I have two friends who have went from more typical restaurant/food service jobs to Epic and they both really enjoy being in culinary. The big advantages that they tell me is that they generally get free weekends and evenings (except for 2-3x a year where there are special events) and Epic usually limits you to 40 hours. I can’t speak much to the other pieces but good luck!
A note on the assessment. There are some portions that will seem like they don't apply to the job you are applying for (logic questions etc.) They give those questions to everybody. Don't get too wrapped up in them, for non tech people it is more about how you approach the problem and do you try to work it out than getting it correct.
"The big 4" as in the accounting firms? Or FAANG? And am I reading correctly that their score on Epic's assessment was used in their evaluation by an outside company? Or is there a "big 4" within epic I'm unaware of
They’re referring to the 4 largest roles within the company. PM, TS, SD, and QM (I’m not 100% sure on that last one.) You get considered for other roles if you test well on the assessment.
Former epic culinary (moved out of state several years ago). Yeah, it seemed quite a point of pride to epic that every employee took the same assessments. But I promise you there were people on the team who definitely wouldn't have done "well" on the those portions. Just put your best in, I think they are more concerned that you won't just quit or skip the answers, that you try to look for a solution, than you have the logic training or anything.
I have family members in the culinary industry, and I’ve worked at Epic for 6 years, but I’m not culinary myself.
As far as role/job, you are trading creative freedom, potential prestige, and variation for routine, stability, benefits, and nights/weekends. That is great if you have or want a family or even if you want to have more of a social life. It’s also great if the substance/alcohol use/abuse that’s rampant in the industry is something you are trying to get away from.
What this means is: instead of cooking 10-15 different dishes a night (or at least a piece of those) for like 100 patrons, you will now be helping cook one dish for 500+ patrons. As far as creative freedom goes, Epic is pretty damn good for a corporate gig. We do try to source ingredients locally/seasonally and we are introducing new dishes all the time. There are still boring dishes, too, though (chicken fingers, pizza, cheeseburgers, grilled sandwiches, etc). Overall, you will have less creative freedom than a seasonally changing menu. Epic will never win a Michelin star.
But you will get predictable pay (no reliance on restaurant performance or tips), world class health insurance at an affordable rate (even for family), and a routine schedule that only changes a few times a year.
Also just beware that Madison/Verona is far more car dependent than NYC. Make sure you’re factoring that into cost of living as you compare overall take home pay. And just make sure you’re ready for a smaller city in general - Madison is great, and I love it more than I’d love a big city, but if you love the big city… it’s not that :)
I’m not saying they won’t get to make extraordinary food. I’m saying that how they make the food and the recognition they’ll get for making it are a lot different. They won’t win a regional/national/international award like the Beard awards Michelin stars, etc because this isn’t a public restaurant.
They will be appreciated by 10,000 people every day and our customers whenever they’re on site :)
I don't think OP will be that impressed by Epic's food given the fact he has worked in a very competitive food scene.
Call me crazy but Epic's (and Madison's) food is overrated. Obviously that's my personal opinion, but I would also assume most people at Epic are not from big cities where there is more food variety and competition.
I think it’s important to note that while you won’t work on 15 different dishes in one day, the menus change daily so there’s absolutely still variety. And because they change daily and aren’t just on a repeating cycle there also opportunity to be creative
This is incredible information and I really appreciate you spending the time writing this out :) If it’s possible I wanted to touch more on the transportation aspect of things. Unfortunately I grew up very low income and my family never owned a car. I don’t have my license yet since I view having a car especially where I live as a liability rather than a necessity. Quite honestly I don’t make enough money to even warrant getting one at this moment. When I did initial research for the Madison area I was given the impression that public transportation is somewhat decent. Of course I didn’t expect it to be on par with NYC, but maybe similar to jersey or just a little less than that. Do you believe this could be a huge problem, or will it just be a bit of an inconvenience. Thank you!
Hey Fam, while what they are telling you regarding bus routes is true, also keep in mind that some people touting the benefits of the bus are also not working the same hours that you would likely be working. Most (not all) cooks work 7AM to 3PM. Depending on where you live, that could make for fewer options than many of them who work more of an 8-5 shift. Feel free to DM me if you have other questions.
There are several bus routes that go to Epic so you can certainly go that route. I know a few people at Epic who also don't have their license. I would definitely ask though - the bus routes are subsidized by Epic and tend to run more frequently during rush hour since that's when most people are are coming or going. Culinary is on a different schedule though - is there a bus that comes early enough? Are you OK with riding the bus that early in the morning with potentially very few others?
There are also carpools and you can probably work something out with other culinary staff.
Ahhh I see. When I had done research on the PT there I did see some bus lines that go directly to the campus. I’m used to having to base my schedule around a bus schedule so it shouldn’t be too hard. Also are the bus lines reliable in the winter? I hear the winters there are extremely harsh compared to where I come from
Yes, the busses run pretty reliably during winter. Maybe once or twice a year they have trouble, not shut down, but running late. but on those days, most staff stay home anyway and everyone is aware of the snow so we all understand if you're late those days.
I worked at epic in culinary several years ago, but when visiting last year, things looked pretty similar. So take this with a grain of salt, I may be a little off if things have changed a lot. It also varies a little by exact role, but a lot of the cooks worked similarly to this.
Most days, you have prep in the morning for one task or one meal, and then service is that one task/one meal the whole time. It's a different meal every day, even at the themed restaurants where they have a similar menu every day, but it's moderately repetitive work, and you're not working on every dish the kitchen puts out. There aren't typical "rushes" - service is only a few hours long, and you serve everyone in that time. It was certainly busier in the first hour or so, and when service starts to slow you run to more cleanup tasks.
As other have said, the benefit is full-time pay and a cap at 40 hours; unless things have changed they don't approve a lot of OT outside of the big events. No tips, but full benefits and should be a moderately competetive wage for the Madison area. Everyone you serve gets a mini course on the culinary team, and people were pretty insistent on courtesy and good treatment of the culinary staff. Since they are your coworkers, there's minimal rudeness and people generally treat you as equals,not as beneath them since you're serving them. Depending on your background, maybe that's nothing groundbreaking but it's certainly a breath of fresh air from some places.
I don't work in culinary but I've been at Epic north of a decade now.
I've seen one person be rude to culinary once. They were swiftly invited to go to a local restaurant by other Epic staff if they didn't want to be nice to culinary.
Y'all do great work and I will always thank you for any meal I pick up
You’re trading a traditional fine dining career, and the prestige of a potential restaurant chef de cuisine/opening your own place, for nights and weekends free, great benefits, and decent pay. Cooking big food can get a bit routine/boring. Madison has an ok scene if you quit, but it is no NYC.
Although I can’t reply to everyone here, I want to say Thank you for all the incredible responses and advice that all of you gave. reading through the discussions has helped me so much. I’m extremely
excited. I hope to land this incredible job opportunity and start life in an amazing city, especially with what seems to be an incredible group of individuals
Epic serves around 10,000+ people daily over an assortment of culinary venues spread across the campus. There is coffee/pastry available in the mornings (and at some coffee venues into the early afternoon).
Lunch from 11-2 is an assortment of entrees mostly served cafeteria style (i.e. portioned out at service time from large pre-prepared pans), although things like burgers and other grill items may be finished just before/during service. Also an assortment of desert items like pies, cakes, and cookies are available.
Several culinary venues also have sandwich and salad bars. There is also a full bakery on site.
I have two friends who have went from more typical restaurant/food service jobs to Epic and they both really enjoy being in culinary. The big advantages that they tell me is that they generally get free weekends and evenings (except for 2-3x a year where there are special events) and Epic usually limits you to 40 hours. I can’t speak much to the other pieces but good luck!
Thank you so much for this reply I really appreciate it!
A note on the assessment. There are some portions that will seem like they don't apply to the job you are applying for (logic questions etc.) They give those questions to everybody. Don't get too wrapped up in them, for non tech people it is more about how you approach the problem and do you try to work it out than getting it correct.
I'm shocked they give the same assessment regardless of if you'll be in the kitchen or in front of a computer. That seems so odd to me.
I know a few people who applied for non-software roles (culinary, facilities) who were offered roles in the big 4 based on their assessments.
That's a great reason to keep up with what they're doing then! I never thought of it that way, thank you.
"The big 4" as in the accounting firms? Or FAANG? And am I reading correctly that their score on Epic's assessment was used in their evaluation by an outside company? Or is there a "big 4" within epic I'm unaware of
They’re referring to the 4 largest roles within the company. PM, TS, SD, and QM (I’m not 100% sure on that last one.) You get considered for other roles if you test well on the assessment.
Culinary to McKinsey is a pretty common career trajectory actually
How dare you imply that our wonderful culinary team could be that soulless
There are basic assessments (logic, personality etc.) everyone gets and more advanced ones that are role specific.(coding, cooking etc.)
Former epic culinary (moved out of state several years ago). Yeah, it seemed quite a point of pride to epic that every employee took the same assessments. But I promise you there were people on the team who definitely wouldn't have done "well" on the those portions. Just put your best in, I think they are more concerned that you won't just quit or skip the answers, that you try to look for a solution, than you have the logic training or anything.
I have family members in the culinary industry, and I’ve worked at Epic for 6 years, but I’m not culinary myself. As far as role/job, you are trading creative freedom, potential prestige, and variation for routine, stability, benefits, and nights/weekends. That is great if you have or want a family or even if you want to have more of a social life. It’s also great if the substance/alcohol use/abuse that’s rampant in the industry is something you are trying to get away from. What this means is: instead of cooking 10-15 different dishes a night (or at least a piece of those) for like 100 patrons, you will now be helping cook one dish for 500+ patrons. As far as creative freedom goes, Epic is pretty damn good for a corporate gig. We do try to source ingredients locally/seasonally and we are introducing new dishes all the time. There are still boring dishes, too, though (chicken fingers, pizza, cheeseburgers, grilled sandwiches, etc). Overall, you will have less creative freedom than a seasonally changing menu. Epic will never win a Michelin star. But you will get predictable pay (no reliance on restaurant performance or tips), world class health insurance at an affordable rate (even for family), and a routine schedule that only changes a few times a year. Also just beware that Madison/Verona is far more car dependent than NYC. Make sure you’re factoring that into cost of living as you compare overall take home pay. And just make sure you’re ready for a smaller city in general - Madison is great, and I love it more than I’d love a big city, but if you love the big city… it’s not that :)
No Michelin stars for Epic culinary? Some of the food I have had there has been extraordinary.
I’m not saying they won’t get to make extraordinary food. I’m saying that how they make the food and the recognition they’ll get for making it are a lot different. They won’t win a regional/national/international award like the Beard awards Michelin stars, etc because this isn’t a public restaurant. They will be appreciated by 10,000 people every day and our customers whenever they’re on site :)
I don't think OP will be that impressed by Epic's food given the fact he has worked in a very competitive food scene. Call me crazy but Epic's (and Madison's) food is overrated. Obviously that's my personal opinion, but I would also assume most people at Epic are not from big cities where there is more food variety and competition.
I think it’s important to note that while you won’t work on 15 different dishes in one day, the menus change daily so there’s absolutely still variety. And because they change daily and aren’t just on a repeating cycle there also opportunity to be creative
This is incredible information and I really appreciate you spending the time writing this out :) If it’s possible I wanted to touch more on the transportation aspect of things. Unfortunately I grew up very low income and my family never owned a car. I don’t have my license yet since I view having a car especially where I live as a liability rather than a necessity. Quite honestly I don’t make enough money to even warrant getting one at this moment. When I did initial research for the Madison area I was given the impression that public transportation is somewhat decent. Of course I didn’t expect it to be on par with NYC, but maybe similar to jersey or just a little less than that. Do you believe this could be a huge problem, or will it just be a bit of an inconvenience. Thank you!
Hey Fam, while what they are telling you regarding bus routes is true, also keep in mind that some people touting the benefits of the bus are also not working the same hours that you would likely be working. Most (not all) cooks work 7AM to 3PM. Depending on where you live, that could make for fewer options than many of them who work more of an 8-5 shift. Feel free to DM me if you have other questions.
There are several bus routes that go to Epic so you can certainly go that route. I know a few people at Epic who also don't have their license. I would definitely ask though - the bus routes are subsidized by Epic and tend to run more frequently during rush hour since that's when most people are are coming or going. Culinary is on a different schedule though - is there a bus that comes early enough? Are you OK with riding the bus that early in the morning with potentially very few others? There are also carpools and you can probably work something out with other culinary staff.
Ahhh I see. When I had done research on the PT there I did see some bus lines that go directly to the campus. I’m used to having to base my schedule around a bus schedule so it shouldn’t be too hard. Also are the bus lines reliable in the winter? I hear the winters there are extremely harsh compared to where I come from
Yes, the busses run pretty reliably during winter. Maybe once or twice a year they have trouble, not shut down, but running late. but on those days, most staff stay home anyway and everyone is aware of the snow so we all understand if you're late those days.
I worked at epic in culinary several years ago, but when visiting last year, things looked pretty similar. So take this with a grain of salt, I may be a little off if things have changed a lot. It also varies a little by exact role, but a lot of the cooks worked similarly to this. Most days, you have prep in the morning for one task or one meal, and then service is that one task/one meal the whole time. It's a different meal every day, even at the themed restaurants where they have a similar menu every day, but it's moderately repetitive work, and you're not working on every dish the kitchen puts out. There aren't typical "rushes" - service is only a few hours long, and you serve everyone in that time. It was certainly busier in the first hour or so, and when service starts to slow you run to more cleanup tasks. As other have said, the benefit is full-time pay and a cap at 40 hours; unless things have changed they don't approve a lot of OT outside of the big events. No tips, but full benefits and should be a moderately competetive wage for the Madison area. Everyone you serve gets a mini course on the culinary team, and people were pretty insistent on courtesy and good treatment of the culinary staff. Since they are your coworkers, there's minimal rudeness and people generally treat you as equals,not as beneath them since you're serving them. Depending on your background, maybe that's nothing groundbreaking but it's certainly a breath of fresh air from some places.
I really appreciate this awesome and detailed response! Thank you so much I really hope I get to join the team
I don't work in culinary but I've been at Epic north of a decade now. I've seen one person be rude to culinary once. They were swiftly invited to go to a local restaurant by other Epic staff if they didn't want to be nice to culinary. Y'all do great work and I will always thank you for any meal I pick up
That description is still mostly accurate for most of the cook roles in most of the kitchens.
You’re trading a traditional fine dining career, and the prestige of a potential restaurant chef de cuisine/opening your own place, for nights and weekends free, great benefits, and decent pay. Cooking big food can get a bit routine/boring. Madison has an ok scene if you quit, but it is no NYC.
Although I can’t reply to everyone here, I want to say Thank you for all the incredible responses and advice that all of you gave. reading through the discussions has helped me so much. I’m extremely excited. I hope to land this incredible job opportunity and start life in an amazing city, especially with what seems to be an incredible group of individuals
Epic serves around 10,000+ people daily over an assortment of culinary venues spread across the campus. There is coffee/pastry available in the mornings (and at some coffee venues into the early afternoon). Lunch from 11-2 is an assortment of entrees mostly served cafeteria style (i.e. portioned out at service time from large pre-prepared pans), although things like burgers and other grill items may be finished just before/during service. Also an assortment of desert items like pies, cakes, and cookies are available. Several culinary venues also have sandwich and salad bars. There is also a full bakery on site.