Culinary Cues

APRIL 7, 2025

We (those who have invested decades in the business already) may complain about the current labor environment and question the level of commitment from a younger pool of candidates but I have rarely heard anyone attempt to define how it will all wash out. We all have a role to play in making sure that this happens, but I am confident it will.

Kitchen Safety 302

Kitchen Safety Food Supply 2030 Healthcare 302

Culinary Cues

MARCH 31, 2025

Those who seek knowledge and work to develop skills are those who can face the storm with confidence. [] Respect others even if you dont agree. Dont take it for granted. [] Education is the key to future success. Knowledge is power, it is liberating, fun, inspiring, and refreshing to know and understand. Make more music.

Consumer Goods 448

Consumer Goods Transportation Small Business Take-out 448

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 24, 2025

So, how does this relate to the business of restaurants, the work of the cook and chef, the daily challenges that face the restaurateur? When we have the skill and the good fortune, we also have an obligation to help. We delude ourselves if we believe that those times are behind us.

Back of House 386

Back of House Travel Government Education 386

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2024

He developed his skill as a musician by following the standards of masters who were prominent hundreds of years before he was born. It would be difficult to find a person who is a “master” at their craft without revealing their history of “Yes, Chef.” Once you adopt a philosophy of excellence, it will become your signature. Be excellent!

Training 417

Training Coaching Uniforms Café 417

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.

Food Supply 474

Food Supply Communication Customer Service Small Business 474

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. In other words if we see the challenge as insurmountable then it will be.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

Culinary Cues

MAY 22, 2025

For decades I have listened to cooks, service staff, and even restaurant managers complain about the business that provides their weekly paycheck. So, YES, the business of food is faced with challenges that impact those who work in kitchens but try to understand that the underlying benefits outweigh those challenges.

Food Truck 309

Food Truck Sports Education Influencer 309

Culinary Cues

MAY 6, 2025

Certainly, cooking incredible food, satisfying guests, and operating a successful business could fill the role of making a difference, but these four chefs, and thousands of others, seek to go beyond the obvious and find a way to use their talents for an even better good. So, I ask myself and you as well: what will be your legacy?

Consumer Goods 249

Consumer Goods Education Sourcing Training 249

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2025

It may be the skill or reputation of the chef that gives public relations power to a restaurant, but it is the cohesive nature of a team where each person contributes in their own way to the uniqueness of the operation and thus, creating its brand and how dining experiences come to life.

Employee Relations 355

Employee Relations Reference Influencer Education 355

Culinary Cues

APRIL 6, 2020

Since fire was first discovered – we have enjoyed and developed the skills to cook, eventually season, and finally plate prepared food to please other people. Cooking is one of the most admired and appreciated skill that allows the cook to express his or her history, traditions, ethnicity, and skill while engaging guests in a story.

Travel 539

Travel Back of House Customer Service Small Business 539

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 520

White Paper Certification Food Safety Food Supply 520

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2025

I simply find it counterproductive to balk at a process that works and that, in the end, will give the cook or chef the skills and the freedom to become that rebel. So, here is the process: [] DEDICATION: Regardless of the career you choose – dedication to what it takes to become great is essential.

Uniforms 223

Uniforms Coaching Customer Experience Restaurant Law 223

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 19, 2025

So, here are thoughts on guiding principles for being, working, and making a difference. [] LEARN AND GROW We have a responsibility to use the mind, body, and heart we are given to become knowledgeable, skilled, and mindful of our potential and role.

Uniforms 344

Uniforms Education Waste Blog 344

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Such is the case in 2021.

2021 474

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 18, 2020

The club of today is a business where food and beverage plays a significant role in the financial viability of the operation. At the same time the chef must be a savvy person who has a known history of effective business acumen. The chef’s brand brings prestige to the club. [] SUPERIOR ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.

Beverage 520

Beverage Events Food Order Website Management 520

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 448

Influencer Small Business Book Take-out 448

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 3, 2024

Nearly nine years ago, during the first twelve months of Harvest America Cues blog, one of my articles went viral attracting almost 40,000 views in one day. Let them swim once they have the skill set. [] BE THE KIND OF PERSON YOUR DOG THINKS YOU ARE You know how your dog gets so excited when you walk through the door at home?

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Article Training 447

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 470

Restaurant Law Education Definition Social Media 470

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Restaurant Law 450

Restaurant Law Coaching Café Sourcing 450

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 29, 2024

We have labored over the effects of this change but have been very slow to reinvent the way that we do business – to once again, create an environment where individuals relish the opportunity to learn and grow as cooks, exhibit passion about the craft, wear their uniforms with pride, and feel great about saying: “I’m a cook!”

Kitchen Safety 448

Kitchen Safety Guest Recovery Uniforms Food Safety 448

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 19, 2020

But we don’t often take the time to stop and pay attention to the intellect of the cook and the broader skills that few careers can boast. Great cooks and chefs are highly intellectual individuals who are challenged to apply those skills and aptitudes every day. Cook’s learn to be masters at this essential skill.

Restaurant Law 450

Restaurant Law Communication Café Take-out 450

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Without consistency – trust will erode. Richard Branson.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Training Communication Coaching 582

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 27, 2023

A chef centric operation relies on the life experiences, acquired skill, and reputation of the chef to create a menu concept that has a strong footing in profitability and execute the same in a consistent, cost-effective manner. The reputation of the business is based on “no surprises”.

Hiring 449

Hiring Training Pricing Presentation 449

Culinary Cues

JULY 29, 2024

Who wants to hear about all the great things that we experienced working in the restaurant business? Working in a restaurant as a dishwasher or bus boy(person) was never glamorous, but it was cool to be in that fast-paced environment of a restaurant, learning a few skills and how to hustle, and earning that paycheck at the end of the week.

Back of House 456

Back of House Take-out Café Blog 456

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

Consider this – the menu is the most important component of a successful restaurant and once designed it can, and should, impact every other aspect of the business. It is their business after all – right? www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Owners have a tough time staying out of the menu planning process. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Menu 482

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Café 482

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.

Front of House 473

Front of House Kitchen Safety Fine Dining Back of House 473

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 27, 2020

She would bring me over to her station when it was busy to flip pancakes, butter toast, and keep the home fries coming. To Frank Shores who brought me on board at his restaurant in Orchard Park and showed me that to be successful in the restaurant business you have to count all the oranges and watch every penny. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Influencer 493

Influencer Hotels Education Hiring 493

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 520

Employee Relations Restaurant Law Waste Article 520

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 474

Compost Fine Dining Waste Café 474

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

It was a new taste, something exceptional, a surprise, or it may have been a moment when the busy breakfast cook pulled you from the dish machine to help set-up plates on the line – whatever it was – you woke up. Culinary skills were non-existent, but the possibility was there. “I You added a skill to your bag of tricks.

Food Order 417

Food Order Presentation Café Waste 417

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 446

Kitchen Safety Food Safety Back of House Front of House 446

7 Shifts

SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

It's one of the most hands-on jobs you can have - and equips employees with an abundance of restaurant skills as a result. Like any job, a restaurant job teaches skills and processes you can put on your resume in addition to soft skills that make you both a better worker and a more well-rounded person. Skills for Your Resume.

Front of House 370

Front of House Back of House Kitchen Safety Food Safety 370

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 3, 2023

I have long embraced this philosophy when it comes to restaurants, but it also can apply to any business. We tend to focus on other essential skills and outcomes while forgetting to acknowledge that people will gravitate to you or your business if hospitality exists. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. _Danny Meyer.

Hospitality 466

Hospitality Customer Experience Customer Service Small Business 466

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.” www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Food Order 473

Food Order Customer Experience Hiring Café 473

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

To those who still doubt that this is true – here are some indications to support my belief: [] THIS IS A JOB THAT REQUIRES INTELLECT AS WELL AS PHYSICAL SKILL. There is a tremendous need for those individuals who have this broad capacity as well as the skill to cook a great meal.

Back of House 473

Back of House Reference Presentation Mobile Ordering 473

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 505

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 505

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).”. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Author unknown. I have spoken oftentimes about the disease of mediocrity and the joy of an attitude of excellence. This is what great chefs do.

Communication 450

Communication Coaching Fine Dining Influencer 450