sous chef

line cook

cook

restaurant manager

line cook/prep cook

CRAFT Beer Market

The day we were hired, the company promised us a great culture they all lived and breathed. CRAFT: Community, Responsible, Approachable, Family, True... I have to say, they did very well for the community. As for family——we all know families can be quite dysfunctional, so I suppose they held true to that commitment in a sense. I left with mixed feelings, because there were some very good people there, who held up these core values as best they could, people I'd work for in the future. Because of these people, I never questioned the long hours, the short (if any) breaks, the work environment that could be summed up as "Hustle-Hustle-Hustle!" 99% of the time... I WANTED to put in the effort for them, and for the company. I WANTED to make (as they say) "the world a better place, one beer, one meal, one experience at a time."

There were, however, some pretty bad apples who had at one point snuck their way into influential positions, and they are the ones who hinder CRAFT's reputation and daily operations from the inside out. These few people of influence continually fell short in the Responsible, Approachable, and True departments, and head office appears to have their blinders on regarding their behaviour. I've seen other reviews (Google, Indeed, Glassdoor), many mentioning management with "god complexes" or "on [various] drugs", and I don't think they are all that wrong for some managers. There are also some very good managers, who try to improve the work environment, who have a very good work ethic, and who show humbleness and humility when mistakes are made. Unfortunately, the evidence is currently showing that good people finish last. I've seen very undeserving sous chefs, servers, and managers getting rewarded after showing consistent bad behaviour (sometimes by promoting them). They are the ones who are the epitome of Un-Approachable, Un-Responsible, and Un-True. They are the ones who take personal frustrations out on others, who don't own up to mistakes, who don't teach, and who many are afraid to approach. That is to say the don't live up to the company's core values. I've also seen very good sous chefs, servers, and managers get terminated——the typical reason being "they just weren't the right fit."

What does this mean for you, future prospect? It means, unless something changes, the environment you'll be stepping into is currently uncertain, and unpredictable. If you're a favourite, you're probably going to do just fine.

I WANT the company to succeed; when I loved it, I really loved it. At the foundation (that is, in theory) it's a really good company to work for. In practice, I think it's still figuring itself out. Yes, there's a lot of accountability when it comes to management overlooking the front-lines staff (cooks, servers, hosts, bartenders)... they're sure to hold these people accountable for mistakes and successes. But, even at the level I was at, I could see that the higher you are in the company, the less accountable they hold you to the core values they've set up.

Working at CRAFT Beer Market was honestly one of the most frustrating job experiences I’ve had. The place looks polished from the outside, but the internal environment is messy, inconsistent, and poorly managed.

Management communication was almost nonexistent. Expectations changed daily, there was very little support, and shifts often felt chaotic because no one seemed to be on the same page. Feedback was rarely constructive,  it was either dismissive or delivered with attitude. It created an environment where staff felt undervalued and easily replaceable.

Scheduling was another major issue. Shifts were unpredictable, last-minute, and constantly changing. Despite numerous discussions about scheduling they consistently scheduled me and many others outside of their availability. It was hard to balance any kind of school or personal life. Breaks were non existent, and you were often expected to stay late with no notice because they were short-staffed.

The culture itself felt cliquey and unprofessional. Favouritism was obvious, and it affected everything from section assignments to shift opportunities. Instead of teamwork or support, it often felt like everyone was just trying to keep their heads above water.

The worst part is that the constant disorganization trickles down to guests, which then becomes the employees’ problem to deal with. It’s exhausting to work in an environment where the issues aren’t caused by you but you’re the one expected to fix them.

Overall, CRAFT is not somewhere I’d recommend if you’re looking for a stable, respectful, or supportive work environment. The turnover rate alone should tell you most of what you need to know. There’s a reason they have a permanent “we’re hiring” sign out front. 

This was the most extensive training I have ever done for a waitress job. It definitely opened my eyes to the extensive knowledge of craft beer and it's origin, however the training was not worth the money and effort (you pay for your uniforms and an online beer course). Even as an experienced server with a broad knowledge of all things industry, there is little room for advancement and a difficult challenge to make money. Tip out is 7.5%. The managers are friendly and are helpful when you have questions. There are a lot of senior girls who receive better shifts than you unless you have remarkable beer knowledge, a clientele basis and if the managers are able to see your capability to do well. This job is not for everyone. However, I have learned to respect the hard work and hours that some girls, including myself, have to endear in an average day. The company is passionate about their customers, supporting local farmers and craft breweries and also being environmentally sustainable. They do a lot of charitable things, like hostessing events to raise money for a cause/shelter/etc. You learn a lot of exciting new things. The reason why I do not give Craft a higher rating is that 1) they do NOT give you overtime pay for your overtime hours 2) it is hard to move up due to seniority 3) it is not ideal for a part-time job to earn a livable wage during school 4) you only receive 25% as your discount, so even if you average 20% in tips, you walk away with 10% or less after tip out and your daily meal 5) If you work a function and it gets invoiced, your tips will be put on your paycheck and it WILL be taxed. This would probably be an ideal job for someone who was willing to commit to Craft full time and has impeccable beer knowledge (or has the patience to get that far).

I was hesitant to give all 1 stars as there are workers and managers who want craft to succeed. Unfortunately, there are a lot of roadblocks from corporate itself as well as a handful of management that refuse to communicate despite pleas for transparency and refuse to acknowledge that its not simply that their staff do not want to work, it's that we are not being set up for success. 

I adore the people I worked with but there are too many day to day issues that continue to stay issues not matter how small they are. Flight cards are seldom updated for the start of morning shifts, on call shifts have been called off an hour before the shift start time, management fails to communicate with one another to inform them of who was called of and staff are continuously asking for staff meetings or trainings that have not come to fruition. Management seems like they have too much on their plates and instead of listening to workers concerns, they often do not have the time or mention it's out of their hands. 

It's truly a shame, because there are good members even on the management team it's just that there is so much that they cannot seem to work as a team on. 

Corporate visits actually makes things worse. They walk around the floor staring on their phones, not introducing themselves to staff or sharing why they're there (at least say hi?) passive aggressively bus tables (when they want to) and limit the staff to 5 table sections so that they can't make any money and yet complain that it is not craft standard to have larger sections but want staff to be busy constantly (if you need cleaners, hire some instead of limiting sections to pawn off the work to servers).

Craft could be good. Craft toronto was good, but it's a revolving door of management that is either unprepared, under skilled or who step on the toes of staff. There are staff members who disrespect management in return and the cycle continues. 

Tip out is around 6% with a measly 1.5 approx to bar despite it being a heavy bar establishment and a clear divide between BOH and FOH. 

The Role of Office Manager is a well respected role throughout the company. You are the primary contact for all 130 staff, all systems Technicians and Sales Reps and you coordinate with Head Office and the Owners on a weekly basis. 

As the Office Manager at an opening restaurant I learned so much! I programmed our Point of Sales system, SQUIRELL, I wrote employment contracts, I setup a filing system, I helped hire staff, I also learned how to use QuickBooks software. 

My coworkers are amazing people who I sincerely miss. I learned a lot about leadership and teamwork from them. 

The hardest part of my job was prioritizing tasks; there is always a mountain of work to be done and people are always giving you more to do. It was a challenge to start saying "no I can do this tomorrow", but I'm starting to learn the importance of work-life balance. 

The most enjoyable part of my job was being in such a pivotal role. As the Office Manager there are so many things that only I knew how to do which filled me with pride and purpose. I also loved how no two days were ever the same; I never knew what new complication would come up that I would have to deal with. I equally enjoyed being able to effect change for people in a way that made their lives better; creating relationships is a huge part of being an Office Manager and I thoroughly enjoyed that part.

Racist/misogynist/homophobic management. Managers and FOH staff let go "without cause" on a regular basis, without write-ups. Huge manager turnover, so everything is always completely disorganized. High tip-outs - often works out to around half your tips. No stable schedule. They use "on-call" shifts so frequently that you never know how many shifts you actually have in a week. Day-time shifts often get cut before 3 hour minimum - and you wont get paid for 3 hours because you "agreed to leave." They'll stop giving you tables and make you do side duties for the remainder of your shift if you push to stay for your legally-obligated 3 hours. 5-table max sections, so even if it's super busy your whole shift because you're running everyone else's food/drinks, you could end up leaving with $100. Events are often over-staffed and have poor organization. They're consistently out of tons of beer options, and their whole shtick is having a lot of beer on tap. No on-going training about updated menu items/rotating taps, so you're never working with the information you need. A meager 25% discount on staff-meals pre-tax, plus you have to tip out on whatever you punch in, including staff meals.  Zero respect for their workers' well-being and they'll just burn through an entire roster of people and hire new ones once the current workers stop putting up with the abusive environment they've created. The staff is fun, but again the high turnover is so insane that it's basically a rotating door. Could not in good faith recommend working here to anyone.

Working here was frustrating to say the least. I was hired as a server assistant with the promise to move me up as soon as positions became available. For months I worked my butt off, becoming the favoured assistant for both bartenders and servers. Despite outshining the rest, I was forced to wait for a promotion even when they began a new round of hiring. For 6 months I assisted, basically losing money because there were neither enough hours that I was needed, nor enough tips to sustain me.

Finally I was promoted to server (my goal was bartender) and put through training again. For the next 4 months they gave me one or two serving shifts a month, furthering my lack of funds. Meanwhile, I witnessed a hostess--who was hired after me--moved straight into bartending.

Around this time I was constantly being asked by the Bar manager when I was going to become a bartender, to which my response was always "well you tell me". What I took from this was that despite there being many many managers, it doesn't seem like they talk amongst themselves about who's performing and who isn't.

Eventually I did make it into the bar, however I was given all of the worst hours, and after months of doing this without any changes on the horizon I decided it was time to leave.

As a current employee, I can tell you while the people you work with are great, management is bad. Tip out is insanely high and people get bad hours. We have a huge staff meaning they don't hire anyone they care about to give stable hours. Other places I've been a server at keep a small staff to ensure their employees are financially well off, which is really just standard respect to the staff. Honestly, there's just so much wrong with a few of the managers, particularly the main manager. When he's on the floor working there's just so much stress. They care more about the customers (even aggressive ones) than they do the servers. FOH management rarely has your back and is often very quick to anger. The few times they do have your back is usually just because the customer angered a manager to their face in some way or another, but don't do anything if a FOH staff is treated poorly.
The way they abuse the bar staff, hosts and servers is crazy. 
The only reason I stay for now is because the FOH and BOH staff are amazing to be around, and its a job that pays.




Each day is a new opportunity to generate and guarantee sales. Throughout the day I interact and coach other staff members, communicate with potential clients/guests and maintain relationships within the Edmonton community. For each confirmed event, I would coordinate room set up, food menus, drink tickets or beverage menus, minor A/V set up, scheduling, brand promotion, invoicing and payment details. As a manager, I lead by example and am constantly learning to improve my leadership skills and see the opportunities for development. My co-workers are hard working and fun individuals who all care about the success of the business. The hardest part of the job can vary day to day, but it can become stressful to run multiple events per day and up to 15 events in one week. The most enjoyable part of the job is helping clients host a successful event and helping my team to surprise and delight our guests.

An establishment that has high pace and volume. Fellow servers, bartenders, hosts and cooks are fantastic people who are very supportive. Great knowledge of craft beers

Unfortunately the current management specifically the GM and scheduling manager are extremely unprofessional, picking constant favourites for schedules, gaslighting and toxic behaviour towards employees and fellow management. There is no communication, accountability and leadership from these managers. They do not take safety concern requests seriously and issues are never solved. They hold employees they do not like hostage by not giving them their work schedules, ignore their emails but do not terminate employment. They talk about supporting mental health but truly do not care. The longer you work there, the more your mental health will deteriorate requiring extended breaks.

Only good managers at Craft are their bar managers.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Sous chef 24 salaries reported	$59,021 per year
Line cook 16 salaries reported	$18.46 per hour
Cook 1 salary reported	$22.00 per hour
Restaurant manager 2 salaries reported	$57,500 per year
Line cook/prep cook 1 salary reported	$18.42 per hour

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