Chef Koochooloo FAQ

Pros

None, I quit as soon as I found another job.

Cons

The entire leadership promotes a toxic and abusive style of relationship with all of its employees. I didn't talk to a single employee that felt otherwise. They do not value their employees and their culture is extremely toxic. People do not stay for a very long time. Do not give this company the time of day. You (everyone on the planet) deserves better.

Pros

Chef Koochooloo is mission driven and has a diverse team. You get to work with people from all over the world and make an positive impact. The CEO makes an effort to listen to and hear every single employees opinion, no matter how inexperienced they are. You get a lot of responsibility and learn an incredible amount in a short period of time. Additionally, working from home allows a level of flexibility that other jobs do not have. The CEO is also very understanding when it comes to illness, doctors appointments, and other life needs.

Cons

As a start up, there is a lot to do within a limited budget. You may be asked to do the work of three people. Expectations for quality and speed of work are very high. It can be very overwhelming at first.

Advice to Management

Do not assume the incompetence of your employees. Often times, when I explained an issue I had or confusion about a task, I was met with what felt like derision and annoyance at my inability, when most often it was a mistake on behalf of someone else. This was frustrating and made it difficult to ever ask questions to better do my job. Additionally, more positive reinforcement would be nice. I never felt successful until I put in my two weeks and I was suddenly met with praise.

Pros

Opportunity to grow my resume A LOT in a short amount of time. I have better emotional regulation, management of self, expectations, etc. for having worked here. You definitely develop a backbone if you stay a while. Self-starters will learn a range of new things here (at the cost of their sanity).

Cons

Layla has unrealistic standards that I played into prior to the age of quiet quitting simply because I was a fresh grad in the age of COVID and I didn't know any better. Quiet quitting wouldn't have worked here, though. Every day was something new, which was only exciting until I started getting squeezed; I've never worked harder than I have here. Layla's timesheets are incredibly counterproductive—you'll find yourself logging every five minutes of your day, ultimately pulling from your productivity—as you navigate a web of unique and novel tasks. I cried daily from the stresses and pressures I faced at Chef Koochooloo—and to my knowledge, I lasted one of the longest at 6+ months. I never faced troubles getting paid, but I watched plenty of coworkers fight for their checks. Eventually, I'd read one too many emails from sweetheart coworkers (or unpaid interns 🥺) fed up and leaving, I decided I had enough too.

Advice to Management

You can't pay me (a young, white American female) $22/hour (still too low for what you asked of me) and turn around to pay Nigerians doing the same work $2/hour. Having me attempt to negotiate that felt dirty and slimy, especially for a woman who so strongly "values" diversity and inclusion. What good is visibility if you're exploiting people of color in developing countries (as a POC too!)? What makes you any better than the bullies in your memoir?

Pros

You will learn a lot from this Company with the tasks you are going to be assigned.

Cons

Pay for employees from the Philippines are too low compared to US employees.

Advice to Management

The payroll system should be fair.

Pros

Innovative, dynamic place to work, bringing cooking, nutrition, culture, family time alive for students and kids. Loved the opportunities to grow beyond my original role. Appreciated the support of the founder, Layla. Enjoyed the task-based work, allowing for some flexible work hours. Exciting to be a part of the growth from conception to quickly expanding customer base and product/feature offerings.

Cons

The typical things for a startup company.

Advice to Management

Continue to support work-life balance; flexible work schedule where it makes sense; and empowering employees to be creative.