cuisinier

line cook

assistant general manager

surveillant du service alimentaire

server

Smitty’s

Note: this review pertains specifically to the restaurant part of the Garden City Shopping Centre location. I've heard slightly better things about other locations, and the lounge girls do make way better money.

The majority of the customers at Smitty's Garden City are bottom of the barrel. Managers from other locations have come up to sub, and they are shocked to see what the majority of Garden City customers are like: rude, cheap, demanding, and will stop at nothing to knock a dollar or two or five or nine off their nine dollar bill. The tips are abysmal, and management/the owner maintains a static tip-out rate that is often ridiculously high for the puny tips you make. It is not uncommon to get a 5 dollar tip on a $100 bill, of which you have to tip out 3 dollars to a kitchen staff who probably did not work hard enough to earn the tip-out.

As for advancement, if you stick with it long enough, you may be lucky enough to become a closer! Your reward for this: a completely dead restaurant. The company does absolutely nothing to incentivize its employees becoming closers. You do not get a raise, and you make even worse tips than you usually would (you are lucky to make even $40 from 4:30-11, and it's not rare to leave with $20 or less). The least they could do is a free meal, but management is rigid and completely unwilling to take any employee suggestions into actual consideration. Any suggestion for workplace environment improvement is met with, "The CEO said no before so there's no point in asking." It is mind-boggling that the position requiring the most trust is also the least rewarding. You're better off pretending to be too incompetent to close so you can stay on the other shifts and make better tips.

Speaking of "incompetence," the GM's picture is next to the word in the dictionary. The GM's bipolar treatment of employees in combination with the frequently horrid customers is the perfect storm for a work environment that will sap every last ounce of your sanity. The way schedules are created forces a revolving door atmosphere. New employees will get 5 shifts a week to trick them into thinking this is a lucrative job, while people who have been there for years will be left wanting for more. Even weekend shifts, which are pretty much the only shifts worth working if you're not in the lounge, are handed to brand new employees on silver platters, again, likely to deceive them into thinking $100 in tips is a regular occurrence at the new job of their dreams. The revolving door is then forced: the GM begs people who have been there a year or longer to "be patient" while their hours are eviscerated and their good shifts given to people who have been there 3 weeks, but eventually they wise up to the manipulative cycle of the revolving door and get sick of it and leave. Furthermore, they recently moved to the Ameego scheduling system, yet you will still frequently get shifts that contradict your stated Ameego availability. The schedules are never double-checked for accuracy, it seems. My final note about management is that they have no backbone and nurture obviously awful customers. The customer will eat the entire meal and say they hated it, and they'll be rewarded with a coupon that encourages them to keep coming back and doing the exact same thing.

Training is completely uneven. The majority of the servers there hate training new employees, and there is no real standard for the training you receive. It is luck of the draw whether you will actually learn something or not from the training experience, and you are then thrown to the wolves in shifts that are not optimal for beginners.

Your coworkers are all you have at Smitty's Garden City. You all threaten to quit every single shift and try to keep smiles on each others' faces while attempting with every fiber of your being not to cross paths with the GM, lest she be in one of her famous bad moods. There are some hilarious and awesome coworkers there, and they become like your family and that is the only reason anyone sticks with it past 3 months.

There are only two reasons why I would recommend anyone apply at this location:

1. You have absolutely no restaurant experience and want to get some, and
2. You are about to lose your house and are drowning in bills and you've tried to apply literally everywhere else but no one will take you and you are dying between a rock and a hard place and need just ANY job.

Pretty much every single application will get an interview since they are always hurting for staff, so if you still want to work here after reading this gigantic warning, I wish you the best of luck! Just make sure you get out as quickly as possible, or you will become a "Smitty's Lifer," the most tragic and pitiable of all human beings.

PS: The new mandatory uniform shirts are ugly as sin and instantly start to stink even if you always smell like roses, and the material will leave your chafed nipples SCREAMING for some aloe vera lotion after your shift.

Note: this review pertains specifically to the restaurant part of the Garden City Shopping Centre location. I've heard slightly better things about other locations, and the lounge girls do make way better money.

The majority of the customers at Smitty's Garden City are bottom of the barrel. Managers from other locations have come up to sub, and they are shocked to see what the majority of Garden City customers are like: rude, cheap, demanding, and will stop at nothing to knock a dollar or two or five or nine off their nine dollar bill. The tips are abysmal, and management/the owner maintains a static tip-out rate that is often ridiculously high for the puny tips you make. It is not uncommon to get a 5 dollar tip on a $100 bill, of which you have to tip out 3 dollars to a kitchen staff who probably did not work hard enough to earn the tip-out.

As for advancement, if you stick with it long enough, you may be lucky enough to become a closer! Your reward for this: a completely dead restaurant. The company does absolutely nothing to incentivize its employees becoming closers. You do not get a raise, and you make even worse tips than you usually would (you are lucky to make even $40 from 4:30-11, and it's not rare to leave with $20 or less). The least they could do is a free meal, but management is rigid and completely unwilling to take any employee suggestions into actual consideration. Any suggestion for workplace environment improvement is met with, "The CEO said no before so there's no point in asking." It is mind-boggling that the position requiring the most trust is also the least rewarding. You're better off pretending to be too incompetent to close so you can stay on the other shifts and make better tips.

Speaking of "incompetence," the GM's picture is next to the word in the dictionary. The GM's bipolar treatment of employees in combination with the frequently horrid customers is the perfect storm for a work environment that will sap every last ounce of your sanity. The way schedules are created forces a revolving door atmosphere. New employees will get 5 shifts a week to trick them into thinking this is a lucrative job, while people who have been there for years will be left wanting more. Even weekend shifts, which are pretty much the only shifts worth working if you're not in the lounge, are handed to brand new employees on silver platters, again, likely to deceive them into thinking $100 in tips is a regular occurrence at the new job of their dreams. The revolving door is then forced: the GM begs people who have been there a year or longer to "be patient" while their hours are eviscerated and their good shifts given to people who have been there 3 weeks, but eventually they wise up to the manipulative cycle of the revolving door and get sick of it and leave. Furthermore, they recently moved to the Ameego scheduling system, yet you will still frequently get shifts that contradict your stated Ameego availability. The schedules are never double-checked for accuracy, it seems. My final note about management is that they have no backbone and nurture obviously awful customers. The customer will eat the entire meal and say they hated it, and they'll be rewarded with a coupon that encourages them to keep coming back and doing the exact same thing.

Training is completely uneven. The majority of the servers there hate training new employees, and there is no real standard for the training you receive. It is luck of the draw whether you will actually learn something or not from the training experience, and you are then thrown to the wolves in shifts that are not optimal for beginners.

Your coworkers are all you have at Smitty's Garden City. You all threaten to quit every single shift and try to keep smiles on each others' faces while attempting with every fiber of your being not to cross paths with the GM, lest she be in one of her famous bad moods. There are some hilarious and awesome coworkers there, and they become like your family and that is the only reason anyone sticks with it past 3 months.

There are only two reasons why I would recommend anyone apply at this location:

1. You have absolutely no restaurant experience and want to get some, and
2. You are about to lose your house and are drowning in bills and you've tried to apply literally everywhere else but no one will take you and you are dying between a rock and a hard place and need just ANY job.

Pretty much every single application will get an interview since they are always hurting for staff, so if you still want to work here after reading this gigantic warning, I wish you the best of luck! Just make sure you get out as quickly as possible, or you will become a "Smitty's Lifer," the most tragic and pitiable of all human beings.

PS: The new mandatory uniform shirts are ugly as sin and instantly start to stink even if you always smell like roses, and the material will leave your chafed nipples SCREAMING for some aloe vera lotion after your shift.

This review pertains to the garden city location, it may vary depending on the location of your Smitty's, however from meeting staff from other locations I've been told management is the same at most locations. My typical day as a server at Smitty's would look like coming into work early, checking in with management (sometimes having to start early due to how busy it was) taking several tables due to the insane rushes and getting triple seated due to the lack of training they give the hosts, getting stiffed on all my tables and being treated poorly by customers. The reason why I was always stiffed or being treated poorly is because the managers do not defend their employees and will do anything to keep a dollar, even at the expense of the well being/mental state of their workers. I have had customers harass me and have been told that 'No matter how poorly they treat you, it is still your job to provide the best experience at Smitty's.' The training was awful, due to the high turn over, most of the most experienced servers are burnt out and have no desire to train or have left. Many of the employees are insanely overworked and put through the most you could ever experience in the service industry. The hardest part of the job was the very strict management, for a low quality restaurant job they have the highest expectations, no matter what you do, you will always be criticized and nothing in training is ever consistent. You could be told to clean one way and then the next week get yelled at for not cleaning it the other way. This job has really shown me how bad the company morals really are. This is a job that does not care about your well being, or mental state. You could go through extreme illness or loss of a loved one and they would still make you come work. The higher ups of the company are also unprofessional, often times swearing when upset, or yell or degrade employees when under the stress of a rush. The other hard part of the job was the extremely unloveable regulars, and how you consistently made no money. I had more bad days then good days. The most enjoyable part of the job were the coworkers, and 50% off food if they gave you a break that day.

Pros: Loveable coworkers who you can relate to. 50% off food, cross training because they're always understaffed

Cons: Poor management, no tips, awful regular customers.

Overall, I would only work this job if you were absolutely desperate for money or you were needing experience to get another serving job.

I have worked at Smitty's for the past year and I have learned a lot about how cruel the serving industry can be. My typical day would be serving on my feet for 8 hour with only an unpaid 15 minute break, if it was possible to even have one. At most locations it is so busy you don't get a break, but if you do the food is 50% off. Everyone who I worked with was over worked and burnt out, we were dealing with customers who were very aggressive most of the times and it was physically and emotionally demanding. Not only that, but I made significantly less than the average server due to the way they tip out. The training was poor, most of the times you didn't know you were doing something wrong until you got yelled at for it because no one taught you. We were also always understaffed because of our insane turn over rate, a lot of people work 6-7days a week. There is also a ridiculous amount of steps of service. No hungry customer wants to listen to you talk for 10 minutes about specials, and if you didn't do them and you were caught by a secret shopper, the managers would humiliate you and you could possibly be fired. Often times the higher ups in the company would yell/scream/swear at you for having a rough day, they are also very intimidating and make you feel vulnerable, they also chose favourites. I truly believe that the reason why no one stays here is because the managers genuinely do not care about your well being and will never defend you if a customer is harassing you, and no matter what it will always be your fault. The expectations are insanely high for a low paying job with no benefits and the way they treat their staff. The hardest part of the job was the rushes of aggressive customers as well as the low paying salary/poor tips and the disorganization as well as the consistent criticism from the managers. The one good thing I gained was that my fellow coworkers felt the same way and we could bond over how much we were mistreated by the company, and the fact that they will cross train you in any position because they're so understaffed. The only reason that anyone stays here is because of the friends you can make.

A typical day at work would involve greeting and seating guests, taking orders, placing the orders, taking payments, serving drinks and food, cleaning tables, running dirty dishes, organizing menus, rolling cutlery, clearing tables at the end of the day, pouring drinks, small cooking responsibilities such as toasting bread, making sure condiments are served with certain dishes, organizing receipts from the cash register. For this position you needed to be a fast and hard worker and very outgoing because you are dealing with customers directly all day.

My manager taught me to always speak loudly and clearly, work fast, and always smile. I learned also that if you are always polite or kind to people they will give you that kindness in return. I also learned how to use the cash register as well as the computer for placing orders. You need to learn the entire menu in order to be able to place these orders.

Management at this job was very good. The working environment was very friendly and outgoing. Everyone really helps each other out to work together as a team.

All of my co-workers were very nice and friendly. They were all very helpful while I was in training, also they were very supportive as well. Everyone that I was around really helped me to feel comfortable.

The hardest part of the job would be dealing with customers that are unhappy, although I would get the manager to assist me with their problems or questions. I learned that being polite and respectful can help a lot when dealing with unhappy customers.

The most enjoyable part of my job was meeting new people everyday, although there may be unhappy customers once in a while I often found that happy customers often stood out in my mind. It's nice to go to work and be surrounded by happy people. Also being kind to others can sometimes affect another person's day which in turn creates a positive effect in myself knowing that I brightened someone else's day.

I get to my shift 15-20 minutes early, check my temperature, put my stuff in a locker and then punch in 10 minutes before my shift officially starts. I then talk to a manager or a co-worker to see what the specials are and ask if there is anything new I need to know about. I also check the reservations and set up anything that needs to be set up. If I'm serving then I sign into an iPad and make sure it's set up at the right terminal. I will also write down the specials in the evening and take more care into memorizing it. Then I start working. It is normally busy from breakfast till the afternoon because the breakfast and lunch rush often over lap each other a bit and then we have a good rush in the evening. Through working at Smitty's I have learned that you have to be organized, fast, friendly and you must be able to ask questions and take responsibility if you mess something up. The management at Smitty's is pretty good, most of the managers are kind, understanding and they all know what they are doing. The culture is decent, although I do prefer the mornings because the evening shifts consist more of the "typical high schoolers" who like to gossip and slack off at times. I would say that the hardest part of the job is staying organized and not forgetting things. There are always a million things to remember and sometimes it can be hard to get them all done and keep a smile on my face. The most enjoyable part of the job is hands down the customers. I love the regulars and when we are not busy I can go and talk to them! It is always so nice to see them. All customers in general are very very sweet.

Bright at the start. Just like making new relationships, it started nice til the dust settled. Between witnessing appalling ways to address staff to being ridiculed for reaching a point of mental/emotional exhaustion and requiring a break, it started respectful and accommodating but like a coin, management showed both sides. The niceness wore off after 9 months, then it was pure mental agony, not from the workload, but from the gossip, the judgement, and the pressure of fighting against being set up to fail. 

The lower level employees were all a blast and wonderful people, mostly super respectful and boundary accepting. It's the people you work with that make it a happy and productive place to work, not the people you work for because the culture they train is great, but only mostly exemplified by lower level employees. I've never regretted telling my personal life more than when it would catch wind to my superiors and judgement was passed while hidden by a disingenuous question.

If you need a quick buck, the tip system and wages are fair and competitive. But if you're looking long term, don't, not a lot of retention in this industry and despite their song and dance about it, I don't know why I fell for it that this would be any different.

After this, the only dream I have will be made by my own hands and everything else is only temporary to get to that dream.

Everyone that applies there usually gets hired, some don’t make it past probation. They would be a hostess for a week or even one shift and then get moved up to being a server, which I didn’t think was beneficial for the new employees or fair for the existing team members. Lots of new employees that get thrown into serving don’t know certain protocols, the menu, how things work in the restaurant or lounge. Even hosts who have been hosting for longer in a month know more than them. Lots of hosts ask to get moved up to expo and serving after they’ve been a host for a couple months and done the online modules to learn the menu, and even they don’t get moved up. For expo you’re giving little training, most people get 5 minutes with a manager and to get more than that you’re really lucky. Usually if you’re 18+ they try to get you in the lounge as soon as possible, lounge is more fun than the restaurant. Management is constantly changing (I had 4 new managers in the time I worked there), There’s no consistent hours, you get a decent amount at the start, then after sometimes you only get one 3 hour shift per week, schedules only come out less than a week before the new week starts. Some of the employees are sweethearts. Tips are 1% to BOH, 3% to expo, and 3% to split with usually two hosts. 50% off meals when you work is great though, kitchen staff are awesome!

I worked as a lounge server/bartender for over a year. The lounge had about 25 tables of varying sizes, with usually between 1-3 servers working at a time (3 if you were lucky) and on wing nights we had a bartender (days and other nights the lounge servers made their own drinks and bartender for the dining room). They dock you for a 15 minute break every shift, even if you don’t have time to take one. Constantly overworked, a revolving door of staff, in a very busy restaurant. Every shift you have to add $2 to your tip out for “slush fund” which basically means you give up two bucks every shift (it’s mandatory) to cover the cost of whatever you break at work (slush fund) and to cover if you ever have a customer leave without paying (walkout fund). In all reality, assume 10 servers work each day, at $2 a head, with 365 days a year, that’s over $7 grand which we basically never touch, that the owners pocket. Lots of inter-staff drama which affects the overall employee morale. On the plus- good staff discount, management tries, lots of awesome regulars, and on a really busy shift you can make decent tips. 

Come in for work and prep working stations then, unless you're on break, work/clean without stopping because work will stack up in the end for those with closing shifts if you slack during your shift. Management and communication in the is typically very good, especially the BOH management. There's online training as well as training as you go. Like most diners, it's fast paced, unlike many places that claim to be "fast-paced" but are actually not - so some people who've worked "fast-paced" jobs think they can handle the workload when they actually haven't ever experienced anything like it (this is the only reason I wouldn't recommend the job to just the average person). The hardest part of the job is when business is slow and staff are sent home early, then business picks up again but the place is then understaffed. The best part of the job is having a reliable team that's able to meet the workload together and work as a team, as well as being a reliable teammate yourself.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Cuisinier 72 salaries reported	$21.46 per hour
Line cook 46 salaries reported	$17.64 per hour
Assistant general manager 10 salaries reported	$48,700 per year
Surveillant du service alimentaire 19 salaries reported	$18.74 per hour
Server 14 salaries reported	$16.42 per hour

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