wagamama Employee Reviews
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Overall a pleasant company to work for
FOH Team Member (Current Employee) - Chelmsford - 7 October 2021
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The most useful review selected by IndeedI enjoy working here. Friendly team who are willing to do a good job and I felt warmly welcomed. The restaurant is very popular (which means it can get pretty manic!) but tips are shared amongst all the staff which is very reasonable and means one feels rewarded. The managers are adroit on the floor and very knowledgeable and only want the best, so were very understanding when I needed less hours.
Pros
Allowance on lunches every shift
Cons
Sometimes closing shifts end very late at night.
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Brutal Work Ethic, Amazing People
Line Chef (Former Employee) - Manchester City Centre, Greater Manchester - 13 September 2021
Extremely brutal work ethic. Amazing people. Like a family - You have to earn respect. If you are sick you are made to feel very guilty. Very stressful, very tiring. You are working for every last penny. Co-workers seem like they want to get out asap. Good company values on paper, not sure if they hold up in practice for the back of house and front of house staff.
Pros
Free Food, Good Wage, Friendly Staff.
Cons
Brutal Work Ethic, Long Shifts
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low hourly wages compared to wages that are on the market.
FOH Manager (Former Employee) - Finchley - 28 August 2021
No Wagamama,before to be hired the people from office they will let you know about 4000£ bonus year as a Manage but is not true, and the hours pay rate is very low only 9.40.
Pros
Flexibility
Cons
Low weges
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Horrible place with horrible managers that will expect you to sacrifice your health for the sake of work
Front of House Staff (Former Employee) - Watford - 26 August 2021
Initially I was excited to work somewhere that appeared to have a friendly and laid back work environment, where management cared about the wellbeing of their employees. However I couldn't have been more wrong, there is no work life balance, long split shifts that will have you spending the majority of your time at the restaurant, and the managers are absolutely horrible. They micromanage, criticise you for anything and everything, shout at you in front of customers, undermine you, and talk horribly about you behind your back (even though this is usually within earshot and they are just too stupid to know better). The most frustrating part about it all was that they don't even communicate with each other, and more often than not you will have two managers on a shift who will both be telling you to do different things, I lost count of the number of times I was told to do something by one manager and then told off by the other for literally doing what I was told. When you are new you won't be provided with adequate training at all, and still be expected to do absolutely everything to an impossible standard, and then still get shouted at for not knowing things. If you have any issues they will either roll their eyes, get annoyed or ignore you completely, you're basically just an inconvenience to them and they make sure to make you aware of that. At the branch I worked at in Watford this was most obvious when their was an outbreak of covid at the restaurant, various managers tried to keep it quiet and most of us wouldn't have known that other staff members had tested positive if -
Pros
I had some lovely coworkers
Cons
how horrible the managers are
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Not for long
Line Chef (Former Employee) - Liverpool, England - 14 August 2021
I don't recommend it for line chefs.Insane prepping and cleaning , little to no guidance and unrealistic amounts of tasks per person.The rota is out every week on Friday that pretty much mean that if you work on Monday you 3 days notice before having to come in, keeping a work life balance is hard as the rota doesn't seem to consider that factor you might have to close one night , only to open the next or you might have two splits in the row but then be off for a day or two which makes you question of there is any consideration of the people's needs as well.
Pros
Staff meal
Cons
Split shifts, long hours
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can be stressful but overall positive experience
Waitress (Current Employee) - England - 13 August 2021
At first I found it quite stressful but you quickly get the hang of it. Management is very understanding of your needs and gets that you're human and mistakes can be made, equally if your running a bit late (as long as you phone up and let them know) they are understanding. Pay is national minimum wage for everyone (so doesn't depend on age so quite good if you're under 21) plus all tips are shared out equally. If you work under 6 hours you get 12.50 worth of food, more than 6 is 17.50 worthThe 20 minute breaks are paid
Pros
free food on every shift, all tips are shared out fairly, management is generally good
Cons
long hours, can be quite stressful/hard work for only minimum wage, hard to have a social life (though managers are accomodating if you mark a day as unavailable, just have to give notice)
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No work-life balance
FOH Management team (Former Employee) - Leicester - 12 August 2021
Management positions are contracted as 30hr (jnr) and 48hr (snr) but all are expected to work 48hr weeks. This is base hours, if you are closing, expect to work 50+ hours every week. Shifts are not distributed evenly, so don't be surprised to work four closes in one week (3pm til 11pm, plus however long it takes you to close the restaurant after customers leave, which could be after 1am on weekends). I once worked eight of these shifts, back-to-back before a day off. For the most part, I loved my job and the company but the management system needs a lot of work and is constantly understaffed, which increases stress massively. I brought up my problems multiple times but nothing ever changed, so I left.
Pros
Free food and good discounts, fun employees, stable job
Cons
Long hours, constantly understaffed, physically draining
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Not worth the hassle or position.
Manager (Former Employee) - Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - 9 August 2021
work load isnt shared fairly between management team as regularly you will do 3 or more peoples jobs, no recognition and poor pay for management structure. Team members and lower positions are paid more than more senior managers and have minimal responsibilities and dont turn up on a regular basis with no repercussions. No loyalty from company or work colleagues. Pretty negative company to work for that cover it up with a poor bonus schemes that isnt in your control. Dont waste your time and go to a different chain.
Pros
Food allowance, weekly pay.
Cons
Discrimination, workload, pay structure
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Young ,fun , everyone got along !
Waitress (Former Employee) - Colchester - 8 August 2021
Very inclusive ,all backgrounds,all walks of life ,they're looking for people that like people ! Seriously, they were so supportive when I started , I felt part of team and the management were lovely.The staff are made to feel they are the heart of Wagamama ,so they want customers to feel that to The food is genuinely delicious, and they feed and look after their staff on shift ,so you eat for free ! The chefs are amazing , everything is freshly cooked to order I'd recommend working here if you're looking for a part-time role either at college or uni or want to pick up some hours while the kids are at school Go for it xx
Pros
Free food, inclusive friendly team + management you do rely on tips
Cons
On your feet, never 2 days are the same fun !
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Upbeat and fun work environment
Front of House (Current Employee) - Glasgow City Centre, Glasgow - 5 August 2021
the staff are very friendly and helpful. everyone is welcoming, the management is really helpful and approachable. good tips, the shifts can be long but ur so busy that u wont even notice how quickly they fly by.
Pros
free meal on shift, 30% discount at other restaurants
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Amazing work environment
Front of house team member (Current Employee) - Chelmsford - 3 August 2021
An amazing company to work for, management care so much and support staff as much as they can, they work hard to ensure everyone is treated equally and given the opportunities they deserve
Pros
Food allowance and amazing discounts
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Amazing place to work
Recruitment Consultant (Current Employee) - London, Greater London - 28 July 2021
The team have all been so supportive since I joined and have made me feel very welcomed, I feel like this is a place where I can grow and develop further in my career
Pros
Great team
Cons
Can be stressful at times
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Stressful and no respect f
Kitchen Assistant (Former Employee) - Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester - 22 July 2021
The worse and stressful place I’ve ever worked. I’ve been discriminated as trying to get pregnant. Fake people as management, if you have kids you better not tell them if you want the job. They don’t care that you have a family “ we have a business to run “ Never again.
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Terrible workplace
Line chef (Former Employee) - Leamington Spa - 15 July 2021
Wagamama is a terrible workplace where the management are power mad. If the management don't like you then you will get treated badly, over worked and spoken to like dirt. They make you feel anxious when you refuse to cover someone's shift who has called in sick.Weekly rota published every Saturday for the following week so you have no social life. You have to wait until Saturday to find out what day off you have which makes it very difficult to plan home life. They will call you most days to come early and never get a thank you. The rules change every shift depending on what manager is working. Again if they don't like you as a person despite you being amazing at your job then there is no progression at all. The only good thing is free food but some shifts they will tell staff I can't eat certain things because they "couldn't be bothered to order stock"
Pros
Nothing
Cons
The whole buisness is a con. £6 for 150g of vegetables
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Hard work, long hours, no life balance
Head Chef (Former Employee) - Tunbridge Wells, Kent - 11 July 2021
There is no life balance working for wagamama, you are meant to do long hours and if you have a manager position your days off are not off as you are bombarded with calls and emails from superiors
Pros
Free meals
Cons
Stressful place
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I love the job, just not the unsociable hours.
Waitress and Bar Staff (Current Employee) - Newport - 2 July 2021
I worked in the Newport Branch and had only been working there 6 months in total. I left due to the unsociable hours and distance as I had moved house, I loved the job a lot, I got along with every single person there and have nothing bad to say whatsoever, it’s just a shame that the shifts are pretty extreme and due to my health problems I had to leave and get a different job, I’d recommend it! But just be prepared to do very long hours.
Pros
Free lunch (depending on your hours that day) friendly staff They look after you!
Cons
Ridiculously long hours
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Overall a great place too work
Front of House Manager (Former Employee) - Leamington Spa - 3 June 2021
Before the company changed ownership it was the best job I had ever had in hospitality. However it went downhill very fast from there and was ruined.
Pros
Free meal, discounted dining
Cons
Non social working hours, rubbish pay for such a busy environment
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Expect to sell your soul
Line Chef (Former Employee) - Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire - 3 June 2021
Most shifts were around 15 hours with a 20 min break which you had to fight for. Shovel some food in for the day. 2am finishes/back in at 8 most days.
Pros
Cool people
Cons
expected to drop everything if they were short staffed, (understaffed alot dude to the area manager wanting his bonus)
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Great colleagues, low-pay for hard work
Line Chef (Former Employee) - Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire - 21 May 2021
Generally a day at Wagamama's as a Line Chef consists of getting into the kitchen and working your butt off the second you get into the kitchen.You get to work, and most of the time (Depending on time of year) its busy from the get-go (If working evening shifts like I did). Your pretty much cooking constantly from the time you get into work until the time the restaurant closes, with 6-9pm being the most busy.A lot of the time the kitchen is under staffed with 3 people running a 4 person minimum kitchen, and the DEEP cleaning of the kitchen (which is daily) usually doesn't start until the restaurant has closed, meaning you don't finish until 12am-12.30am (Even on days where the rota says your shift finishes at 11pm/ 11.30pm).Honestly the one thing i hated about working for Wagamama is the Deep cleaning at the end of the night. Scrubbing down every wall, every floor, every fridge, Every Oven, Every Flattop Stove. Every other kitchen i've worked in has paid for night shift cleaners to do this job, it shouldn't be the responsibility of a Chef who's already had a hard enough days work as it is.
Pros
Free Lunch & Lovely colleagues
Cons
Long Hours, Rota's inaccurate as always finish later than time stated.
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Good team but too much stress
Kitchen Porter (Current Employee) - Manchester - 2 May 2021
The work as a kitchen Porter is unsustainable especially on weekends, in the morning you have to clean the canapés, clean the fryers, make rise, and pack tons of noodles and of course clean the dishes, but the worst part is the evening especially on the weekend’s, not only your rushing to clean an incredible amount of dishes, you also have to make desserts, rise when asked, and bring the plates on the line, at the end when the kitchen closes the chef’s will bring all the equipment from the kitchen which is A LOT, and of course clean the floor.There are so many other things that are wrong that I would need to stay up all night and write about it.The team is okay they help a bit most of the time , managing could be a lot better.
Pros
Free lunches
Cons
Stressful place to work
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Worst job I ever had
Line chef (Former Employee) - Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey - 7 April 2021
Absolutely awful job that I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Rude and ignorant managers and clique staff. DONT WORK HERE! You are better off dead then going to work in this awful establishment. Trust me.
Pros
Zero
Cons
Everything and everyone
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Official response from wagamama
20 April 2021hi there, we're sorry to read this review + that you didn't enjoy your time working with us. so that we can look into this further please could you email hrqueries@wagamama.com
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