assistant restaurant manager

restaurant manager

restaurant staff

assistant manager

shift manager

Burger King

Most of the management in this company seem to be clueless on how a restaurant should actually be run. 

Scheduling: You are given your shift rotas with relatively little notice although they tend to be flexible regarding time off. Shifts tend to range between 4 and 10 hours. If your shift is less than 6 hours, you get one 30-minute break, if more than 6 hours then two 30-minute breaks. Breaks are unpaid. You can often be asked to cover shifts at short notice, sometimes at other restaurants in your area, up to 30 mins away. 

Workload: This depends on whether you work in the kitchen or front-of-house. Some people are cross-trained for both but not as many as should be to maximise efficiency. It can be very busy and stressful at times, and you need to make sure you keep on top of everything- good teamwork and communication makes it all easier though. You’re on your feet most of the time and are not allowed to sit down unless on break. 

Bureaucracy: There are far too many incomprehensible rules and regulations which make your work harder than it needs to be. Many of these things which are passed down from the head office have clearly been dreamt up by someone who hasn’t actually worked in a restaurant but is only obsessed with “targets”. 

Management: There is a lot of workplace politics with the managers, and everything seems to be orientated towards making things look good for the higher-ups, no matter how actually feasible or worthwhile it is - for example, following an “upselling” script when taking drive-thru orders which makes you take much longer despite them wanting you to complete the orders rapidly to keep the service timer low. I will say though that the assistant and shift managers are a lot more grounded and not-useless than the Restaurant Managers, most of whom I’ve encountered can’t actually do the real work of the restaurant they expect the rest of the staff to do. 

Pay: The pay is poor (National Minimum Wage) considering the amount of work that gets done in a shift, particularly closing shifts which end when public transport is finishing and there are extra tasks to be completed. As I said before, breaks are unpaid so if you’re working a 10 hour shift, you’ll be paid for 9 hours, if you’re working a. 5 hour shift, you’ll be paid for 4.5 hours, etc. There are no pay rises unless the government raises the NMW.

Benefits: Many of the benefits we were told about at interview, we don’t actually get. We used to get free food while working and then a 50% discount off-shift but they got rid of the free meal allowance and changed it to 70% discount on and off shift. They offer Wagestream which is probably one of the few real benefits of the job. 

Bonuses: Previously for Employee of the Month you’d get a £30 reward and some other bits but now it’s just your name on a board. And the only other “extra” recognition you get is an annual Christmas “bonus” of £15 (£10 if you work less hours!) with a Thank You message from the CEO who’s just gotten his own bonus which alone is about 10x your annual salary. 

TL;DR: If you’re in desperate need of a job then it will do but I don’t recommend working at Burger King long-term like I have, if you can avoid it. If you’re lucky enough to end up in a good team then it’s doable. 

I worked here for a total of 2 weeks and i could boldly say it’s the worst job i’ve ever had in my entire life. The manager was the worst person i’ve ever met in my 
 life, he had no respect and did not look at you like a human being, he smiled and acted like he was a lovely person, but as time passes his true colours form. For one you have to do a 4 hour test that you’re forced to do in an enclosed space with people grabbing their bags and climbing over you, the staff room, dressing rooms and places to leave your bag all stunk, surprisingly like burgers... which obviously cannot be helped but it makes no sense as to how every single space in the building has the strongest smell of burgers? At the beginning they said i would be working tills because of my ‘good english’ which they later took back and had me making burgers at the back, during busy rush hours i was making burgers i had never heard of before and they expected me to know what i was making after my first shift... When you didn’t know how to make burgers the manager would yell at you, regardless of the fact i’d literally been there a day. Shifts were ridiculous, i would work friday saturday and sunday, starting at a silly time like 6pm and finishing at 3am. because you can’t take your break during the rush of drunk people ordering food, they make you take your break an hour after you arrive, so from 7/8pm until 3am you’re not allowed to eat anything, and you’re forced to have your unpaid break basically right after you’ve started your shift. Manager yells and calls you an idiot and other verbally abusive things when you make mistakes, bare in mind this all happened in my first week, so i wasn’t even given a chance to grow and develop in the roll before I had this man calling me useless. When I talked back to him, he said ‘don’t you ever talk back to me again’ in the most aggressive form ever. The back where you are making burgers was so cramped with 4 people making burgers at a time + one cooking the patties and then 2 making nuggets, chicken selects etc. but you weren’t allowed to drink water in this area... so you’d just be burning up for 8 or 9 hours and couldn’t drink unless it was on your break. Manager didn’t even bother to learn my name, and would shout a random name at me every time he needed me, when i kept telling him my name he would say ‘this name sounds better’ and call me by something different. it seems very disrespectful to me that as your employee you can’t even learn my name...  it’s also disrespectful because my name isn’t traditionally english, and it just makes me feel terrible that he said other names sounded better than mine and couldn’t bother learning pronounciation as if learning my name was such a burden. i have not one nice word to say about this company, considering the working conditions and the hours you’d think the pay would be good but it is not. I requested to work earlier because i live in a rough area and being a woman going home alone at 3 in the morning is unsafe for me and the manager replied saying that his area was more unsafe than mine and he gets home just fine, although he has a car and i’m walking 10 mins from the bus stop to my house, on my own. Every bad thing you could imagine about working in fast food, this place makes it reality, so don’t waste your time.

You will have to sign away your workers rights at induction otherwise you don't get hired its like having a gun pointed at your head not a good feeling 

You will work long shifts without no incentives, you will be treated like dirt on every shift the good managers have left the managers left are rubbish at there jobs makes you wonder how they got there jobs 

Directors and highers managers are interested in profit all the time you are constantly told up sell if you don't you get written warnings too many and you get sacked 

You have to provide your own safety black shoes or boots - floor is constantly greasy make sure you get non slip footwear if you don't have any they will give you written warnings and too many of these warnings can get you sacked 

They don't like to see you chatting amongst yourselves they just want to see drones that will constantly work till you drop they have a very high turn over of staff and this should really be the highlight of a badly run company with no respect for its staff we are just a number
that can be replaced easily

You will have to pass the nightmare that is security control at the airport they like to single you out and make fun of you as you go through they are a bad joke and poor excuses for human beings

SSP is the problem with there drug fuelled managers who all party together you get used to there bad attitudes as they come off there drugs

If you work 1 hour or 100 hours per week you strill only get the minimum hourly rate they don't pay time and half if you work past 40 hours bad company to work for 

These roles are ideal if you are used to be treated and spoken to like dirt the passengers coming through security control get treated like fools and in turn the passengers take it out on you - the managers don't give a dam about your safety 

This is only ideal if you are truly desperate for a job working in the airport as once you have your security pass you can transfer to a suitable vacancy elsewhere in the airport 

You get a discount card after 13 weeks probation it entitles you to 50% off there overpriced food if you give the card to someone else they will take it from you and charge you £50 to get it back if you leave before the 13 weeks ends be careful they will try and charge you for the uniform you have to hand back 

If you lose your security pass they will prevent you from working for a few days and charge you as well

Working for Karali was dreadful, and I should know, it was the only job I could fall back on during University holidays so I worked there twice.

The first time was great, although upon leaving it took roughly 5 months to get holiday pay, calling payroll and getting sent to the store and vice versa back and forth, and someone from payroll spoke to me very rudely.

The second time was horrible, the experience seemed fine until I was missing a payslip, upon investigation, I had been underpaid that pay day as I had been logging my hours via an app due to working at another acquisition of theirs (a Jacket Potato place) as well as Burger King, I then investigated the weeks prior and it was apparent I had been underpaid not by the potato place but by Burger King, meaning the boss decided to intentionally incorrectly fill out my hours I had worked.

It became an issue to get this back and still to this date no response to my emails, the figure I desired was £300 because the other payments was longer ago, I felt Karali should have been happier to pay this rather than the full figure, they did not.

I also stayed and worked for free on several occasions because the store couldn't afford to have the extra staff help the team close and leave early which makes very little sense.

Some managers are still to this date owed money from their time they first started and a manager who left for another management position elsewhere is still to this date owed holiday pay, as am I.

Finally upon acquisition of our store around a year ago, Karali removed staff discounts and customer discounts such as military discounts, which caused someone in the service to never come back.

All in all, Karali will put a middle finger up to all its staff, I view it as they care very little about the 'minions' turning their money wheel, the best bet for anyone is to hope potential employees find better workplaces until Karali decide to treat their employees with respect they deserve, this will hopefully wake up the big giant that is Karali Group.

A typical day at work
A typical day involves running shifts, managing staff, dealing with customers, handling cash and stock, and stepping in wherever needed. This often means juggling multiple responsibilities at once, especially during busy periods, while ensuring targets, food safety and service standards are met.

What I believe I learned
I developed strong leadership skills, learned how to manage a team under pressure, and improved my problem-solving and decision-making abilities. The role also strengthened my time management, communication and conflict resolution skills, particularly when dealing with difficult customers and high-pressure situations.

Management
Management is supportive and approachable, which makes a big difference in a fast-paced environment. They are generally understanding and flexible with scheduling, and willing to help when possible.

Workplace culture
The workplace culture is team-focused and supportive. Colleagues look out for one another and work well together, which helps make demanding shifts more manageable. There is a strong sense of teamwork during busy periods.

The hardest part of the job
The hardest part is the workload and level of responsibility compared to the pay. Managing multiple tasks at once, handling difficult or aggressive customers, and working without adequate security can be very challenging. The lack of benefits and unpaid breaks also add to the pressure.

The most enjoyable part of the job
The most enjoyable part is the team. Working with supportive colleagues and seeing the team perform well during busy shifts is rewarding. Building relationships with staff and helping them develop their skills is also a positive and motivating aspect of the role.

As my first job at first I enjoyed it, but being there for over a year made me realise how little the management respect their longest standing staff. The people you work with is what makes the job, it's also very easy and quick to learn, it helps to develop confidence and people skills as you're constantly having to talk to customers (if on till). 

However, the management are useless, it's a very child like job. Nothing is done in a professional manner. There is no recognition for hard workers, no incentives and overall not a very good company to work for. The management do not practice the rules they are preaching, therefore no one takes the rules and regulations seriously. I also find Burger King quite a sexist company to work for, they will hire girls to be on the tills, 'pretty faces of the company' and stick the boys in the kitchen. You're often not given the opportunity to learn new things within the work place, they will train you on one station and leave you there, so the job becomes very repetitive and boring. Another thing I and my work mates used to HATE, is how you are under scrutiny from the moment you arrive on shift, you have to keep busy otherwise you'll be in trouble, even if you have wiped the same side 25 times, it's still not good enough and you have to do it again, yet the managers can stand around talking or be on their phones in the office. It feels like a prison camp if you are a staff member. 

They're not even very customer focused, it's all about profit and getting a good go large score, so to get that they will put staff under a lot of pressure and make them feel bad if they are not hitting their go large targets. We are trained to put everyone's meal through as a large meal and charge the customer for it, and if caught out by the customer just give them their money back. 

The best part about the job was either your break or going home.

The training was very bad, they sat me in a room with a tablet to do the course which I never finished then they threw me on the tills and expected me to know what I was doing. Then after this, they constantly told me that I wasn’t good enough. The hours were shocking, I was given 3 hours a week if I was given any (sometimes they would give me no shifts for 2-3 weeks then they’d expect me to be on the same level as someone who works every day). The managers were horrible and would talk about me behind my back if I made and mistakes and wouldn’t teach me how to correct it myself. The managers and employees expected me to do everything so I spent most of my shifts running around and doing everything while they laid back to talk to each other. Every time I raised a problem like the hours or the training in the probation meetings, they ignored me and told me that I wasn’t good enough and extend my probation by another month. On one of my first shifts, they handed me a headset and left me on the front alone then complained when I didn’t know how to use the headset to take the orders while I was also trying to take orders on the front and pack orders alone. If there was ever a customer waiting to take an order, I would get the blame even if there were other people on the front. I only received a staff meal once in my first week there as that was the only week that they gave me enough hours to get food. The toilet in the men’s bathroom doesn’t flush properly and they haven’t had it fixed the whole time I was there and they always sent me to unblock the toilet. I got shut out multiple times when taking orders out to cars from the drive through because people closed the door and you can’t open the back door from the outside. Overall, the management is appalling, the customers are horrible and the managers blame it on you, the hours are bad, the quality of work is bad and my will to live is nonexistent. If you value your sanity whatsoever, do NOT work here.

I have worked at Burger King for around 3 months now. Even though the hours are always good and consistent, it seems like the manager doesn't know how to do a rota. For example,for the past 6 weeks i have worked 40 hours each week over six days, preventing a healthy work/life balance.
            Also, when confronting the manager with a problem he seems to just brush it off without dealing with it and if you say anything to him he will shout and demand respect and refer to himself as 'your superior'. He does not show staff members respect but demands it from them.
           Over my time working there i have tried to call in sick on 2 occasions. On the first I rang 6 hours before my shift and was told no, I had to come into work. I went into work and had to keep running out the back of the store to be sick and nearly passed out twice on shop floor. The manager still refused to let me go home. Second occasion I had given my manager over a weeks notice that I will need a second day off the following week due to me being my sisters birthing partner. Even after having this notice I called him 5 hours before my shift was to start and he refused the time off after i told him i had been at the hospital all night and was still there.
            One day I came in to my shift to find that my locker had been opened and my uniform thrown on the floor, i got changed into it then my manager asked me to come into the office. Then he was standing very close and intimidatingly close me to whilst telling me i should not leave my uniform in a locker over night. While he was telling me off he was tapping on my cap over and over again with his pen which i found to be very degrading  and as though he was trying to assert his dominance.
              Overall, I would NEVER recommend anyone to work at this establishment. It is a very degrading job which takes your away your social life and you are treated very unfairly.

I would arrive promptly for a shift that was on average 10 hours long and begin the litter pick/empty bins/recycle any boxes. After washing my hands I would move on to counting my till money and preparing my till for the day on either drive/front counter. Then filling up any of the stock from the previous evening that was missing and checking the daily goals/tasks for the day. In any time that I wasn't serving customers I would be cleaning the restaurant and doing any extra cleaning tasks. Occasionally I would also work in the kitchen depending on what the manager had allocated for me. Most shifts included either opening which involved making sure the restaurant was ready for the day ahead or closing, which meant I had to do a deep clean over the whole restaurant. (bleaching toilets, chairs on tables, mopping all floors, helping clean kitchen equipment, scrubbing walls etc.)  I found working with customers difficult initially as I was quite shy however this quickly changed and I developed a confidence being around people on a daily basis. Another challenging  experience was short staffed on occasion there might only be me on the front counter and drive thru, a mass of people might come through so it was extremely pressured to deliver them the best service alone and multitasking between cars and the front counter in the recommended daily amount of time allowed for each customer, however I feel this gave me a sense of dedication to working hard and reaping the rewards. Occasionally co workers under the heat of the kitchen and pressure of the job could be quite rude to each other but all in all we were a strong team who were focused on delivering a good service. The most enjoyable part of the job was feeling like a valued employee and looking forward to loyal customers who returned again and again.

well as soon as you step into your shift, as a cashier, you are required to take float and count your money. Once you have £100 you are then going to go to your till and start serving. Take customers orders then run them, and the cycle goes on. You are also (every now and then) required to stock up front and clean front counter. And this goes on and on till the end of your shift (for the most part)
. I feel it is unprofessional to speak bad of the job as I did enjoy my time sometimes but I iv'e just gotten bored of the job and can't deal with the disrespect and favoritism in the workplace. My store manager does not treat me fairly and talks to me in a bitter tone. Though I still work there I shall be resigning as soon as I get a new job, and if I don't get a new job in the near future I will still resign sooner or later as I am just much happier when I am not at Burger King. I keep my feelings and emotions to myself so resigning is just a mature way of dealing with my uncomfortable state at work. 
Other than that I do enjoy it most of the time, I put all of my effort into work my increasing my speed of service hence increasing sales and profiting by making my meals 'Large' and 'Supersize'.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
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Shift manager 9 salaries reported	£13.11 per hour

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