Whimsy

WhataFail: How Some Dallas Restaurants Treat Their Employees

By Scott Reitz Thu., Feb. 9 2012 at 1:59 PM
Categories: Whimsy

ROC United.JPG
Restaurant Opportunities Centers United has released a new restaurant guide. The 52-page guide makes no mention of food quality, ingredient sourcing, or a customer's dining experience, but instead focuses on how well restaurants treat their employees. Wages, benefits and advancement opportunities are evaluated across more than 180 restaurants, giving silver and gold prizes to highest performers.

Here's how a few Dallas restaurants fared.

Whataburger, your favorite Texas-based burger joint squeezes its employees like it does those dry, thin burger patties according to ROC -- it received zeros across the board. There's no mention about their new spicy ketchup and it's effect on employee morale, though.

Buffalo Wild Wings, with a location on Cedar Springs in Oak Lawn got straight goose eggs, too.

Capital Grille, Olive Garden and Red Lobster had the most incriminating evaluations. According to the guide, employees at these restaurants have sought and obtained ROC's help on legal charges regarding discrimination and wage theft.

The guide isn't all chains and bad news, though. Craft, the fine dining restaurant with a location at the W Hotel received a gold award in the guide. Five Guys fared well too, with decent health benefits and advancement opportunities. Sounds like I have all the excuse I need for today's serving of grease.

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Chris Danger
Chris Danger

Im shocked about Whataburger myself as well, as they used to be such a family-friendly company. Im guessing the years of growth, along w/ the typical way Texas business has become towards its employees has caused this problem..

TheRealDirtyP1
TheRealDirtyP1

Well, it's no surprise that OG, RL, and Capital Grilled are owned by the same company so they treat their employees the same(Darden Restaurant Group). Methinks that company doesn't put a value on human capital, what say you?Whataburger is surprising to me. Makes me want to think twice about eating there. If they're not treating their employees right in fast food, those employees aren't going to care if something spoils or the 5 second rule if it hits the floor.

Kergo 1 Spaceship
Kergo 1 Spaceship

Nothing SCREAMS class like an Olive Garden, or a Red Lobster.....ahhhh, I just say Red Lobster and think of 1979!  I say Olive Garden and I think of people in the 60-85 demographic getting nasty faux Italian food.  So, it doesn't surprise me that Darden didn't fare well in this guide.

ps-And Ms. Obama choose Olive Garden as her Dallas stop on the child obesity tour?  Most of the customers of OG and RL haven't had a school age child around in 50 years!  Jes sayin'.  

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