Workers Reveal What It's Really Like To Work At Papa Murphy's
There are few that would argue that pizza isn't a wonderful thing and a delight that has graced many tables across the country. There are many ways to go about having pizza, as well. You can make it yourself at home, or, if you're feeling a little lazy or are in a rush, you could get a frozen pizza from the grocery store, or order some delivery pies. There is also a popular pizza chain that prepares frozen pizzas for delivery or pickup so that you can bake them to perfection at home.
Papa Murphy's is a pizza chain that instead of offering pre-baked pizza in a box like Papa John's or Domino's sells take-and-bake pizza. Just because they don't bake the pizza, however, doesn't mean the employees have less to do. It's a difficult job, working in customer service — especially when it involves food. The customers don't really see everything that goes on behind the counter, and when it comes to Papa Murphy's, there is quite a bit that happens. From stressful holiday seasons to completely boring shifts, there's a lot that Papa Murphy's employees have to deal with while making pizzas and keeping their customers satisfied, and here, we're going to reveal some of that to you. So buckle up, grab a slice of pizza, and get ready to learn about what the employees of Papa Murphy's have experienced.
Many employees consider it to be a laid-back welcoming job
Not all jobs are perfect, but many have high notes that many employees can look back on and be thankful for. In the food industry, you might face long hours and strenuous work. If you're with the right team or at the right location, however, a job at any food service chain can be pretty swell. When it comes to Papa Murphy's, this seems to be the case, as many employees from the pizza place are able to say that the experiences that they've had at Papa Murphy's, while not without flaws, have been decent in the long run.
Managers can make or break a job, but when you have a good manager, your work can become much easier to handle. Some employees have noted that their management was amazing and that during their time at Papa Murphy's, they were able to meet some good people (via Indeed). Other employees state that the flexible hours and good work schedule were the reasons they enjoyed the job, especially if they were students. Papa Murphy's might not be the best place to work by any means, but the employees seem to have some pretty good takeaways from the chain overall.
The employees do their best to ensure quality
Quality is a difficult, yet necessary thing to ensure, especially when you have someone's food in your hands. You have to ensure that everything is up to standard: clean, fresh, and most importantly, delicious. At Papa Murphy's quality is a standard that many of the employees do their best to uphold. It's not the easiest task by any means, but if you're getting pizza from one of these locations, you'll be happy to know that many of the employees work hard to make sure that no matter what kind of pizza you order — pepperoni, cheese, or even pineapple — those pies are up to your standards.
The employees not only make the pizzas but prepare the ingredients as well. One worker on TikTok revealed how they prep the tomatoes, inspecting them each one by one before removing their cores. If they do this much for the tomatoes alone, then imagine the dedication they must have to the other ingredients used in each pizza. Another worker noted in their review of the chain that management was similar in their attitude and really cared about the quality of the product they served. While not all workers may hold a similar mindset, it's good to know that for the most part, the employees care about what they are putting on our plates.
For some, there is little room for growth
If you're looking for a place to grow and get more experience in the job force, there are many positions that can allow you to do that. However, if you're just going into high school or college, a good job at McDonald's or some other food service place could definitely get you a little extra cash — but don't expect to grow a lot in terms of your position and payment. The same can be said about Papa Murphy's, as while many workers have a solid experience at the chain, they don't really experience or see a whole lot of opportunities for growth in their time working for the pizza place.
Workers note that while the chain was a great place to work, with some fantastic pizza, they didn't really see many growth opportunities pop up (via Indeed). One employee notes that even after working for Papa Murphy's for five years and being a key carrier, they only made $8.25 an hour, which isn't a lot if you are hoping to make a comfortable living off of your work. Even the employees with the most positive experiences didn't really see any growth happening in their future at the chain, so while we can definitely say you'll make a few bucks at the take-and-bake pizza chain, you might not go too far.
Not everyone enjoys their time working at Papa Murphy's
"Do what you love" is a common phrase to hear when you're picking out a career, but if you're a student or anyone who really needs money, you become ready to get any job that pays the bills, including waiter, cashier, or cook, even if you're not passionate about food service. You may not be doing the work of a Guy Fieri or Gordon Ramsay, but there's still a lot of labor, dedication, and patience that goes into a job in food service — and at Papa Murphy's, sometimes, that isn't really worth it. You could be the hardest-working employee at the chain and you'll still be met with all the challenges that come with working in the industry.
Some employees find that the customers are the worst part of the job, though many find it's the coworkers who make their jobs more difficult (as per Indeed). They could be incredibly difficult to be around and make inappropriate jokes that you might not want to hear while making pizzas or dealing with loads of customers. Others have to deal with far worse — one customer found one of the workers sleeping in the store bathroom. The entire store was a mess, and the whole location had to close (via ABC7). Imagine how that employee's co-workers must have felt about losing a shift or two — while some time off is always welcome, it's not fun when you need the money.
Slow days are incredibly boring for them
Pizza is an incredibly popular food, with many enjoying the treat at birthday parties, sports events, or even as a casual dinner item. You'd expect a pizza chain to be incredibly busy around the clock for that reason. For the most part, you'd be right, but there's a lot that goes into whether or not a chain gets good business or not. Location, taste, and personal preference are all important things that are taken into account when you are choosing which pizza place to get your food from. When it comes to Papa Murphy's, you'll find that many employees have long shifts, and many of them are filled with slow days when not a lot of action happens.
You'd think that an employee would appreciate a slow day, and while this is the case when you're picking up busier shifts along with those slower ones, if every shift is a slow one, your job can get pretty boring. Some Papa Murphy's workers find themselves getting all of the prep work complete during the first hour of their shift, leaving them with nothing to do for the rest of their time in the pizza place (via TikTok). Some combat this by dancing or entertaining themselves in some way, but a general feeling of boredom seems to be prevalent when a Papa Murphy's employee has one too many slow days.
The employees get a solid discount on the food
Working at a pizza chain has its perks. If you work at a shop that bakes its pizzas on-site, like Little Caesars, then you get to be surrounded by the fresh aroma of freshly baked pizzas all day and maybe snag a slice or two to eat yourself if you're lucky. Papa Murphy's doesn't bake its pizzas, so you don't really get to experience the delicious smell that comes from baking them in a pizza oven, nor do you get to eat any of the pizza during your shift, since it hasn't even been cooked yet. You might think that maybe the employees get to take home the take-and-bake pizzas for free, but for the most part, this isn't the case, either.
Instead, the employees get what many who shop or dine out frequently love: discounts. According to reviews on Glassdoor, the discount is the same, regardless of location: 50% off pizzas while you are clocked in and 30% off when you aren't working or if your family comes in. Some reviews here note that the discount only applies to one pizza a day, but regardless, employees seemed to have taken advantage of this deal frequently. Even if Papa Murphy's doesn't have the most popular or delicious pizza out there, who could say no to a pizza discount?
They know how to get good deals from the chain
When you spend a lot of your time working at a restaurant or fast food chain, then you get a good amount of time to familiarize yourself with said store's menu. This can allow you to figure out which items are worth more than others — not just in terms of cost, but quantity and quality, as well. At Papa Murphy's, you've got a pretty extensive list of pizzas, sides, and a whole lot of other deals and specials, and the employees who work there for a while have likely had some time to look over the menu prices and figure out what specials are best for your buck.
On an "Ask me anything" thread on Reddit, one Papa Murphy's employee went online to answer customer questions, and when asked about secrets behind the menu, they noted that it was "broken" in a way. They stated that if you order a Papa's Favorite and replace any of the toppings with something you want, then you can essentially get a seven-topping pizza for the same price as one with only four toppings. Many customers don't spend their time comparing the different items and prices on a menu, but if you're an employee with a good amount of time on your hands, why wouldn't you?
Some of the customers they deal with aren't all that fun
There's a lot to love about a job at a pizza chain, but there are some things that make the job seem all the less appealing too, and for many, it's the customers. Most customers are alright: They go into the store, get their food, and then they leave. However, there is a loud minority of customers who aren't as pleasant to deal with, and at Papa Murphy's, there's a fair amount of bad patrons that employees have to deal with. Not only are the customers hungry, but they can be impatient, loud, and overall, just a handful for a tired, stressed employee.
Many of the employees at Papa Murphy's do their best to be as clear and considerate as they can. One tried to tell a customer over the phone that the pizza they ordered would take 20-25 minutes to prepare for them, but when the customer came in just 10 minutes later and threw a fit, the employee had to deal with that heated situation on top of their usual shift (via TikTok). These customers take a whole lot of patience to deal with, and other employees deal with similar customers frequently, which can be incredibly difficult during a stressful, rough shift. So the next time you head to a Papa Murphy's, try to show the employees a bit of kindness.
Some of the employees like to goof around
There's a certain level of professionalism that's expected when you're out and about, especially when you are at work dealing with customers and making food for other people. However, we're all human, and most of us do enjoy goofing around a little bit. While it isn't advisable to do this while you're on the clock, there are employees at Papa Murphy's who choose to liven up their shifts by having a bit of fun. Whether it's by dancing, joking around with coworkers that they are friendly with, or doing something a little chaotic, some Papa Murphy's employees seem like they enjoy goofing around quite a bit, even when they are on the clock.
You can find videos and shorts all over the place where employees show off their chaotic times at the pizza chain. One such short on TikTok shows a montage of a group of employees messing around during their shifts, sleeping on shelves, standing on a trash bin to try to get the garbage out, and dancing all over the place. Another of these videos shows a former employee climbing into a sink and taking a shower in it. Fun is a good thing, and if a store is having a slow day, it's fair that a young employee would want to entertain themself, but we hope that these antics don't go too far — especially when pizzas need to be made.
Peak business times vary based on the location and special events
When you work in the food industry, there are bound to be extremely busy days where an employee will feel as though they'll want to go home and just crash into their bed for some sleep. There are busy days at Papa Murphy's, too — think about all of the Friday night pizza parties you've ever attended, or all of the pizzas that you saw ordered for some huge event or gathering. Most of the Papa Murphy's stores face long, extremely busy work days, but depending on the location, the busiest time actually varies and can vary throughout the year.
Most employees on Indeed typically agree that Fridays are the busiest day of the week in general since it's the end of the week and people just want a pizza to celebrate getting through the past few days. Other employees note, however, that they are also incredibly busy on Tuesdays, as well, while every other day is fairly chill in terms of customer count. The chain also has shorter holiday hours and is even closed on some holidays, but when it comes to sports, the chain doesn't get a break, as another employee claimed that any night there was a football game going on, Papa Murphy's was super busy, too. Anyone who has worked in customer service can sympathize with a super hectic workday.
Uniforms are taken care of for the staff
Another aspect of a job is the uniform — you'll see waiters decked out in black, red, or different colored shirts as they attend to tables, as well as retail employees wearing similarly colored t-shirts. You don't go to Papa Johns expecting to see an employee wearing a bright blue hoodie, and you wouldn't go to Hooters and find an employee wearing a purple dress. The Papa Murphy's uniform is a red or black shirt, along with a grey apron, black pants, and closed-toed shoes (via Indeed). All of this seems like it would cost an employee quite a bit to get if they didn't have said items already.
Fortunately, however, the employees at the pizza chain don't need to worry about their uniforms as much as they would at some other food place. It's not that they don't have to wear the uniforms — they do, but they don't have to pay for them, since they are provided to the employees once they get the job (as per Indeed). One employee even notes that the restaurant took care of cleaning the provided shirts for them, adding less stress to the uniform aspect of the job. While the uniforms aren't the most glamorous out there, the employees likely really appreciate the fact that the clothes are provided for them.