boulanger-pâtissier

warehouse worker

merchandise flow team member

delivery driver

custodian

Portofino Bakery

Portofino was once a lovely place to work, with a promising future. I was once proud of my job, the products we made, and being part of a local growing business. Everything changed when ownership changed hands for the first time, and the Bakery Founder stepped aside. It was at this point that everything really and truly went downhill. The company has since changed ownership a few times, and has gone through extensive management changes. They are pushing so hard and fast to grow its business profile, pushing the company and its capabilities to the limits. Who pays for this extreme approach? Well, the staff pay the ultimate price. The company is growing much faster than its production capabilities can handle. Not to mention the extreme operational issues that have yet to be handled.
It makes for a hectic and chaotic work environment. This “money hungry” approach to grow, grow, grow at such an extreme fast pace, is bound to fail unless the fundamental problems are resolved. The staff are worked to their limits and are expected to work overtime, you stay until the job is done. There is blatant favouritism between the different departments. Loyalty, dedication and years served at this company don’t get you very far or really mean much at all. The job itself, is extremely physically demanding, tedious, stressful, hot, it’s overall exhausting and unfulfilling. Worst off is managements lack of desire to work with you; learn; and listen. Management is no longer the middle ground between employees and ownership; which it once was. Now you have hand picked managers, put into roles they are not qualified for, who do the owners bidding and shield them from the staff’s backlash. There is no one looking out for the staff’s interests anymore. Just a bunch of “higher ups” who are really good with words, making it look like they have the staffs best intentions at heart, but it is all a charade. As someone who put 9 years into this company, and has seen it at its highest highs and lowest lows, I would not recommend working here. The future of this company is so unknown that I would NOT confidently say it has good job security. Not to mention the staff turn over rate is atrocious, which in itself should be a red flag. You will hear from them that the fast growing nature of the business is why they are always hiring, but the truth is that the hiring process is a revolving door, people are leaving just as fast as they arrive. I once felt like this company cared about me, valued the hard work and long hours I put in over the years. It was a major slap in the face when I realized that mentality went out the door when the original ownership did. When people used to say “you work for Portofino, I love their bread!” I used to feel a sense of Pride! Now when people say that to me, my first thought is “if you only knew!” 

The problem is the pay is decent... but just ask yourself if it’s worth the headache before you apply. For me, I am much happier making less money and working elsewhere. 

Most of the staff who work at Portofino are incredible people, who you would be happy and lucky to work alongside;  unfortunately they just don’t reside in any management roles. 

The delivery driver position itself is easy and having 4 days on, 3 days off is nice. However, some routes are shorter than others meaning you get paid less even though you work efficiently. This job should be on salary so that you can make a decent wage and work at a quick pace instead of purposely taking your time in order to make a livable wage. My biggest issue with the delivery driver position is management. The department is constantly understaffed and has the highest amount of turnover that I have ever seen (and I worked retail as a teenager). Due to the understaffing, new hires receive inadequate training on a limited amount of routes and are expected to deliver on unfamiliar routes alone with little guidance. Calling management for help when unsure about a delivery location was pointless as they were sometimes unfamiliar with the locations. It was best to call other drivers who had done the routes however they were often too busy to answer. The position was also unfair to new hires as veteran drivers were often scheduled on one route every week whereas newer drivers would do a different route every day. The starting pay is alright. Benefits don't kick in until 6 months which is unfortunate for those who don't stick it out. You're supposed to get a bonus after 6 months however I had heard from veteran drivers that the 6 month bonus often gets delayed (in this case a driver was supposed to get his in the summer but it was delayed until December). Also if you book time off, expect to be working 6-8+ days in a row. Also expect them to call you in on every day off.

When I first started, the environment was upbeat, happy, everyone was always happy to see each other, there wasn't a lot of arguing or complaining. You had the odd stressful day, but you always got out on time. Flashforward two years, and I asked myself every day if I was a valuable human being and if I had any part of living on this earth. Every day was long, stressful, and every day you were told by management how you never could do a good enough job. Management also has a nasty habit of picking on workers until they either quit or get cut. There have been endless complaints about WEEKs of 12-hour shifts 5 days a week, that was met with resistance from management, everyone's angry, constantly looking for a way out. and the higher-ups don't care because as long as you're working you're making them money. I've thought long and hard about this review, and if I was even going to post one. The people working there deserve better. They're not paid enough money to deal with the constant issues and trauma they're putting their workers through. 

If you have an interview, cancel it. This is your sign to cancel it completely and block their number. You're worth more than the minuscule bonus/raise promises and the low wages, and the MAYBE 15-minute break you MIGHT receive. The only reason I stayed was that I had team members making each day tolerable, even if all we did was complain to each other day in and day out. 

Portofino is a sinking ship, don't get on. If there hasn't been a massive walkout yet, there will be eventually. 

4 x 10hr shifts between wed-sunday. Start time between 3.45 and 4.30 am-
Tasks: Load up pre-built and organized orders (big pro vs other bread delivery jobs), and deliver routes from Campbell River to Duncan. At the stores, it is important to form good relations with the receivers, pull returns, count inventory, rotate and stock shelves. Shifts are well-paced and overall enjoyable. This position is best suited for people that are disciplined about keeping a good sleep routine and are in good physical shape. Co-workers are great, personable, and quickly turned in genuine friendships.

I felt well-respected through my time at Portofino and am grateful to have been part of a highly regarded, local company. This company is growing rapidly and it seems there will be plenty of room for advancement if you possess the right attitude and communication skills.

This was my first professional driver job and found the trucks to be easy to drive and were promptly taken care of when needing repair. 

My favourite part of this job was the early drives to port Alberni and Campbell River as the sun began to rise. We live in a beautiful part of the world and being able to soak it in while getting paid is very special.

I am greatly disappointed with myself for having stayed this long.  I also waited to long to write this. 
Before accepting a job, pay attention to the low rated reviews.  Those super happy reviews are not in-line with what we experience. It’s funny, how a handful are glowing in the middle of terrible ones. 
High expectations and demands contrasting with a lack of appreciation and managers are out of touch with what we need or want.  HR lately is missing in action and completely out of touch.  The two former HR managers were nice and talked to us.  Morale is constantly low, and managers that truly seem understand the staff and are nice seem to leave or disappear, except for one, this last year has been a real clean-up of good managers.  The place was already iffy, now is a disaster. 
I am a hard worker but I am really tired.  I am looking for another job but the overtime makes it hard to do that. 

Atrociously managed, dead end, and no opportunity for advancement. I worked here for a while while interviewing at other places, and even that was too much. 10.5 hour shifts where other staff and management pressure you to not take your breaks until about 6.5 hours into the shift. Unhappy, disgruntled employees - for good reason, as some have been there for 4-5 years and earn $14.93. They currently offer a signing bonus if you can last 3 months there, which is a red flag in itself. Understaffed as they are not able to keep anyone for long, other than immigrants with little to no English skills that they can easily take advantage of. Also, the current labour market in Victoria prices Portofino out of the picture, there are many entry-level jobs starting around $18-22, and they seem to think their below-average wages should suffice for everyone.

Portofino has a high turn over rate. We are always hiring new staff and we are also constantly losing good staff. It’s a revolving door. 
The overall work culture is poor. Employees are unhappy working here. As an employee, I am here for the paycheque. When I can find a better job, I will be leaving. 
The daily operations at Portofino are the opposite of what you might see at a marketing level. Marketing wise Portofino looks like a golden star. Operationally it’s a hot mess. Equipment breakdowns, disorganization, poor management, staff worked to limits, are just a few examples.
I have a complete lack of trust in Portofino. I don’t believe the promises I have been given about things getting better, because I have been let down time and time again. 
I feel like I am working on a sinking ship. I encourage you to NOT hop on board. 

If you are seriously considering working for this company, please don't. The reasons not work for Portofino are many and a few to mention are: poor wages (your Supervisor will purposely score you low on your first review so they don't have to give you a raise or tell you to write a business proposal as to why they should give you a raise. You'll get a cost of living raise which amounts to 45 cents), Management is disorganized and gives the impression they know what they are doing (they don't), it's a toxic and troubling environment to work in. People that have been there for sometime will spread their misery and misfortune onto any poor soul willing to listen. 

this place is great on the days that it works, but management is consistent in making things difficult for staff. Almost every night there are people the well after their shifts. They also recently took the radios out, which had had a drastic effect on morale. The management is almost solely focus on the bottom line and generally don't care about anyone but management. HR is basically non existent. They will change your schedule and make you work when you aren't available. There is an overwhelming sense of "do as i say and no one loses their job." as well as an overwhelming oversight when it comes to employee mental health. THIS PLACE MAKES STALINGRAD LOOK ORGANIZED

Working at Portofino Bakery was a great experience. A typical day in the office involved supporting operations, collaborating with different departments, and helping ensure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes. What stood out most to me was the respectful and inclusive workplace culture, where foreign workers were given real opportunities to grow and develop their careers. Management was approachable and supportive, with an open-door policy that made communication easy and encouraged feedback. The most enjoyable part was working in a positive environment where I felt appreciated, trusted, and motivated to continue learning and growing.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Boulanger-pâtissier 8 salaries reported	$25.28 per hour
Warehouse worker 6 salaries reported	$22.08 per hour
Merchandise flow team member 16 salaries reported	$23.25 per hour
Delivery driver 6 salaries reported	$20.83 per hour
Custodian 1 salary reported	$20.00 per hour

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