Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

Commissaries for some restaurant chains have reduced the need for kitchens and trained cooks in individual units and the drive-thru has influenced Detroit to view your car as a dining space with added cup holders and space for holding food. Where theres a will there is a way.

Fine Dining 243

Fine Dining Food Supply Customer Service Recruiting 243

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2024

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER Harvest America Ventures, LLC Restaurant Consulting www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG (Over 900 articles about the business and people of food) CAFÉ Talks Podcast [link] More than 90 interviews with the most influential people in food Happy Thanksgiving. What are you thankful for?

Food Supply 411

Food Supply Uniforms Café Take-out 411

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2025

Now, make sure that the vegetables on the sandwich are at their peak and reflective of the season: dont serve raw tomatoes outside of July and August. Out of season do something interesting with tomatoes (oven roasted, marinated, sun-dried tomato paste, etc.) Make the tomato an experience. At the same time you deserve to have a life.

Fine Dining 352

Fine Dining Seasonal Menu Front of House White Paper 352

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Employees must be properly trained and then given the responsibility and authority to make those decisions that fit their position. [] SERVE: Respect means that everyone involved in the restaurant is in the service business. Every day should be an opportunity for each employee to grow, learn, and improve through teaching and training.

Training 443

Training Customer Service Uniforms Leadership 443

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. Serving someone who is serving the guest means that you focus on providing whatever support is necessary to enable your staff to shoot for excellence.

Coaching 447

Coaching Restaurant Law Training Article 447

Culinary Cues

APRIL 23, 2023

Chefs have the experience to do this or the network of professionals who can serve as a planning resource. [] HAVE YOU EVER DEVELOPED, STANDARDIZED, AND THEN TRAINED STAFF TO PREPARE A NEW MENU ITEM: Start to finish, the right way to bring an item to the menu is to go through this process until all the “I’s” are dotted and the “T’s” are crossed.

Seasonal Menu 520

Seasonal Menu Leadership Training Fine Dining 520

Culinary Cues

APRIL 22, 2025

I often reflect on the diversity of people and their backgrounds, the various reasons they tie on an apron, the team environment, and the transparent nature of the characters who cook and serve. You must experience it to see it and live it to understand it.

Employee Relations 359

Employee Relations Reference Influencer Education 359

Culinary Cues

MARCH 15, 2021

LACK OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE BUSINESSES THEY SERVE. If you teach in a live restaurant environment on your campus is it operated with five times as many cooks in training as would be possible in a real restaurant? PLAN BETTER –TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Make sure that it is clear and positive.

Education 587

Education Food Supply Communication Training 587

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 19, 2025

By nature, all human beings have the potential and the responsibility to be teachers by example. [] STAY HUMBLE What we do is important, but letting the world know how important we feel we are is self-serving and does little to help others and nothing to raise the world up to its potential.

Uniforms 344

Uniforms Education Waste Blog 344

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 27, 2025

They continue to be a resource for me when I need a boost and hopefully may serve you as well. Here are some that have, in the past, been posted on my office door when I was a chef and later as an educator. Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Consumer Goods 292

Consumer Goods Presentation Leadership Dine-in 292

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 26, 2024

Would I serve this to my family? Would you be willing to state your reputation on how thoughtfully, passionately, and caringly you prepared and served a plate of food? Respect the profession and the food that you serve and create experiences that draw people in and keep them coming back. Is this the best I can do?

Dine-in 445

Dine-in Training Sports Seasonal Menu 445

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 9, 2021

Chefs, managers, and owners should live by a simple rule – “If you are not serving the guest directly then it is your job to serve those who are.” 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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Front of House 474

Front of House Customer Experience Dine-in Workshop 474

Culinary Cues

MAY 12, 2022

From my perspective the answer lies in menu planning, training, and labor efficiency. Restaurants need to take a hard look at what they serve, how they serve it, and what they are able to charge in order to EARN a profit. This may be the perfect time to align menu planning, effective buying, solid training, and efficiency.

Pricing 444

Pricing Consumer Goods Training Small Business 444

Culinary Cues

MAY 5, 2021

I have been asked to provide potential solutions for a generations long dilemma in the hospitality industry, a dilemma that has resulted in physical, mental, and emotional burnout and even a dependence on drugs and alcohol to serve as a band-aid for the wounds that are formed. “My Is there truth to this? So, what’s the solution?

Hotels 473

Hotels Employee Relations Coaching Training 473

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 3, 2020

The pandemic has shown that the fear of exposure has directed consumer attention to a much simpler formula: good tasting, comfortable food, prepared and served safely, and packaged in a convenient manner so that the guest can minimize exposure to others. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Government 493

Government Training Small Business Consumer Goods 493

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

I’m not a big fan of quick service restaurants, but I would be willing to bet that the menu items originally created by their corporate culinary team doesn’t translate to what is served in restaurant number 953. We filled the dining room, and everyone was served, but what was their experience? PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Customer Service 441

Customer Service Customer Experience Point of Sale Presentation 441

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 11, 2022

Do your homework, seek advice from smart and experienced people, run through every scenario possible, make sure you have the right amount of financing and available funds to weather the storm, hire and train the right people, and set yourself up with a better chance of succeeding than failing. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Customer Experience 464

Customer Experience Café Hospitality Customer Service 464

Modern Restaurant Management

SEPTEMBER 10, 2021

Like an arcade in a family restaurant, a house band at a bar or the fish tank at a seafood joint, holograms provide dining guests with an additional wow-factor — something unseen, to be rumored, Instagrammed or blogged about. The advantages of hologram technology aren’t limited to novelty, either.

Entertainment 485

Entertainment Social Media Customer Service Technology 485

Culinary Cues

MARCH 26, 2022

Seriously, why would you ever jump into the deep end unless you had a plan and real-life measurements that serve as a roadmap? Once established – do not sacrifice what you have invested the time in developing. [] FAILING TO INVEST IN TRAINING. Training ALWAYS pays back in dividends. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

Cash Management 464

Cash Management Social Media Restaurant Law Communication 464

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2024

When properly developed and integrated into your operation, the mission statement will impact who you hire, how you train, the products you develop and sell, the way you lead and manage, how employees interact, the way that guests are approached, and how the world perceives you (the business) to be. Freedom for the soul.” Choose wisely.

Customer Service 414

Customer Service Social Media Customer Experience Reference 414

Culinary Cues

JUNE 9, 2024

In the commodities world, the driving force is efficiency and cost savings (not that these initiatives are bad) oftentimes at the expense of what it means to cook, serve, and create memorable experiences. But ask yourself this: how do you feel about the product you serve and the service that you provide? Food for thought.

Customer Experience 438

Customer Experience Café Customer Service Training 438

Typsy

MAY 18, 2021

An aspect where you can make a significant difference is finding people from service industries or students with a natural flair for hospitality and providing training in hospitality so they become confident, engaged, and loyal hospitality workers and employees that will stay with you for the long term.

Training 156

Training Hospitality Recruiting Demo 156

Culinary Cues

APRIL 6, 2020

Today, restaurants serve a multitude of purposes that has brought this industry to a status of importance that is impossible to deny. Although our current crisis has brought the restaurant industry to a halt, it is important to remember just how integrated the business of selling and serving food is to society as a whole.

Travel 542

Travel Back of House Customer Service Small Business 542

Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 24, 2020

There are thousands of restaurants just like this – they serve a real need for dependability. [] A CONNECTION TO HISTORY. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Harvest America Ventures, LLC. CAFÉ Talks Podcast.

Menu 484

Menu Seasonal Menu Front of House Reference 484

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2024

group’s function contrary to common purpose except to add oxygen to their group-serving purpose of discord and animal gratification. What teams seek to find is leadership in this regard and not the subservient desire to be led. On the other hand, teams are the lifeblood of accomplishment.

Leadership 447

Leadership Restaurant Law Social Media Sports 447

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

Beverage 520

Beverage Events Food Order Website Management 520

The Rail

OCTOBER 10, 2024

This short blog looks into these factors and points out how you can tap into this growing market segment. Here's what's driving the demand for restaurants to start serving more sustainable coffee : Ethical Awareness: Consumers have more awareness about the social and environmental dimensions associated with the production of coffee.

Sustainability 130

Sustainability Dine-in Compost Consumer Goods 130

Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Every now and then this can serve as a “checks and balance” activity to keep you on the right path and assess where and why you might have strayed from those “stakes in the ground” that are important to your core. If employees are properly trained to perform a task then you need to trust them to do it. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER.

2021 487

2021 Point of Sale Take-out Reference 487

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 30, 2019

In all cases they begin with the same goals: prepare and serve great products that are consistent and offered with a smile, build success on a steady flow of sales and controlled profitability, and do all of this with pride. Every restaurant must constantly invest in training. [] PUTTING ALL OF YOUR EGGS IN THE CHEFS BASKET.

Cash Management 363

Cash Management Point of Sale Leadership Website Management 363

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 6, 2021

Beyond this, he was excited about the food and the opportunity to serve it to us – CONTEXT. If restaurants propose to be authentic in any way, regardless of the concept, ethnicity, or influence portrayed, then we all have an obligation to teach, train, engage, and embrace all stakeholders in the context that is so important to real flavor.

Influencer 446

Influencer Customer Experience Dine-in Training 446

Culinary Cues

APRIL 9, 2020

As one of the oldest professions known to mankind – cooking is a noble endeavor that serves as a portal for all that a culture means and restaurants are the vehicle for delivering this to and sharing culture with people of all ethnicities, race, genders, and beliefs. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Customer Experience 520

Customer Experience Customer Service Dine-in Sports 520

Culinary Cues

APRIL 29, 2024

The industry expects that many managers will need to belittle and embarrass employees for their quality of work often resulting from the lack of training provided. There is a noble side to preparing and serving food. The industry expects that people will work unhealthy hours and accept schedules that constantly change.

Front of House 320

Front of House Back of House Training Customer Service 320

Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 18, 2022

No other art form connects so many stakeholders through the process of growing, processing, transporting, preparing, serving, and enjoying a product. [] THE HEART OF THE ECONOMY IN TOURIST COMMUNITIES. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Harvest America Ventures, LLC. Restaurant Consulting.

Agriculture 447

Agriculture Tourism Transportation Café 447

Hot Schedules

MAY 10, 2021

Seasonal Staff Playbook: Hiring, Training & Retaining Great Teams. PLAY 2: Onboard & Train Your Seasonal Staff. Without proper training and engagement opportunities, your seasonal staff can keep sales in the minor leagues. Train and prepare staff to serve guests in a high-speed, high-volume environment.

Hiring 147

Hiring Training Mobile Ordering Coaching 147

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 18, 2022

I suppose uncontrolled chaos is something that needs to be experienced – a teaching moment that serves as a right of passage. Chefs need to inspire, teach, train, support, show, critique, and reward the hustle – this is the lifeblood of a great restaurant. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

Food Order 473

Food Order Customer Experience Hiring Café 473

Culinary Cues

JANUARY 20, 2024

Of course, water should be served and unless a guest chooses the more expensive options for bottled or sparkling water it should flow freely throughout the meal. [] AN ENTRÉE IS NAKED WITHOUT VEGETABLES Yes, restaurants have, to at least a baseline degree, a responsibility to provide a balanced meal. Do it right!

Fine Dining 449

Fine Dining Food Truck Back of House Pricing 449

Culinary Cues

MARCH 3, 2021

PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com – BLOG. Let’s keep our standards high with fewer, well-paid employees who have the ability to engage in exciting careers and balance a life beyond the kitchen or dining room. We can do this and there has never been a better time to think about how we move in this direction.

Dine-in 450

Dine-in Small Business Seasonal Menu Café 450