for the hardest part of the job it was finding things to do while there were no customers. Most of the things I had to do were very short time consuming, like wiping cupboards and ledges etc. There was the few things that took a little longer, which was a pain, and with me being the only one on cash it was a little challenging trying to get the extra cleaning done and the night time closing in a timely manner.

There are a number of things about working at mary browns that increase the stress of it from not knowing my schedule until the day of often to constantly running out of supplies for orders due to inconsistent ordering.  But definitely the thing about Mary browns that makes it so especially stressful is the fact that I am working a Man down for the majority of my shifts.  We are supposed to have three people on shift at all times according to standard but due to my bosses extreme money saving practices we had 3 people maybe 2 evenings a week, our two busiest evenings when we absolutely needed it, and often there wasn't even a manager there.  Ultimately I think that constant uphill battle did well to hone my work skills and time management but to face that level of responsibility every day without any kind of compensation has definitely weighed on me over the years, keeping in mind the potential for a raise hasn't even been brought up in the entire three years.


I worked at Mary Brown's for over a year, and my experience was nothing short of disastrous. The work environment was incredibly stressful, with management breathing down your neck constantly. But that wasn't even the worst of it. We weren't paid overtime, no matter how many extra hours we put in. Breaks were a luxury we couldn't afford, and we were expected to work non-stop without any compensation. And don't even get me started on bonuses - forget about it. Even after working for over a year, I didn't see a measly 75-cent raise. It's like they expected us to be grateful for the opportunity to overwork and underpaid.I would not recommend Mary Brown's to my worst enemy. The pay is terrible, the work is exhausting, and the management is appalling. If you value your sanity and your wallet, stay far, far away from this place.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Surveillant du service alimentaire 101 salaries reported	$19.61 per hour
Cuisinier 128 salaries reported	$20.63 per hour
Directeur de restaurant 76 salaries reported	$31.06 per hour
Serveur au comptoir 83 salaries reported	$17.22 per hour
Commis de cuisine 27 salaries reported	$16.07 per hour

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