Cool, but terrible - Server Dinner Lab Employee Review

Fun start-up environment with a committed team.

The company, which had initial success, didn't make it, and had to end operations.

Dinner Lab is cool, hip, and up and coming. Lots of people are learning about it and wanting to participate - so it is great for networking opportunities. As event staff, you usually get food at the end of the night.

Like most startups run by young people, DL is a lot of work for little money. They have interns for EVERYTHING, and their event managers easily work 50-60 hours a week on salary. It's not very easy to move up in the company if you're a server, unless you're buds with the bosses and then you've got a chance. Ultimately, how well you're treated as an employee depends on how much your boss likes you. You can sign up for an event and not know you've been cut until the day before. Also, the starting pay is meager for service work and you're not allowed to take tips. So there is hardly an incentive to do better when there's no way to go up. As the title suggests, employees are dispensable. There are many bright faced people looking for opportunities with a new and popular company. But you make a mistake, or someone doesn't feel you, and you're out. You can easily be fired unexpectedly the day before you're supposed to work an event, without ever being talked to in person, warned or addressed.