Culinary Cues

APRIL 9, 2024

Look out chef – I’m coming for your job! Your uniform is right, knives sharp, and the skills you developed over the past two years were second nature. This is where new cooks win the support of the entire team and learn to take care of the people who keep the operation clean and organized. Are you okay with that?” Embrace it.

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Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 17, 2020

None, however, are as devastatingly out of the operators control as this pandemic. There are short-term band aid solutions such as takeout, delivery, or even conversion into retail markets where wine inventories and local necessities take over space once occupied by diners, but they are not a replacement for a steady turn of tables.

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Culinary Cues

JULY 14, 2023

Interestingly, it goes even further because if you take this approach, you quickly understand you can always do that task better tomorrow. If you are just starting out as a dishwasher, then seek to become a world-class dishwasher. So, the mantra sets the stage for the drive to constantly improve. People will notice.

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Culinary Cues

JANUARY 15, 2022

It is the ability and desire to strive for this potential that allows us to jump out of bed in the morning and face the day knowing that we can and will contribute in some way. Remember the feeling of belonging you experienced when you wore a clean, pressed, white uniform and apron? Figure it out!

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Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Your goal should never be to simply fill in a blank space on your schedule, but rather to find the right people to balance out your team. This also shows that the person has a goal and knows what it will take to get there. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

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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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. I rest my case.

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Front of House Back of House Uniforms Hiring 447

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. You set the tone for others to emulate. [] TEACH AND TRAIN.

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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. Take a simple hamburger – the second most popular item on American menus (a close second to pizza).

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Uniforms Fine Dining Small Business Customer Service 449

Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 30, 2022

Okay, so there are certainly employers out there who probably don’t deserve good employees, and, in those situations, I can understand some level of discontent, but not to the extreme of stating that being a cook is a dead end. Invest, push yourself, learn, grow, and take a chance – this is the formula on which great careers are built.

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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. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Apathy is a disease that spreads as quickly as a virus. Toynbee (author and historian). We are better than that!”

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Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 8, 2020

It is easy to blame money, non-traditional work hours, unrealistic training in culinary schools, and the younger generation as a whole – but even if we (the industry as a whole) were able to snap our fingers and fix these issues, it is likely that team building and retention would still be challenging. TEACH AND TRAIN. Richard Branson.

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Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 20, 2021

Some from each group have been (are) quite successful while others stumble along not quite sure what steps to take next. I was thinking the other day how we may be taking away from the opportunities that the school of hard knocks provides. Learning to be responsible and earning what is in your pocket – the school of hard knocks.

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Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 5, 2023

This is where cooks come in, this is when cooks are there to help make a difference, to support the good times and provide common ground and calm when the storm takes over. Do I not only realize but also act out the importance of the position and the impact what I do has on the profession? We are a force! Look at your job this way.

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Consumer Goods Uniforms Café Blog 412

Culinary Cues

AUGUST 28, 2020

Shake off the dust of complacency, press the wrinkles out of that chef coat, polish those shoes and face the challenges straight on. Send out information about your current offerings and your future plans through effective email blasts. Work at it, train for it, stand behind it, and make a difference. You can do this!

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

So, take a deep breath, kick a few empty five-gallon buckets around the kitchen (make sure they are empty), release a string of expletives if it makes you feel better, and take a few ibuprofens to address that constant headache. We are all ready to own our lives again and enjoy the simple things – like going out for a meal.

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

I relish great restaurant experiences, take pride in the operations where I have worked, feel connected to nearly anyone who works in professional kitchens and restaurants, and admire restaurant folks who find comfort in being the best that they can be. Find out everything you can about your guests and potential guests. Stay on it.

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Fine Dining Front of House Customer Service Customer Experience 392

Culinary Cues

MARCH 29, 2021

Take the analogies for what they are worth to you. Anger and finesse are evident in the intensity that takes place as a cook attacks a relentless list of preparations for service. Will I run out of anything at the peak rush and if so how will I find the time to prep more when tickets are lining up on the board?”

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Culinary Cues

JANUARY 15, 2020

Take it for what it’s worth: Working hard is exhausting, but invigorating. Whatever goal I set for myself can be achieved in the food business if I set my mind to it and make the commitment to do what it takes to get there. Not everyone is cut out to work in the restaurant business. Take pride in the chef’s uniform.

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

Funny, they all started out the same but took different paths. He worked in each kitchen area learning how to cut meat and fish, help on large banquets, work every position on the line, take inventories, and even how to make decisions on wines. If you take an interest, I will push you and give you plenty of opportunities to grow.

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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. I would encourage you to think about this and take the time to write down your beliefs as a “manifesto” and then use it as a guide moving forward.

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

Yet, within this calm there are lights on in kitchens across the country and the smell of sourdough breads, breakfast pastries, and bacon waft through the air, even making those dedicated runners slow down and take it in. It was 1am before the dishwashers finally turned out the lights and locked the kitchen door behind them.

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Culinary Cues

JULY 6, 2020

Your principles, and those of the cooks who proudly wear the uniform of the kitchen, are your stakes in the ground. Professional cooks avoid pointing fingers and when wrong – they take responsibility. Professional cooks are always seeking out excellence. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

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Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 12, 2020

The chef is not just the leader of the kitchen, he or she is the leader of people, and as such you must act the part – all of the time, day in and day out, and when you want to as well as when you don’t. These responsibilities come with the job – embrace them. Be an advocate within your restaurant for a benefit package that includes exercise.

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Culinary Cues

DECEMBER 30, 2019

Some have their feet planted firmly on the ground with a system that is time tested and solid, while others tend to drift in and out of consciousness. Every restaurant must constantly invest in training. [] PUTTING ALL OF YOUR EGGS IN THE CHEFS BASKET.

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Culinary Cues

FEBRUARY 3, 2020

The labor pool is a true challenge, the pressure to earn a profit is relentless, the fickle nature of guests can be frustrating, the shear number of daily decisions required of the job is mind-numbing, and the need to put yourself out there with each plate of food that leaves the kitchen can be – frightening. Take it for what it’s worth.

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Culinary Cues

OCTOBER 16, 2019

START DEPENDABLE – STAY DEPENDABLE: Once you are employed make sure that you are at work, ready to go, full of energy, smile on your face, uniform in order, and 15 minutes early. When you take control of a positive environment than others will follow suit. It’s not too much to ask. It’s not that much to ask. Show some respect!

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Have you established a uniform and grooming standard in your restaurant and is it equitably enforced? Are you meticulous about changing the oil in your deep fryer, or filtering out the smell of carbon build up on burner grates and broiler grids? How much time and effort are placed on this?

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Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

It could be that transition from the lack of any taste 6 x 6 box of tomatoes that are out of season, to your first heirloom tomato, and then eventually picking a tomato off the vine that was sun sweetened in the month of July – taking a bite and realizing what a gift a tomato can be – but, again, there is a moment.

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Culinary Cues

AUGUST 31, 2019

It goes beyond the job description: hiring, training, menu planning, quality control, cost control, representation, leadership, purchasing, image building and so on. When the executive chef had announced six weeks ago that he was moving on, the opportunity to take on the lead position was offered to him – he deserved the move up.

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Culinary Cues

MAY 26, 2020

Let’s put on our restaurant hat and take responsibility for doing what is right for both the health and wellbeing of our families, staff, and customers, and help in bring our communities out of the deepest economic hole since the Great Depression. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG.

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Culinary Cues

JUNE 16, 2020

Dining out was unavailable and we got by, we re-introduced ourselves to cooking at home and dusted off those skills that had been dormant, or added some new ones that had here-to-for not existed. Cooks and chefs drifted out of the limelight and now even those career cooks were likely questioning their choice of jobs.

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Culinary Cues

SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

And some are cooks and chefs who take the skills that have been developed over years and apply inspiration, vision, and even a bit of chaos to a canvas and create something that is totally unique – a benchmark for others to follow. PLAN BETTER – TRAIN HARDER. www.harvestamericacues.com BLOG. Harvest America Ventures, LLC.

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Culinary Cues

MARCH 14, 2024

We can take impeccable care of our chef uniform and careless about washing our hands for 20 seconds. Greatness is a way of presenting yourself, of functioning day-in and day-out. Excellence takes commitment, passion, knowledge, practice, and damn hard work. You are either in the pursuit of greatness, or you aren’t.

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360Training

JANUARY 22, 2020

While implementing some form of sick leave at your restaurant could solve this issue, it could take years to fully flesh out that type of program. Employers should also provide multiple uniforms for employees, so they’re able to wear a clean uniform daily. Some example duties include: Greeting and seating guests.

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Hot Schedules

FEBRUARY 12, 2021

Sure, there are the obvious (and numerous) compliance requirements outlined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), but payroll errors can also ripple out into other areas of your operation. That includes the time it takes to change into a work uniform, drive to a different job site, or participate in a training session.

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Employee Relations Retail Small Business Hospitality 147

Restaurant Engine

DECEMBER 9, 2020

Yet, there are some things to consider before taking the plunge. Catering can take a lot of time, especially when demand is high. Can you afford to invest in additional uniforms or aprons for your servers? You want to figure out how catering will fit into your work schedule, so you make sure to give the time it needs to grow.

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Culinary Cues

NOVEMBER 4, 2023

Chefs, like those listed above are beaten up, stressed out, pressured, critiqued, and second-guessed throughout their careers, so why in the world do many continue to hang on past a reasonable point in their lives. The people I chose to work with and hang out with were(are) passionate about what they do. So, what gives?

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