Chew Reviews

1.9

20% would recommend to a friend

(63 total reviews)

15% positive business outlook

Chew has an employee rating of 1.9 out of 5 stars, based on 63 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a poor working experience there. The Chew employee rating is 45% below average for employers within the Manufacturing industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

63 reviews
1.0
14 May 2026

Burnout, Fear, and Unrealistic Expectations

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The office is located in a great neighborhood.

Cons

The CEO operates completely disconnected from operational reality, consistently making promises to clients that employees are neither properly equipped nor adequately supported to deliver. Expectations are unrealistic, resources are insufficient, and there is little to no investment in employee development, infrastructure, or the tools required for success. The culture is driven by fear, inconsistency, and manipulation. Employees are often praised excessively when they are needed, only to later be criticized, undermined, or blamed when things inevitably fall apart due to poor CEO decisions. Communication from the CEO is frequently misleading, both with clients and internally with employees, creating an environment built on distrust and instability. Work-life balance does not exist. Employees are expected to prioritize work above everything else, regularly working long days in a high-pressure environment with little support and constant moving targets. Burnout is normalized. I would strongly caution anyone considering employment here. No job is worth the level of stress, anxiety, and mental exhaustion this environment creates. Over time, it genuinely feels like the company takes months off your life.

avatar
Chew Response
2w
Response from the CEO, as I do not hide behind the anonymity of the Keyboard warrior who had nothing to say while they were here. CHEW is not a place for everybody, and that is by design. Let me address the specific claims in this review directly, because they are not supported by the facts. On work-life balance: no employee at CHEW works evenings or weekends. The office opens at 7:30 - 8:00 AM (most of the team in by 8:30) and is locked at 5:30 PM. Those are the hours. On top of that, we operate an unlimited time off policy with full PTO flexibility. Standard business hours and unlimited time off — the claim that “work-life balance does not exist” does not hold up. The one person in this building who works 16 hour days, seven days a week, is me. I ask that of myself. I do not ask it of the team, and our schedule and time-off policy prove it. On the broader characterization: like any organization trying to carve a new path through an industry of mediocrity and stasis, the people who succeed here are the ones with more than a superficial desire for change — they also have the stomach and the fortitude to make it happen. That filter is real. It is not for everyone, and we do not pretend otherwise. Where there are challenges inside CHEW, I am the first to say they sit with me. I am solely responsible for fixing them, and I do not push that down to the team. Responsibility for the work, however, is not the same as accepting a description of the environment that is not accurate. To anyone weighing CHEW as a place to work: look at the hours, look at the policies, look at the work. Make your own call from the facts. — Adam Melonas, Founder & CEO
1.0
16 Sept 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Cool projects that most product developers will never get to make or be affiliated with. Great office and lab equipment

Cons

If you're ok with working under the following conditions then this place is perfect for you. -Extremely high turnover (12–14 people left in under a year). -Leadership enforces strict 8:30–5:30 attendance while coming and going as they please. -WFH is nearly impossible: tracked by Google Drive usage and requires a week-ahead to-do list, despite daily client changes. -PTO is often denied or only “tentatively approved” with written justification of tasks. -Culture runs on fear: employees often say, “Don’t do that because CEO will get mad.” -Extra duties outside your role (opening/closing chores, scrubbing floors weekly). -Vendors frequently unpaid on time, leaving sourcing staff/developers to take the blame and burning supplier bridges. -CEO routinely promises clients projects beyond scope or without consulting project team, Then demands one-week turnarounds for products that realistically take 2–3 weeks. Staff are blamed when the impossible can’t be delivered. -Desks must be completely clear at all times. Even a jacket draped over a chair is not allowed, since the CEO insists on a “clean office” look — despite only 8 employees being onsite and client visits being scheduled a week in advance (giving plenty of time to tidy). -There is no parking or you pay $60 a week to park your car at the lot next door and its difficult to get to Fenway so plan your commute accordingly

1.0
30 Aug 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good projects for decent clients

Cons

Products made never released or when released never profits the clients. Usually products don’t make it to the marketplace (around 80% of products are just scrapped)

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Glassdoor has 64 Chew reviews submitted anonymously by Chew employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Chew is right for you.