I applied online, open to any front of house positions, and received an email inviting me to do a brief Zoom interview. During this initial interview I was given an ambiguous understanding of the position I was actually interviewing for, despite having applied for server and bartending positions at Culinary Dropout, and was unaware going into my second interview of which specific concept I would be interviewing for let alone which position in that concept. When I arrived for my second interview I was asked to fill out a paper application with the same questions I answered online. This interview was with the regional manager (why are corporate managers involved in the hiring of hourly positions?), he was both late and evidently unprepared for the interview as I was not the only one who did not know what job I was being interviewed for. Not joking, he pulled out his computer so that he could read an email regarding the positions that needed to be filled in his own restaurant during the interview to fill those positions. He also took a call before beginning the interview process. At the end of the interview I was told I would be hearing from the restaurant's general manager about a busser or dishwasher position within 24 hours and, needing a job, I accepted the opportunity. Somehow through this process I went from applying to be a server or bartender in one restaurant to being a dishwasher in another. But even that was not the case, as no one ever followed up with me. After all the changes to the details of this position, the obviously amateurish senior management, and being cut off during half of my answers during the interview, I would not want to work for this company in any position, let alone as a dishwasher. In short, this was absolutely the most unprofessional interview experience I have ever had, and suggest waiting for other opportunities if you can. Some lessons the company should learn:
1. Trust the restaurant managers you hire enough to choose their own team members. Get involved only for management positions.
2. If the hiring process was conducted on a restaurant by restaurant basis, rather than starting at a corporate level, the respective restaurant managers would be well prepared for interviews and know first hand what positions need to be filled. Likewise, there would be far less confusion for the interviewees who thought they applied for one position and were blindsided with something totally different.
