retail sales associate

barista

store manager

assistant store manager

process worker

Daniels Donuts

A typical day consists of clocking in, serving customers, making drinks, packing delivery app orders and cleaning (depending on what team/shift you're assigned). We're often busy so you may find yourself stuck doing one job for hours on end, which can be exhausting - particularly if you're stuck on delivery or drinks as there is only ever one person per team. Overall the tasks are easy and I found my work enjoyable, however, I found myself and other staff being put in difficult situations due to some poor decision-making.

For the past several months there has been pretty bad understaffing issues, which has resulted in a domino effect that has caused work quality, staff morale and quality of our service to decline. I have seen several staff members leave, including myself, due to our frustrations being brushed aside and an apparent lack of care for our wellbeing.

I learnt a lot from my job, as I was trained as an all-rounder when I just started. I feel that I have gained valuable experience here as it is super fast-paced, I had a variety of tasks and had to think on my feet. Though I will say, training is not very consistent nor thorough as there were plenty of things my coworkers learned through me, despite working there several months before me. There's no official training system, so you either get put on a shift with a manager or experienced staff, then they tell you what to do and explain things. This was fine, but due to a lack of communication it wasn't the best and this led to a few things being done improperly or inconsistently.

The in-store managers are amazing, so hard-working and likeable. They seem to share an understanding of how the staff feel as they essentially do the same thing for longer hours, plus the usual 'manager' duties. However, directly above them are the owners, which makes it very hard to get though any concerns as the higher-ups essentially can do whatever they want. In-store managers are essentially just messengers, and you have to do whatever they say as it comes direct from the owners.
Trying to give feedback felt like talking to a brick wall, as any concerns were shut down with "it's not my decision", or complete inaction after passed to those above. None of the staffs' concerns have even been acknowledged by the ones making the decisions.

The workplace culture is weird and unencouraging. My coworkers were great and everyone I worked with honestly made a great team. Beyond that, communication was bad, the work group chat felt like a place to announce new rules and tell off staff, and there were no incentives for the staff at all. No discounts. Not even encouraging feedback. The only time we ever got freebies was if there was product that met it's best before date, and therefore couldn't be sold. Despite heaps of food waste almost every night, staff are not allowed any free donuts and are expected to pay full price for everything. Higher-ups would often watch cameras and phone the store if they saw something they didn't like, regardless of how significant - which resulted in more important duties being neglected.

The hardest part of the job was that you were expected to put 110% in every time, with less than zero reward. Over time we were given more tasks and higher expectations, but at the same time were given less time and less staff.
Break entitlements are not being fulfilled due to there being not enough time and/or not enough staff to function if you were to take one.
For example, one person might be expected to pack deliveries, serve customers and take phone calls at the same which is just physically impossible. With only two people staffed on the tasks build up because they simply can't be done all at once by just two people. At the end of the day, staff get blamed for being too slow by customers who have to wait ages, when really its down to understaffing.

The most enjoyable part of the job was working with such a great team. 
I also was lucky enough to have some lovely regulars and kind customers that made my job 100x better. 
Despite not feeling very valued myself, I did find some value in my experience working at Daniel's Donuts. I made valuable friends along the way and I learned and developed some solid industry skills.

Working at Daniel’s donuts has honestly been one of the most draining and demoralising experiences I’ve had. In the beginning, my immediate coworkers were absolutely amazing, they became like family immediately and we all had each others backs for anything. But the moment any form of management got involved it was a completely different story. It felt like the whole atmosphere turned toxic and it became a battle just to get through each shift. You’re constantly forced to do tasks way beyond your pay grade, and if you even hesitate you’re threatened with warnings. It’s as if you’re expected to take on responsibilities that aren’t in your job description, yet there’s not compensation for it. God forbid at the end of the day, instead of throwing hundreds of donuts in the bin you decide to take a few home for your family instead, and don’t even think about wanting to have one during your short break, you’ll wake up in the morning without a job. To make matters even worse, you’re being watched on the cameras 24/7. There’s no privacy or sense of autonomy, You’re just constantly being micromanaged, and it’s exhausting.
The staff shortage at this place is another huge issue. They can’t seem to keep enough people on the schedule to run things smoothly, yet they continue to fire people without good reason. And then the management have the audacity to make those of us left feel guilty about not being able to pick up more shifts, especially when you’re in school. They make it feel like you’re slacking off for not working full-time hours, even though you’ve made your availability clear from the start. Speaking of availability, it’s an absolute nightmare to manage, God forbid you fall sick or need time off for any reason, you have to give an insanely detailed forecast of when and for how long you’ll be sick ideally THREE WEEKS in advance. It’s ridiculous and feels like they don’t care about your personal life or health. The turnover rates through the roof. Store manager’s come and go like it’s nothing, and it’s always because the area manager treats them like puppets. It’s honestly pathetic how much control they have over everyone. Even when they’re not actively working at the store, they still manager to make their presence felt in the worst way possible. When we hear that the area manager is coming to the store for a few days, it sends everyone into a panic. You’re on edge constantly checking to see if she’s there, even if you’re not working that day, because you just know they’re about to get mad at something. It’s like walking on eggshells every single time they’re in the building.

In short, Daniel’s donuts is a place that takes advantage of its employees, puts them in uncomfortable and unrealistic situations, and then wonders why everyone keeps leaving. If you’re looking for a job that values its people and provides a healthy work-life balance, this isn’t it. Avoid at all costs.

The donuts don’t even taste good.

Working here was a very bad experience for me. A normal day included simple tasks, but obviously it was 99% serving donuts. Job was easy, but not worth it. You were not allowed to take home any donuts at the end of the night, and there was an innumerable amount of food waste every day just thrown into the bin. There was no such thing as a staff allowance/discount/incentive system, so it wasn't a very inclusive or supportive place.

I worked here for 6 months, and had to leave after being ridiculed in front of everyone for getting a coffee order wrong. I remember coming into work and not being greeted by anybody because the environment fostered there was not caring. I was also not able to take my entitled breaks if it was 'too busy', and if I did take one, it was a short 10 minutes which doesn't do any good.

The way the company operated was very money-orientated, meaning there was almost zero care towards both employees and customers. There was no support when something went wrong. I would not recommend working here, and would recommend getting your first job at a bigger franchise like McDonald's where there are people who you can report inappropriate behaviour to directly (e.g higher ups that go past your store manager), as Daniel's Donuts does not have any level of accountability for their wrongdoings because there is no head office or regionals to take care of you.

Upper management has no respect for staff, very rude and demanding and expects way more work than is possible. Consistently understaffed, very high staff turnover, low pay (but not minimum, could be worse). Managers will watch security cameras consistently and manage remotely via phone which is disconcerting. Work is not bad but repetitive, always on feet. Pretty standard food service job, kind of like playing Papa’s Donuteria, quite satisfying and relaxing in a way but can be stressful when busy and understaffed. Staff are friendly, all young (15-18ish). For some reason the company only hires girls/women. They will not let you take home food at the end of shifts, forced to throw all straight in the bin. Most recent store manager has been much friendlier and more professional. Seemed like they were finally getting more organised so could have improved. Other store managers have also been friendly and young.

Significantly more respect for staff is needed from owners and upper management. Upper managers would come in and criticise tiny imperfections, not acknowledge staff except to criticise and generally treat the staff poorly, leaving us feeling undervalued and frustrated. Potentially a good first job for 15 year olds, can learn skills such as serving, cleaning and making coffees using the machine. No room for career development whatsoever.

The job itself is relatively straightforward.
Greet customers, upsell donuts/pies and do general tidying. 

I liked the staff that worked there. I was fortunate to be trained by very decent managers and staff. The work may be monotonous but I found it manageable. I looked forward to shifts as they were straightforward and not entirely stressful. I was then relocated to another store.

My biggest gripe, and ultimately the reason I left, was it felt like my managers at this new store were on a power trip. They scolded you for minor and honest mistakes. I was accused of doing things I did not do (we have surveillance cameras!). If it were particularly quiet, you would be tasked to do an endless amount of cleaning and being caught standing felt like a crime.  The training was not translated from one store to the other. I was not told to do something at the prior store and was again, scolded for not being trained properly. 

Imagine middle-aged, passive-aggressive Lululemon mums. That's what management was, and felt like. After reading reviews from other workers here, it feels like a much larger trend. I say that you're lucky if you have a good manager because I did, briefly, and my problems would have been non-existent had I stayed at that location. 

A typical day at work is coming in, popping a hat and apron on, then serving donuts and taking coffee orders. You might wash a few pairs of tongs and open the pie oven a few times a day too. Easy job on its own, minus the mean managers and some rude customers.

Very fast-paced environment which means the day goes quick, but definitely a clear hierarchy that means you'll never get to advance and you're also very disposable. 

Breaks are strictly 10 minutes (no 30 minute ones), and we get no discount at all, not even 10%. 

Management would be weird about many things and would make strange threats like if we didn't smile enough, they'd hold back our pay. I witness a lot of my co-workers get yelled at on the daily, because I think the managers struggled to tell the difference between constructive feedback and borderline verbal abuse.

Coming in every day wasn't that enjoyable, and there was almost no appreciation for the work you did. I used to finish at 2 a.m. every day and I never got thanked. But the people you meet are lovely and it is really easy work. You don't learn much and it isn't very fulfilling, and the managers don't make you feel like you're worth their time (which is why it didn't feel like it was worth mine either).

Daniel's Donuts is very easy to work at and is usually quite relaxed. It's pretty easy to pick up the job and casual rates are nice when you get shifts.

They prefer to hire women under 18. If you're a male you might find yourself the only guy working there. If you are older your shifts are most likely going to get gutted.

Management is pretty terrible. They only care about lining their own pockets. They do not offer part-time or full-time contracts unless you're a manager and they try their absolute hardest to make you work alone so they can save a dollar. Managers tend to come and go and those that stay feel like they are just pretending to care about you. My hours would constantly be changing. Sometimes they'd take a  shift the night before I'd go to work and I would not even be told.

Depending on the type of store you work at you might be working completely on your own (you might also be opening and closing the store alone). If you're at a simple kiosk work can be boring as you're waiting around for customers however, usually the store has a music speaker.

All in all it is a good place to work if you're young and looking for something relaxed and easy. If you're older and need something consistent then I'd steer clear.

I worked here for almost 12 months and never once was I able to grow as a staff member. I never got to touch the coffee machine in fear of it being damaged. Management was poor but the co-workers were lovely. You are easily disposable here and there is no real chance to advance in the ranks. 

On my first shift, I had never had a job before and it was very busy but the girl who was showing me through it was kind and patient. They have no proper training system and you will not learn to make coffees for God knows how long. 

So much food waste at the end of the day too with no staff discounts or being allowed to take any home. 

They only hire young girls (15-25) so it isn't a very diverse team but the girls are as nice as they come and do their jobs well.
On weekdays closes there is only 2 staff on. They have the bare minimum in order to avoid having to pay for more staff and it makes leaving on time difficult sometimes.

There is no higher management above the owners so if something is to happen there's not much that can be done.

Breaks are limited to 10-minute breaks for some reason 

if you’re looking for a job that will care about your well-being then this isn’t the job for you
i personally wouldn’t recommend for anyone to work at this company, they expect a lot from their employees and don’t show any recognition for the hard work they present.
as a manager they don’t appreciate the efforts you put in which is a bit disappointing. I had been there for two years and never been thanked, appreciated or rewarded for the hard work i showed.

this job includes..
- working alone majority of the time which can be stressful at times
- rarely any bonuses, they only implemented 50% off but you can only get 6 donuts max.
- shifts get cut every week, so expect 3 hour shifts weekly.
- rarely enough on the job training, they expect us managers to give new employees one to two shifts to be trained and then can’t have them with anyone else because it’s too expensive.
- store must always be squeaky clean even during the busiest time, otherwise if someone higher up comes they will let it all out on you. 

look for another job, pay is decent but not worth the hassle you go through working here. 


ill mannered management that don’t care about their employees what so ever, the only good part about working their was meeting Great people and forming close friendships other than that the place was a complete nightmare, the area managers have absolutely no respect for their employees while they themselves can barely perform basic tasks, we were expected to make do when we’d run out of literally everything from milk to ice cream to a whole bunch of other ingredients, the don’t care about the workplace only the money and god forbid you actually have fun while on shift they’ll watch the cameras like a psychopath and report you…while being there we’ve had a total of four different managers the only good one being the first one, they didn’t care that the others were absolutely useless because they expected us to go above and beyond our pay grade and perform manager tasks…DO NOT WOKE HERE THEY ARE ABUSIVE AND SHOULD BE REPORTED!

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Retail sales associate 47 salaries reported	$32.51 per hour
Barista 29 salaries reported	$30.73 per hour
Store manager 1 salary reported	$62,500 per year
Assistant store manager 8 salaries reported	$65,500 per year
Process worker 12 salaries reported	$30.38 per hour

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