Second Cup Employee Reviews

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3.6Work-life balance

2.8Pay & benefits

2.9Job security & advancement

3.2Management

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Found 441 reviews matching the searchSee all 505 reviews

Great for a summer job and the like

Barista and Cashier (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 17 June 2021

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This job is great for a summer job and the like but I won't recommend it as a permanent job as there is no advancement in the field. If you are a student, it's good temporarily but it can really take a tole on your health if you are sensitive to standing for long periods of time. The environment is fast paced, open early, close late and you must be quick on your feet as you never know when there will be a huge line up with several different orders. Depending on the area you work in, you may be up for some abuse from customers (especially those who foolishly mistaken this place for Starbucks) so keep that in mind if you are very sensitive. If chosen as a barista, I would recommend writing down the recipes for the drinks as it is essential you memorize them in order to work well during rush hours and you should be able to work without supervision. Finally, if you want to save money, please invest in making and bringing your own lunch as foods from here are expensive (and some unhealthy) even with the employee discount!

Pros

Employee discount on food

Cons

Long hours, 30 minutes for lunch, stressful rush hours, abusive customers, lots of new recipes to memorize in one sitting if you're new

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It's ok for casual part time

Barista (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 28 August 2021

It's ok for temp work or super casual minimum wage job. Will help you learn customer service skills and to deal with grumpy customers and multi tasking abilities . Manager is usually so so

Pros

Tips, if split fairly, discount food

Cons

No benefits, expired food is yours

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I environment was terrible.

Barista (Former Employee) - St. Michael's Hospital - 20 May 2021

I was forced to work eight and a half hours without a break. We did have a break scheduled but it was impossible to enjoy it since we would be working in the kiosk be ourselves. Which would mean we would still have to serve customers during our break.

Pros

free coffee or tea

Cons

long hours

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toxic work environment

Barista (Former Employee) - Montreal, QC - 8 April 2021

Very bad work experience. For some odd reason, the assistant manager told the boss that I had an attention disorder without any proof (they can’t make an assumption about it since they aren’t a doctor what the hell). Even with 1.5 years of experience as a barista and good references, the boss did not have trust in me, at the point where I wasn’t even ALLOWED to make the drinks for the customers. He told every new person I was working with to not let me do the drinks because of my *CONDITION*. it was so degrading and ableist.

Pros

some employees were nice

Cons

ableist workplace

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熱心に働く姿勢を評価される会社

バリスタ (Former Employee) - toronto - 24 February 2021

オーダーを取るだけでなく、お客様とのコミュニケーション能力も仕事の一環ですので、バリスタとしての技術のみをつけたい方はもう一度考えたほうがいいです。様々なお客様と出会える環境であるし、日本よりも各お客様の要望が強いので、その対応も面白みの１つだと思います。

Pros

風通しが良い

Cons

８時間休憩がなかった（人によっては良いと行っていた、早く帰れるため）

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It was ok

Brista (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 11 December 2020

Merchandise stores need a lot work on the management. More training is needed for new employees with both skills and protocol trainings. People are friendly.

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Dreadful

Supervisor (Former Employee) - Edmonton, AB - 13 October 2020

I didn't enjoy working there at all. I dreaded going to work every day. I wasn't treated very well there. I am glad to be gone from there. It was too fast paced for me. My manager was mean, called me names that weren't true.

Pros

Tips

Cons

Drive thru, open too late

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Productive and fun

Barista and Cashier (Former Employee) - Markham, ON - 4 October 2020

It was overall a productive period of time. I had quite a good connection with all my co workers. I bonded well with my customers and they always tipped me. I have to really be on point and fast at working because you do not want to keep customers waiting

Pros

Free drinks while working

Cons

Cleaning was long

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The job is great, but then there’s management

Barista/Cashier (Former Employee) - Dartmouth, NS - 2 October 2020

I loved the customer interaction and making drinks. Try booking time off and it’s the end of the world, they feel like you don’t need to have a life.

Pros

Free coffee, meet new people, discount

Cons

Management is hard to deal with, lots of favouritism and too much drama

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Great staff poor management

Shift Supervisor/Barista (Former Employee) - Burlington, ON - 26 September 2020

I was paid too little for all the stuff I was told to do, ordering supplies, fixing toilets, cleaning up human feces. Owners were only around to hire new staff or when their were new promotions going up. Forced to work long hours when other staff didnt show up for shifts. They also talk to other employees about you behind your back. Maybe other locations are different but I've heard the same about them as well.

Pros

Free drinks

Cons

Poor management

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Productive and fun in work place

Store Manager (Current Employee) - Ottawa, ON - 13 September 2020

Directs and oversees on-site baristas and café staff, while coordinating with regional managers and owners on issues regarding sales and general procedures to reach effective long-term soluttion.Productively handles complaints and concerns by assessing customer needs and diffusing situations by providing refunds and promotions. Actively implements de-escalation strategies in training for other staff members.

Pros

Free coffee drinks and coffee beans with royalty points

Cons

Long hours

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productive and relaxed workplace

Barista/Cashier (Former Employee) - Ottawa, ON - 19 August 2020

great staff and management, with an enjoyable relaxed workplace. nice and friendly customers. stress-free work environment and reliable work force.

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Easy to Sell Good Products.

Barista (Current Employee) - Whitby, ON - 14 August 2020

Second Cup Makes it easy to work there because the coffee and treats. Coffee Beans, Baked goods, overall Vibe is always beautiful. i just always wished more people knew about Second Cup.

Pros

Amazing coffee

Cons

covid closing stores

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Great personal development experience. - Poor management.

Barista (Former Employee) - Québec City, QC - 2 August 2020

I worked for two years as a barista and gained a few responsibilities within the first 3 to 6 months. Most barista jobs include basic management tasks such as handling money, making sure that the store is respecting company standards and teaching the job to new baristas. You might also have to learn how to manage stocks and orders. Great to develop leadership, customer service and basic management skills. Unfortunately, this company works almost exclusively with a franchising system. The main issue i have occured is the poor quality of management. The head office does not obligat the owners to use a specific management set-up. One of the things that often happens with restaurant businesses is the obsession to save every peny to actually make profit.. This might include creating a work culture that is suggesting employees to not ask to be paid for the extra hours of work... As an employee, I often heard the boss saying that we are rich(the employees) because of the tip we are making. The owner also often complained about the fact that people are doing protests concerning minimum wage... The same idea of saving money off employees applies for the fact that the owners dont always hire managers or shift supervisors. This can be problematic when you are supposed to take decisions. Many situations can be unclear and you dont always have the time to call your boss or vote out the situation... You have to assume the decisions yourself and face the consequences without having the management experience, title and salary...

Pros

free drinks and big dsicounts at specific locations, $40 to $80 of tip per day in busy areas!

Cons

management is often inexistent, physical job, no insurance

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Great experience

Barista and Cashier (Former Employee) - Toronto, ON - 11 July 2020

It’s my first time job, I was lucky to get a good team, I enjoyed working. Flexible hours and god management. The one I worked at is serving a community so it feels like I was accepted in a group

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YMMV with franchise based employers

Barista/Cashier (Former Employee) - Calgary, AB - 21 June 2020

My personal experience at second cup was great, mostly. I got in close with the franchise owners and built a healthy relationship with them. however, as a franchise, I can't say other locations are as good.

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Very relaxed and supportive work enviroment

Keyholder / Barista (Current Employee) - Saint John, NB - 6 June 2020

My coworkers constantly push me to be better. They teach you latte basics, coffee and tea basics, and you get cash plus debit tips. I'm not sure what other franchise locations are like since every type of management is different, but overall I love it at second cup.If you are in school I'd recommend this job, or if you have a passion for coffee. Other than that, it can get quite tedious especially if you're working full time, its repetitive and fast paced

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Bon emploi pour les étudiants

Chef d'équipe et barista (Current Employee) - Montréal, QC - 2 June 2020

Excellent emploi pour les étudiants : - horaire flexible - patron compréhensif et à l'écoute des besoins de ses employé.e.s - boissons gratuites lors des quarts de travail - environnement sain et agréable

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Productive and enjoying

Cashier/Barista (Current Employee) - North York, ON - 24 May 2020

working in second cup is not bad as for a first timer because you will experience how to deal with the people around you if you want to get experience being sales associate.

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Initially intimidating, ultimately enjoyable

Second Cup Barista (Former Employee) - Orleans, ON - 23 April 2020

The people are the best part of this job; awesome staff/coworkers, loved seeing the regulars, and the location meant that I quickly made friends with other workers within the mall. Enjoyed learning new skills--although the owners are extremely strict and intimidating.

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Worked every weekend and long hours,no raises or benefits

Manager and Assistant Manager (Former Employee) - St. John's, NL - 19 March 2020

I was assistant manager then became the manager there,served coffee and food,performed interviews,did the hiring and firing of staff.Placed orders,did inventory,did up the petty cash nightly.Closed and opened the store daily.

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