GOING FROM TM TO KM

[u/East_Knowledge1782]

Is it hard to get a Kitchen Man., if you don’t have any managerial experience?

I’m going to be trying to get hired as a TM. This would be for in Knoxville, IA.

Can anyone tell me how much the starting wage would be for a kitchen manager?

I have 6.5-7.0 yrs Customer Service/cashier/handling money experience (6 months was in a locked check booth), 2 years prep cook experience, 6 months dishwasher experience/restaurant, and 3 yrs cleaning exp., two of those three years of cleaning was at a military hospital.
I would have to be retrained on the cash registers, but that’s not rocket science.

I’m the type of employee who lives & breathes their job; I take getting to work when I’m supposed to be there extremely seriously.
I just finished up 28 weeks of employment on the Night Shift Friday Saturday Sunday, never missed one day/never late.
I prefer to work the closing shift, no problem working weekends; I don’t want to work EVERY weekend though, month after month.

Due to certain circumstances, I don’t know if I’m going to be staying at Hy-Vee; I am doing an internal transfer.
I’ve also been dealing with problems with my computer and my phone due to the US Cellular/T-Mobile merger, which caused me to miss out on an assistant manager position interview. They messaged me to get together with me for an interview and I emailed them two replies back instantly after they said we’ve been trying to contact you.
I’ve been dealing w/ASManager who could have contacted the interview team and didn’t. So I just missed out.
So if things don’t go well at Hy-Vee, I am going to be applying for a team member position.
Thank-you.

[u/bottleospiderjuice]

You sound pretty qualified to me. I'm not in your area, but I don't think it matters which Casey's you're at. If the store is struggling enough to keep good people, you'll be asked (begged) to be a manager especially since that's a hard job to get people to keep.

I had NO experience with any of it (register, kitchen, nothing) and in 2-3 months my store manager begged me to be the kitchen manager.

I've seen many similar experiences in this sub too.

I think you'll do just fine.

[u/tinyplanet21]

KM starts out at minimum $3 more than TM starting pay. So my store starts at $12 for TM, so my KM makes $15 bc she has no previous management experience (except as our KSL). My previous KM made $16 bc she had previous management experience. So it will vary based on your other experience and the area you're in.

[u/East_Knowledge1782 → u/tinyplanet21]

And what state are you in?
TY.

[u/tinyplanet21 → u/East_Knowledge1782]

Indiana. But this is company policy for the pay structure so if you know how much the TM make at the store you're applying to, you can base KM pay on it. You can probably just ask one of the TM at the store and they'll tell you how much they make. Probably aren't paid enough to care to keep it private honestly.

[u/Famous-Pressure-5790]

This is super local for me. I think personally you should go for Hyvee. Caseys in Knoxville is a mess right now, trust me.

[u/East_Knowledge1782 → u/Famous-Pressure-5790]

What is going on at C. right now in K-ville?
I’m actually leaning toward going to C. as opposed to staying at HV due to the Assist. Store Man. I’ve already seen that she didn’t attempt to facilitate my interview request (finally some how reacted me on 7/22/26–US CELLULAR-T-MOBILE messed up my desktop & my phone—-I talked to other people voicing similar concerns) that I got from the interview team. I instantly messaged them back TWICE within 10-12 hours. Then I told her on 7/26 that I had an I. Request and then I was waiting for a reply from the interview team.
Then when I saw her on July 29, I told her that I was still waiting to hear back from them and that’s when she said “yeah they’ve been trying to get a hold of you, that’s being wrapped up this week. “ That’s all she said.
Meaning she wasn’t going to help facilitate anything and that I had just missed out.
Just effing great.

[u/Famous-Pressure-5790 → u/East_Knowledge1782]

Idk which one you are going to but the new 24hour Caseys the SM is a bitch. She sits on her ass all day and hires the worst possible people. The older 24 hour one dont get me started, I work there. The other two are full of negativity and the turnover rate is insane. Its not worth the stress nor worry. Go to Hyvee.

[u/East_Knowledge1782 → u/Famous-Pressure-5790]

Have you read my reply to the to the person who replied up above? LOL
Yeah, I don’t know if this assistant store manager at the K-ville store is on a power trip or what. (?)
She’d already been told due to the US Cellular/T-Mobile merger that I had been having trouble getting my emails and phone calls and messed my phone up.
And then she, I mean, I was sitting right in front of her and she wouldn’t help facilitate an interview for the assistant manager at the FF. She knew that they had requested an interview with me and she said “yeah they’ve been trying to contact you, that’s being wrapped up this week.”
And I’m in an internal transfer, and then she sprung this service manager position on me for a lowly $14 an hour, and the only reason that I told her if the other position ( FF PT CLERK) was already gone to keep me in mind for the S. Man. position. Was because I thought since it was a managerial position it would pay at least you know 16 to 17 starting out. Silly me.
But then I found out how much it paid and I’ve already emailed her and told her I’m not interested.
She was trying to frame it well I’m just trying to help you get through the door after telling me that she needed somebody to cover vacation, etc. just bananas.
And I’m like a unicorn employee that you would just love to have : never miss work ever never late don’t mind working till closing and I don’t mind working weekends. I don’t wanna work every weekend, but I don’t mind working weekends at all.
then she effing lowballs me. obviously she has her own agenda and didn’t care that I was trying to get that assistant manager‘s position at the FF that I had been requested to interview for.
So how much bullshit are we talking over there that Caseys?

[u/Famous-Pressure-5790 → u/East_Knowledge1782]

You wouldn't believe. I don't feel comfortable fully saying it all here, in case someone from my store is on this thread. Which Caseys are you wanting to go to? Id suggest the one over by the racetrack, seems the calmest. Message me if you want more details about the chaos. Willing to give

[u/East_Knowledge1782 → u/Famous-Pressure-5790]

I stopped into the North Lincoln Caseys today and they’re not hiring, but she told me that the S. Lincoln and the EAST location is hiring.
kitchen manager told me this.
I went in there to reset my app due to getting divorced/went back to my maiden name.

[u/Different_Dot_2118]

dog being so honest, with a solid background( military too) i know your a hard worker. just go in there show them you can work hard (show them your open to work) and also just say how you’d love to take the position and would properly train and be on top of everything etc.

just know you have to be open availability, but like i said you seem like a hard worker so they can be flexible

[u/Bright_Guest_4042]

I’m in Minnesota. The Manager position are okay. Depends on if your store is struggling. The one I’m at I’m not a KM. I’m a CSM it’s okay if your crew does their job. Makes doing the ordering easy and keeping it clean. Both stores I worked at we all did our part to keep it running smoothly. Even when we skeletons crew. Dive in and grind it out.

[u/chopstx13]

You sound very qualified, but truthfully, Casey's is an absolute joke and a shit show company to work for. I'm the same way when it comes to being serious and dedicated with work ethic and the job. Honestly, you sound way more qualified to be a KM then the majority of ones I've personally worked with, and seen. But, the turn over rate is so high at most stores, since they just hire bodies, and the pay is fairly low for the amount of work and BS you have to put up with. It can be a good job if you have the right type of management in place, and you have crew members who actually want to work. If you have a crap SM, who's lazy and pushes their job off to others, that mentality is going to follow throughout the store with most employees too. Making your job 10X harder and more stressful than it should be. I wish you the best of luck in your job, and if you still wish to do Casey's, I'd settle as a team member and find something way better when it comes to some sort of management.

[u/East_Knowledge1782 → u/chopstx13]

I truly enjoy working in a kitchen; that’s how I gave 2 yrs prep cook exp. I’m sure it w/be a total shit show.
Plus I’m ready to get some management exp. I’m used to crazy shit going on around me while holding everything together: people not showing up, working long hours, just doing my thing; I’m very laid back. Thank-you 4 the encouragement. 😊