Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 10, 2024

The tables are full, and he is having a difficult time keeping up but makes a mental note to address that once the dining room clears out. Suddenly, he remembers the cobwebs and thinks: “I’ll take care of that in the morning”. Seek out the details and then prioritize corrective action. It’s never too small to worry about.

Uniforms 366

Uniforms Small Business Dine-in Training 366

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 29, 2024

It is human nature to try and push those out of our minds, but given a moments pause, it’s easy to remember them. It takes time for people to push aside tradition, habits, and yes – fear, that accompanies change. Change will happen, in fact it already is, but as we all known – change is not something that is embraced with open arms.

Kitchen Safety 386

Kitchen Safety Guest Recovery Uniforms Food Safety 386

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

There’s a reactionary movement that I keep seeing in restaurants; a movement that assumes the answer to the restaurant bottom line is to take more and give less or give too much to justify raising prices. This is compounded when a restaurant doesn’t even take bread seriously. Help them out. Do it right!

Fine Dining 394

Fine Dining Food Truck Back of House Pricing 394

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

Those who are serious about holding the chef title some day; the ones who are “in it, to win it”, are always wondering what’s the best path to take. Remember that being “the chef” will take you away from much of the day-to-day cooking, the adrenaline rush, and the team excitement that drew you to the kitchen in the first place.

Hotels 431

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 431

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 20, 2023

The stores were empty, and restaurant service staff were staring out windows from the vantage of unfilled seats. The look of the service staff, cooks on the back loading docks grabbing a smoke break, salesclerks with arms folded, starring out shop windows, and nervous shop owners checking their bank accounts on cellphones was disconcerting.

Customer Experience 368

Customer Experience Customer Service Food Safety Retail 368

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

As if that weren’t enough, the menu and each morsel of food presented represents the chef’s life of experiences, his or her family history, the cuisine of their forefathers, every chef who contributed to their training, and everything that they believe in – as it pertains to food. It simply points to what may be behind it.

Guest Recovery 407

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 407

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

We may complain about the guest who is taking loads of pictures of their food and posting them on Instagram, but deep inside we get a bit of a rush when it happens. These team members will go out of their way for the guest because you do so for them. Let them kick the tires and take the menu for a spin.

Front of House 473

Front of House Customer Experience Workshop Dine-in 473

7 Shifts

JANUARY 31, 2024

It's up to the restaurant manager to maintain a warm, welcoming atmosphere and train staff to do the same. The best restaurant managers take customer service a step further, recognizing regulars and personalizing service for a more memorable guest experience.

Management 397

Management Management Kitchen Safety Front of House 397

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

Of course, there is a handful of masterful chefs and restaurateurs who can charge crazy prices to sold out audiences. It takes so much effort, time, and money to pull customers in for that first visit – we want to make them feel good about their investment and book another reservation soon. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Pricing 357

Pricing Training Consumer Goods Customer Experience 357

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 30, 2023

There is a lesson here for cooks, chefs, and restaurateurs – a simple message that stands out from every other “road to success” Prophet: Whatever you do, do it well. It will take super-human effort, ample amounts of time, arduous training, and boat loads of cash. What will it take for you to become part of that club?

Fine Dining 358

Fine Dining Front of House Dine-in 2016 358

Culinary Cues

MAY 3, 2023

They are out there. People will pay for quality – are you willing to invest the time to find out? It takes time, effort, knowledge, passion, hard work, great raw materials, and total commitment to make outstanding bread – respect this. What will it take to get the message across? Bread is the same way.

Food Truck 469

Food Truck Customer Experience Food Supply Take-out 469

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2024

It only takes a few seconds to move from being a “go along for the ride” consumer to feeling screwed. Grocery stores try to eliminate cashier positions (yes, I know how hard it is to find help) and opt for self-check-out but do so without lowering prices. Bread has always been a given. Great hospitality is common sense.

Consumer Goods 288

Consumer Goods Pricing Customer Experience Hospitality 288

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 21, 2023

This the time of year to pause and reflect, to push past the challenges, the less than stellar moments, the times we would just as soon forget, and the scars from an industry that passes them out freely and give thanks for what we have. Those days and nights when our mise en place wasn’t where it should have been made us stronger.

Kitchen Safety 420

Kitchen Safety Food Safety 2024 Inventory 420

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 7, 2021

If we see the challenge as something that has an answer if we take the time to really push our problem-solving skills, then a solution will eventually present itself. Let’s take one possible cause that is not on everyone’s radar: nurturing real interest in a restaurant career early on. So, first step – let’s refer to it as a challenge.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 11, 2022

We can always find things to disagree with and people who frustrate us, but very little good ever comes out of this approach. Don’t wait for someone else to build your skills and knowledge – take charge of your own growth. Share, teach, and train others – this is the fuel that drives your own leadership engine.

Leadership 386

Leadership Fine Dining Workshop Training 386

Culinary Cues

APRIL 1, 2024

Outside people went about their day, never giving mind to the effort, dichotomy of characters, hustle, stress, and complexity of what takes place in the “back of the house” at a twelve hundred room hotel. As I tied on my apron and pulled out my knife kit ready to dive in, the executive chef called me into his office.

Back of House 323

Back of House Kitchen Safety Hotels Front of House 323

Culinary Cues

JULY 25, 2023

I remember returning to my office, closing the door, and taking the time to collect my thoughts before calling him in. Now, I want you to listen closely, I want you to take this in and store it in a place that can be easily accessed in the future. Sit down, I want to have a serious chat with you. I wondered if I could live up to that.

Food Truck 348

Food Truck Reference Café Take-out 348

Culinary Cues

MARCH 22, 2023

When offered, it quickly sells out because people are always drawn to perfection. It is that carrot just a bit too far out of reach that it can’t be grabbed, but in the process of pursuit we push ourselves as far as possible with that goal in mind. You know it, when you see it, feel it, smell it, or taste it.

Coaching 373

Coaching Fine Dining Café Training 373

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 8, 2021

Sometimes the change curve can be mapped out allowing ample time to gear up with new skills, new products, new methods of production, and a laser focused marketing strategy, while on occasion, something environmental takes place that forces a more immediate response. Think about the technology sector as a prime example.

2021 464

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 464

Culinary Cues

JULY 31, 2022

For the Restaurateur: Are you willing to take a hard look at your business model and change how you attract, train, invest in, compensate, and evaluate your staff? Are you willing to take a hard look at your pricing model and how you approach profitability? PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Food Supply 397

Food Supply Training Supplies Café 397

Culinary Cues

JUNE 7, 2023

So, here are some thoughts (nothing new here, but always worth reinforcing): [] TRAIN AND DELEGATE “When will I find the time to teach anyone to be as thorough as me?” Train your staff and then trust them. [] PRIORITIZE What really needs to be done right now and what must wind up on your plate.

Training 331

Training Article Café Take-out 331

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023

This may seem like a strange topic for a blog focused on the restaurant industry and the world of food but hear me out. You can see it moving in and taking up lodging in our social media streams, in books that are published, articles in the news, music that is written, and a change in what we find on our televisions.

Social Media 353

Social Media Food Safety Retail Back of House 353

Culinary Cues

APRIL 18, 2023

Here are some thoughts. [] IT’S STILL ABOUT THE FOOD: People go out to eat for a variety of reasons – convenience, social interaction, a change of pace, business travel, vacations, celebration, or habit. Plan, equip, train, evaluate, educate, and celebrate each and every employee. Plan better – train harder, takes on new meaning.

Food Truck 323

Food Truck Back of House Education Training 323

Culinary Cues

JUNE 4, 2023

This is my version and addition to his profound words: EYES ON THE POSITION OF CHEF: So, you want to make a career out of this kitchen work. Take care of your knives. Take care of your bodies: exercise, eat right, try to get enough sleep, see a doctor annually, care for your teeth, maintain a healthy weight, drink in moderation, etc.

Brewery 358

Brewery Equipment Book Blog 358

Culinary Cues

JUNE 13, 2023

I need a job” however becomes a sense of urgency that steps away from the negative and shouts out how important a job is to your survival. They work me to the bone”, must mean that a person feels like an indentured servant with no way out. I got the job!” Of course, I could go on and on. you can do better than this’”. -Dr.

Article 313

Article Social Media Blog Café 313

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Push it out, how many covers, lock, and load, finish strong, over the hump, wrap it up: this the language of the kitchen during service, these are the timestamps like the number of quarters in a football game or innings in baseball. You set the tone for others to emulate. [] TEACH AND TRAIN. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Customer Service 349

Customer Service Customer Experience Uniforms Point of Sale 349

Culinary Cues

APRIL 9, 2024

Look out chef – I’m coming for your job! The sous chef takes you around and introduces you to the team – a team of very serious cooks with blazing fast and accurate knife skills, immaculate workstations, impeccable organization, and a look of complete control. “We Day one, you walk through those kitchen doors with a bit of swagger.

Uniforms 328

Uniforms Waste Café Take-out 328

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 12, 2021

Finding the right concept, building in the right location, finding, and training the best staff, nurturing the team, and creating a menu that reflects the needs of the guest and the passion of the cook is only the beginning. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. This is paramount! CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Restaurant Law 397

Restaurant Law Education Definition Social Media 397

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

If you doubt my belief – think about this: If a line cook calls out – we simply spread the work out among those who are present. A server doesn’t show up, we adjust the station chart and maybe change the timing at the door, but we figure it out. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. I rest my case.

Front of House 448

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 448

Culinary Cues

JULY 14, 2023

Interestingly, it goes even further because if you take this approach, you quickly understand you can always do that task better tomorrow. If you are just starting out as a dishwasher, then seek to become a world-class dishwasher. So, the mantra sets the stage for the drive to constantly improve. People will notice.

Cash Management 304

Cash Management Uniforms Food Supply Café 304

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 18, 2022

Everyone needs to take responsibility for setting the stage. I cringe when I think of those moments when things slipped out of control but know that each moment when that occurred gave me more resolve to avoid it in the future. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Nurture the hustle!

Customer Experience 417

Customer Experience Food Order Hiring Café 417

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 28, 2020

Shake off the dust of complacency, press the wrinkles out of that chef coat, polish those shoes and face the challenges straight on. Send out information about your current offerings and your future plans through effective email blasts. Work at it, train for it, stand behind it, and make a difference. You can do this!

Social Media 438

Social Media Communication Loyalty Program Training 438

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 11, 2022

Before you turn and run away or write me off as unaware of how you have the perfect formula for success, just hear me out. We do know it will be different and the Baker’s Dozen list in this article will be only the start for those who think they are ready to take the leap. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Customer Experience 372

Customer Experience Café Training Hospitality 372

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

You take time to sanitize your area, firmly place a cutting board on a damp towel to keep it from slipping, draw your knives across a wet stone while honing their edge, and quickly jotting down a prep list for the next hour. You take a deep breath and smile knowing that this is where you belong, this will be a magical day.

Kitchen Safety 428

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Seasonal Menu 428

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

It is easy to blame money, non-traditional work hours, unrealistic training in culinary schools, and the younger generation as a whole – but even if we (the industry as a whole) were able to snap our fingers and fix these issues, it is likely that team building and retention would still be challenging. TEACH AND TRAIN. Richard Branson.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Communication Training Coaching 582

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

The cost of raw materials seems to always go up, most ingredients that restaurants use are highly perishable, customer volume is less predictable than we would like, seasonal differences in quality are quite significant, the supply chain is out of step with demand, and waste seems to be a real problem in many operations. First in, first out.

Food 387

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 387

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 4, 2022

People do care about value and once the splash of being able to get out of the house wears off, value assessment will be paramount once again. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Apathy is a disease that spreads as quickly as a virus. Toynbee (author and historian). We are better than that!”

Front of House 333

Front of House Coaching Uniforms Back of House 333