Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2024

It is apparent in the classroom, the local grocery store, your doctor’s office, the gym where you work out, car dealerships, airports, subways, hotels, and yes – restaurants. In other words – when a restaurant is not working as it should, start by looking at leadership and how they approach the business and the people within.

Leadership 472

Leadership Food Truck Employee Relations Training 472

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. What rules or laws are most significant for them and how might their commitment to them impact on those workhorse cooks, dishwashers, restaurant servers, and the like?

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Article Training 447

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 3, 2020

From coast to coast restaurants that are open at some level are paralyzed by a lack of staff. As restaurant owners and chefs scratch their heads trying to figure out what’s going on – it might be helpful to look at the lessons that are before us. According to ABC news – more than 16,000 U.S.

Government 493

Government Training Small Business Consumer Goods 493

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2020

Rest assured, at some point restaurants will rise up again, clubs and hotels will measure success based on occupancy and food service activity, and the position of “chef” will be center stage in driving sales and measuring profitability. Now is the time to self-assess and realign priorities.

Leadership 471

Leadership Point of Sale Training Coaching 471

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2023

Do you understand the seasonality of ingredients and how to adjust for less than stellar quality or substitute ingredients that will bring you close to the same result in a recipe? The chef must be able to speak the language, build the palate, and understand how this relationship works.

Seasonal Menu 520

Seasonal Menu Leadership Training Fine Dining 520

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 7, 2021

Identifying problems has never been a challenge in the restaurant industry – there are many. Let’s look for a moment at one of those problems (challenges) and apply these three steps: PROBLEM: The restaurant industry, universally, is having an impossible time trying to find competent, committed individuals to work in all positions.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

It seems to me that this is where we are with our decisions about restaurant operation. We have debated this issue for the past two years and the only solutions that most restaurant operators have come up with are to cut services and keep raising wages. and employee jobs moved from production to quality control.

Kitchen Safety 94

Kitchen Safety Training Take-out Mobile Ordering 94

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Are you thinking about owning a restaurant? You are not alone if the thought of putting your name on a restaurant awning has crossed your mind. One of the most tempting forays into entrepreneurship is the restaurant business. How hard can it be – right? Spoiler alert – nothing could be further from the truth.

Cash Management 462

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 462

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

Back in time, I remember a billboard in New York City’s Times Square that asked: “Would You Be Willing To Sign Your Work?” Maybe restaurants can start by posting who is responsible on prep sheets, organizational charts, in newsletters, or even on menus. When we sign our work, we take full responsibility for it. “I

Seminar 443

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 443

Culinary Cues

MAY 15, 2021

The restaurant industry continues to be devastated – not just as a result of the pandemic but because the pandemic brought underlying issues to the surface. The glory days of the restaurant industry have been laid to rest and they may never return to any semblance of normalcy. How will we react?” What if……happens?

Customer Experience 449

Customer Experience Cash Management Customer Service Front of House 449

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. It is always safe to say: “things change”.

2021 474

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 474

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 26, 2024

This is a plea to those who work tirelessly in restaurant kitchens, the chefs who are paid to lead those operations, and the owners who depend on raving fans and some semblance of profitability. It doesn’t need to parallel those outstanding restaurants I mentioned before – just good food, made with a little passion and care.

Dine-in 443

Dine-in Training Seasonal Menu Sports 443

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

Sure, I know how much the restaurant/foodservice industry is suffering and how many operations are shutting their doors as a result of avoiding decades of challenges brought to a head by the pandemic, but believe me when I say that this will change. Just as the restaurant industry evolves, so too must the industry of education.

Education 587

Education Food Supply Training Communication 587

Culinary Cues

APRIL 30, 2023

Who knows how successful that multi-million dollar running back, or defensive lineman may turn out to be. The same applies to any business, in this case – a restaurant. Paying employees, a respectable wage, seems like a commonsense approach, but it does not guarantee success. What will they contribute? Is it worth it!

Employee Relations 503

Employee Relations Sports Pricing Hiring 503

Culinary Cues

MARCH 10, 2022

I’m not sure who decided that this declaration be made, but for those of us in the restaurant business – it is so appropriate. How frustrating would it be if that stacked china ready for plating was spotted or chipped? How frustrated would a line cook be if he or she had to clean their own sauté pans after every use?

Front of House 450

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 450

Culinary Cues

JULY 4, 2021

On top of this – restaurants are offering wages that were unheard of pre-pandemic and still employees are not inclined to return to kitchens and dining rooms. On top of this – restaurants are offering wages that were unheard of pre-pandemic and still employees are not inclined to return to kitchens and dining rooms.

2021 508

2021 Food Supply Seasonal Menu Supplies 508

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

We all know the challenges facing restaurants right now – there is little benefit in reiterating the problems. What needs to be addressed is: “ How do we build trust among customers, trust that the restaurant will keep them safe, and how do we generate enough sales and in turn – profit, to keep the operation moving forward?

Kitchen Safety 432

Kitchen Safety Back of House Front of House Customer Experience 432

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. The menu comes first and should reflect the philosophy of the owners and chef and how the operators expect to be perceived by the public. YES – the menu is that important!

Menu 482

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Café 482

Modern Restaurant Management

APRIL 2, 2020

For additional resources, click COVID-19 Survival Guide for Restaurants and MRM Restaurant Survival Guide, Second Course and MRM Restaurant Survival Guide, Part Three. The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has launched the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund to support U.S.

Employee Relations 517

Employee Relations Healthcare Online Ordering Customer Service 517

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 3, 2023

I have long embraced this philosophy when it comes to restaurants, but it also can apply to any business. How we greet and welcome people into our fold does have an impact on the quality of the product and experience we offer. Nothing fancy, just good old – stick to your ribs comfort food. I asked her what made her food so special?

Hospitality 466

Hospitality Customer Experience Customer Service Small Business 466

Culinary Cues

APRIL 3, 2020

As you move through IDEATION that will help to define what your restaurant concept, menu, systems, and staffing will look like as we eventually move out of this crisis, it is just as important to discuss and plan for the things that can go wrong. What else can get in the way of our success and how will we navigate around or through them.

Guest Recovery 382

Guest Recovery Social Media Kitchen Safety Food Safety 382

Culinary Cues

APRIL 15, 2023

It’s early spring, mud season as it is commonly called, and they are putting in a Yeoman’s effort at organizing another restaurant week. All good intentions – they want to create full or partially full dining rooms for restaurants in need. If you are not in the restaurant business, then maybe this sounds reasonable.

Café 518

Café Seasonal Menu Point of Sale Social Media 518

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

I get it, profit in restaurants is sometimes hard to come by. Restaurants get hit from all angles so when there is a chance to push the envelope on pricing – many do. These are the restaurants where dining is much, much more than just consuming food. It’s so hard to make money on that 10 oz. Prime Filet or 14 oz.

Pricing 442

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Small Business 442

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

This is also a great comparative process to use when seeking a new career opportunity – a chance to note if taking a different position aligns with your beliefs or if it causes you to compromise. An exercise that I have found to be really helpful is to occasionally state/re-state what you believe in as a chef. Here is my manifesto as a chef.

2021 486

2021 Point of Sale Take-out Reference 486

7 Shifts

JUNE 3, 2022

We don't have to tell you that the restaurant industry has a turnover problem. Restaurants are a transitional industry for many—but many of the reasons that workers quit are entirely preventable. 8 Reasons Why Restaurant Workers Quit — And How To Prevent It. 73% of those employees still receive tips.

Tip Distribution 397

Tip Distribution Email Marketing Communication Coaching 397

Culinary Cues

MARCH 30, 2020

The restaurant industry has been plagued with problems for decades – this international crisis has brought everything to a head. How many times have restaurateurs and chefs proclaimed that they couldn’t simply stop their current model and re-invent themselves? It has also demonstrated just how fragile that need is.

Small Business 457

Small Business Food Supply Food Truck Healthcare 457

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 15, 2022

We want and need to make a difference, no matter how small or how large that contribution might be. We want and need to make a difference, no matter how small or how large that contribution might be. Of course, we require those important things to survive, but survival to the average person is never enough.

Uniforms 450

Uniforms Front of House Food Safety Healthcare 450

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 14, 2020

It’s true of great restaurants, great retail stores, great investment firms, exceptional banks, small auto dealerships, and even local government offices. There are lessons to be learned that are often overlooked. Small, personal and people first always shines above large and business first. So why is this so?

Small Business 447

Small Business Leadership Customer Service Café 447

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

With the title comes a basket full of new responsibilities and challenges that will likely weigh you down for years to come. With the title comes a basket full of new responsibilities and challenges that will likely weigh you down for years to come. CHEF-to-CHEF, So.you made it! Congratulations! So.now what?

Education 390

Education Consumer Goods Training Back of House 390

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

With more than one million restaurants in the US we can flip a coin and hope for the great, will likely step through the doors of good, and far too often settle into the mediocre. So, just in case the information is not well known to some – here is the BEST OF Restaurant 101, a good start. [] START WITH KNOWING THE MARKET.

Fine Dining 449

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 449

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2021

The hope was that by doing more, working harder and longer, making more complicated menus, and pushing the envelope of creativity the restaurant industry would rise up to new levels of success. These small restaurant operators opened and closed their doors at an alarming rate simply because they couldn’t afford the space.

Dine-in 450

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 450

7 Shifts

MAY 11, 2020

It’s been months since restaurants across the US, Canada, and beyond were forced to shutter their dining areas in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Plus, as part of our COVID-19 resources initiative , it’s time we pivot our own content to help your restaurant have a successful reopening. I'm so sorry, I'm not doing that anymore.’

BOH 368

BOH Food Safety FOH Equipment 368

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 1, 2019

After paying that small bit of tribute it is back to business as usual – spending money with the familiarity of chains, well known and heavily advertised brands, and buy on-line (yes even on-line business with restaurants through apps like GrubHub). Every year, this weekend is the official time to celebrate small businesses.

Small Business 489

Small Business Customer Experience Customer Service Seasonal Menu 489

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2022

The margins are very tight, in fact they are so tight that most business savvy people would wonder why anyone would ever want to own a restaurant. From the dishwasher to the prep cook, line cook to sous chef, and server to restaurant manager – food cost percentages must be something that everyone takes on as a job requirement.

Food 448

Food Seasonal Menu Waste Point of Sale 448

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 11, 2023

Long before the restaurant chains of today, decades prior to the birth of fine dining, experience dining, and molecular gastronomy, there were neighborhood cafes that were part of small communities across the country. The restaurant was for eating and catching up with the flavor of the town.

White Paper 411

White Paper Hospitality Fine Dining Reference 411

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 9, 2022

It happens now and again, that question comes up on-line, usually from individuals new to a professional kitchen, or those who have little idea about how kitchens work. Sometimes, it depends on how you ask the question. THE LAW: Look to the chef to see how the kitchen will act. It goes with the turf.

Restaurant Law 450

Restaurant Law Coaching Café Sourcing 450

Modern Restaurant Management

JANUARY 13, 2020

Now that the new year is here, it’s the perfect time for restaurant operators to review their 2019 performance and identify areas that can be improved in 2020. Significant growth always starts with smart goals that not only identify the areas for improvement but also define how to get there. Employee scheduling.

2020 364

2020 Website Management Online Ordering Point of Sale 364