BAD - Manager Workshop Cafe Employee Review

Great coffee, chill vibes, good location (BART accessible)

Its a retail space, its not reinventing the wheel

The concept is cool... I guess.

Workshop Cafe is a pleasant model for what gentrification embodies in the city of San Francisco. When I first started working in this establishment in 2015, there were a diverse mix of young baristas, hosts, artists, and designers who built the company up with the guidance of founder Rich Menendez. As time went on, I realized how little this man truly cares about his workers. We went from having an entire employee break area where we could lunch, plan, or simply talk amongst each other. that break area was transformed into extra space to seat customers. The kitchen area has absolutely no ventilation. Whoever is stuck back there washing dishes or prepping food must endure the humidity and temperatures that rise to 90 degrees in many cases. The customers are techies, bankers, and whatever else fills in the gaps of San Francisco's rapidly expanding corporate culture. Trying to engage in conversation with a customer is like trying to speak to a keyboard, as they have zero personality. Employees are told to be yes men toward our customers and this leads to customers taking advantage of the staff. Every week there was new training required of staff and we received zero compensation. Promotions and raises were strictly arbitrary and did not reflect the merits of the person receiving praise. Management is mostly white and the company continues to hire mostly white employees. I was one of six employees who either quit or were let go. Rich has brought his admin staff from his company One Medical Group to run a cafe. The corporate influence of start-up culture completely disregards workers' rights and labor.