For the last couple of years that I was there, it was pretty much downhill. Corporate changes and store management changes. Managers were treated poorly that, in turn, did not care about there jobs and were simply there for a paycheck. Leadership was lost in some of the stores that eventually caused anarchy. Since there was no leader, employees simply did whatever they wanted too. When it came to promotions, you had to be lucky enough to be selected and it did not matter how many years you've been working there. FOH was highly favored for management positions while BOH were less likely to be promoted.
Corporate never really reviewed promotions they just promoted anybody for a GM position. Some of the GM's should never be in that position.
Hiring practices were very questionable. Over the years many people got hired simply because they had someone on the inside. Many of these employees really did not belong there. Rude behavior was very common. Over the years, I've been aware of at least three physical altercations that got violent in the stores. One of those times neither employee was fired. Those two employees were also brothers.
When I started to work there, following proper food preperation and recipe procedures was a must. Now in days, really doesn't matter. Pretty much there is no passion of making great food anymore. All that has been lost.