Water Street Cafe Employer Reviews

Pretty middle-of-the road experience. Management can be difficult at times, granted that's their job. Your hours will live and die by the reso list, and you should expect to be called-off regularly when it's not summer or Christmas. Tip-outs are a...

Pretty middle-of-the road experience. Management can be difficult at times, granted that's their job. Your hours will live and die by the reso list, and you should expect to be called-off regularly when it's not summer or Christmas. Tip-outs are above-average, thanks to both the high guest turnover rate & the high dinner prices. Live music on the second floor and regular dinner & drink specials (such as "Crabfest" in late spring/early summer) keep things interesting and ensure the place never fully "quiets-down". Located in a **VERY** touristy area of Vancouver, so expect plenty of friendly people from across the pond. High prices and the location tend to filter out any "troublemakers", for lack of a better term.

The biggest "down-side" to working here will probably be the "Walmart-happy" work culture. The managers and (especially) the owners have a heavily idealized vision of what they want the place to be, which is pretty disconnected from how it functions in reality (it's a tourist-heavy elevated dining restaurant, while management expects a "top 5% fine dining" kind of experience). That's pretty par for the course for hospitality, though, so your mileage may vary.

The biggest "up-sides" to working here will definitely be the relatively small main floor (which keeps the pace smooth and consistent) and the co-workers. To management's credit, they have high recruitment standards, and it really shows in the quality of character of the people you'll be working with. FOH staff is universally friendly, personable, and professional, and the synergy & camaraderie between BOH staff is unreal (especially given how small the kitchen is). Expect to make some friends here, and to always feel safe and comfortable.

As an added bonus, your schedule tend to be very flexible. It's never an issue to work less if you have school or other commitments. Management also tends to be very understanding & accommodating if you need to take time off (if you're sick, for example).