Pros
Five Guys does not spend any of it’s revenue on traditional advertising. Instead, they invest in secret shopper programs to ensure their employees are meeting the brand standards. IF the shift leaders and employees can pass the frequent secret shopper visits (1-4 visits per week), the occasional extra income in your biweekly paycheck is nice to have. That being said, due to understaffing, inconsistent scheduling, and lack of day-to-day support from general managers, it is nearly impossible to be consistently successful with secret shoppers.
Cons
Five Guys is a high-stress environment with unrealistic expectations. Shift leaders are expected to work for multiple people, and pick up slack from poor scheduling/understaffing while receiving minimal recognition or pay increases. For the amount of work required, the pay is not competitive. Very minimal career growth opportunities. Upper management disregards employees’ concerns, and scheduling is inconsistent, leading to constant understaffing. Unfortunately favoritism is common, and complaints about workplace issues/toxicity are ignored. The high turnover rate means shift leaders/store trainers are constantly training new employees that don’t stay.