Bussed the Tables... - Busser Darden Employee Review

4.0
10 Nov 2009
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Made 8 an hour and sometimes could make 30 - 60 in tips per night. If you run food you can get free meals. Some servers you dont need to help out as much and they end up tipping you better. You can average about $15 for an hourly wage

Cons

You work 10 to 12 hours on a double shift which sucks On Friday and Saturdays you split tips with another busser sometimes and barely bring home $120 and thats if u got lucky enough to have great servers on your side who tipped close to 10% Work 8 hours on friday and saturday night and overall make $120 while some servers make $200 in less amount of time and then give you a 5% tip for your 8 hours of bussing ur ass off. Your going to average about $450 a week for 40hours, (trust me, no other busser in all of olive garden does as much as myself, Running the food, pre-bussing, serving, getting drinks, cleaning the tables, rolling silverware and setting up the side station.) The servers will pretty much ask for your help on every little chore sometimes and then will give you HALF of what another server gives you. Average tip out per server is about $7 and theres only 5 to 7 of them for yourself. While they make an average of $7 per table and can flip 3 tables in an hour. Bussers are compensated about 8 by the business and another 7 by the servers together per hour for 15 an hour. ALL IN ALL ... JUST BECOME A SERVER ....SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM THEIR PROBLEMS AND FOCUS DIRECTLY ON THE CUSTOMERS....

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5.0
24 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

-Good Pay -Good Managers -Fun

Cons

-Corporate rules don't always make sense

1.0
3 Mar 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Dining discounts for all the brands and you can buy gift cards for family too

Cons

Over time, leadership has significantly tightened hybrid flexibility, reducing work-life balance for many employees. This shift has been disappointing, particularly for those who accepted offers under a different set of expectations. While leadership suggests that “many companies” are returning to office-heavy models, the reality is that many competitive organizations, especially smaller and mid-sized companies continue to offer flexible remote and hybrid options to attract and retain top talent. Since this change, I’ve seen strong employees leave for companies with more flexible cultures, and I’ve also seen great candidates decline offers for the same reason. It raises the question of whether leadership is fully considering retention and recruiting data tied to these decisions. For a company that emphasizes DEI, it’s worth noting that flexibility is often essential for working parents, especially single parents. Policies that reduce flexibility can unintentionally create barriers for the very groups the company claims to support. Additionally, the E/G/I performance rating structure, where increases come from a shared pool can unintentionally discourage collaboration. When employees perceive that one person’s higher rating reduces available rewards for others, it can create a competitive, information-hoarding environment rather than fostering teamwork.

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