Sweet Tomatoes, also known as Souplantation, employs thousands of workers in about 15 states nationally. The company supports more than 100 buffet-style restaurant locations offering bountiful opportunities for entry-level work.
Facts About Working at Sweet Tomatoes
Hiring Age: 16 years old (How old do you have to be to work at Sweet Tomatoes?)
Available Positions: Dining Room Attendant, Cashier, Seater, Counter Attendant, Food Prep Cook, Dishwasher, Central Kitchen Cook, Assistant Manager, Restaurant Manager
Printable Application: No. Search Job Openings or visit official site.
Sweet Tomatoes Job Opportunities
Originating in Southern California, the restaurant chain spread across the country to provide fresh meal options in convenient, buffet settings for health-conscious food lovers. The growing popularity of the brand suggests steady job opportunities for interested, restaurant industry job hopefuls. Some employment resides within the corporate structure; however, most entry-level work persists in the multitude of restaurants nationwide. Heavily customer oriented, the restaurant jobs require workers with social personalities and solid work ethics. Both part- and full-time positions remain available, although new hires usually assume predominantly part-time hours.
Cashiers, cooks, salad bar attendants, and dish washers epitomize the entry-level positions available to individuals looking to begin careers or students looking for extra cash. Oftentimes, employers scan for candidates with past histories of success, motivated character, and demonstrated dependability. Recently hired applicants may find weekend and holiday hours comprise available work schedules more often than workers with seniority. As with a majority of jobs, opportunity for promotion and better positioning exists within the company infrastructure.
Sweet Tomatoes Positions and Wages
Hiring managers emphasize ethical honesty and integrity as part of company policy. High school diplomas remain ideal, although the company understands not all potential associates possess such credentials. Sweet Tomatoes provides an extensive training program for newly hired employees. Candidates over the age of 16 may apply for open positions within Sweet Tomatoes. Multitasking abilities remain a vital part of everyday function for each job listed below:
Cashier
- Earning potential begins around minimum wage and may rise to $10.00 an hour.
- Prior experience and exhibition of preferred skills generally situate starting pay rates higher than for candidates new to restaurant customer service.
- Basic cashier duties comprise greeting and assisting customers throughout the purchasing process.
- Also, cashiers must remain conversant in various restaurant promotions, pricing, and taste profiles of staple food items.
- Additional responsibility may include cleaning, seating patrons, and refilling select items in the food lines.
- Hiring managers often seek prior cash-handling experience and desire candidates who possess savvy social skills.
- Generally part-time, cashiers may receive additional hours and promotion to full-time status with demonstration of value to upper management.
Cook
- Cooks prepare fresh and from-scratch buffet style foods.
- Extensive training offers inexperienced individuals the chance to begin careers in the restaurant industry.
- Training includes the education of food preparation laws, work safety procedures, and customer service theory.
- The cross-training allows employees to work wherever necessary based on customer volume.
- Essential cook responsibilities consist of maintaining clean work environments, communicating with coworkers, and executing cooking procedures swiftly and consistently.
- Cook incomes hover around minimum wage upon hire and may reach $10.00 per hour.
Managers
- Cashiers excelling in the customer service craft may receive promotions to crew leader.
- The position serves as a support for upper management.
- Managers learn how to open and close the restaurants in addition to leading the success of each shift.
- Profitability of each restaurant depends on management.
- As a result, general managers earn anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 a year based on experience and performance.
- Duties comprise hiring crew members, ensuring customer satisfaction, and keeping record of restaurant inventory and money flow.
- Assistant managers learn and provide support for general manger duties while earning salary options of about $20,000 to $30,000 annually.
Tips For Applying
Job aspirants must apply in person; however, the company offers a printable online application to save time. Like most applications, questions concerning past employment and education history coincide with character reference and criminal background queries. When turning in the application, wear fitting attire in case of management interaction. Candidates successfully fielding interviews should speak clearly and display fun-loving yet hard-working and serious personalities to illustrate ability to work within a team. Always end interviews with a sincere, gratuitous closure, and follow up with a thank-you email or letter.
Application Status
Contacting hiring staff upon application submission remains the best possible strategy to obtain both an interview and a job offer. Aspirants should contact proper hiring authorities within a few days of submission to gain interviews. Managers often wait for the initiation from applicants to weed out non-committed job seekers. Following interviews, offers may take up to a month to receive. If one or two weeks passes without an offer, job hopefuls may establish contact once again to confirm the status of the process.
Benefits of Working at Sweet Tomatoes
Working for Sweet Tomatoes presents important work benefit packages sought after by any job prospector. Full-time employees gain access to health, dental, and vision insurance. Short- and long-term disability, life insurance, and employee assistance plans also stand available. Added job benefits include:
- 401(k) retirement plans
- Flex spending accounts
- Discounted meals, and
- Movie passes.
Additionally, employees may earn up to six weeks’ vacation time commensurate with seniority.
Further Information on Sweet Tomatoes
Known for healthy alternatives, Sweet Tomatoes serves vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes. Ever changing to promote diversity of food intake, the restaurant chain develops recipes like black bean chili, bok choy citrus slaw, and sauteed vegetable focaccia. Such variety allows almost everyone to find reason to return. In addition, meat lovers regularly find tasty options, as the buffet chain offers suitable dining options for differing lifestyles. The company even provides assistance with navigating potential allergy-provoking foods, while also providing straightforward definitions of veganism and vegetarianism for anyone wary of the honesty in the preparation of the food.