The turn over rate in this place is so high because of the lack of management in the building. The buildings are so big you cannot properly manage every employee effectively.
While some employees do their job without question, most do not, and it causes a huge swing on the workload because now the veteran team members are having to work three times as hard.
I'll start with Team Service: If you are lucky enough to have team service when your working, good luck motivating these 16,17, and 18-year-old kids that do not want to work. They hide in the break room, bathrooms, laser tag, and avoid doing their work all the time. The servers are always complaining that they need help and these KIDS just like to distract staff and screw around 80% of their shift. Most of the time, team Service is sent home, or they cut labor so bad you only have 1 team service, so the one person who is working is now getting very mad because it's only just him. They don't understand the functionality of their radio, they never hear their name being called. Most times their twirling their headsets in their hand like their bored when there is plenty of work to be done.
Most of this falls on the management, doing a terrible job of hiring, firing, and MANAGING this department.
Okay Next department: Kitchen
Hopefully, you got help today. Hopefully your sales department doesn't overbook party street and lanes with banquets and parties and HOPEFULLY, they tell you well in advance. In our sto
Prosexposure to the public
Consno breaks, long hours, pay is terrible, NO work/life balance, No full-time available even when they tell you there is, All of our employees are "scheduled" under 33 hours.
Unbiased Review From My Experience, Covering Everything You Need to Know
The day to day:
I was a party host who was a part of the new center opening team. I would clock in, grab a radio, then get my contract and set up my party. As a party host, you are responsible for assisting the party parents, getting bowling lanes and shoes set up, serving drinks and food, and getting the kids to their activities on time. The party then pays out, and you have to clean up and head out for the day unless you have another party.
The good:
I absolutely loved my coworkers, they were always so fun to talk to and I made lots of friends quickly and easily.
You usually get the service charge on the parties in addition to the hourly pay, however, management is allowed to waive this if the parents ask, so it is not guaranteed. Tips are also a bonus, but they are of course not required to tip.
It's fast-paced, and I personally like being on my feet the whole time, but that isn't for everyone.
It is a unique job, and a lot more fun than working in fast food, especially if you like kids.
The bad:
The hourly pay for the amount of work you are doing as a Party Host is not sufficient when you do not get any tips. You leave feeling like you worked much harder than what you are appreciated for.
The scheduling. The center takes new parties up to two days ahead of time, so you can't make plans outside of work on the weekends because your schedule will change for the weekend only a day in advance. If you cannot come because it is such short notice, YOU are requir
I was with this company for almost a year. This is the true definition of a dead end job. No chance for promotions, no pay raises, and no benefits for non managerial positions. There two types of employees: managers and everyone else. There are no team leaders or shift leaders, etc so there is nothing to be promoted to. I personally knew people who had been there over a year with no pay raise.
Lately there has been a corporate wide structural shift at all Main Events. They are cutting hours by scheduling fewer people than is necessary in order to effectively run any department. For instance, it takes 4 to close the kitchen but they will schedule 2 people and demand/expect they do double the work! PAY ATTENTION! THEY EXPECT AND DEMAND THAT ONE DOES DOUBLE THE WORK FOR NO EXTRA PAY!
The kitchen manager was ok but received no respect from the other managers who constantly talked down to him and had no regard for his kitchen policies.
The other managers were terrible hypocrites! Always demanding that employees live up to high expectations regarding service, etc but we’re always undermining each other, standing around looking at Facebook, or coming on the kitchen line three times a shift to snatch up food to stuff in their faces which they never rung up. THAT’S RIGHT! They would just take food! That’s stealing!
They would constantly act unprofessionally. Cursing, berating employees, telling employees they were worthless, and ignoring the feelings/concerns of their employee
Just want to say before had that I have a lot to say about this place. A usual day at Main Event was very relaxed and enjoyable as long as you were on top of all of your duties. It was a very fun place to work and although there seemed to be constant drama going around everyone got along for the most part. The interesting thing about this workplace was that it could be compared strongly to high school. This is because since all the different departments are usually split up throughout the work day, "cliques" would begin to form. For example, techs stayed with techs, servers were with servers, games employees were with other games employees, and etc. The culture of this workplace was very family oriented everyone would grow very close and anyone knew would be welcomed with open arms. Overall, it is an amazing place to work and very fun, but I do have quite a few complaints that I strongly believe many employees would agree with. First, the favoritism from the managers can be ridiculous at times. Specific departments and employees will often get special treatment just because a manager likes them more. Also, "moving up the ranks" in this company is near impossible. Employees that had been working there for years or just working their butts off and deserved a raise or promotion or any kind of recognition at all would not receive it. Lastly, in my opinion, the managers can be very unappreciative of the work that employees put in on a daily basis. Before I had left this establishm
Prosvery fun, enjoyable, family-like environment, easy work
Consshort/no breaks, no recognition, no promotions/raises, lots of drama
Productive Workplace environment that does little for work/life balance
In a management role you work a minimum of 50 hour work weeks. All issues are expected to be addressed with urgency meaning pending tasks rarely slow. This is a company that is open until 12am, 1am, and 2am meaning as a manager you will need to regularly think about your center even during your personal life. The company constantly changes looking for improvement, which is good for personal growth as it keeps you learning something new. The major downsides is work life balance. Most managers will state off the record that Main Event consumes there life. Most management position schedules are random every week so work/life balance suffers. Main Event is a competitive company that takes care of employees only on the surface. Health insurance is expensive considering the revenue this company generates. Managers usually do the "ground level labor" as Main Event has staffing issues due to a lack of a competitive team member compensation package. I'd personally recommended Main Event as an opportunity to gain a lot of knowledge in management, technology, and systems improvement. Long term I do not believe Main Event is your answer if you aren't competitive, want to do a lot outside of work, or need consistency. Main Event is a continuous improvement culture. Where they lack is understanding the importance of investing in employees as we regularly get asked to do more with less. (Time off, respecting our time outside of work, budget constraints, low labor, uninterrupted management p
ProsFree/Discounted Food, Personal Growth, Fun Environment, Bonus Opprotunity
ConsWork Life Balance, Stress, Schedule Inconsistency, Open all Holidays, Late Operation Hours
Started working part time and then switched to full time after I completed my degree. Hours worked well with my school schedule and my SM was willing to work with the hours I was available. Server turnover rate was high. Bowl/laser tag, and game attendants (even party hosts/banquet attendants) were frequently high schoolers so their maturity was frequently low.
There was some tension between managers when I was there. It wasn't directly aimed or stated but you could tell when they asked something and we told them they needed to speak with such and such, they would sigh. GM was really nice, really great guy. Some supervisors acted like they were managers. There was some movement between supervisor going to be a manager and managers changing locations, a bartender also moved to be a supervisor. Some potential for growth is there, just don't expect it to be quick. Pretty much none of that can happen unless someone else leaves or gets promoted which seem to happen in windows.
Yearly raises are a thing and it's based on evaluations and percentages. If you have an open conversation with your manager, you may get a little higher. Don't expect a raise if you're part time. Guests can be very rude but some guests can light up a room. Try to focus on the good ones or the bad ones will just eat at you. A lot of people demand to speak with a manger even though you'll frequently tell them what the manager said. Guests have gone also and contacted corporate to complain, so do with t
ProsDiscounts on food, games, and activities; Health care is offered but it's pretty average
ConsCareer advancement seemed slow and there were tension between certain managers, guests were frequently rude
By the time I left, became one of the worst places I ever worked
Horrible management from center all the way to corporate. Anywhere I’ve worked before there of course, has been a manager or two that just weren’t my style, but with Main Event it is the opposite. They will promise you the world, and then never deliver no matter how much effort you put in. Managers have major favoritism, corporate is all about the money. There is so much fraternization between regular employees and management. It is posted all over social media. Unless you are hanging out with the managers they do not care about you. The managers and corporate always side with the guest no matter the circumstances. They allow guest to yell and cuss out our underage staff and then give away the store to the guest. If the manager doesn’t like you they will talk about you behind your back to other managers and regular employees. They have no real concern for cleanliness or safety unless people from corporate are in town. Reminders are given to the same employees over and over how they need to do their job in positions that are there to keep you from getting hurt. They will run you ragged and then get mad at you if you get sick and then try to force you to come in anyway. I have not worked there since Covid hit, but knowing how they handled it before, I don’t want to step in right now. I could go on and on about the inconsistency and unfairness there.
There is almost no such thing as a "typical day" at a place like Main Event. Some days when you expect to be really busy, it ends up being dead, or vice versa. What I've learned is that every day will vary and that you should only expect to work through it however life asks you to. Management and co-workers will only vary slightly, as the company seems to have a good general standard of the personality types they look for in employees. The hardest part of the job is the same as any other service-entertainment job: The rushes and the typical bad apples that you'll either serve or work with. I've had the privilege of performing both tasks with people of just about every background one could think of in such an environment as Main Event has to offer. The good, the bad, the ugly. I've had days that end with a simple clock out and return home, and others that start and finish with pretty challenging circumstances. For me the best part of the job is the privilege of making others happy while developing friendships with many of the folks I've worked it at both the Lewisville and Lubbock Centers. I'm can happily say that I'm still friends with many of my co-workers, old and current, to this day. There is a sense of community in this industry that I really admire.
ProsFun/fast paced environment, good work experience, good scheduling, good food
ConsRushes, slow development company wide, few benefits, sometimes poor management, longer shifts
Where do i start.. I wanted to love this place so much.. but after so long.. you can’t take it anymore, it gets to a point where you have to leave to help your self, I started part time, ended practically full time but still being treated as part time. The way they just throw you into things without proper training, I wasn’t even three days done with my training and got gravity certified, I got $9.50 in games and that is all I would ever get, they LIE about getting a dollar extra if you get gravity certified, I would see new people come in way after I was there getting more money then me, and when I told management I want to transfer to a different department for more money I was told I was selfish, working in line? Do not expect to get out on time, there would be days we didn’t get out until 3 am, because the management is so picky about everything. Dust on the floor?? Nope not leaving until it’s cleaned up, fork in the dishtank? Can’t leave. Then your back again the next day. Want a day off to be with your family? Good luck, I got told “it’s family or work”. Yep. Making a burger too long? Screamed at, wings took a minute longer? Yelled at. Everything you can think of. Yep you get yelled at. No help from management. 12$ as line, even after a year. The coworkers are the reason I stayed so long, Co workers are AMAZING. I love them all still. I had to leave for my mental health. So if you want this job.. please think twice..
A typical day at work was never "typical." Employees would no call/no show on a regular basis, and when they did, everyone else suffered. The managers would never provide breaks unless we were slow enough to where you could do so, or there was another person to watch the bowl desk who was not a manager. Very rarely would the management team jump in and help out in our department. The sales team treated my department horribly, especially on the weekends. Saturdays we would hit a minimum wait of 2 hours, just because they had so many events scheduled on those days. Pretty much all of my co-workers are a bunch of immature kids who didn't treat this as job, but instead as a way to just make some money. If they didn't feel like showing up, they just wouldn't show up. The most enjoyable part of the job is the fact that the management team was okay with you sitting around and doing nothing after you had completed your daily tasks and there were no guests in your area. The fact that everything was discounted for you and up to five guests when you came in on your off days was cool too.
ProsDiscounted bowling, discounted food, free video games
ConsNo breaks on busy days (when they are needed most), no dependable employees, management team could have used some work, never was released on time from my shift
Questions And Answers about Main Event Entertainment
What changes would you like to see within Main Event?
Asked Dec 20, 2016
Allow self expression in hair. Having blue green or red hair does not make you a bad worker.
Answered Apr 25, 2021
Make sure employees that aren't minors can still get breaks if they want them and if you want us to vacuum, make sure there is a vacuum that actually works.
Answered Mar 14, 2021
What is the interview process like at Main Event Entertainment?
Asked Sep 9, 2016
I was nervous and ended up getting put through three interviews and almost didn’t get the job. Most people I talked to either didn’t interview or only required one interview.
Answered Aug 11, 2020
I got an interview on the spot with one of the Games managers, then he immediately offered me a job position in games. As well giving me a free timed funcard to have fun with the arcades.
Answered Sep 18, 2017
What is the work environment and culture like at Main Event Entertainment?
Asked Jul 7, 2016
The people who work there are nice and its a fun environment but the guests are almost unbearably rude and most of the time stupid. The managers also expect way too much for what they pay.
Answered Nov 11, 2018
Varies, the employees seemed tired, stressed out, & few can be quite rude or annoying. Which is the stressful part, otherwise it's very relaxed on slow days like Monday-Thursday when there's school. Saturday & Sunday are where it's busy with many family-guests and can be that stressful.
Answered Sep 18, 2017
How are the working hours at Main Event Entertainment?
Asked Jun 28, 2016
Very fluctuated! Sometimes you work 5-7 hours or 7 hours, then you get 3 or 4 days off from work! So you aren't guaranteed to make enough to survive!
Answered Sep 18, 2017
When hiring they promise 40 hrs but do not come close to following through.
Answered Jan 21, 2017
If you were in charge, what would you do to make Main Event Entertainment a better place to work?
Asked Nov 19, 2019
Flexible working hours, living wage, better cleaning policies, stick up for my employees when a customer gets aggressive.
Answered Aug 20, 2020
I guess i would say some in between store competitions
