Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2023

When we sign our work, we take full responsibility for it. “I Think about it for a moment – would you be willing to put yourself out there and take ownership for work that is less than stellar, less than the best you can do? Are you proud to present this to your teammates, manager, or guest?” I did this, this is my work”!

Seminar 444

Seminar Front of House Back of House Workshop 444

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 474

2021 Social Media Kitchen Safety Restaurant Law 474

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Nowadays, running a successful restaurant takes more than great food and good service. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you could be losing out on potential customers. You can also reach out to other local businesses or organizations to provide further context to search engines about your restaurant’s location.

Book 195

Book Marketing Email Marketing Social Media 195

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. Challenges solved. We can do this.

Social Media 474

Social Media Cash Management Blog Equipment 474

Culinary Cues

JUNE 22, 2020

There are times, possibly many times, when you question your own skill – whether in cooking or presenting food, or even with the operation of a kitchen. It is what is felt and experienced deep down inside that made these individuals stand out as accomplished and authentic. They were one with what they played and sang.

Food 474

Food Presentation Café Leadership 474

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 505

Hotels Point of Sale Cash Management Training 505

Modern Restaurant Management

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

Starting out as a whole grain diet for radicals, vegan food culture has evolved into Michelin star worthy mega trend for future chefs and culinary experts. With increasing promotions in restaurant magazines, food blogs, and social media platforms, more people are expected to join this mega-trend.

Fine Dining 554

Fine Dining Fast Casual Food Supply 2022 554

Culinary Cues

JULY 15, 2024

This is a disease that lies dormant in many people just waiting to take over their every being if those in positions of leadership allow it to. 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.

Leadership 473

Leadership Food Truck Employee Relations Training 473

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

Volunteer for a stage at a great local restaurant, take an occasional sabbatical to re-enter the industry, attend conferences and workshops, take a class on a new method of preparation, and belong to professional organizations. Yes, even faculty members need to continue to engage in the learning process. LACK OF DISCIPLINE.

Education 587

Education Food Supply Communication Training 587

Culinary Cues

JULY 23, 2023

It is a close-knit industry of wannabe perfectionists who feel every ounce of pressure that looming failure can present. This is why ownership of the menu is so important to the chef, this is why the exactness of each plate, the consistency of flavor, and the beauty of the presentation are so critical to the chef.

Guest Recovery 419

Guest Recovery Seasonal Menu Presentation Customer Experience 419

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

Far too many times the menu takes a back seat to all other planning that will lead to serious miscalculations along the way. General Motors would never build and equip an auto plant, hire the entire staff, and create a marketing strategy until the car they intend to build is designed, prototyped, and presented to various focus groups first.

Menu 484

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Reference 484

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. Give your cooks a chance, now and then, to dine out front. Did they sense that the value was there?

Customer Service 441

Customer Service Customer Experience Point of Sale Presentation 441

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 6, 2022

It was a job and a paycheck, a signal that I wanted to take on some responsibility, and the beginning of a six-decade work ethic, but there were no pats on the back for a choice of careers. Decision-making is ever present and comes at the cook in an instant. Cooks (for the most part) are blind to differences.

Back of House 474

Back of House Reference Presentation Mobile Ordering 474

Culinary Cues

APRIL 6, 2020

Dating back to Medieval times when cooking was reserved for nobility and later during the Renaissance when merchant travelers relied on local taverns for respite and a chance to break bread – restaurants and restaurant life has always been present. You need to take care of people. You take care of customers above all else.

Travel 542

Travel Back of House Customer Service Small Business 542

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. I rest my case.

Front of House 450

Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 450

Culinary Cues

JULY 19, 2024

It can be done without tasting food or even seeing a single plate presented in the pass and it is visible without asking a guest for comments on a meal. So, here’s the thing – when mise en place permeates everything you do, how you work, act, and present yourself, then competence finds a home and confidence leads the charge.

Front of House 358

Front of House Food Order Customer Service Customer Experience 358

Culinary Cues

JULY 4, 2021

The quick fix may just be a dramatic change in how we plan and present our menus. Without a clear understanding of where ingredient costs are going tomorrow and next month restaurants cannot afford to be shackled to a menu that is out of control. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Restaurant Consulting.

2021 508

2021 Food Supply Seasonal Menu Supplies 508

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2020

As previously stated – you can take the chef out of the kitchen, but you can’t take the kitchen out of the chef. Chefs at home must stay organized – they can’t help themselves. [] EVERY MEAL PRESENTED ON A BEO. This time of displacement is tough on everyone. Thus, more cups succumb to this fate.

Back of House 456

Back of House Point of Sale Take-out Food Order 456

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 474

Kitchen Safety Front of House Fine Dining Back of House 474

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

Modern Restaurant Management (MRM) magazine surveyed marketing experts to find out the best ways restaurants can market themselves now. Extra side, desert, take-home dressing, etc. Restaurants should advertise what precautions they're taking to keep people safe. Here are their insights. Impressions are everything.

Marketing 585

Marketing Social Media Food Safety Email Marketing 585

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

Pointing out what an employee does incorrectly can be positive if it is reinforced with training to correct the problem. When an employee feels that the opportunity for expression is present – then they will feel engaged and appreciated. The chef must also seek out those “teaching moments” whenever they arise.

Loyalty Program 582

Loyalty Program Communication Training Coaching 582

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Pricing 444

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Small Business 444

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 23, 2021

This can be direct (the menu item itself contributes working funds) or indirect (because the item is present on the menu – other items are more likely to sell). BEAUTIFUL FOOD PRESENTATIONS. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Check out CAFÉ Talks Podcast. TRUST IN CONSISTENCY. REAL SERVICE. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Point of Sale 450

Point of Sale Front of House Back of House Customer Experience 450

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

This is a topic I have presented numerous times and it seems as though whenever I travel it rises to the top of my thinking. Unfortunately, dining out and finding the right place to work is oftentimes a wishful roll of the dice. Find out everything you can about your guests and potential guests. I wonder why this is the case.

Fine Dining 449

Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 449

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. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. Nurture the hustle! CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Food Order 473

Food Order Customer Experience Hiring Café 473

Culinary Cues

JUNE 13, 2023

Just think for a moment of the context and implications when presented in conversation: “I have so much work to do” generally infers that you are over-burdened and challenged to complete everything. “I 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.

Article 408

Article Social Media Blog Café 408

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 10, 2021

I can’t even count the number of times that the union, representing thousands of steel workers, threatened slowdowns, walk outs or strikes on behalf of their membership. It wouldn’t take very long (measured in months) before there was more dissent among the rank and file and the union was back to the table with managers and operators.

Kitchen Safety 94

Kitchen Safety Training Take-out Mobile Ordering 94

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 449

Kitchen Safety Guest Recovery Uniforms Food Safety 449

Culinary Cues

JULY 9, 2022

I take a minute to balance the knife on my finger at the center of the bolster – amazing. It was a present from the first cook I worked with – Millie. Millie became a cook, out of necessity, and she was great at the work, but it wasn’t her passion, not like her husband. Take a moment to wonder: “What have my knives witnessed?

Front of House 447

Front of House Back of House Presentation Café 447

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. I continue to see good restaurants lose a step with their food preparation, flavors, and plate presentations and shrinking menus that no longer inspire. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Front of House 432

Front of House Back of House Coaching Customer Service 432

Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020

Unlike other line positions where there is a time allowance for preparation, pacing of courses, and the detail work that equates to a meticulously aligned plate presentation – the breakfast cook must be efficient and fast. call from the restaurant stating that the breakfast cook called out or didn’t show. and start all over again.

Back of House 520

Back of House Dine-in Restaurant Law Ordering 520

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2021

“Never again in our careers will we be able to take the boat out of water and put it in dry dock for a year to inspect every inch of its underbelly and make it seaworthy again,” “We want to make sure when we put the boat back in the water, it’s a sounder boat and does business in a better way.”

Dine-in 450

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 450

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

That they are to present themselves as ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies and gentlemen (The Ritz Carlton Credo). The property should invest, and the employee should seek out the opportunities to learn.

Training 443

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 443

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. Unfortunately, it is rare to hear of anyone pointing out these essential abilities or the need for them if one is to be effective in the job. www.mindtools.com. [] HISTORY AND ANTHROPOLOGIE.

Restaurant Law 450

Restaurant Law Communication Café Take-out 450

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Mediocre sucks the lifeblood out of an individual or an organization – it is the dark side of the moon, the harbinger of discomfort and pain, and the salt in the wound that saps your energy and leaves you hardened and embarrassed. This isn’t the French Laundry” so why even invest the time in plate presentation and cooking it properly – WRONG.

Uniforms 450

Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 450

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. Always push that carrot a little out of reach and then work like crazy to grab it.

Leadership 449

Leadership Fine Dining Workshop Training 449

Culinary Cues

APRIL 4, 2020

Once conditioned – a chef has a very difficult time breaking out of a routine. Your restaurant may be closed or maybe it has shifted to take-out and delivery only. Where do you begin, what direction should you take, what possible objectives can be put in place to move from uncertainty to a driving mission?

Leadership 451

Leadership Retail Training Take-out 451