Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 5, 2023

In other words – patience and persistence – it takes time to build the skills and knowledge necessary to get to your destination. YOU WILL NEVER BE A CHEF unless you have mastered these foundational skills. So, to be a chef you must have the skills, the experiences, and the willingness to be “all in”. Wax on, wax off.

Kitchen Safety 366

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Back of House Front of House 366

Culinary Cues

MAY 13, 2023

If you want to build an understanding and even a level of competence with a variety of specific skill sets then clubs, resorts, and hotels may be the only place where that can happen. [] VOLUME: A very busy, well-branded restaurant might generate 5of 6 million in annual sales, where a club or hotel can easy boast four or five times that volume.

Hotels 426

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 426

Culinary Cues

APRIL 9, 2024

You thought you were good, a solid line cook or prep cook, a couple years of experience under your belt working in a busy restaurant. Your uniform is right, knives sharp, and the skills you developed over the past two years were second nature. You know the feeling and you shake your head thinking back to those moments. Embrace it.

Uniforms 323

Uniforms Waste Café Take-out 323

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 21, 2023

We are where we are because of the great people who stood beside us in the heat, on damaged knees and swollen feet, with the relentless ticking of the printer spitting out dupes, the barking of expeditors, sous chefs, and service staff, and because of the skills that we developed through time and repetition. For all of these, I am grateful.

Kitchen Safety 416

Kitchen Safety Food Safety 2024 Inventory 416

7 Shifts

FEBRUARY 13, 2023

It’s no secret that with a workforce mass exodus and rising minimum wages, the restaurant industry is long overdue for an overhaul of its business structure and compensation model. As a result we see a Magpie that is more cohesive, with a skilled team that works together to create a great experience for all of our guests.

Tip Distribution 390

Tip Distribution Front of House Restaurant Law Back of House 390

Embrace the Suck

MAY 24, 2023

It's time to dust off your note-taking skills because we're diving into a four-step game plan to draw the crème de la crème to your restaurant, starting immediately. Step 3: Scout for Personality, Not Just Skills During the hiring process, we sometimes over-emphasize experience while undervaluing the importance of personality.

Recruiting 327

Recruiting Coaching Hiring Customer Experience 327

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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Such is the case in 2021.

2021 462

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 462

7 Shifts

JANUARY 31, 2024

As complex as the role can be, these responsibilities—both written and unwritten—are easier to manage with the right skills (and the right tools). It's up to the restaurant manager to maintain a warm, welcoming atmosphere and train staff to do the same. This part of the job is arguably the most multi-faceted.

Management 195

Management Management Kitchen Safety Front of House 195

Culinary Cues

MAY 8, 2023

If a chef can manage a week or two here or there it will be at that rare time when business is off and even then, chefs are checking their email a few times a day to see what crisis is occurring while they try to relax. Five weeks’ vacation might be nice, although chefs probably wouldn’t know what to do with themselves for that long.

Kitchen Safety 428

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Coaching Training 428

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

When we look at vegetables as a ’la carte only then we degrade the value of the meal and the skill of the chef. Buy quality beans, grind them on premise, train your servers to properly brew, or better yet – hire a barista to take care of that. Do it right!

Fine Dining 389

Fine Dining Food Truck Back of House Pricing 389

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 11, 2022

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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Over 800 articles about the business and people of food). Master your role and support those around you.

Leadership 381

Leadership Fine Dining Workshop Training 381

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 12, 2021

The trials and tribulations associated with the restaurant business are many – it is not an endeavor for the faint of heart. This is a profession for those with a need to express, but it is also a business with very slim profit margins so oftentimes the artist and the accountant are part of a tenuous relationship.

Restaurant Law 391

Restaurant Law Education Definition Social Media 391

Culinary Cues

APRIL 29, 2022

This is a direct message to all of those young cooks just starting out, dishwashers, culinary students, and seasoned veterans of the kitchen – you can go as far as you want to go in the food business as long as you are willing to put in the work, build a plan, and stick to the plan. Am I exaggerating? Build this into your plan.

Influencer 379

Influencer Book Small Business Take-out 379

7 Shifts

APRIL 21, 2023

In that leadership position, he created classes for managers on skills like leadership and cost control. After college, Talebi and his brother concocted a menu and a business plan for CRAVE American Kitchen + Sushi Bar. In that role, McCutcheon led the creation of the TM to GM career training program. Be curious.

Leadership 195

Leadership Training Front of House Customer Experience 195

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 13, 2022

One way to approach a viable solution is to modify how we do business, what we sell, and the skill set that makes sense for today’s cook. SOLUTIONS and the NEW SKILL SET: [] Smaller Menus. SKILL SET: Too many factors are making it difficult to maintain large, diverse menus.

Compost 437

Compost Fine Dining Waste Café 437

Culinary Cues

MAY 18, 2020

Know that the degree or certificate is more than an acknowledgement of the skills and knowledge that you have gained – it represents your level commitment and discipline that will serve you well. Research that goal and establish the skill set those successful individuals in that position must possess, and build that into your strategy.

White Paper 519

White Paper Certification Food Safety Food Supply 519

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

For many, recruiting is a skill they’re not trained on and just one of a hundred tasks occupying their work day. Since the pandemic, businesses have had to cut staff to save costs, which has made hiring even more challenging. Hires are often not made by corporate staff but by front line managers at individual restaurants.

Hiring 204

Hiring Recruiting Tip Distribution Small Business 204

Culinary Cues

APRIL 8, 2020

Am I destined to work in the same career or do I have any real skill sets that can open other doors?” First – we (all of us who have made the restaurant business our life calling) hope that you will bring your skills, passion, and commitment back to the food business and will work diligently to help make us better.

Communication 468

Communication Food Supply Customer Service Small Business 468

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The tasks of the chef are fairly universal: planning menus, putting your signature on each dish, hiring and training staff, ordering product and building vendor relationships, controlling costs and adhering to budgets, maintaining a clean and safe kitchen environment, etc.

Beverage 487

Beverage Events Food Order Website Management 487

Culinary Cues

JULY 5, 2023

This is what draws the very best employees to a restaurant, leads those with the means to invest in the business, and lights up the media who will paint a picture of excellence that builds excitement and anticipation around a dining experience. It isn’t just skill that wins tournaments, it’s experience. So, what does that mean?

Leadership 350

Leadership Sports Article Presentation 350

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

In all of my years in the food business, I have never seen a time like now when these issues of team building and retention were more challenged. A culture of retention exists in a business where EVERYONE is treated with respect. TRAIN people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Communication Training Coaching 582

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

Make them feel as if they are part of your mission – they are! [] FOR THE SERVICE STAFF: Training, teaching, and tasting are all part of the program. Look at every dishwasher as your next cook in training. It is your job to teach and train, to show some empathy, but be tough and have very high expectations of your cooks.

Front of House 473

Front of House Customer Experience Workshop Dine-in 473

Culinary Cues

APRIL 10, 2023

To some it may simply seem like the squeaky wheel syndrome (a handful of people with loud voices) as dialogue about exodus from the restaurant business continues to raise eyebrows. However, I know hundreds of cooks and chefs who would agree with me when I proclaim that this is a wonderful business with limitless opportunities.

Employee Relations 472

Employee Relations Restaurant Law Waste Article 472

Perfect Daily Grind

FEBRUARY 15, 2023

Alongside this, many develop a number of technical skills to help them succeed in their job role – as well as in the coffee sector more widely. What skills does a barista need? What about soft skills? This is especially pertinent in the hospitality industry, where high staff turnover rates can be a problem for some businesses.

Education 187

Education Point of Sale Training Website Management 187

Culinary Cues

MAY 1, 2023

One fact about the restaurant business stands out to me – something I have always appreciated: the kitchen is the great equalizer. So, no matter what their journey has been like; no matter their heritage, race, gender, education level, or portfolio of beliefs – this is a business of unity in purpose.

Front of House 427

Front of House Back of House Food Order Seasonal Menu 427

7 Shifts

AUGUST 15, 2022

Be honest and direct , reference something you read on their website or a customer review that you value in a restaurant business. Any job in this business is exhausting and requires long hours of arduous work, so restaurant managers want to make sure the people they hire to work for them are proud and excited to be there.

Customer Experience 397

Customer Experience Website Management Hiring Back of House 397

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 18, 2022

The difference is a culmination of knowledge, skill, experience, confidence, and preparation. There is a statement that I remember from my early days in kitchens that sums it up: “If your mise en place is right you can handle any amount of business.” PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Nurture the hustle! Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Customer Experience 411

Customer Experience Food Order Hiring Café 411

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 28, 2021

Cooks are busy at work with their own preparations as breakfast orders from the dining room arrive at a harrowing pace. This is not an automatic process; it requires a number of skills that are built over time. Over time they developed foundational skills that would allow them to progress up through various brigade positions.

Kitchen Safety 423

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Seasonal Menu 423

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

THE LAW: It may be the responsibility of the cook to constantly enhance his or her skill set, but it is the chef who must create an environment of learning and provide the tools for others to gain knowledge and skill. [] The Ambassador for the Kitchen. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

Restaurant Law 409

Restaurant Law Coaching Café Sourcing 409

7 Shifts

APRIL 23, 2021

The best way to do this is by using a hiring process that prioritizes fit over skill. The 51 percent rule is Meyer's personality-based hiring principle that he used to grow his business. “It Hiring 51 percenters today will save training time and dollars tomorrow,” writes Meyer. Ace Onboarding and Training.

Hiring 370

Hiring Front of House Back of House Food Safety 370

Culinary Cues

APRIL 18, 2023

The restaurant business is sometimes like the canary in the coal mine and at other times like the father of teenage children – the last to know. They need to receive a fair, competitive wage for the skill set they possess, they should expect reasonable benefits, and a property that invests in helping them become exceptional at their craft.

Food Truck 319

Food Truck Back of House Education Training 319

Culinary Cues

MARCH 25, 2021

There is no greatness without a passion to be great – whether it’s the aspiration of an athlete or an artist, a scientist, a parent, business owner (or chef).”. Chefs must know how to identify, hire, train, mentor, coach, evaluate, and sometimes cut a team member loose if his or her presence has a negative impact on the team.

Communication 436

Communication Coaching Fine Dining Influencer 436

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. Possible causes: – People have heard how demanding and unforgiving the business can be. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Why is this the case? CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

7 Shifts

FEBRUARY 15, 2022

In his work, he realized that many employees get thrust into management positions without any training. So he created a universal training manual, his book— The Surprise Restaurant Manager. From there, the team was able to hone in and craft four core values that help them make decisions across their business. Why texting?

Social Media 448

Social Media Hiring Website Management Hospitality 448

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2023

You can always build and refine skills, but the right attitude must accompany the new employee when they walk through the door every day. Hire attitude. [] TEACH AND TRAIN This is the chef’s primary job. There are thousands of restaurants that function well with this formula.

Seasonal Menu 353

Seasonal Menu Food Supply Training Presentation 353

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 28, 2023

The media is in love with the drama, as confessions of abused cooks find ample press time, and despondent cooks who leave the business trash talk their previous employers. Let us not forget that the restaurant business is one that provides first jobs for a large percentage of the population.

Entertainment 363

Entertainment Back of House Consumer Goods Recruiting 363

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2022

But, beyond all of this lies a macro responsibility, one that defines the chef’s position in the larger business of food, and that is being a mentor who creates an environment for and nurtures the potential of young cooks to make their own mark on the restaurant scene. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. The business of food.

Training 368

Training Presentation Employee Relations Article 368