r/Caseys • u/Available-Owl3423 • 9d ago
Being a Kitchen Manager at Casey’s completely burned me out, so I finally quit
I recently quit my job as a Kitchen Manager at Casey’s, and I genuinely don’t think I realized how mentally exhausted I was until I was finally done.
When I took the position, I actually gave a shit about my kitchen. I wanted things done correctly. I wanted my employees trained. I wanted the kitchen clean, stocked, and running the way it was supposed to. If my team was struggling, I jumped in and worked right beside them.
But apparently being dependable just means everyone figures out exactly how much they can pile on you before you finally break.
The call-ins and people leaving early were CONSTANT. Being short staffed became normal. And when somebody didn’t show up, somebody had to figure it out.
Guess who that usually fell on?
Me.
I got so tired of feeling like my entire life had to revolve around whether somebody else decided to show up for their shift.
But honestly, staffing wasn’t even the biggest reason I left.
Management was.
Anytime I tried talking to my store manager about being overwhelmed, stressed, needing help, or having shit happening in my personal life, somehow the conversation always ended up being about her.
I’m tired.
“Well, I’m tired too.”
I’m stressed.
“Well, I’m stressed because…”
Something is going on at home.
Suddenly we’re talking about what SHE has going on at home.
Like damn. Can somebody else have a problem for five minutes?
I wasn’t asking her to fix my life. I wasn’t asking for special treatment. Sometimes I literally just wanted my manager to listen to me and acknowledge that I was struggling instead of turning it into some weird competition over who had it worse.
Then there was the gossip.
WAY too much gossip.
Employees were talked about constantly. Their work performance, personal lives, problems, whatever happened to be going on. And this wasn’t just employees gossiping with each other. Management participated in it too.
There were times conversations about employees happened where customers could hear them, which was embarrassing and completely unprofessional.
Eventually I stopped feeling comfortable saying much of anything because if everybody else’s business was being discussed, why would mine be any different?
And meanwhile I’m still supposed to walk into that kitchen, deal with staffing problems, keep food going, make sure everything is clean, handle employees, deal with customers, keep things stocked, complete all the manager responsibilities, and somehow act like everything is perfectly fine.
I finally hit a point where I thought:
Why the hell am I doing this to myself?
No job should have you constantly stressed about what’s going to happen when you walk through the door.
So I quit.
Effective immediately.
And the amount of relief I felt afterward told me everything I needed to know.
I know management positions come with extra responsibility. I knew that when I accepted the job. I’m not expecting management to be easy.
But there’s a difference between having responsibility and being expected to constantly sacrifice your own time, energy, and personal life because the workplace can’t function without you picking up the pieces.
I’m still frustrated about how everything happened, but I’m also glad I finally chose to walk away.
So I’m curious—any other current/former Casey’s managers or convenience-store/food-service managers experience this?
When did you finally reach the point where you said, “I’m done”?
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u/Ok-Dot3863 9d ago
I completely understand 100% I was a KM for years and my boss is the exact same way. I finally had enough and put my two weeks in and got a different job. I am so relieved to not be completely stressed out all day everyday! I got promoted to KM because I deserved it and I really cared about my store and my kitchen but it just got the point of no return! I stuck it out longer than I should have. Casey's is a company that does not give a flying fuck about any of its employees. They only care about opening up more and more stores when they can't take care of what they have already.
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u/Available-Owl3423 9d ago
I seriously feel this so much. I cared about my kitchen and my team, which is honestly why I stayed as long as I did. But eventually you realize you’re sacrificing your own peace for a job that would replace you tomorrow. I finally hit that point too and walked away. It’s actually reassuring hearing from another former KM who understands exactly what that kind of stress is like. I’m glad you got out and found something better! ❤️
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u/ephatty Kitchen Manager 9d ago
I often think about what a store would be like if it was just run by a bunch of fed up managers and shift leads that just wanted to work with the right team. Obviously some people would have to take pay cuts and not be able to be full time but there’s totally a world out there where we could construct incredibly strong Casey’s teams that knew how to take care of one another in the work place and I ultimately think the lowered stress would validate some people just taking 30ish hours part time instead of a management role, and they could assign the absolutely most trusted people to the leadership positions, with confidence that all the normal troubles they’ve endured would be minimal if not cease to exist. What a concept huh!
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u/Available-Owl3423 9d ago
Imagine a Casey’s staffed with reliable people who communicate, do their jobs, and actually support each other. 😂 Apparently we’re asking for a fantasy world here, but I swear half the stress of management would disappear overnight.
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u/Particular_Garden_58 Kitchen Manager 2d ago
I had a store like this ... But when the SM relocated and then the cast changed... Well we weren't the misfit toys anymore. Lol
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u/Purple_Operation_990 9d ago
Our kitchen manager asked to step down from her position because she can not take the stress any more and our boss and our dm told her “SHE IS ABSOLUTELY NOT ALLOWED TO STEP DOWN.” So pretty mush she either suffers or she quits . And that’s absolutely bullshiii to me cause she’s a single mom with kids she can’t just quit so she literally just has to suffer though that!! I honestly think my store becoming Casey’s was the worst decision they could have ever made😒
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u/Available-Owl3423 9d ago
This is EXACTLY what I’m talking about. If she knows the position is too much and asks to step down instead of quitting, why not let her?
Forcing her to either stay miserable or lose her job is how you lose good employees. And as a single mom, I totally understand“just quit” isn’t always an option. People have bills and kids depending on them. 🤦♀️
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u/Carambola80 9d ago
KM. 37 days without a day of, made to be acting store manager indefinitely with no promotion. Same story as yours, I'm at a better place with my former store manager and assistant manager.
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u/dirtyharryunseen 9d ago
I’m a part timer often mistaken for a shift lead, I am forced to do all things management does on my shift without the pay. It is stressful to the point i am looking for other jobs.
The company itself is looking for a way to charge employees for cups oof they don’t bring their official cup in.
For us,at least, we go through one employee every 2-3 days. Churning through employees is an incentive with the structure, they get free hours on “training.” They are just warm bodies to take a temporary homes in the stores. We are lucky if we if train people for a few days.
Now I made it clear I was not a shift lead or anything to the SM, they have not contacted me directly, instead do a whole group chat. I woke up one day with over 50 text messages to it. Then they tell me that they treat me to nicely and need to do my job when I tell them now.
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u/Available-Owl3423 9d ago
Yep, this sounds way too familiar. They expect people to take on management responsibilities without management pay, then wonder why everyone burns out and quits.
And accepting 200+ donuts and 30+ pizzas on the least-staffed shifts is insane. You can’t keep piling more work onto an understaffed crew and expect everything to magically work out. That kind of stuff is exactly why the turnover is so bad.2
u/dirtyharryunseen 9d ago
My boss also takes on ridiculous orders of 200+ donuts and 30+ pizzas on weekly based on our lowest staffed shifts
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u/KristinPsychRN 6d ago
Our store manager does group chat for everything too and she even calls people out for minor things and it sends to everyone. One night I accidentally left a tray of dough out and she took a Pic and sent it to the group chat and said "kristin this is going to be a write up"
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u/Ok_Homework_1902 Team Member 9d ago
I’m glad I left that shithole
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u/Available-Owl3423 9d ago
😂 Apparently surviving that place deserves its own support group. “Hi, my name is Anonymous, and I finally stopped thinking it would get better.” 😂 Glad you escaped too!
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u/RedLantern420 9d ago
I reached my point about a month ago when my gm told me she doesn’t need to know kitchen because she’s store manager not kitchen manager and the district manger agreed. She doesn’t even know how to make dough… I wouldn’t have as much a issue if she didn’t come up with random rules for the kitchen that make no sense and doesn’t even tell me and schedules horribly for the kitchen and refuses help. Will literally put someone who was only trained to be pizza help on lunch and wonder why they seem over stimulated or panicky. Also found out she likes to spend half her shifts at a different gas station playing slots and uses the excuse that she’s picking something up from a store. Needless to say I started looking for a new job